Recommendation SFF PC i5 (Desktop) ?

Lmrhatken on 12/07/2015 - 21:21

Hi,

I'm a Mac guy looking for a PC for my elderly neighbour.

I'm looking for a SFF or slightly smaller desktop box, not a palm-sized PC with all the compromises that come with that.

A recent generation i5 would be powerful enough, but not mobile or low power versions.

8GB of RAM (possibly expandable to 16GB).

500GB HDD or 256GB SSD.

Built in graphics should be fine.

I'm looking at HP, Lenovo, Intel NUCs, but don't know which would be best.

Of course, cost is also an issue so $750 or less would be best.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Cheers,
Ashley.

Computing

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2015 - 21:38

    I have a few Intel NUCs are they are great.
    The Celeron one is incredibly slow, so I sprung for a couple of the i5s
    Unless you need things like a discrete graphics card or an optical drive, you don't gain anything by going anything larger.

  • scrimshaw on 12/07/2015 - 22:10

    A recent generation i5 would be powerful enough, but not mobile or low power versions.

    I'm looking at HP, Lenovo, Intel NUCs

    Ok…. Mobile i5's (ULV) are all you get when you buy a NUC computer. A desktop Core i5 would produce much more heat and require a lot more power, certainly more power than an Intel NUC's power supply unit can handle.

    You can't get a desktop i5 processor unless you spring for a mini ITX form factor. That's around two to three times larger than a NUC.

    Picture a Xbox 360 sitting on your desk. That's about how big a Mini ITX system is.

    Example of a VESA mountable ITX casing with external 90w PSU
    http://www.mwave.com.au/product/antec-isk-110-vesa-miniitx-c…

    Some Mini ITX systems have the power supply in the inside of the case rather than the outside, in which case it looks like this.

    In terms of SFF systems, you have two routes: build one yourself or buy a prebuilt system. Most SFF prebuilts are made for business use and options may include Lenovo E73 series, Dell Optiplex 3020 Micro, and HP EliteDesks SFFs.

    Pros of a prebuilt SFF system —

    1. Extendable warranty, option of an Onsite warranty where your PC is fixed without it leaving the house and option for a Next Business Day warranty where it's fixed quickly
    2. If the system goes down, YOU don't have to fix it because it's not your responsibility. your neighbour can ring up Dell/HP/Lenovo and get it fixed the next day
    3. They're usually quite space efficient and power efficient.
    4. You don't have to spend an hour building it and possibly another half hour installing Windows. It's a prebuilt.
    5. No need to pay for Windoze license since it's an OEM license tied to the machine

    Drawbacks of a prebuilt.

    1. Barely any room for upgrades down the road.
    2. Proprietary parts that cannot be replaced with generic off the shelf parts, for e.g the PSU or motherboard.
    3. There can be a pretty high cost in getting certain customisations during the build-to-order process. E.g Manufacturer can charge an arm and a leg just to include an SSD.

    Pros of a self-built system

    1. You can control the cost and there's greater range of parts to choose from.
    2. Easy to upgrade later on. All parts easily replaced and purchased at a pretty low cost.
    3. Off the shelf ITX cases can be in many different shapes and sizes, some providing a lot of room for extra stuff, even very long graphics cards and up to 4 hard disks.

    Drawbacks.

    1. You, the system builder, may be called upon to provide tech support and help with warranty (product return)
    2. Unless you want to pay the PC shop to build it for you, in which case many Pc stores will offer a warranty for system builds. However, unlike buying from Dell etc. you'd likely have to bring the PC back physically to the store to get it repaired.
    3. Need to pay for an OS
    4. A self built ITX machine is typically bigger still than one designed by Dell/HP/Lenovo, mainly because it was designed to be easily user accessible.
  • mrhatken on 25/07/2015 - 23:38

    Many thanks Scrimshaw, very informative post.

    I'm not tied to a NUC or similar form factor. In fact, I think they are probably a bit limiting in all but space.

    I just want something that will have longevity in terms of general performance (for a senior). I don't want something that will lose the ability to handle upgrades in just a few years time. Hence, my focus on desktop i5 or similar.

    As it's not for me, the prebuilt SFF should be best and I have been checking out the Lenovo, Dell and HP offerings.

    Thanks again!

    Cheers,
    Ashley.

    • donnot on 26/07/2015 - 22:31
      +1

      Sorry if it's a bit late, but this would be a great option: http://shopap.lenovo.com/au/en/desktops/thinkcentre/sff/e73-…

      Currently $750 for an i5 (4690S quad core) system with 8G ram, KB+mouse, screen ($1 extra).

      EDIT: Unsure about shipping costs though.

      • scrimshaw on 27/07/2015 - 15:03
        +2

        Shipping should not cost anything. Free delivery when you order computer systems from the likes of Dell HP and Lenovo.

