desktop [install- or configur-]ation issues on Dell workstations?

Frank Fenderbender frankfenderbender at council124.org
Sun Mar 31 18:09:14 UTC 2019


In terms of platforming FreeBSD, I've decided to stay away from systems of old, which tend towards issues of compatibility, availability, and faded support.
So, I am trying to fit a computer system to FreeBSD rather than the usual "other way around". 
I have a Dell account to work with so I am looking for a Dell workstation as my FreeBSD platform.
There are many ways to configure the hardware and its add-ons so I want to try to get the "best fit" for FreeBSD desktop, running as both a development. and compatibility-testing platform.

I have seen numerous issues with NVIDIA's graphics, both on Ubuntu and BSD discussion websites; Dell's selection set is {NVIDIA, AMD}.
I'm certain that other issues, of which I hope to learn about beforehand, can be avoided more or less, from how the FreeBSD installation and configuration find the platform onto which it will reside.

I am asking for considerations and suggestions that you have encountered, maybe even with Dell platforms themselves -- for good or for bad -- so that I can best address them in selecting Dell options ahead-of-time. 

I will be developing and testing applications based in python3, pyqt5, CoreData, and sqlite3.
I'd appreciate and value your input.

I tentatively have the following system in my Dell "shopping cart" and want to quell my leeriness with others who have been near similar  installation, configuration, and usage criteria, so that I may modify my cart's choice(s) before pushing a "buy" button.

If anything pops out from the list below as problematic, or if a key component is missing, I would appreciate your "heads-up".
I presumed that it will be easier to clear-and-install on a system with pre-installed Ubuntu  than one with Windows 10, noting that it is definitely cheaper....

 Thanks much for your review,
"frank"

Precision 3630 Tower - VR Capable
<https://dell.com/en-us/work/shop/desktop-and-all-in-one-pcs/precision-3630-tower-vr-capable/spd/precision-3630-workstation/xctopt3630us4>

SYSTEM CFG QUERY			SYSTEM CFG SELECTION
-------------------------------			-------------------------------------
Precision Workstation				T3620 MT
Dell Precision Tower 				3620 XCTO BASE
Processor						7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700 (Quad Core 3.6GHz, 4.2Ghz Turbo, 8MB, w/ HD Graphics 630)
Operating System				Ubuntu Linux 16.04
Microsoft Office					No Productivity Software
Chassis Options					Dell Precision Tower 3620 Up to 90% efficient 365W Chassis, v2
Video Card						Integrated Graphics included
Memory							16GB 2X8GB DDR4 2400MHz UDIMM Non-ECC
Systems Management			No Out-of-Band Systems Management
Wireless							No Wireless
Internal Hard Drive Configuration	C2 SATA 3.5, 2 HD
HDD Controller					Integrated Intel SATA Controller
Boot Hard Drive					3.5" 1TB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
2nd Hard Drive					1TB, 3.5" SATA (7,200 RPM) Hard Drive
3rd Hard Drive					No Additional Hard Drive
4th Hard Drive					No Additional Hard Drive
5th Hard Drive					No Additional Hard Drive
Optical Drive						16x DVD-ROM drive and 19-in-1 Media Card Reader
Hard Drive RAID					No RAID
Keyboard						Dell KB216 Wired Keyboard English Black
Mouse							Dell MS116 Wired Mouse Black
Network Card					1Gbit NIC add-in card (PCIe- Intel)
Thunderbolt Card				No Thunderbolt Add in Card
Serial Port / PS2 Adapter			No Serial Port/PS2 Adapter
Power Cords						US Power Cord
Placemat						Documentation MUI
Resource DVD					Dell Precision T3620 Resource DVD
Operating System Recovery Options	OS-Windows Media Not Included
Energy Star						Energy Star
Optical Software					PowerDVD Software not included
Dell Threat Protection and Endpoint Security Suite​	No Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Security Suite Software
Storage Volume					No Raid Configuration over 2TB
Canada Ship Options				Non-Canada orders only
Packaging						Dell Precision Packaging
Driver							No Wireless LAN Card
Regulatory Label					Tower 3620 Regulatory Label DAO
Documentation / Disks			Safety/Environment and Regulatory Guide (English/French Multi-language)
Non-Microsoft Application Software		Ubuntu Linux
Cables and Dongles				Video Cable, DisplayPort-to-VGA, One VGAConnection, One Adapter
UPC Label						No UPC Label
Hard Drive Software				No Intel Technology enabled
Processor Branding				LABEL,INTEL,CI7,7,SML,KBL
Stands and Mounts				No Stand
Hardware Support Services		5 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service
IEEE 1394						No Firewire Card
Speakers and Soundbars			No External Speaker


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