Workstation PC recommendations build or buy

[tgorfid]

I am looking for recommendations for building/buying a PC that’s only purpose is connecting to a work server, it is strictly a business computer and will be in an office so the case doesn’t have to be cool or anything. This would be a function build only. I am asking because the IT team simply sent a quote for a dell workstation “OptiPlex 3050 Small Form Factor Intel® Core™ i5-7500 (QC/6MB/4T/3.4GHz/65W); supports Windows 10/Linux Windows 10 Pro 64bit English, French, Spanish No Productivity Software 8GB 1x8GB 2400MHz DDR4 Memory 2.5inch 256GB SATA Class 20 Solid State Drive Intel® Integrated Graphics 8x DVD+/-RW 9.5mm Optical Disk Drive OptiPlex 3050 SFF with 180W Standard Power Supply (APFC) Dell KB216 Wired Keyboard English Black Dell MS116 Wired Mouse Black 1 2.5 Inch Hard Drive Caddy Documentation, English, French, Dell OptiPlex 3050 Safety/Environment and Regulatory Guide (English/French Multi-language) Trusted Platform Module (TPM Enabled) Cyberlink Media Suite Essentials for Windows 10 and DVD drive (without Media) System Power Cord (English) 3 Years Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis.” For a total of $735.



So I was trying to research what chip an I3 or I5, would actually be the best selection for a pc that only is only a work station for business, all programs are on the server as well as most files. I wanted to build or buy her a PC that is specifically suited to the tasks that she needs. I figured if I can save a couple hundred here or there I could use the money to upgrade to a nmve drive and more ram if necessary. She doesn’t need much hard drive space so a 256 nmve Samsung 960/970 would probably be fine.


I am curious if the chip will even matter much as everything is on the server so would where can I pick up a performance increase? Will the hard drive be the biggest boost to performance as a SSD or nmve would read/write faster from the server or would a better network card be more beneficial than an integrated one?


Any recommendations would be helpful as I really couldn’t find many opinions on a workstation build with a google search.

 

[profoundnoah]

NVME's aren't worth the money, even if you wouldn't be sacrificing anything else for it. If everything's on the server, then it would be bottlenecked first by the server's hardware, then by your own. The 250 GB price point isn't that good for Samsung SSD's, as you can find a 500 GB 860 Evo for $40 more than the 250 GB model. You can undoubtedly find better value in building it yourself. You get a near-equal processor, better performing RAM, a better case, and a PSU that will let the user expand the hardware if need be, all for nearly $200 cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Y4BmxG
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Y4BmxG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($117.90 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B360M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: GeIL - EVO POTENZA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($53.83 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Case: Fractal Design - Define Mini C TG MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $530.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-01 23:01 EDT-0400

 

[clarkjd]

It is really hard, if not impossible to compete with Dell, HP, or Lenovo on the low end of the workstation configuration. They can buy the components so much cheaper, because they buy them in bulk. Not to mention the service policies. Are you going to provide support for this build? What happens if you leave the company?
It would not be in the company's best interests to buy a one-off system for one person.

 

[tgorfid]

NVME's aren't worth the money, even if you wouldn't be sacrificing anything else for it. If everything's on the server, then it would be bottlenecked first by the server's hardware, then by your own. The 250 GB price point isn't that good for Samsung SSD's, as you can find a 500 GB 860 Evo for $40 more than the 250 GB model. You can undoubtedly find better value in building it yourself. You get a near-equal processor, better performing RAM, a better case, and a PSU that will let the user expand the hardware if need be, all for nearly $200 cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Y4BmxG
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Y4BmxG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($117.90 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B360M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: GeIL - EVO POTENZA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($53.83 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Case: Fractal Design - Define Mini C TG MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $530.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-01 23:01 EDT-0400

Thank you for helping out!
I understand that I can build one for less than the IT quote but what I am most curious about is what would be causing the bottleneck on this type of system setup. This would be for my wife's office so they have IT support but it always seems like they just place an order without seeing what components would benefit them the most for the specific tasks the computer is doing. Basically I really couldn't find any information on what processor would be sufficient and what would be overkill, would an I3 be plenty and an I5 be overkill with no performance increase. The 250 gb hard drive size is simply all she would need as not much is stored on the computer itself, a 500 gb one is fine just is not necessary.

I am really wondering what upgrades could actually help and which ones wouldn't make a difference. If an i5 would make her computer faster for working on the server then I would go with the i5, or even an i7 if that would make it faster, but correct me if I am wrong but it doesn't seem as that would even help. Is the biggest bottle neck in the computer connecting to the server the read/write speed capability? Cant do anything about the server but what can be done on the workstation pc that would maximize performance for connecting to that server?

 

[tgorfid]

It is really hard, if not impossible to compete with Dell, HP, or Lenovo on the low end of the workstation configuration. They can buy the components so much cheaper, because they buy them in bulk. Not to mention the service policies. Are you going to provide support for this build? What happens if you leave the company?
It would not be in the company's best interests to buy a one-off system for one person.

Thanks for replying!

