// OPTIPLEX · 5000 TIER
Refurbished Dell OptiPlex 5000 series — the proper office PC
Dell’s mainstream business desktop — the OptiPlex 5080, 5090 and 5000 — securely wiped, fully tested and rebuilt by a family-run Bournemouth firm that has sold Dell since 2001. Every machine leaves us with a brand-new 1TB Samsung 990 PRO SSD, Windows 11 and your data already on it.
Rated 4.9 on GoogleFamily-run since 1995 · no fix, no fee// THE · TIER
Dell’s mainstream business desktop, done properly
The 5000 tier sits in the middle of Dell’s business range, and for a refurb buyer it’s the sweet spot. You get a clear step up from the budget 3000 series — more processor choice (up to an 8-core or 12-core i7), four memory slots instead of two in the Tower and SFF, and more expansion — without paying for 7000-series premium features you may never use. Corporate-fleet build quality, at prices close to the budget tier.
It suits small businesses replacing an ageing fleet, accounts and admin desks, reception and point-of-sale (the tiny Micro), home workers who want a reliable wired desktop, and tinkerers who fancy adding a graphics card or extra drives later (that’s the Tower). A small piece of trivia: there was no “5010” — Dell’s 2023 refresh consolidated on the OptiPlex 7010, so the 2022 OptiPlex 5000 is the last of the 5000-series names.
Every machine is professionally set up by 365 Techies with Windows 11 Home or Pro (your choice), your data moved across, and fitted with a brand-new 1TB Samsung 990 PRO SSD — all included in the price. Graded A/B/C by looks only; every grade is fully tested.
OptiPlex 5080 vs 5090 vs 5000 at a glance
| Model | Form factors | Intel generation | Typical spec | Guide price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OptiPlex 5080 (2020) | Tower / SFF / Micro | 10th gen | i5-10500, 16GB DDR4, new 1TB 990 PRO (runs at Gen3) | Around £615 (guide — stock varies) | The lowest entry to the tier |
| OptiPlex 5090 (2021) | Tower / SFF / Micro | 10th or 11th gen — we confirm per unit | i5, 16GB DDR4, new 1TB 990 PRO (Gen4 on 11th-gen configs) | £620 | A £5 step up with a chance of 11th-gen inside |
| OptiPlex 5000 (2022) | Tower / SFF / Micro | 12th gen | i5-12500, 16GB DDR4-3200, new 1TB 990 PRO at full Gen4 speed | Around £690 (guide) | Newest chips, full-speed SSD, i7-12700 option |
// THE · LINE-UP
5080, 5090 or 5000 — three years, three price points
We stock three generations of this tier, and the year matters more than the badge:
- OptiPlex 5080 (2020) — Intel 10th-gen. The lowest entry point, around £615 with an i5, 16GB and our new-SSD setup included (guide price — stock varies).
- OptiPlex 5090 (2021) — sold with both 10th and 11th-gen chips under the same name, typically £620. We check the actual CPU in every unit before we quote, because the two are genuinely different machines inside.
- OptiPlex 5000 (2022) — Intel 12th-gen, around £690 (guide price). The newest, quickest option in the tier, and the only one that runs our Samsung 990 PRO at its full speed in every form factor.
All three prices are for our standard build: Core i5, 16GB RAM, brand-new 1TB Samsung 990 PRO, Windows 11 and full setup included. Core i7 configurations carry a modest premium, quoted per unit as ex-fleet stock varies. The comparison table below puts the three side by side.
// CPU · TRUTH
i5 and i7 across the tier — and no i9, ever
Let’s be straight about processors, because listings elsewhere often aren’t. The 5000 tier was sold with Core i5 and Core i7 only. We’ve checked every Dell setup-and-specification document covering the 5080, 5090 and 5000: every processor table tops out at i7 (i7-10700, i7-11700, i7-12700 and their low-power T variants). If you see an “i9 OptiPlex 5090” advertised somewhere, it’s mis-listed or rebuilt — i9 was a 7000-tier feature.
