Dell FX130: Hardware 

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The Dell Optiplex FX130 (and FX170) were announced in May 2011. They are " ...designed to easily integrate into your Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. Save energy and space: Uses just 9 watts of power (idle) and designed for flexible deployment with a small footprint of 36 mm (1.42) x 156 mm (6.14) x 121 mm (4.7)."

The Dell FX130 is one of the smaller thin clients, similar in size to the Wyse Sx0 range. It is in fact a rebadged Clientron U720

Specifications

The basic specs are:

Processor
Type    Speed	VIA Eden ULV 1GHz
Memory
Flash    RAM	1GB 1GB
Video
Chip    Max resolution	VIA VX855 16000 x 1200 32-bit colour
Ports
Network    USB    Serial    Parallel    PS/2	10/100/1000 4 x USB2.0 0 0 Kybd
Power
Plug    Input    Off    Running	Coax: 5.5mm/2.1mm 12V 3A (from label) 0W ~9W
Dimensions
W x H x D	36cm x 156cm x 121cm

My FX130 came with the flash memory wiped clean. According to the datasheet it normally has 'Devon IT DeTOS Dell Edition'.

Graphics

From VIA's datasheet on the VX855:

" For the first time, the VIA VX855 MSP offers full hardware acceleration of the widest variety of leading video standards including H.264, MPEG-2/4, and WMV9, allowing smooth playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video. The advanced video decoding capabilities, when coupled with the media system processor's small physical size and a thermal design power (TDP) of a mere 2.3 watts, open up exciting opportunities for power efficient small form factor and mobile devices; especially the mini-notebook PC segment that will now be able to offer true 1080p HD video playback. "

Power Supply

The FX130 requires an external 12V power supply. Whilst the label on the side of the FX130 says "12V 3A" the unit only consumes the advertised 9W when running, so even a 12V 1A PSU should suffice. The plug is the standard 5.5mm/2.1mm fitting.

Processor

Linux cpuinfo reports:

PCI

00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Host Bridge: Host Control (rev 03)
00:00.1 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Error Reporting
00:00.2 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Host Bus Control
00:00.3 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 DRAM Bus Control
00:00.4 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Power Management Control
00:00.5 PIC: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 APIC and Central Traffic Control
00:00.6 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Scratch Registers
00:00.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 North-South Module Interface Control
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Chrome 9 HCM Integrated Graphics
00:0f.0 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 EIDE Controller
00:10.0 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a0)
00:10.1 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a0)
00:10.2 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a0)
00:10.4 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 90)
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Bus Control and Power Management
00:11.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX8xx South-North Module Interface Control
00:13.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875/VX900 PCI to PCI Bridge
00:14.0 Audio device: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237A/VT8251 HDA Controller (rev 20)
01:03.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8110SC/8169SC Gigabit Ethernet (rev 10)

Expansion

As you would expect with something this small there is very little room inside to add any extra hardware.

Flash: The 1GB Flash memory in is a Disk-On-Module (DOM) plugged into a standard 44-pin IDE connector.

RAM: The RAM that came fitted is a 1GB DDR2 667MHz SODIMM. I did have to hand an anonymous 2GB part. This worked. (It has 8 chips per side and a silver label that just says '2GB DDR-II 667MHz'. There is no manufacturer's name). I have no idea of the maximum amount of memory supported.

USB: In January 2022 I heard from Janusz in Poland who pointed out there was an internal connection for another USB port. This is CN3, the light coloured socket on the edge of the board near the speaker. You need a 4-pin JST connector with 1.25mm pin spacing to connect to this.

This is probably intended for an internal connection to a WiFi module.