[SOLVED] Opinion on all in one pcs?

[BillWiTheScienceFi]

I am trying to get my mom a new computer, she needs one BADLY but refuses to let me build one for her.

I am having a hard time finding a pre built one within her budget but i am wondering what you all think of all in one pcs?

I don't trust them just because they seem like laptops to me (crammed into one place) and dont seem like they would last long.

Budget is at MOST 450$, 500 with a monitor.

1 tb HDD no ssd
casual use
needs wireless internet capability

 

[Swarzenegger]

Guessing she doesn't need a dedicated gpu, they all should be fine. Never had a lot of experience with prebuilt desktops, but if it has at least 2 case fans it won't decrease the lifetime of the components.

Price is another story, you can build a all around system for 300$, prebuilt is 20% higher in price at best. Maybe show her a video of building a pc or something... She likely is scared that there are a lot of problems that can occur.

Also I would really recommend a SSD. Prices are great atm, you can find normal SSD's for almost the same price as a HDD. It gives way more speed for a regular desktop.

 

[xravenxdota]

There's a lot of tech youtubers that does budget builds.One of them are toastybro's.It can be done on a budget.If you have to buy a prebuilt get something like an ryzen 3 2200g if you can.I don't think she will be playing games(maybe solitaire lol)as they are dirt cheap.Intel has a great bargain on there I3's but the I3 9100F requires a dedicated gpu.

 

[King_V]

I am trying to get my mom a new computer, she needs one BADLY but refuses to let me build one for her.

I am having a hard time finding a pre built one within her budget but i am wondering what you all think of all in one pcs?

I don't trust them just because they seem like laptops to me (crammed into one place) and dont seem like they would last long.

Budget is at MOST 450$, 500 with a monitor.

1 tb HDD no ssd
casual use
needs wireless internet capability

That's my same general concern with them, things crammed into a monitor, a weird mix of laptop and desktop parts. Granted, the ONLY one I ever saw was back in 2010-2012, and I think it was a 2007 or 2008 model. Had a standard desktop 3.5" hard drive, but an mxm laptop video card with custom-shaped heatsink (that did NOT seem to have any way to come off that I can recall) to work with the confines of the monitor. The video card did start going bad, but fortunately we were able to find a working used one for relatively cheap (still more than I liked paying for a GPU whose graphics capabilities were lackluster).


What is her current system? A standard PC with a separate monitor, a laptop, or an all-in-one? If a standard PC, does she have a good monitor to carry over to the new system? If a standard one or an all in one, does she have a keyboard and mouse to carry over to the new system?

Is she refusing because she doesn't trust you to build one, or just because she doesn't think she needs a better one?

What kind of usage? I'm assuming basic office and web-browsing type stuff, so she probably doesn't need anything high-performance, but can you confirm that?

 

[ohio_buckeye]

All in one PC's opinion.

RUN!!!!

If those things break down, good luck fixing. If she's on a tight budget, especially if needing a monitor, pick up a refurbished business class pc. Even upgrade if needed. You can find slim ones relatively inexpensive with i5 and i7 CPUs that are relatively easy to fix if something goes wrong. Get one of those with an SSD, it will fly.

In my wife's office is a Dell optiplex with an i7 3770 that work was disposing of. I paid 50 bucks for it. Has 8gb of ram. Installed a 480gb SSD. That thing boots in about 30 seconds. Pretty quick system. Still got another 8gb of ram I need to install in it. But if you can get a deal on something like that, should be a good system. I've got my parents running an hp with an i5 and an SSD. Theirs seems to do well also.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

i would get a nice little Ryzen based notebook for that budget and be done with it.

