[SOLVED] Looking for advice building 2 work PCs

[Kayce]

Background: I work at a pharmacy in Canada and we are looking to upgrade our computers and software for pharmacy management systems. We were given a quote for 2 PCs, which to me seem way overpriced so I'm looking at building our own PCs as an alternative.

PCs as quoted:
"Primary computer - i7, 3.6GHz, 16GB, 1TB SSD, TPM, Win 10 Pro, Keyboard & Mouse - $1951.99"
"Secondary computers - i5, 3.0Ghz, 16GB, 500GB SSD, TPM, Win 10 Pro, Keyboard & Mouse - $1417.98"
^ Yes those are the specs they provided in the quote with no further detail.

I asked them what the system requirements were in order to use their software and they provided:
Primary computer - Intel i7 Core Processor, 16 GB ram, 1TB SSD Hard Drive, Windows, 10 Pro 64-bit OS
Secondary computer - Intel i5 Core Processor, 16GB ram, 525GB SSD Hard Drive, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

A quick search online shows that they are easily overcharging so I'm asking for some help with build suggestions. In particular I'd like to build some smaller form factor PCs to keep the workplace clean.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Vyrvelata]

Small form factor is hard to work on, and not easy to maintain in case something goes wrong.......ITX motherboards also are very quick to disappear from the market ( out of stock)...

Also small form factor, has so many shapes, you have to choose one.

Maybe something like this will be better?

Intel Nuc <<< click here

8th Generation Intel Core i7 8559U Processor
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
M.2 22x42/80 slot for PCIe NVMe or SATA SSD
2.5 inches Ssd/HDD bay
Dual Channel DDR4 2400 SODIMM support, 32GB max

Price:

CDN$ 709.99 & FREE Shipping. Details

You can add:

This item:Intel NUC 8 Mainstream Kit (NUC8i7BEH) - Core i7, Tall, Add't Components Needed CDN$709.99

Kingston Technology HyperX Impact 32GB Kit (2x16GB) 2400MHz DDR4 CL14 260-Pin SODIMM Laptop… CDN$201.99

Crucial P1 1TB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD - CT1000P1SSD8 CDN$179.89

And its still CDN$1,091.87 Total

Note: this is without OS

 

[DSzymborski]

Are you comfortable with mini-ITX form factor? Does it need to be even smaller than that?

Is there any kind of service/support agreement with those PCs you priced? Those prices are abysmal if not.

 

[Kayce]

Thank you both for the replies. Regarding small form factor: it's just a personal preference of mine but the workspace has generous amounts of room for a mid-sized tower as well. It isn't a deal breaker by any means if I have to work on a regular sized motherboard

I'll look into the Nuc as it seems to be a really nice option that fulfills all my needs. Thank you for that recommendation.

WRT to service/support agreement: No, that's an extra $100+/month (depending on number of workstations). It is definitely not worth what they are charging which is why I came here to seek alternatives.

 

[Vyrvelata]

Thank you both for the replies. Regarding small form factor: it's just a personal preference of mine but the workspace has generous amounts of room for a mid-sized tower as well. It isn't a deal breaker by any means if I have to work on a regular sized motherboard

I'll look into the Nuc as it seems to be a really nice option that fulfills all my needs. Thank you for that recommendation.

WRT to service/support agreement: No, that's an extra $100+/month (depending on number of workstations). It is definitely not worth what they are charging which is why I came here to seek alternatives.

Yep.. there is even newer model which i recommend
with i7-10710U , its a bit more expensive but it's worth it...

Intel NUC10i7FNH Mini PC, Intel Core i7-10710U Upto 4.7GHz, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, HDMI, Thunderbolt, Card Reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Windows 10 Pro

As you maybe have seen, there is a model with i5 as well so... you have your 2 NUCS...


If you plan to use normal build PC, the best form factor (for non crazy morons like me.... i love ITX) is mATX!

mATX are easy to find, its comfortable to work in... and supports all the normal PC hardware you want! And since you're not gonna need External GPU its gonna be even more easy!