Looking to buy a "work" PC, need advice

[Jon M88]

My gf's PC suffered water damage and the best course of action seems to be buying a new PC. Looking around on Tiger Direct I found the Lenovo H530 desktop. Well, actually, two Lenovo H530's, for $299 and $399, respectively. This is our target price range. Links below.

The main difference I see is RAM (4GB vs 6GB) and the processors (Dual core Intel Pentium G3220 @ 3ghz vs dual core Intel Core i3-4150 @ 3.5ghz)

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8986546&Sku=LCU-102406288

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8986547&Sku=LCU-102406289

Her current broken PC had an AMD Phenom triple core @2.1ghz, so either of these would be a step up I suppose?

She uses the PC primarily for college work, MSOffice, iTunes, internet, and Skype. I realize that these tasks are not very demanding, but......
What I want to know is, for this price range, is this a good deal for at least a 4+ year investment, or is the dual core processor going to be a weak point in the years to come? Do you see an issue I missed with these systems? Which one seems like the better deal? Why? Would you like to recommend a better system in the same range?

Opinions are greatly appreciated guys!

 

[Col Da Red]

4 years, unlikely to happen, I would say there is a slim chance you would get 4 years out of any computer with not upgrades. Are you able to build a computer?

 

[Col Da Red]

Actually this may last 4+ years cause of the i5 with minimal if any upgrades for basic processes.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9085250&Sku=OCE-102501254

 

[Jon M88]

Actually this may last 4+ years cause of the i5 with minimal if any upgrades for basic processes.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9085250&Sku=OCE-102501254

Yes I am capable of building a computer, I built mine after frying a Dell Inspiron mobo while experimenting with OC...lol. Lesson learned. I had it overclocked....... for a few minutes!

So yes I would be able to upgrade her computer as time passes if need be, but as far as building a whole system for her........ I'd like to get her a packaged deal for now; if it was for myself it would be a different story. We haven't been together that long... don't want to be responsible for maintaining something I built for her, know what I mean.

So a quad core @ 3.1ghz will be better than a dual @ 3.5 ghz? Also, I noticed the graphics are onboard. Do you happen to know if this motherboard comes with SLI slots or room for other peripherals?

This is exactly the type of information I was looking for! Thank you for your opinion, this looks like a solid rig I can surprise her with (Shhh, she thinks I'm looking for one for HER to buy, but I'm just gonna show up at her house with it lol)

 

[Col Da Red]

Actually this may last 4+ years cause of the i5 with minimal if any upgrades for basic processes.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9085250&Sku=OCE-102501254

Yes I am capable of building a computer, I built mine after frying a Dell Inspiron mobo while experimenting with OC...lol. Lesson learned. I had it overclocked....... for a few minutes!

So yes I would be able to upgrade her computer as time passes if need be, but as far as building a whole system for her........ I'd like to get her a packaged deal for now; if it was for myself it would be a different story. We haven't been together that long... don't want to be responsible for maintaining something I built for her, know what I mean.

So a quad core @ 3.1ghz will be better than a dual @ 3.5 ghz? Also, I noticed the graphics are onboard. Do you happen to know if this motherboard comes with SLI slots or room for other peripherals?

This is exactly the type of information I was looking for! Thank you for your opinion, this looks like a solid rig I can surprise her with (Shhh, she thinks I'm looking for one for HER to buy, but I'm just gonna show up at her house with it lol)

It's not all about the speed, and good luck.