New PC for a small business

[Jared2606]

Hiya fellow Toms

My neighbor (who owns his own business) has asked me if I could find him deals on PCs he wants for his employees. Right now they use old and slow intel celeron laptops and he wants to get them faster computers so he can see increased productivity as they now dont have to wait for their computers to load programs or boot up.

They will only be using it for web browsing, emails, typing word documents, and saving a lot of files to a server daily (so a gigabit port would be most generous).

He says he doesn't really have a budget other than "keep it as cheap as possible".

Any recommendations will be much appreciated.

Thanks and enjoy your day/night further.

 

[cdabc123]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-10-Dell-Optiplex-745-SFF-Core-2-Duo-2-0GHz-2GB-DDR2-160GB-HDD-PC-Computer-/152024947562?hash=item2365649b6a:g:lEkAAOSwqrtWojdG

 

[Jared2606]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-10-Dell-Optiplex-745-SFF-Core-2-Duo-2-0GHz-2GB-DDR2-160GB-HDD-PC-Computer-/152024947562?hash=item2365649b6a:g:lEkAAOSwqrtWojdG

😀 Hi

Thanks

 

[navalweaponsofficer]

Do you know the specs of the current computers i.e. what Celeron and how much RAM, and OS? How large are the daily file saves? The RAM is a likely performance killer here as office tasks are not very hardware intensive and can for the most part run just fine well on old CPUs.

 

[navalweaponsofficer]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-10-Dell-Optiplex-745-SFF-Core-2-Duo-2-0GHz-2GB-DDR2-160GB-HDD-PC-Computer-/152024947562?hash=item2365649b6a:g:lEkAAOSwqrtWojdG

😀 Hi

Thanks

You will need to buy OS for these (they are without OS) unless the small business is operating under license with MS to use enterprise.

 

[Jared2606]

Do you know the specs of the current computers i.e. what Celeron and how much RAM, and OS? How large are the daily file saves? The RAM is a likely performance killer here as office tasks are not very hardware intensive and can for the most part run just fine well on old CPUs.

Not sure what celeron.
2GB RAM,
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
Not sure how big the file saves are, but I know its mostly word documents, pdf's, and excel spreadsheets.

I recommended him an i3 with 4GB or DDR4 RAM. He would like the PCs to be future proof aswell, so I thought Skylake i3's with 4GB of DDR4 RAM would do the trick.

 

[Jared2606]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-10-Dell-Optiplex-745-SFF-Core-2-Duo-2-0GHz-2GB-DDR2-160GB-HDD-PC-Computer-/152024947562?hash=item2365649b6a:g:lEkAAOSwqrtWojdG

😀 Hi

Thanks

You will need to buy OS for these (they are without OS) unless the small business is operating under license with MS to use enterprise.

I don't want to buy him second hand things, so sticking new would be great.

 

[Jared2606]

What I have in mind:
Haven't added in a case as I don't know of any really good cases to use just for this setup.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/svdTdC) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/svdTdC/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i36100) | $112.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah110ma) | $44.99 @ Micro Center
**Memory** | [Avexir Budget Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/avexir-memory-avd4u21331504g1bw) | $12.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a120g) | $43.88 @ OutletPC
**Power Supply** | [EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100w10430kr) | $20.98 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $255.83
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| **Total** | **$235.83**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2016-03-23 15:40 EDT-0400 |

 

[Bearmann]

I think you are on track recommending an i3. I think Skylake or Haswell would be fine. It's debatable, but I would go ahead and get 8 GB of RAM since it is cheap now. I would get a 240-256 GB SSD drive with them. Dell Optiplex is a good choice and you can sign up for discount coupons through twitter, email, facebook, etc. If he wants to save some money, have him look at the Dell Outlet- coupons available there too and they come with the same warranty as the regular ones.

 

[geofelt]

How many does he want to buy?
You can get quantity discounts on newegg.
To my mind, a SSD is THE critical performance, more so than the processor.

$100 spent on a ssd replacement would be a big boost in performance.
It might be worth an experiment if the other parts of the laptops are otherwise ok.

