Mini COD 4

📌 Overview

Mini COD 4 is a compact SSD-only storage server platform built on the Dell OptiPlex 7050 tower. It is purpose-built for document-focused storage: quiet, practical, and matched to the small-file workloads most SOHO, SMB, and LAB environments actually run.

This system is provided fully assembled, tested, and prepared with XigmaNAS installed on a dedicated Intel Optane 16GB M.2 system module. XigmaNAS is a third-party open-source NAS operating system based on FreeBSD.

This is not a fully populated NAS appliance: data drives are not included and are to be installed by the buyer based on their own capacity and storage layout requirements.

The platform uses only the standard onboard resources of the Dell motherboard: no HBA, no add-in NIC, and no other expansion cards. This keeps the build simple, quiet, power-efficient, and easy to understand.

Unlike Mini COD 3D, this variant has no DVD drive. The freed 5.25" bay is repurposed for additional 2.5" SSD capacity, bringing the total to 4 data drive slots.

⭐ Key Features

• Seller refurbished system, prepared for storage-server use
• Compact Dell OptiPlex 7050 tower platform
• Supports up to 4 user-supplied 2.5" SATA SSDs, 7mm thickness
• Uses only onboard motherboard SATA connectivity
• No HBA, no RAID card, no extra NIC, no PCIe storage expansion
• No DVD drive; additional 5.25" bay capacity is used for drives
• Fully assembled and tested platform
• Clean, low-complexity storage server design
• XigmaNAS installed on dedicated Intel Optane M.2 system module
• Office-quiet design for cool-running SATA SSDs
• 1 Gigabit Ethernet matched to document-focused storage use

🔒 Included / What’s NOT Included

This system is provided as a prepared storage server platform.

Included

• ✅ Fully assembled Dell OptiPlex 7050 tower platform
• ✅ XigmaNAS installed on Intel Optane 16GB M.2 system module
• ✅ SATA data cabling installed for 4 drives
• ✅ SATA power splitter installed for 5.25" bay drives
• ✅ Mounting hardware for 4 x 2.5" SSDs installed
• ✅ Double layer 2.5" SSD metal frame in 5.25" bay
• ✅ Dell 2.5" caddies for bottom internal bays
• ✅ BIOS configured
• ✅ System tested and verified for platform readiness

Not Included

• ❌ Data drives
• ❌ Preconfigured storage pool for buyer data
• ❌ Customer-specific dataset, share, or permission setup
• ❌ Integration into customer network or infrastructure
• ❌ Ongoing administration or managed services
• ❌ Data migration or backup design services

🎯 Intended Use

Mini COD 4 is a prepared XigmaNAS base for buyers who select and install their own SATA SSDs. It is built for the workload many offices and small teams actually run: documents, scans, invoices, photos, downloads, project files, and folders that grow year after year.

Typical scenarios include accounting files, legal documents, real estate paperwork, medical office forms, construction estimates and site photos, online sales files, web project assets, personal backup, and photo archives.

These workloads are often many small files, repeatedly opened and saved over years. SATA SSDs feel instant on this pattern, and 1 GbE is sized to the actual delivered throughput rather than a synthetic peak.

🧩 Software Version

XigmaNAS installed

🔧 BIOS / Firmware State

• BIOS configured for storage platform use
• System prepared and verified for normal boot and operation

🗄️ Storage Architecture

This platform uses the standard onboard SATA ports of the Dell OptiPlex 7050 motherboard.

Planned SATA usage:

• 2 x SATA ports for two 2.5" SSDs in the 5.25" bay adapter
• 2 x SATA ports for two 2.5" SSDs in the internal bottom bays

Total:

• 4 motherboard SATA ports utilized
• 4 supported buyer-installed 2.5" SATA SSDs

The operating system is installed on a dedicated Intel Optane M.2 module in the PCIe NVMe slot and does not consume any SATA port.

Physical Drive Layout

• Top position, 5.25" bay: Double layer metal frame adapter holds 2 x 2.5" SSDs.
• Bottom position, internal bays: 2 x 2.5" SSDs mounted in Dell-original caddies.
• Power for the top-position drives is provided through a SATA 15-pin power splitter.

🌐 Network Configuration

Standard onboard 1 Gigabit Ethernet only. No additional network card is installed.

1 GbE is matched to the actual delivered throughput of SATA SSDs on the document workload this server is built for: small-file sequential transfers and random 4K-64K I/O across many documents.

If higher network throughput is required for a different workload, the chassis includes free PCIe slots for buyer-installed 2.5GbE or 10GbE add-in cards.