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Touch-Scr...keywords=ryzen+notebook&qid=1579204237&sr=8-5

tada, great, fast, reliable and should be long lasting

you can add external stuff, like a kb and mouse and a monitor with hdmi cable later on. you could also upgrade the ssd and ram for cheapo prices these days too. i would get at least a 1tb ssd in future should you feel the need for more speed and capability

found this for $109

 

[BillWiTheScienceFi]

That's my same general concern with them, things crammed into a monitor, a weird mix of laptop and desktop parts. Granted, the ONLY one I ever saw was back in 2010-2012, and I think it was a 2007 or 2008 model. Had a standard desktop 3.5" hard drive, but an mxm laptop video card with custom-shaped heatsink (that did NOT seem to have any way to come off that I can recall) to work with the confines of the monitor. The video card did start going bad, but fortunately we were able to find a working used one for relatively cheap (still more than I liked paying for a GPU whose graphics capabilities were lackluster).


What is her current system? A standard PC with a separate monitor, a laptop, or an all-in-one? If a standard PC, does she have a good monitor to carry over to the new system? If a standard one or an all in one, does she have a keyboard and mouse to carry over to the new system?

Is she refusing because she doesn't trust you to build one, or just because she doesn't think she needs a better one?

What kind of usage? I'm assuming basic office and web-browsing type stuff, so she probably doesn't need anything high-performance, but can you confirm that?

She has an old dell laptop she got off QVC. Its super and i mean SUPER slow and she hates having a laptop so she wants to switch over to a desktop. She only seems to trust pre built pcs for warrantys and support. I am trying to convince her to let me build one, i built my first PC (am using this moment to type this) and it works perfectly fine. I have an old out dated monitor but she wants everything brand new.. Basic office/internet usage is all she uses it for. Also storing photos/files etc.

 

[BillWiTheScienceFi]

Guessing she doesn't need a dedicated gpu, they all should be fine. Never had a lot of experience with prebuilt desktops, but if it has at least 2 case fans it won't decrease the lifetime of the components.

Price is another story, you can build a all around system for 300$, prebuilt is 20% higher in price at best. Maybe show her a video of building a pc or something... She likely is scared that there are a lot of problems that can occur.

Also I would really recommend a SSD. Prices are great atm, you can find normal SSD's for almost the same price as a HDD. It gives way more speed for a regular desktop.

Thats what i was trying to tell her i built my own pc i am currently using and it works great. Im hoping to convince her... Im shying away from ssds for her just because she has a lot of photos and files she wants to backup from her old laptop so im afraid there wont be enough room...

 

[Wolfshadw]

I keep trying to convince my motherboard that she does not want an All-In-One system. Of course, she doesn't want the one that I did build her from spare parts (which would be five times faster). She wants it small and unobtrusive. She wants it fast and she wants it cheap. I keep telling her that what she wants doesn't exist

My opinion of them is that they are low-quality heaters that should not be upgraded even if you could. Example. If it comes with 1x8GB RAM and you want to upgrade to 2x8GB (or even 1x16), DON'T! The extra heat generated would probably exceed it's allowable temp threshold and induce failure.

So you can either purchase one now that you believe will still be fast and sufficient for her needs five years from now (not cheap) or keep trying to convince her that you should build it yourself.

-Wolf sends

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Or let her buy one and when her all in one eventually breaks down, maybe she'll finally listen.

 

[Solandri]

There's only one use case I can think of for an all-in-one. In all other cases where you might consider an AIO, you're usually better off getting a laptop and connecting an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Your mom will appreciate the portability of the laptop when she goes on vacation, or even just using it while on the toilet, and when there's a power failure and she doesn't lose all her work because the laptop's battery kicks in. And if/when she decides to upgrade, the laptop has much better resale/hand-me-down value.

The one use case I've seen for AIOs are those rolling computer terminal stations like you sometimes see in hospitals. You want it small enough to be portable, but you also want to minimize the number of cables hanging out from it, making the AIO preferable to a laptop w/ external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

(The other "use" case isn't really a use case. It's Mac users who value a minimalist appearance. In that case, having the compute permanently glued to the back of the monitor can be an advantage, if only for aesthetic reasons. And Apple has made the newer iMacs functional as a monitor-only so they don't become obsolete - once the computer hardware is outdated, you can continue to use it as a slightly thick monitor.)