I would agree that a i3-6100 would be a top end processor for such work.
Use a ssd for windows and storage.
Lastly, buy two monitors for each workstation.

 

[navalweaponsofficer]

How many does he want to buy?
You can get quantity discounts on newegg.
To my mind, a SSD is THE critical performance, more so than the processor.

$100 spent on a ssd replacement would be a big boost in performance.
It might be worth an experiment if the other parts of the laptops are otherwise ok.

I would agree that a i3-6100 would be a top end processor for such work.
Use a ssd for windows and storage.
Lastly, buy two monitors for each workstation.

I concur with this recommendation. Unless the CPU is P4 based) it is that 2GB Ram is killing the computers performance. Modern OS and web browsers really need 4GB Minimum for smooth operation 8 GB recommended (multiple browser tabs will eat 2GB even 4GB memory with a quickness).

However if your Celerons are Dual Core Clarkdale (G1101) or any of the Sandy Bridge Dual Cores (G530-G555) I think you would be better served from a cost perspective to upgrade the HDD to an SSD and increase RAM to 8GB. that will give the computers lost of perceived speed and prolong the use for a few years.

Are you sure you do not have gigabit already? Most motherboards for the last 10 years have had gigabit (added early in the lga 775 lifecycle). You will be limited by the slowest item in the chain i.e. the switch. You will need to ensure the switch and cables will support gigabit speed.

 

[Jared2606]

How many does he want to buy?
You can get quantity discounts on newegg.
To my mind, a SSD is THE critical performance, more so than the processor.

$100 spent on a ssd replacement would be a big boost in performance.
It might be worth an experiment if the other parts of the laptops are otherwise ok.

I would agree that a i3-6100 would be a top end processor for such work.
Use a ssd for windows and storage.
Lastly, buy two monitors for each workstation.

I concur with this recommendation. Unless the CPU is P4 based) it is that 2GB Ram is killing the computers performance. Modern OS and web browsers really need 4GB Minimum for smooth operation 8 GB recommended (multiple browser tabs will eat 2GB even 4GB memory with a quickness).

However if your Celerons are Dual Core Clarkdale (G1101) or any of the Sandy Bridge Dual Cores (G530-G555) I think you would be better served from a cost perspective to upgrade the HDD to an SSD and increase RAM to 8GB. that will give the computers lost of perceived speed and prolong the use for a few years.

Are you sure you do not have gigabit already? Most motherboards for the last 10 years have had gigabit (added early in the lga 775 lifecycle). You will be limited by the slowest item in the chain i.e. the switch. You will need to ensure the switch and cables will support gigabit speed.

There is a gigabit switch for the server and his computer that he uses in his office, but the employees all connect over wifi to the router and then connect to the server. The thing is, he wants to get desktop computers for his employees because he believes that they will be much quicker than a laptop/notebook (which i agree with him).

 

[Jared2606]

How many does he want to buy?
You can get quantity discounts on newegg.
To my mind, a SSD is THE critical performance, more so than the processor.

$100 spent on a ssd replacement would be a big boost in performance.
It might be worth an experiment if the other parts of the laptops are otherwise ok.

I would agree that a i3-6100 would be a top end processor for such work.
Use a ssd for windows and storage.
Lastly, buy two monitors for each workstation.

I live in South Africa, so there is no way that I will even be able to think of using Newegg.

Also would the ssd i provided in my pcpartpicker.com build suffice?

May I ask why you recommend 2 monitors for each workstation?

 

[Jared2606]

I think you are on track recommending an i3. I think Skylake or Haswell would be fine. It's debatable, but I would go ahead and get 8 GB of RAM since it is cheap now. I would get a 240-256 GB SSD drive with them. Dell Optiplex is a good choice and you can sign up for discount coupons through twitter, email, facebook, etc. If he wants to save some money, have him look at the Dell Outlet- coupons available there too and they come with the same warranty as the regular ones.

Would I really need such a big SSD? They mostly read and write to the servers so almost no files are ever on their own PC. Or should I get a bigger one just to be safe?

 

[geofelt]

Your i3-6100 build looks very appropriate.
The devil is sometimes in the details.