💾 Supported Drives

This platform is engineered for cool-running 2.5" SATA SSDs only.

Recommended Drives

• 2.5" SATA SSD, 7mm thickness
• Enterprise-class drives with high endurance and moderate thermal output

Enterprise-class SATA SSDs are a strong fit because they are designed for higher endurance and consistent performance under sustained document-archive workloads.

Not Supported

• ❌ 2.5" HDDs
• ❌ 15mm thick SSDs
• ❌ U.2 or other drives requiring active cooling
• ❌ 3.5" HDDs

Why SSD-only

The document workload this server is built for is exactly where SATA SSDs strongly outperform HDDs in real-world responsiveness. The OptiPlex chassis also uses passive drive bay cooling, which fits cool-running SATA SSDs naturally.

For configurations requiring HDDs, hot-swap bays, or active drive cooling, see Mini COD 4 Plus or Mini COD Pro models in the lineup.

✅ Condition

Seller refurbished system built from tested components. Prepared specifically as a compact SSD-only storage-server platform.

Fully assembled, cleaned, configured, and tested before public listing. Fresh thermal paste applied to the CPU as part of refurbishment.

Case may show minor cosmetic wear, including light scratches from previous use. Please review photos carefully.

📋 Component Condition Disclosure

Used components

• Base System: Dell OptiPlex 7050 Tower
• Processor: Intel Core i7-6700
• Memory: 8GB DDR4, 1 module, upgradable to 32GB
• 2.5" Drive Caddies: Dell original bottom-bay caddies installed

New / replacement / added components

• System Module: Intel Optane Memory 16GB M.2 2280 NVMe
• Double Layer 2.5" SSD Metal Frame: Installed in 5.25" bay
• SATA Cables: Installed as needed for 4-drive configuration
• SATA Power Splitter: Installed for 5.25" bay drive power distribution
• 2.5" SSD Caddies: Included with metal frame

🧪 Testing & Verification

System tested and verified before public listing.

Testing includes:

• Successful POST and hardware initialization
• BIOS review and configuration
• Successful OS boot from Intel Optane system module
• SATA connectivity verification on all 4 ports
• Drive bay power verification
• General stability check
• Basic storage platform readiness verification

📦 Package Contents

Included:

• Mini COD 4 platform, assembled and configured - 1
• Power cord - 1
• Mounting screw kit for top-bay drives - 1

⚠️ Storage & Configuration Responsibility Disclaimer

Data drives are not included. Final storage layout, pool design, redundancy strategy, and data protection are the responsibility of the buyer. The seller is not responsible for data loss or configuration issues resulting from buyer-installed drives or buyer-defined storage configuration.

This platform is engineered and tested for 7mm 2.5" SATA SSDs as described in the Supported Drives section. Use of unsupported drive types is at the buyer's own risk and may result in thermal issues, reduced drive lifespan, or system instability.

🔧 Customer Modifications

This is an open platform. The buyer is welcome to:

• Upgrade RAM up to 32GB DDR4
• Install a 2.5GbE or 10GbE network card in available PCIe slots
• Replace the system module with a larger NVMe SSD
• Install a different operating system such as TrueNAS Core or Proxmox VE

Modifications beyond the supported configuration are the buyer's responsibility, including thermal management, non-recommended hardware compatibility, power load, and physical mounting of non-standard components.

🧱 Hardware Specifications

• Platform: Dell OptiPlex 7050 Tower. Compact business-class tower platform repurposed as a simple storage server base.
• Processor: Intel Core i7-6700. Reliable quad-core / 8-thread platform suitable for light NAS and LAB workloads.
• Memory: 8GB DDR4, 1 module. Upgradable to 32GB DDR4 UDIMM, platform maximum.
• System Module: Intel Optane Memory 16GB M.2 2280 NVMe. Dedicated system module for XigmaNAS.
• Optical Drive: Not installed. The 5.25" bay is repurposed for additional 2.5" SSD capacity.
• Data Drive Support: Up to 4 buyer-installed 2.5" SATA SSDs, 7mm thickness.
• Storage Connectivity: Motherboard onboard SATA only. 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports utilized. No HBA, no hardware RAID, no additional storage controller.
• Networking: Standard onboard 1 Gigabit Ethernet. PCIe slots are available for buyer-installed network upgrades.
• Power Supply: Dell 240W original power supply.
• Expansion Philosophy: This build avoids extra storage and network cards in order to keep the system simple, quiet, economical, and easy to service.