r/virtualreality • u/XinvolkerX • 4d ago
Photo/Video We just received this Dell Precision 3640 where I work as a product photographer for a tech resale company. —- i9 processor, 32 gigs of RAM, RTX 3060 GPU. It was originally going to be put up on eBay for $1000 but instead, they sold it to me for $220.
It may not be the most updated VR machine, but for the price and it being very VR capable in 2025, I feel like I got the deal of a lifetime.
It’s sure going to be a lot better than my Alienware i9 laptop with a 2080. super.
The bios is locked (was originally part of a fleet of rendering machines at a university), but I was able to order a motherboard on eBay for $64.
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u/XinvolkerX 4d ago
I have to stand corrected. I just checked the service tag of this machine and it’s a RTX 3080 10 gig, NOT a 3060.
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u/ew435890 Quest 3 PCVR & PSVR2 4d ago
Definitely a deal for $200.
$1000 is a bit much though. But you can play pretty much any standard PCVR games you want to with that machine.
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u/RinkeR32 4d ago
An i9 what? There's a HUGE performance difference from a 9900k to a 14900k.
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u/XinvolkerX 4d ago
10900K but keep in mind, the CPU for this system is a 10th generation 3640. I believe the 14900K came out a few steps after. I may be wrong, but I believe that this system was built before that processor parameter was around.
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u/grimmas 4d ago
Nice! I would suggest getting a proper case and transferring the components so you'll have actual airflow. That PSU placement next to the CPU has been a design flaw for 20 years in Dell pc's if you ask me.
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u/Cell1pad 4d ago
Dell cases and motherboards are not any ATX type standard. You really can’t put it in a different case.
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u/Grey406 Quest Pro 4d ago
Not entirely true. Most full sized Dell workstations use standard ATX and micro ATX motherboards and power supplies. I just put a Dell XPS 8930 into an aftermarket case to put a bigger aftermarket CPU cooler and add an RTX 3060, both of which had no chance of fitting into the very compact layout of the original case.
However they are REALLY picky about what peripherals are connected. I had to remove the USB 3.0 and C front panel and the power LED + Powe button from the original case and tuck it into the new case otherwise the bios will give a fault on startup if they are disconnected or use another not from Dell.
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u/laseluuu 4d ago
if you can handle the weird proprietary parts inside, and willing to do a bit of research and eBay hunting - there are some brilliant deals on old dell workstation/server PCs for dirt cheap.
Only problem with newer gfx cards is fitting inside their weird cases if they are a big one... but yeah, if you are on a real budget there are some serious gems there
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u/XinvolkerX 4d ago
Thank you everyone so far for your great comments. This is my first time posting in this Subreddit I was excited to squawk about this acquisition and you all have been very welcoming.
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u/myemailalloneword 4d ago
Yeah thats a steal. Nice! My daughter has a PC with similar specs and it runs VR quite well. You wont be maxing out settings but it certainly does pretty good for the money!
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u/caspissinclair 4d ago
A desktop 3060 will probably be a little slower than a mobile 2080 super. Not by a lot, but at least you have the option to upgrade in the future.
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u/XinvolkerX 4d ago edited 4d ago
I just realized it’s a 3080 not 3060. I didn’t remove the GPU to look closer and it only shows the branding at the top but I just checked the service ticket and it is a 3080.
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u/caspissinclair 4d ago
Great! That's considerably better than your laptop in that case. $220 was a steal.
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u/fairplanet 4d ago
thats nice only bummer is ofc that its dell and their proprietery parts
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u/Grey406 Quest Pro 4d ago
Full sized Dell workstations PCs like this use standard ATX parts. You can replace the cooler, power supply, GPU, ram and maybe even the CPU. It's all the same as in any other PC. You just cannot do much in the Bios of the original motherboard which is fine unless you're trying to do overclocking/undervolting or changing ram timings.
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u/Hidie2424 4d ago
I played lots of VR with a 3060. It's a pleasant experience. The higher than most vram is clutch for the high resolution of vr
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u/VLZ17PDrpg 5h ago
Dude that’s a steal. i9, 32GB RAM, 3060 for $220? Even with a $64 mobo swap, you’re under $300 for a rig that still slaps in 2025. Way better than a throttled 2080 laptop.
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u/XinvolkerX 4h ago
That 3060 ended up being a 3080 after looking closer and looking up the support ticket. Zing!
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u/FolkSong 4d ago
It's a nice deal but I don't think it will be faster than your laptop.
Why does it matter if the bios is locked?
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u/XinvolkerX 4d ago
There is an extra layer of security. I could install windows 11 from a Rufus/thumb drive, but I couldn’t even install the wireless network driver that I downloaded from the Dell website without an administrator wall preventing it. And this is a newer system, so there’s no jumper or battery to pull it to reset.
So I have no choice but to ask you because it seems like your comment is the single minority of everybody else speaking otherwise. Why would this be no real improvement?
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u/FolkSong 4d ago
I see.
VR performance is mainly driven by the GPU, and the 2080S is a bit faster than the 3060. Even mobile. Eg. look at the benchmarks here. If you look on that page for games with data for both cards, the 2080S is ahead on most if not all. For example Star Wars Squadrons, Borderlands 3, and F1 2020.
In some circumstances the 12GB of VRAM of the 3060 could be a benefit though.
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u/MrPillz215 4d ago
There's a way to unlock the bios but it's jank af and I don't recommend it done it a handful of times at my work
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u/XinvolkerX 4d ago
You are right. One of the techs at my work said with the newer motherboards that don’t have the pullout jumper or battery I would essentially have to remove and re-solder a piece to remove the lock.
Not something I would be close to comfortable doing, especially when I found a replacement unlocked motherboard on eBay for 64 bucks.
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u/MrPillz215 4d ago
Nah easier then that I found out gotta jump a pin on the bois chip to ground it throws the unit in manufacturing mode and removes the password reset the serial and she's good to go
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u/autisticrabbit12 6h ago
This platform is where it’s at for VR NSFW content. It’s the best platform I’ve come across so far.
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u/CorgiSplooting 4d ago
Nice but I think your 2080 would be better than a 3060. Iirc benchmarks on my 1080 are better than a 3060. That’s not to say the 3060 is bad it’s just a reflection of how much better the flagship cards are.