Recommendation on business PC

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Master Geek
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#2516136 2-Jul-2020 13:00

I do really like NUCs myself and from my limited experience with 3 of them they seem very reliable.

The downside is no upgradability or expansion to speak of, and if it goes faulty you are probably going to end up replacing the whole thing.

If you do go for one I'd suggest sticking to the slightly larger models that have support for a 2.5" drive which gives you more storage options. The really slim models have a single M.2 slot and that's it.

An i5 based nuc with 16gb of RAM, a decent sized SSD, and optionally a 2.5" storage drive represents a decent amount of power in a really small space.

Lias

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#2516155 2-Jul-2020 13:57

If memory serves me, I'm pretty sure the 'default' EliteDesk warranty is 3 year 9-5 NBD, but can upgraded duration wise to 4-5 years and service wise to 24x7 and 4 hour response. Not really used the Pro series so less sure if they can upgraded as far.

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mmuir

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#2516493 2-Jul-2020 20:51

I am also looking to upgrade other pc in the office. I have been offered ex lease Dell OptiPlex 9020 Micro’s from a local IT company for $400 is this a good deal and are they reliable?

Core i5 4590T @ 2.0GHz Quad Core Processor
8GB DDR3 SDRAM
256GB SATA SSD
Windows 10

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#2516515 2-Jul-2020 22:10

Lias:
If memory serves me, I'm pretty sure the 'default' EliteDesk warranty is 3 year 9-5 NBD, but can upgraded duration wise to 4-5 years and service wise to 24x7 and 4 hour response. Not really used the Pro series so less sure if they can upgraded as far.

With the PRO series 600 is 3 year and 400 is 2 year

This is true across the entire range

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Dynamic

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#2516549 3-Jul-2020 08:01

mmuir: I am also looking to upgrade other pc in the office. I have been offered ex lease Dell OptiPlex 9020 Micro’s from a local IT company for $400 is this a good deal and are they reliable?

Core i5 4590T @ 2.0GHz Quad Core Processor
8GB DDR3 SDRAM
256GB SATA SSD
Windows 10

What spec are the machines you are looking to replace? These 9020's are 5 years old. The spec is good (RAM has been bumped up and SSD fitted) for the age, but these are the sort of machines I might throw into a warehouse environment for basis tasks but not an office.

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mmuir

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Geek
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#2516550 3-Jul-2020 08:06

Dynamic:
mmuir: I am also looking to upgrade other pc in the office. I have been offered ex lease Dell OptiPlex 9020 Micro’s from a local IT company for $400 is this a good deal and are they reliable?

Core i5 4590T @ 2.0GHz Quad Core Processor
8GB DDR3 SDRAM
256GB SATA SSD
Windows 10

What spec are the machines you are looking to replace? These 9020's are 5 years old. The spec is good (RAM has been bumped up and SSD fitted) for the age, but these are the sort of machines I might throw into a warehouse environment for basis tasks but not an office.

I’m not exactly sure, But none of them have SSD. They are between 8-10 years old.

What would you suggest I upgrade them with, without spending a big amount.

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#2516552 3-Jul-2020 08:09

mmuir: I’m not exactly sure, But none of them have SSD. They are between 8-10 years old.

What would you suggest I upgrade them with, without spending a big amount.

What will they be used for? Factory workers using TradeMe at lunchtime? Full time office staff? CAD work designing skyscrapers?

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mmuir

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#2516555 3-Jul-2020 08:14

Dynamic:
mmuir: I’m not exactly sure, But none of them have SSD. They are between 8-10 years old.

What would you suggest I upgrade them with, without spending a big amount.

What will they be used for? Factory workers using TradeMe at lunchtime? Full time office staff? CAD work designing skyscrapers?

Programming software for tills, remote assistance etc. we have a lot of different software downloaded and they are used at least 5-8 hours a day so need to be reliable.

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#2516557 3-Jul-2020 08:23

mmuir:
Dynamic:

What will they be used for? Factory workers using TradeMe at lunchtime? Full time office staff? CAD work designing skyscrapers?

Programming software for tills, remote assistance etc. we have a lot of different software downloaded and they are used at least 5-8 hours a day so need to be reliable.

I don't know what your budgets are like or how many machines you need, but reliability sounds important. I would recommend a strategy of replacing 1/3 or 1/4th or 1/5th of your machines every year with new computers. Replacing a bunch at once causes financial pain, but a steady trickle like that keeps your team current.

If your current machines are reliable but slow, consider:

SSD and RAM upgrades on 2/3rds of them and replacing 1/3 with new.
Picking up those Dell machines or similar HP machines (ProDesk 600 series or EliteDesk 800 series from somewhere that will warranty them for 90 days) for 2/3rds of your team and replacing 1/3 with new if your existing machines are 3rd generation i5 or older.

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#2516679 3-Jul-2020 11:05

mmuir: and they are used at least 5-8 hours a day so need to be reliable.

Buy new then. Its as simple as that .

I wouldnt be keen on a used micro PC anyway
$400 for a used 4ish year old PC ??? or $1000ish for a new one .

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#2516928 3-Jul-2020 18:20

Dynamic:

I don't know what your budgets are like or how many machines you need, but reliability sounds important. I would recommend a strategy of replacing 1/3 or 1/4th or 1/5th of your machines every year with new computers. Replacing a bunch at once causes financial pain, but a steady trickle like that keeps your team current.

I second this, and also worth noting that if you lease rather than outright buy, you can move the expense from CapEx to OpEx.

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#2517087 4-Jul-2020 02:13

mmuir: I am also looking to upgrade other pc in the office. ...

Core i5 4590T @ 2.0GHz Quad Core Processor
8GB DDR3 SDRAM
256GB SATA SSD
Windows 10

Here's a quick guide on what you'll want to look for

Intel CPU's come in 3 variants
- i3 = Good enough for basic data input, ala reception, warehouse, sales point
- i5 = Generally good enough for office work
- i7 = Gamers, developers, video editors & CAD usage
- i9 = very new, certainly out of your budget
For Intel CPU's the first digit after the i3/i5/i7 is the generation
- In your example, 4590 means it's a 4th generation CPU
- Intel are currently releasing 10th generation CPU's
- If you want to keep your PC's for more than 2 years, start at 6th generation
- If you want to keep your PC's for more than 3 years, start at 7th generation
Unless you need TB & TB of space, just go with SSD. Not only the person using the PC, but also the IT support person will thank you.
- Microsoft previously released a study on how much it actually costs companies to continue using older PC's
- If your staff talk about switching the machine on & then getting a coffee to wait for it to boot, you are loosing not only 5min of productivity, but more like 10-15min just for this one instance
8GB RAM is adequate for normal office work, i.e. smaller spreadsheets, emails, documents & web browsing
- Got lots of software loaded? Seriously consider 16GB as the standard

Hope that helps you better evaluate the machines that you are considering.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

mmuir

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#2517100 4-Jul-2020 08:39

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/user_public.asp?user_id=45466

Thank you, that is extremely helpful.

Lias

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#2517196 4-Jul-2020 14:15

ANglEAUT:

Intel are currently releasing 9th generation CPU's

10th gen now, and the first of that generation is nearly a year old now (Ice Lake / Comet Lake)

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#2517657 5-Jul-2020 18:50

Lias: 10th gen now, and the first of that generation is nearly a year old now (Ice Lake / Comet Lake)

Thx. Updated my post.

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