What you actually get: the i5s are all 6 cores / 12 threads — comfortably enough for office work, accounts packages and heavy multi-tab browsing. The i7-10700 and i7-11700 are 8 cores / 16 threads, and the i7-12700 in the 2022 OptiPlex 5000 is 12 cores / 20 threads — the most capable processor ever offered in this tier.
One honest caveat: the tiny Micro uses 35W T-series chips (i5-10500T, i7-12700T and so on), which run noticeably slower under sustained load than the same-numbered 65W desktop chips. We’ll never describe a T chip as if it were the full-fat version. We only stock Core i5 and above — in this tier that means i5 and i7.
// SIZE · MATTERS
Tower, SFF or Micro — pick by what you’ll do later
Each model came in three cases, and the right one depends on whether you’ll ever open it up:
- Tower — the only choice if you might add a graphics card, extra drives or need PSU headroom. Full-height PCIe slots (x16 + x4 + two x1), two to three drive bays plus a slim optical bay, and power supplies up to a 400W option on the 5000 Tower. Dell factory-fitted cards up to a GTX 1660 Super 6GB in the 5090 Tower.
- SFF — the best balance of desk footprint and expandability: two half-height slots (x16 + x4), one 3.5/2.5-inch bay plus optical. The 200W-class PSU limits graphics to roughly 50W low-profile cards — fine for multi-monitor, not for gaming.
- Micro — a 1-litre box that VESA-mounts behind a monitor. Silent, brilliant for reception, POS and hot desks — but no PCIe slots, 35W chips and an external 90/130W adapter (we make sure the genuine Dell adapter is included). The wrong choice if you say “I’ll upgrade later”.
All three give you dual DisplayPort 1.4 with an optional third video port, and the 5090 and 5000 add front USB-C 3.2 Gen2.
// MEMORY · FACTS
Four DIMM slots, 128GB ceiling — real headroom
Memory is where this tier quietly beats the budget 3000 series. In Tower and SFF form, all three generations have four DIMM slots and take up to 128GB of DDR4 — double the 3000 tier’s ceiling, and the main practical upgrade advantage of paying the small premium.
Speeds by model: the 5080 runs DDR4-2666 with an i5 (2933 with an i7); the 5090 supports up to DDR4-3200 but only on its 11th-gen configurations — another reason we check the CPU in every 5090; and the 2022 OptiPlex 5000 runs DDR4-3200 across the board. The Micro is different: two laptop-style SODIMM slots, 64GB maximum — worth knowing if you’re planning your own upgrades. There’s no DDR5 anywhere in this tier.
Our priced builds ship with 16GB, and we check the sticks are paired for dual-channel before anything leaves the bench — ex-fleet machines often arrive with a single stick, which quietly costs performance. With memory prices having risen sharply through 2026, a machine that already has 16GB properly fitted is worth more than it used to be — and upgrading later costs more than it did. Buy the RAM in the box.
// STORAGE · STORY
A brand-new 1TB Samsung 990 PRO in every machine
Every model and form factor in this tier has one M.2 2230/2280 slot for the boot drive (plus a separate small M.2 for Wi-Fi). We don’t reuse the old drive — the SSD is the one genuine wearing part in an ex-fleet machine — so every computer gets a brand-new 1TB Samsung 990 PRO, included in the price. With that drive retailing at £229.99 at a mainstream UK retailer as of July 2026 after the industry-wide flash-memory price surge, that’s not a small inclusion.
How fast it runs depends on the machine: the 5080’s slot is PCIe Gen3, so the 990 PRO runs at Gen3 speed — still an enormous jump over a worn ex-fleet drive. The 5090 runs it at Gen4 on 11th-gen configurations (10th-gen 5090s run the slot at Gen3). The 2022 OptiPlex 5000’s M.2 slot is Gen4 ×4 in every form factor — the full speed of the drive.
Need more space? The Tower has two to three SATA bays plus a slim optical bay, the SFF one 3.5/2.5-inch bay, and even the Micro fits a 2.5-inch drive alongside the M.2 — dual-drive capable in a 1-litre box.
// STRAIGHT ANSWER
Why do computers cost more than last year?
