comments:
I've got about a dozen of the Optiplex Micro Plus 7020's in play with Intel Core i7 CPU's. All of them run hot. One ran very hot to the point where it wouldn't boot. I sent it to Dell Depot Repair under warranty and they replaced the main board, CPU heatsink and fan and got it back to me within two business days. It booted fine, but it still ran very hot (where it was uncomfortable to rest the palm of your hand on the chassis top) after about 10 minutes running. On a lark, I put 3/4" rubber stand-offs at each corner of the chassis bottom and let the PC run for 30 minutes. When I checked it, the metal chassis was cool to the touch, and still is an hour later. I think the design flaw is the rectangular rubber feet on the bottom of the case are about 1/16" in height or less and because the internal CPU fan doesn't cool enough, the bottom of the chassis becomes an internal hot-plate and it never cools. Putting 3/4" rubber standoffs at each corner seems to allow adequate cooling of the chassis bottom plate and the internal heat near the CPU and cooling fan never get that hot anymore. The half-inch standoffs will probably do the trick as well. The Amazon item I used was Skylety 24 Pieces Black Conical Rubber Bumpers 3 Different Sizes Bumper Extender Tall Rubber Feet Spacers for Cabinet Door, Speakers, Amplifiers, Laptops, Appliance. I believe they are iso-mounts, but for about $12 to take care of six PCs, I'm willing to risk it.