There is, today relatively little difference in cost between 120gb and 240gb ssd.
Your actual capacity will not be 120gb, but more like 110gb.
As a ssd gets near full, it will lose speed and endurance.
120gb will likely work, but I would spend the extra for 240gb.

I would also spend the extra for a Samsung evo ssd.
They make their own nand anc controllers.
Samsung has a 5 year warranty, Kingston is 3 years.

Two equal monitors is a wonderful productivity enhancer.
You can keep a web page open on one and a spread sheet on the other.
Email on one and work on the other.
Try it on one and the rest will be clamoring for a second monitor.

ON your list, you have a single stick of 4gb ram.
You should be using 2 sticks for faster dual channel support.
I really suggest a 2 x 4gb kit.
Buy the cheapest DDR4 kit you can find. Speed is irrelevant.

You will need a case. smaller is better in my mind. look at the actual dimensions, not mid-size or such.

The psu can be as little as 300w.
I like Seasonic for quality.
They make a 380w unit that would be good.

 

[navalweaponsofficer]

I think you are on track recommending an i3. I think Skylake or Haswell would be fine. It's debatable, but I would go ahead and get 8 GB of RAM since it is cheap now. I would get a 240-256 GB SSD drive with them. Dell Optiplex is a good choice and you can sign up for discount coupons through twitter, email, facebook, etc. If he wants to save some money, have him look at the Dell Outlet- coupons available there too and they come with the same warranty as the regular ones.

Would I really need such a big SSD? They mostly read and write to the servers so almost no files are ever on their own PC. Or should I get a bigger one just to be safe?

If mostly read and write to servers do not get any SSD.

I forgot about the laptop part yes lots of slow stuff there. The HDD the WiFi etc.

Do you need optical drives? if not I would go with a NUC like platform you can get them in i3 they are cheap and they are small.

 

[Jared2606]

I think you are on track recommending an i3. I think Skylake or Haswell would be fine. It's debatable, but I would go ahead and get 8 GB of RAM since it is cheap now. I would get a 240-256 GB SSD drive with them. Dell Optiplex is a good choice and you can sign up for discount coupons through twitter, email, facebook, etc. If he wants to save some money, have him look at the Dell Outlet- coupons available there too and they come with the same warranty as the regular ones.

Your i3-6100 build looks very appropriate.
The devil is sometimes in the details.

There is, today relatively little difference in cost between 120gb and 240gb ssd.
Your actual capacity will not be 120gb, but more like 110gb.
As a ssd gets near full, it will lose speed and endurance.
120gb will likely work, but I would spend the extra for 240gb.

I would also spend the extra for a Samsung evo ssd.
They make their own nand anc controllers.
Samsung has a 5 year warranty, Kingston is 3 years.

Two equal monitors is a wonderful productivity enhancer.
You can keep a web page open on one and a spread sheet on the other.
Email on one and work on the other.
Try it on one and the rest will be clamoring for a second monitor.

ON your list, you have a single stick of 4gb ram.
You should be using 2 sticks for faster dual channel support.
I really suggest a 2 x 4gb kit.
Buy the cheapest DDR4 kit you can find. Speed is irrelevant.

You will need a case. smaller is better in my mind. look at the actual dimensions, not mid-size or such.

The psu can be as little as 300w.
I like Seasonic for quality.
They make a 380w unit that would be good.

Ok, so...I need to tell him he needs to buy 12 monitors for 6 people, thats going to be a fun conversation xD
8GB RAM, got it.
38W Seasonic power supply, got it.
Case? Hmmmmm, could I just go to any store and ask them for a case? EDIT: Could I go for a Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case?

 

[Jared2606]

I think you are on track recommending an i3. I think Skylake or Haswell would be fine. It's debatable, but I would go ahead and get 8 GB of RAM since it is cheap now. I would get a 240-256 GB SSD drive with them. Dell Optiplex is a good choice and you can sign up for discount coupons through twitter, email, facebook, etc. If he wants to save some money, have him look at the Dell Outlet- coupons available there too and they come with the same warranty as the regular ones.