In short: the memory chips inside every computer have shot up in price. AI data centres are buying storage and memory at a scale the industry has never seen, and that demand has pushed up the price of the NAND flash chips inside every SSD — for everyone, on every brand, new and refurbished alike.
We fit a brand-new 1TB Samsung 990 PRO in every machine we sell rather than a tired old drive — and that one part now costs around £230 at UK retailers. We’d rather explain the price honestly than quietly fit a cheaper, slower drive.
The upside: a refurbished business-grade Dell is the best answer to rising prices — the chassis, screen and board are already made, so your money goes on the parts that matter. The full story is on our why computer prices have gone up page.
// SETUP · GUARANTEE · SUPPORT
Every machine set up properly — then choose your cover
Every computer is professionally set up by 365 Techies with Windows 11 Home or Pro (your choice) and your data moved across — that’s included. Then pick how looked-after you want to be:
| Feature | Machine only | + £49 Setup Pack | On a 365 support plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included in the price | One-off £49 | Home £18.25/month per computer · business from £24.38 |
| Guarantee | 12-month return-to-base | 12-month return-to-base | 5 years — for as long as you’re on the plan |
| Setup | Windows 11 Home or Pro, data moved across | Tailored home or business setup — email, printers, accounts, the lot | Tailored setup, then kept right |
| Support | Pay-as-you-go remote help from £20 | 30 days of remote support included | Help as often as you need it — we always phone first |
| Servicing | — | A full service after your first 30 days | A full service every 6 weeks, with a written Service Report emailed to you each time |
| Best for | Confident users | A properly settled-in start | Never worrying about your computer again |
Our honest advice: the support plan is the best value of the three — and not because we sell it. The guarantee alone is five times longer, problems get caught at the six-weekly service before they cost you a morning, your backups are actually checked rather than assumed, and one avoided emergency pays for months of cover. Plans are rolling monthly with no lock-in — see home plans and business plans, or add Microsoft 365 to a home plan at £4.85 per user, per month.
// FULL MODEL DETAILS & UPGRADES
Every model in detail
Every machine comes with 16GB fitted. Want 32GB? Guide upgrade: +£176 on laptops and Micro desktops, +£210 on SFF/Tower desktops (2×16GB, fitted). One honest heads-up: memory prices are moving unusually fast right now (the same AI data-centre demand behind rising computer prices), so we confirm RAM upgrade pricing at quote time. Note the Latitude 7000 series has soldered memory — it can’t be upgraded later, so pick the size you’ll ever need up front.
OptiPlex 5080 guide £615
| Form factors | Micro / SFF / Tower |
|---|---|
| Processor | 10th-gen i5 · 6 cores / 12 threads |
| Memory | 16GB fitted (two slots) · 32GB upgrade guide +£176 (Micro) or +£210 (SFF/Tower) |
| Storage | New 1TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe · upgrade to 2TB +£185 or 4TB +£420 (guide) |
| Screen connections | 2× DisplayPort 1.4 — no HDMI as standard; some units carry an optional HDMI 2.0, VGA or USB-C-video port. HDMI/VGA/DVI monitors connect via a small DP adapter — tell us your screen’s connector and we’ll sort it. |
| Included | Windows 11 Home or Pro set up, data moved across, 12-month guarantee (5 years on a support plan) |
OptiPlex 5090 guide £620
| Form factors | Micro / SFF / Tower |
|---|---|
| Processor | 11th-gen i5 · 6 cores / 12 threads |
| Memory | 16GB fitted (two slots) · 32GB upgrade guide +£176 (Micro) or +£210 (SFF/Tower) |
| Storage | New 1TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe · upgrade to 2TB +£185 or 4TB +£420 (guide) |
| Screen connections | 2× DisplayPort 1.4 — no HDMI as standard; some units carry an optional HDMI 2.0, VGA or USB-C-video port. HDMI/VGA/DVI monitors connect via a small DP adapter. |
| Included | Windows 11 Home or Pro set up, data moved across, 12-month guarantee (5 years on a support plan) |
OptiPlex 5000 (2022) guide £690
| Form factors | Micro / SFF / Tower |
|---|---|
| Processor | 12th-gen i5 · 6 cores / 12 threads |
| Memory | 16GB fitted (two slots) · 32GB upgrade guide +£176 (Micro) or +£210 (SFF/Tower) |
| Storage | New 1TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe · upgrade to 2TB +£185 or 4TB +£420 (guide) |
| Screen connections | 2× DisplayPort 1.4a — no HDMI as standard; some units carry an optional HDMI 2.0 (4K60), DP, VGA or USB-C-video port. HDMI/VGA/DVI monitors connect via a small DP adapter. |
| Included | Windows 11 Home or Pro set up, data moved across, 12-month guarantee (5 years on a support plan) |
// READY? CHECK AVAILABILITY IN A MINUTE
Check availability & get your quote
Choose a model below, add your details, and your pick goes straight to the team — we’ll confirm availability and your exact quote shortly (stock varies, so we may suggest the nearest equivalent). Guide prices, no payment online, no obligation — and you can add accessories to the same quote.
