[SOLVED] Local business wants me to build PCs

[SlashtaCross]

So I have a local business in my town and they mainly use laptops(at their desk)and they are constantly having to get new ones because they just start to bog down and get really slow over the years. I told them that I never liked laptops because of how hot they get and that I built my PC in 2014 and it still runs like new. So they asked me if I could build them some computers for their business. They mainly just web surf and use them for email. The laptops they buy run around $1,200 a piece. They're about 3 years old and they're wanting to replace them. What would be a solid build for just basic web browsing and emailing that would have a good life span? Any money I can shave off of that $1,200 laptop price would be awesome.

 

[Alabalcho]

If you really like to help them - let them go to Walmart / Costco / BestBuy. For mundane office tasks, you can't beat the price.

And the reasons their laptops get slow is not because they are laptops, but because of the "device" between the chair and the keyboard.

 

[USAFRet]

They mainly just web surf and use them for email.

Given that and only that...
Starting at $620 each
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...0-business-laptop/spd/latitude-15-3500-laptop

Building them yourself, you MUST consider warranty action.
And then $100 each for a valid Windows license.

 

[Deicidium369]

I second the recommendation to have your customer use a large retailer - you provide the recommendation of what to buy, and they buy.

I have had very good experiences with Dell laptops/ultralights/2-in-1s - would not touch their desktops with 10ft pole, but their laptops are among the best. I have also used Asus and Acer (Swift 3 or 5) with few issues.

If the units were less than 2 years old I would recommend a backup and fresh install - installing apps and then copying over data. Another option would be replacing the likely mechanical HD with an SSD - even the limitations to SATA3, the difference would be significant.

 

[alexdude1633]

You should look into some of the optiplex series. They're very fast business-oriented desktops that will last a very long time. You could get some on amazon for as low as $150 (Depending on where you live), and they will work fast for a very long time. I still have an Optiplex GX620 thats over 10 years old, and it still serves me very well as a light office/browser use desktop computer. You might also want to show them how to properly maintain a computer, as there is a reason why the laptops are dying so fast.

 

[larsv8]

How many are we talking about?

 

[punkncat]

Simply on numbers alone, a 3 year old $1200 laptop shouldn't be in need of replacement for some years yet. Obviously don't know what they are or what's going on.

Unless you are looking to create a business building/troubleshooting PC (IE getting paid), and have experience doing so I would likely avoid picking or building systems for this place. You will be on the hook for every issue they have from here forward.

I personally suspect that based on what you are saying about the laptops is they need some systems administration and oversight more than they need new equipment.

 

[SlashtaCross]

My first thing I noticed when looking into their computers is that none of them ran off an SSD. They all run on the same WD HDD: https://www.amazon.com/WD-Notebook-Internal-5400RPM-WD10JPVX/dp/B01EMXO3DK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=189IAI8U13G3A&keywords=wd10jpvx-60jc3t0&qid=1583530742&sprefix=WD10jpvx,aps,159&sr=8-1
I was thinking maybe swapping those HDDS out for SSDs would benefit the machines the most.
Other than that each pc had around 15-20gb of data just sitting in the recycling bin so I told them
they should make sure to empty them out regularly. They never clear their search history either but
from what I saw it was mainly just gmail, a few business websites that they work with, and local stuff.
I told them to clear their history every once in a while as well. They run on an i5, and i7, and an AMD FX-8800P. The AMD laptop is their slowest one. They're all equipped with 8gb of ram or more. So other than swapping hdds for ssds I'm not sure what else would be beneficial. They do use a variety of programs but I'm fairly certain they're all low impact.

and yes I've decided that going with prebuilt machines is likely the best route to take but if I could help them juice up their current setup then i'd like to try.