Would I really need such a big SSD? They mostly read and write to the servers so almost no files are ever on their own PC. Or should I get a bigger one just to be safe?

If mostly read and write to servers do not get any SSD.

I forgot about the laptop part yes lots of slow stuff there. The HDD the WiFi etc.

Do you need optical drives? if not I would go with a NUC like platform you can get them in i3 they are cheap and they are small.

I still want an SSD in them for application and boot launch times to be quicker. He might want optical drives, I will get one for each PC just in case anyway.

 

[geofelt]

You are thinking, good.
The corsair 200R is a fine case.
16.90" x 8.30" x 19.60"

By comparison, the lian li PC-Q02 is 5.87" x 9.06" x 7.87"
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q02/
It includes a psu and can handle a slim dvd burner if needed.
It will use a small ITX motherboard.

 

[Jared2606]

You are thinking, good.
The corsair 200R is a fine case.
16.90" x 8.30" x 19.60"

By comparison, the lian li PC-Q02 is 5.87" x 9.06" x 7.87"
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q02/
It includes a psu and can handle a slim dvd burner if needed.
It will use a small ITX motherboard.

Size doesn't really matter with these PCs, as they will just be put under a desk and will stay there. They will not be moved, unless someone needs to do maintenance on them, or if the office gets re-arranged. I don't really want to give him PCs as small as the Lian PC, as for if he might want to add in a GPU for extra performance or upgrade the PC.

I was thinking, for a case, that I could get the HEC 6C28BBX585 ATX mid tower case as it comes with a power supply and is reasonable cheap. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/hec-case-6c28bbx585

 

[Jared2606]

My final thought, what do you guys think?

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GHd2gs) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GHd2gs/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i36100) | $112.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah110ma) | $44.99 @ Micro Center
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmk8gx4m2a2133c13) | $42.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam) | $87.89 @ OutletPC
**Case** | [HEC 6C28BBX585 ATX Mid Tower Case w/585W Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/hec-case-6c28bbx585) | $74.71 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $368.57
| Mail-in rebates | -$5.00
| **Total** | **$363.57**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2016-03-24 05:49 EDT-0400 |

 

[Bearmann]

So I've missed a lot since I was here last! I chose the larger SSD and more RAM to allow for some future growth and because I have no idea what programs he wants to install. I wouldn't object to a smaller SSD if you feel it is appropriate for his needs. A single stick of 8 GB RAM is fine if it is less expensive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nSX2taw-Y4

http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/1349-ram-how-dual-channel-works-vs-single-channel

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/does-dual-channel-memory-make-difference-in-gaming-performance/

I'm not crazy about that HEC case/PSU combination. It really looks cheaply made. PSU power is misrepresented, though sufficient. 80mm rear fan= loud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af-Pjq-Z4RE

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121002

If you want a combination case/PSU, see what Antec has available in your area.

I was thinking about one of these quiet Corsair cases to keep down the noise in the office. Lack of a side fan helps with the noise and your cooling needs are minimal. I would rather see you get a smaller SSD and spend that money on a better case and PSU.

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/compare-results

 

[geofelt]

DO NOT buy a cheap psu.
A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It will not have safety and overload protections.
If it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive. Do not buy one.

The only brand of case that includes a psu that I would trust would be Antec. They make good power supplies.

I have no problem with a cheap case; most will do the job.
Likely, you will be better off buying a psu separately.
Seasonic makes some nice units under $50.
Here is one example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151074
Even a 300w unit can support a discrete graphics card as good as a GTX750ti.
Here is one list of quality. Note that HEC is tier 5(not recommended, replace asap) . Try to buy tier 1 or 2.
https://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx?Redirected=true

 

[Bearmann]

Here are some EVGA and Seasonic PSU's to consider:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr,seasonic-power-supply-s12ii430b,seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze/

 

[mjslakeridge]

Agree with the above comments about the PSU. Do not cheap out on the PSU. Since this is for an office, presumably the computers will be on for 8-10 hours per day, every work day. What is bad about a cheap power supply is they often use low quality Chinese made capacitors, which will work fine at first, but degrade over time, eventually failing, potentially taking out the other components in the system.