// RELATED
Weighing up the range? Start with our complete Dell OptiPlex guide, see how OptiPlex compares in OptiPlex vs Inspiron desktop, or step down to the budget 3000 tier and up to the premium 7000 tier. Browse everything on our refurbished Dell hardware page, and businesses near Poole can read about second-hand office computers in Poole.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Is there a Core i9 OptiPlex 5080, 5090 or 5000?
No — and we’ve verified this against Dell’s own setup-and-specification documents for all three models. Every processor table tops out at Core i7 (i7-10700, i7-11700, i7-12700 and their T variants). If a listing elsewhere claims an i9 in this tier, it’s mis-listed or has been rebuilt with a non-standard board. i9 was a 7000-tier feature.
Why do you check the CPU in every OptiPlex 5090?
Because Dell sold the 5090 with both 10th and 11th-generation Intel chips under the same model name — effectively two different machines. Only the 11th-gen configurations get DDR4-3200 memory speed and Gen4 NVMe on the M.2 slot. We confirm the exact processor in every unit before we quote, so you know precisely what you’re buying.
Which form factor should I choose?
Tower if you might ever add a graphics card or extra drives — it’s the only one with full-height slots and PSU headroom. SFF for the best balance of small footprint and modest expansion. Micro if you want a silent 1-litre box mounted behind a monitor for reception, POS or a hot desk — but it has no expansion slots and uses slower 35W chips, so it’s the wrong pick if you plan to upgrade later.
How much more does a Core i7 cost?
A modest premium on top of the i5 price for the same model, quoted per unit because ex-fleet i7 stock varies. The standout is the i7-12700 in the 2022 OptiPlex 5000 — 12 cores and 20 threads, the most capable processor ever offered in this tier — a genuine alternative to paying for a premium-tier machine.
Are these desktops Windows 11 ready?
Yes — all three generations (5080, 5090 and 5000) are fully Windows 11 eligible, with no workarounds or unsupported installs. Every machine is professionally set up with Windows 11 Home or Pro — your choice — and your data moved across from your old computer, all included in the price.
What guarantee do I get?
A 12-month return-to-base guarantee as standard. Or, if you’re on a 365 support plan (home £18.25/month per computer, business from £24.38/month), your machine is guaranteed for 5 years — for as long as you stay on the plan. The comparison band on this page shows how the plans and the £49 Setup Pack stack up.
What’s the £49 Setup Pack?
An optional extra on top of the standard setup that’s already included: a tailored home or business setup, 30 days of remote support while you settle in, and a full service after your first 30 days. See the comparison section on this page for how it sits alongside the monthly support plans.
Can I add a graphics card to one of these?
In the Tower, yes — Dell factory-fitted cards up to a GTX 1660 Super 6GB in the 5090 Tower, and the 5000 Tower offered a 400W PSU option. The SFF takes low-profile cards up to roughly 50W — ideal for extra monitors, not gaming. The Micro has no expansion slots at all. Tell us your plans and we’ll steer you to the right case.
Want a 5000-series desktop built for you?
Tell us what the machine is for and we’ll match a 5080, 5090 or 5000 from stock — exact CPU and generation confirmed before you pay a penny. Call 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM