[SOLVED] New Workstation Build Thoughts

[erik62905]

My dad is looking to upgrade his 2015 Dell XPS Tower to a completely new build. He almost always has 20+ windows open at once and never shuts his computer down. It's mostly workstation/office tasks like MS Office (majority), chrome, mail, etc.
Build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dCVZL2
I know the build I listed is overpowered but he was willing to pay over $1000 for an XPS so...

I'm posting here to see if the build is even remotely worth it. I think he needs more, faster RAM along with the system running off of an SSD (that's what he wants). He said he's fine adding more storage later.


New Topic: Questions About Transferring Files and OS (I know almost nothing about Windows 10 activation and how to transfer files to a new computer):
My dad said that he has many files currently in his dropbox to free up space. Would transferring all of his files to dropbox be a good way to change computers and get the files back? Or is there a better way to transfer files? I've never done that before.

About Windows 10 Pro, will one key work on multiple computers at once? It says the account is activated through his Microsoft account. He's planning to make his current computer a family computer. So what I'm trying to say is, will he have to buy another Windows key?

Thanks!

 

[kanewolf]

That power supply isn't optimal. Your motherboard has a 4pin and 8pin supplemental CPU power connector. The power supply only has an 8 pin. Don't cheap out on the power supply.

 

[tennis2]

Wait 2 weeks for B550 motherboards to launch.

AMDs Ryzen CPUs without a "G" suffix don't have integrated graphics, so you'll need a graphics card if you go that route.

What's the specs on the current machine?

Your dad needs a backup plan. Even something as simple as a $60 2TB external hard drive. This needs to happen NOW. That's also a great way to transfer all the data to the new machine.

 

[King Dranzer]

Here is the list:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($335.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 51.4 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B365M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $801.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-03 23:31 EDT-0400

This will be better suited for you.

 

[erik62905]

Wait 2 weeks for B550 motherboards to launch.

AMDs Ryzen CPUs without a "G" suffix don't have integrated graphics, so you'll need a graphics card if you go that route.

What's the specs on the current machine?

Your dad needs a backup plan. Even something as simple as a $60 2TB external hard drive. This needs to happen NOW. That's also a great way to transfer all the data to the new machine.

I forgot to mention he already has an nvidia gt745 that came with the system. He has a 6700, 16 gb 2133 MHz ram, 1 tb hdd, 500 gb ssd, and a crappy power supply.

 

[erik62905]

Here is the list:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($335.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 51.4 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B365M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $801.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-03 23:31 EDT-0400

This will be better suited for you.

I’m still thinking I want to go with ryzen for a workatstion/office build. I’m gonna wait for b550 boards to release before buying.

 

[tennis2]

The current system is pretty decent for the type of work being described.

If he's really that bad at windows/tabs maybe just spend $60 to add another 16GB of RAM to deal with that.

Less convenient, but effective - Reformat the PC. Maybe there's some junk in there somewhere that's bogging things down.

How many anti-virus and adware blockers does he have running (with or without his knowledge)

 

[erik62905]

The current system is pretty decent for the type of work being described.

If he's really that bad at windows/tabs maybe just spend $60 to add another 16GB of RAM to deal with that.

Less convenient, but effective - Reformat the PC. Maybe there's some junk in there somewhere that's bogging things down.

How many anti-virus and adware blockers does he have running (with or without his knowledge)

He says he would like a new computer and he wants all of his data on an ssd so I’d need to reinstall windows anyways. He only has Norton.

 

[tennis2]

He filled a 500GB SSD with "MS Office work"?

 

[erik62905]

He filled a 500GB SSD with "MS Office work"?

He runs his business off of that computer. That includes spreadsheets, emails, pictures, videos, client work, etc. He takes TONS of photos for clients. His website: https://www.phoenixel.com/

 

[erik62905]

Your dad needs a backup plan. Even something as simple as a $60 2TB external hard drive. This needs to happen NOW. That's also a great way to transfer all the data to the new machine.

Thanks for the recommendation for how to transfer data to the new computer, but why would he need an external hard drive as a backup if he has Dropbox?

 

[tennis2]

So the RAM upgrade is a "need". The 1-2TB SSD is a "want" (HDDs are perfectly capable of housing pictures/ documents/videos and can be made very seamless if you re-target the Windows explorer shortcuts like My Documents, My Music, etc). And a complete system replacement is a "want" (the existing i7-6700 isn't a limiting factor for the described usage).

Here's where I'm going with this - If it was me, I'd double his RAM for sure. 2x8GB DDR4-3000 or 3200 RAM costs about $65. That can be transferred over in a complete system overhaul if it comes to it. See what he feels about that.
I don't know if the existing machine has a M.2 slot (since it's an OEM machine). But if it does, the 1TB NVMe SSD is $150, so whatever (see 1st paragraph). Obviously that requires you to transfer his existing OS/Programs/Data over, but again, it can be carried over in the event of a complete overhaul. Creating a disk image would expedite the process in the event of a complete overhaul. SysPrep might, work also.
If he's still really adamant about the "upgrade", then go for it, but I doubt a new CPU is going to make a lick of difference for this usage.

Is everything in dropbox? As in, his computer could get blown up by lightning today and he wouldn't lose anything/much? If that's the case, that's fine. Cloud backups/ storage are equally as good. They just take a while to transfer the data onto a local device since you're limited by your ISP bandwidth obviously.

 

[erik62905]

So the RAM upgrade is a "need". The 1-2TB SSD is a "want" (HDDs are perfectly capable of housing pictures/ documents/videos and can be made very seamless if you re-target the Windows explorer shortcuts like My Documents, My Music, etc). And a complete system replacement is a "want" (the existing i7-6700 isn't a limiting factor for the described usage).

Here's where I'm going with this - If it was me, I'd double his RAM for sure. 2x8GB DDR4-3000 or 3200 RAM costs about $65. That can be transferred over in a complete system overhaul if it comes to it. See what he feels about that.
I don't know if the existing machine has a M.2 slot (since it's an OEM machine). But if it does, the 1TB NVMe SSD is $150, so whatever (see 1st paragraph). Obviously that requires you to transfer his existing OS/Programs/Data over, but again, it can be carried over in the event of a complete overhaul.
If he's still really adamant about the "upgrade", then go for it, but I doubt a new CPU is going to make a lick of difference for this usage.

Is everything in dropbox? As in, his computer could get blown up by lightning today and he wouldn't lose anything/much? If that's the case, that's fine. Cloud backups/ storage are equally as good. They just take a while to transfer the data onto a local device since you're limited by your ISP bandwidth obviously.

He has the majority of his data in his Dropbox so, yes, if his computer were to get blown up by lightning right now he wouldn’t lose a ton of data.

It doesn’t have an m.2 slot sadly. It probably wouldn’t have been nvme anyways. Can you even add ram to an oem pc like his? There’s a gap between the first 2 ram slots and the second two like this: || ||. I remember watching a video from LTT where they were building a cheap eBay pc or something and got HP oem ram that wouldn’t work because it’s specific to one hp motherboard. So would the ram have to be the same as the other sticks and specific to his machine/motherboard?

Also, another one of the reasons he wants a new computer is because he wants the current one to become a family pc. We don’t have one. And apparently I can’t remember to say things like this in the original post like I should’ve. Sorry.

 

[tennis2]

Making sense now.

 

[erik62905]

Making sense now.

Haha, sorry!