[SOLVED] General Purpose Desktop

[pmsmith2032]

I am looking for a basic budget desktop for my bookkeeping business. I only have a couple of clients (side job but looking to grow in 2019). I will be running QuickBooks (both desktop and online versions) and Excel mainly. I will need to be able to run multiple monitors. PC will also be used by my family for some occasional non-business functions (paying bills, shopping, picture editing etc). The computer will not be used for gaming or watching video. I want to keep cost as low as possible.
I currently am using a Dell Inspiron I6400 - Vista Business - 2.00 GB of RAM - 32-bit operating system for reference. I am also not opposed to a laptop but from what I've seen I can get more for my $ with a desktop. I would like to keep cost around $300 if possible and am not opposed to buying a refurbished prebuilt unit or building my own. Thanks!

 

[kanewolf]

For $300, a refurbished Dell desktop would be my recommendation -- https://www.dell.com/us/dfh/p . When you go there make sure you set the memory filter to 8GB. There are some listed with 4GB. You don't want that. There are some listed with an quad core, 8GB ram for $343 ...

Do you have a monitor?

 

[punkncat]

I would highly suggest going aftermarket retailers, like Newegg or even eBay for a refurbished office box. For what you are needing you should be able to find a nice and inexpensive Dell OptiPlex around the 4th or maybe 3rd gen and leave yourself a bit of money for putting in an inexpensive SSD. I would also recommend that if you stick with VGA and DVI you could possibly re-use your old monitors if they are worthwhile, or spend a whole lot less on them than HDMI equivalents.
Sticking with those generations also keeps you on CHEAP DDR3 RAM modules.

 

[pmsmith2032]

Thanks to both of you! punkncat....like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-9010-Processor-Professional-Refurbished/dp/B0794K6K1W/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1546616321&sr=8-9&keywords=dell+optiplex+8GB+1TB

 

[punkncat]

Yup, I would call that a nice find. It's saying Dell is the retailer is coming from and also stating a one year warranty.

 

[punkncat]

For the picture editing aspect, if time is of importance, see if you can find a similar model with a 3770 (i7).

 

[pmsmith2032]

How about this one?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=9SIA7RB6EG8181

 

[kanewolf]

The desktop I referred to on Dell's website is an i3-8100 (current generation) vs an i5-3470 which is 4 generations older. I would NOT recommend such old tech. Especially using the built-in graphics hardware. There is a BIG difference between the 8xxx and 3xxx CPUs for built-in graphics.

 

[pmsmith2032]

Thanks! I understand the generations but what is the difference between i3, i5 and i7?

 

[kanewolf]

Thanks! I understand the generations but what is the difference between i3, i5 and i7?

It has gotten more difficult to separate them.. i3 for a long time was a dual core, i5 was a quad core and i7 was a quad core with hyperthreading. With the 8xxx and newer the i3 has become quad core, the i5 is six core and the i7 is 6 core with hyperthreading. So the small, medium and large analogy still holds but the guts has changed. So a current generation i3 is equivalent to an older i5. That is what makes things difficult.

 

[pmsmith2032]

Thoughts on the Dell Vostro 3670 (either i3-8100 or i5-8400)?

 

[kanewolf]

Thoughts on the Dell Vostro 3670 (either i3-8100 or i5-8400)?

I think that would be fine. As long as it has 8GB or more memory.

 

[pmsmith2032]

Yes.....I was planning on the 8GB. What is the difference between the i3-8100 and i5-8400? Is the i5-8400 worth an extra $50?

 

[kanewolf]

Yes.....I was planning on the 8GB. What is the difference between the i3-8100 and i5-8400? Is the i5-8400 worth an extra $50?

The i5 has two more physical CPU cores (6 vs 4). So things like rendering video or compressing ripped audio/video would be faster. The i5 has a higher maximum clock speed, so even things that only use 1 CPU core would be faster. They haev the same built-in graphics. Compared to what you have, the i3 will seem like warp speed. For me, I would take the $50 and buy an SSD. You would get more performance improvement from an SSD than you would from two more cores, IMO.

 

[punkncat]

Don't do Vostro, go OptiPlex or better when looking at a refurb. Vostro is the budget line.

For static screens on Office pages the built in resolution is a feature you don't need to pay for. Obviously it's your money....but would look hard and long at the COST of that newer generation system vs the older ones. The reason so many refurbishers work with those old OptiPlex systems are that they are generally reliable as hell. They know it's a safe bet to offer even continuing warranty on them because it's so rare to break. I would like to say the same about the newer upper lines of their equipment but they haven't stood that test of time yet.

 

[pmsmith2032]

I've narrowed my choices down to these two desktops:

Refurbished Dell Inspiron 3670 Desktop - i3-8100 Processor (Quad Core, 3.6GHz,), Windows 10 Home 64bit, 1TB SATA Hard Drive, 8GB Memory



Refurbished Dell Optiplex 9010 Business Desktop - i5-3470 Processor (3.2 GHz), Windows 10 Professional; 1TB SATA Hard Drive, 8GB Memory

The Optiplex 9010 is approximately $100 cheaper so I could use some of the savings to upgrade storage (SSD), etc.

Thoughts?

 

[punkncat]

Between those two, and considering the generational difference and cost, I would do the 8th gen. It's a quad core, and faster, newer.

 

[kanewolf]

I recommended the 8th gen to start with, and I will stick by my statement.

 

[pmsmith2032]

Hi all. I never did buy a new computer but need to in the next month or so. My budget has actually increased to around $500 to $600. Any suggestions in this price range?