      • mrhatken on 28/07/2015 - 00:47

        Yes, donnot that is a great deal.

        Only question now is whether to wait for Windows 10 preinstalled (neighbour has been confused by Windows 8) or just install when available (I realise it will be free for one year). Of course, waiting could lose this deal.

        I tried to get an idea of how big the download for Windows 10 would be from a MS guy in Harvey Norman but he didn't know. I've read the install will be pretty smooth so it may not be worth the wait.

        Any thoughts?

        Also the S version, as far as I know means "low-power" which I assume means for a laptop or similar. I'm not that keen on mobile processors in desktops (something Apple seems to do in the iMacs as well).

        Any thoughts?

  • mrhatken on 30/07/2015 - 00:40

    So are there any "micro" (Mac mini size, not really any smaller) machines with i5 desktop for a reasonable price?

    MSY has the Gigabyte BRIX BXi5H-5200 i5-5200U 2.2GHz for $829 but that's a U for dual core ultrabooks / ultraportable I believe.

    I just want something that has longevity (with OS and app upgrades) for my neighbour.

    When they put Windows 10 on the discounted Lenovo (above) I will go for that but for now considering other options (as here).

    • donnot on 30/07/2015 - 21:41

      Not really anything in your price range mac mini size with a desktop i5 in it unfortunately, or similar performance to it-they cost significantly more. Windows 10 comes for free to the lenovo as it's running 8.1. The brix above will be fine for the moment, but isn't the best option for longevity unless you're tight on space.

      • mrhatken on 01/08/2015 - 22:04

        Thanks Donnot, that's what I thought (on all accounts).

  • mrhatken on 01/08/2015 - 22:14

    What about swapping the 1TB HDD drive for 128GB SSD?

    I guess my neighbour just browses the Web and emails and maybe a little word processing (I am going to suggest Google Docs or Office 365 Online) and possibly a few photos (not many).

    I think she would appreciate the quietness (is that a word?) of the SSD and I think it would reduce the problems of hard disk failure (although I know SSDs can fail too). I just wonder if 12GB would be enough with Windows 10 and space for her files.

    1TB seems overkill but I guess the price differential is negligible (not an option on the Lenovo deal above). That said, Google Chrome on my laptop seems to eat up 10GB, and caches grow pretty huge, so maybe good for OS and apps to have more space.

    An alternative would be for me to buy it with 1TB and swap that into an external case (or second drive inside) for backup and get her a cheap 256GB SSD for inside the case. I hope that 256GB would be more than enough. No videos, no music, etc.

    Any thoughts most appreciated, now that Windows 10 is available pre-installed I am going to make a recommendation to her in the next few days.

    Cheers,
    Ashley.

    PS I think of myself as a techie and yet I have trouble clearly seeing the difference between the Lenovo range E73, M73, M83 Pro, with the processor and GPU options. Much easier choosing a Mac ;-)

  • PVA on 01/08/2015 - 22:22

    does it have to be a desk top?
    My elderly father used to have a desktop, but a few years ago we got him a Dell laptop.
    This form suits him much better, he likes sitting on the couch with it so he can play solitaire, or check the sports etc, while watching footy on TV.
    His uses are basically what you have mentioned above, browsing, emails, word docs for his Mens Shed group..

  • mrhatken on 03/08/2015 - 01:25

    Thanks for your question and comments PVA.

    It doesn't have to be a desktop but I believe my neighbour prefers working in her study. She has an original Surface RT (I think) for on the lounge but finds it very confusing to use (didn't most people ;-).

    Also I feel:

    1. laptops are generally more expensive and have less longevity for the price

    2. laptops generally use mobile versions of processors (adding to 1.)

    3. laptop screens are generally smaller unless the laptop itself is much bigger.

    I had thought of a Surface 3 Pro with external monitor, keyboard, and mouse in the study. It would be the best of both worlds but the Surface Pro 3 is much more than she's keen to spend (AFAIK).

    PS It's a female neighbour, so it would be her Ladies Bedroom Group, I guess ;-)

  • mrhatken on 03/08/2015 - 23:58

    Thanks everyone, we got the Lenovo E73 i5-4690 8GB RAM 1TB HDD AC/B/G/N for $782, with a 21" HD (unfortunately) display for $1. Also got extended 3yr onsite warranty for $99 (rather than 5 years or just 1). So all up $872 (or something like that).

    Only twist, there's always a twist isn't there, was that it doesn't include a DVD optical drive or card reader (my neighbour still wants to read and burn disks) and there was no option to customise (even online chat agreed), until the last stage when they offer it for $97.

    Of course, that's a ridiculous price (AFAIK), so I told my neighbour not to include it and I will get one and install it for for her for a maximum of $25. It seems MSY has them for less than $20 and even has a slimline external DVD writer for $33.

    Thanks again for all the suggestions and comments.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join