Yeah there are some very decent deals out there for the pre-builts. They have an IT company that handles most of their needs it but in my wife's last computer I added ram and video card so she could run dual monitors. It is a small business and they order 1 pc at a time so the type of system doesn't really matter. I am just trying to figure out that if an i3 would work just as well as an i5 for the purpose of connecting to the server to run programs, then I would get one with an i3 and use the money to upgrade a different component such as nmve drive if that drive would allow her computer to interact with the server faster. Just kind of seems like the only thing that would truly make a difference would be if the read/write speed of the PC as it is how it sends and receives all of the information, doesnt seem like much multi threading going on or a need for much ram as that is all handled on the server....it just needs to send, receive and write as fast as possible correct?

 

[profoundnoah]

8 GB of RAM is fine, especially with an i3. The i3 is still is a quad-core and runs rather fast, so it's alright for running a spread of applications. Generally speaking, if all the processing/workload is going to be done on the server, you could even get away with a dual-core, although investing your money in one isn't that advisable. The i3 8100 will be just as good as the i5 7500 at those kinds of tasks. Go for an NVME drive if you want to, as well. Just know that NVME drives are generally the determining factor between "really fast" and "very fast."

 

[clarkjd]

It is really hard, if not impossible to compete with Dell, HP, or Lenovo on the low end of the workstation configuration. They can buy the components so much cheaper, because they buy them in bulk. Not to mention the service policies. Are you going to provide support for this build? What happens if you leave the company?
It would not be in the company's best interests to buy a one-off system for one person.

Thanks for replying!

Yeah there are some very decent deals out there for the pre-builts. They have an IT company that handles most of their needs it but in my wife's last computer I added ram and video card so she could run dual monitors. It is a small business and they order 1 pc at a time so the type of system doesn't really matter. I am just trying to figure out that if an i3 would work just as well as an i5 for the purpose of connecting to the server to run programs, then I would get one with an i3 and use the money to upgrade a different component such as nmve drive if that drive would allow her computer to interact with the server faster. Just kind of seems like the only thing that would truly make a difference would be if the read/write speed of the PC as it is how it sends and receives all of the information, doesnt seem like much multi threading going on or a need for much ram as that is all handled on the server....it just needs to send, receive and write as fast as possible correct?

Just remember that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You could build the world's fastest workstation, but it won't run any faster than the server, or the network to which it is attached.
At what point does trying to figure out the potential gains from upgrading a single component, be it CPU or storage device become more trouble than it is worth?

 

[tgorfid]

It is really hard, if not impossible to compete with Dell, HP, or Lenovo on the low end of the workstation configuration. They can buy the components so much cheaper, because they buy them in bulk. Not to mention the service policies. Are you going to provide support for this build? What happens if you leave the company?
It would not be in the company's best interests to buy a one-off system for one person.

Thanks for replying!

Yeah there are some very decent deals out there for the pre-builts. They have an IT company that handles most of their needs it but in my wife's last computer I added ram and video card so she could run dual monitors. It is a small business and they order 1 pc at a time so the type of system doesn't really matter. I am just trying to figure out that if an i3 would work just as well as an i5 for the purpose of connecting to the server to run programs, then I would get one with an i3 and use the money to upgrade a different component such as nmve drive if that drive would allow her computer to interact with the server faster. Just kind of seems like the only thing that would truly make a difference would be if the read/write speed of the PC as it is how it sends and receives all of the information, doesnt seem like much multi threading going on or a need for much ram as that is all handled on the server....it just needs to send, receive and write as fast as possible correct?

Just remember that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You could build the world's fastest workstation, but it won't run any faster than the server, or the network to which it is attached.
At what point does trying to figure out the potential gains from upgrading a single component, be it CPU or storage device become more trouble than it is worth?

LOL I think that point is right now!!! I was just seeing what I could do to help her. But you are correct at this point I do not have all the specs of their systems so I will just grab her a prebuilt from the dell business outlet as they are offering a 12% discount until the end of today on top of the already discount pricing.

 

[clarkjd]

It is really hard, if not impossible to compete with Dell, HP, or Lenovo on the low end of the workstation configuration. They can buy the components so much cheaper, because they buy them in bulk. Not to mention the service policies. Are you going to provide support for this build? What happens if you leave the company?
It would not be in the company's best interests to buy a one-off system for one person.

Thanks for replying!

Yeah there are some very decent deals out there for the pre-builts. They have an IT company that handles most of their needs it but in my wife's last computer I added ram and video card so she could run dual monitors. It is a small business and they order 1 pc at a time so the type of system doesn't really matter. I am just trying to figure out that if an i3 would work just as well as an i5 for the purpose of connecting to the server to run programs, then I would get one with an i3 and use the money to upgrade a different component such as nmve drive if that drive would allow her computer to interact with the server faster. Just kind of seems like the only thing that would truly make a difference would be if the read/write speed of the PC as it is how it sends and receives all of the information, doesnt seem like much multi threading going on or a need for much ram as that is all handled on the server....it just needs to send, receive and write as fast as possible correct?

Just remember that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You could build the world's fastest workstation, but it won't run any faster than the server, or the network to which it is attached.
At what point does trying to figure out the potential gains from upgrading a single component, be it CPU or storage device become more trouble than it is worth?

LOL I think that point is right now!!! I was just seeing what I could do to help her. But you are correct at this point I do not have all the specs of their systems so I will just grab her a prebuilt from the dell business outlet as they are offering a 12% discount until the end of today on top of the already discount pricing.

If you have any money left in the budget, I would suggest using it to improve the ergonomics of the workstation. I.E. a bigger,widescreen monitor, a better keyboard and mouse. Something that will make it easier or more convenient to use.