 

[King_V]

She has an old dell laptop she got off QVC. Its super and i mean SUPER slow and she hates having a laptop so she wants to switch over to a desktop. She only seems to trust pre built pcs for warrantys and support. I am trying to convince her to let me build one, i built my first PC (am using this moment to type this) and it works perfectly fine. I have an old out dated monitor but she wants everything brand new.. Basic office/internet usage is all she uses it for. Also storing photos/files etc.

Thats what i was trying to tell her i built my own pc i am currently using and it works great. Im hoping to convince her... Im shying away from ssds for her just because she has a lot of photos and files she wants to backup from her old laptop so im afraid there wont be enough room...

I can say with the usage you describe, click on the spoiler in my sig and look at The Micro Machine. Yes, you kind of "build" it, but all you're really doing is adding a CPU, RAM, and storage. The rest is there (well, you have to insert the wifi card on the motherboard, too, if you want that functionality).

The only other thing is the Windows license.

I don't think SSDs will be a problem - what's the capacity of her laptop's drive, and how much of that space is she actually using?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Patriot Burst 960 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Custom: ASRock DESKMINI A300W AMD Socket AM4 1 x HDMI Barebone System ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $366.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-01-16 17:00 EST-0500

I tried to stick with what was on the QVL list for that ASRock unit, hence why I went with 2x8GB, though my own system has 2x4GB and is more than enough for what I use it for.

It's a conveniently small box.

Add Windows 10, keyboard, mouse, and monitor, and you're set.

 

[USAFRet]

An AIO is just a laptop in a weird configuration.
All of the drawbacks of a laptop, with none of the portability.

They do look cool, though. Which, for some...that's all it needs to be.

 

[Karadjgne]

Unobtrusive, fast, cheap doesn't exist in anything pre-built. You can get 2 out of 3 easily, like an intel Nuc or HP Z2, but they run @ $700ish or more. You could opt for a Nuc kit, they go for $200+, but you must add ram, storage etc and they aren't as fast having older gen (5th/6th) mobile i3/i5's.

 

[mdd1963]

If she does let you build one, you can still get a 1 TB NVME SSD for only $100 (Intel 660P), and even 2 TB for $200 or so... (Most folks don't have THAT many photos...)

 

[King_V]

Unobtrusive, fast, cheap doesn't exist in anything pre-built. You can get 2 out of 3 easily, like an intel Nuc or HP Z2, but they run @ $700ish or more. You could opt for a Nuc kit, they go for $200+, but you must add ram, storage etc and they aren't as fast having older gen (5th/6th) mobile i3/i5's.

Fast isn't part of the equation, though, given the intended usage.

 

[Schlachtwolf]

My very first PC was an All-in-one..... oh holy crap. I knew nothing and after 2 days of "reserch", asking a "mate" etc. I went to a shop and got fleeced. Piece of monkey poo was what I got that never worked properly and I was then told because I put in a 128mb HDD (was big in those days) that I had violated the warrenty.
Since then and a few bricked parts (nothing like learning by doing) I build all my own and for family and friends.

As stated by so many above reliability and speed does not come cheap.

Here's a line for your Mum. " Mum older parts may not be new but they can still have quailty that lasts a lifetime" give her a wink and she will forgive you anything !!

 

[RodroX]

As other said AIO are as good as a cheap laptop can be, but with a mix of desktop and portable parts.

On the other hand as a PC technician I had to fix a few in my life and some of them have worked/lasted for 5 or more years with zero maintenance. I guess its all about luck. I got a few no name/no brand laptops, that you probably wont pay 5 bucks for them, and they been working for 8 years (once again with zero maintenance).

If I were to build a PC for that amount of money....

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Monoprice)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 450 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.90 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($36.00 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer R221Q bid 21.5" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $490.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-01-16 17:59 EST-0500

And thats with an IPS monitor and DDR4 3200MHz memory in dual channel 🆒

Cheers