Hi guys, I'm looking for an all in one computer. It doesn't need to be too powerful.. Just enough to get through normal Web browsing and word documents. Looking for one with a 24inch screen or there abouts.. And one with specs that will make this computer last a long time with light to medium use.
Please post some bsrgains/good value deals you've seen.
Thanks in advance :-)
Thanks for your reply. Do you think having more ram than 4gb will be crucial for the computer to last longer than just a couple of years? It's actually for my neighbour.. So I'm looking around for the best value deal. I did see the $600 one on clearance. Looks ok.. But the ram kind of threw me off
The RAM should be upgradable. There is a slightly higher Ideacentre 300 model with an A6 processor with 8GB of RAM.
However, that upgraded model is $798 from Harvey Norman.
I'm sure it won't be difficult to upgrade the RAM yourself. You cannot upgrade the Processor though.
The first thing you actually want to upgrade would be the hard drive -> SSD. It currently runs a 5200RPM drive and that would drive anybody insane (no pun intended)
edit: service manual links
https://support.lenovo.com/au/en/solutions/ht101563
http://cdn.cnetcontent.com/ea/eb/eaeb562f-6833-44e1-9a17-bcc…
I'm not too cluey with some of the features.. So I don't get what you mean by the hard drive. Is it slow? Because I seem to be. Haha
hard drives nowadays come in two types:
mechanical drives (these spin and have moving parts). We just call em' hard drives or hard disks by default.
SSD, or Solid State Drive, is a drive with no moving parts, and while they cost more per gigabyte (for e.g an 240GB SSD costs around a $109 dollars, you could nearly a 2 terabyte mechanical drive for that amount) , SSD's provide three to four times the performance of Hard drives.
Usually when a computer processes information, it loads data from the hard disk and feeds it to RAM.
This happens everytime you start the PC and when you load a program. However, Hard drives, of the mechanical variety need time to spin up, move the read/write heads to the right position and then read the information on the platters, making them the slowest part of any PC.
Upgrading to a solid state drive helps. You normally find that sluggish computers can usually be fixed with a HDD to SSD upgrade. SSD's don't need to spin up and are always ready to read/write data.
RAM upgrades however, are not always neccessary, and I think 4GB is an ample amount for an office computer just running the usual browser + MS office suite.
Of course where bulk storage is concerned, if the person needs more storage space, they would need to rely on an external drive hooked up to a USB port. The original 1TB drive that comes out of this computer can be repurposed with what's called a 'hard drive enclosure'. A little box that you put in a bare drive and turns it into a USB drive.
@scrimshaw: Wow, thank you for your response!! That's an awesome explanation! I will look into it.
So, I've been speaking to my neighbour further this morning.. And now they seem a little more open to considering a tower and monitor rather than the all in one. I've explained to them it's easier to choose monitor size and tower specifications that way. So this thread almost seems pointless now.. But I am happy to hear any suggestions of all in ones or separate towers and monitors :-)
@scrimshaw: Is something like this any good then? https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/hp-pavilion-510-a010a-intel-p…
This is a lot better value. $489 + delivery cost, and it's quite a bit better. The processor is 3x faster (which is a pretty damn big improvement)
http://www.umart.com.au/newsite/goods.php?id=38229
That HP appears to be running a Braswell chipset… Intel Pentium J3710 to be exact. While they do get the job done, I wouldn't pay $500 for that. Not particularly great value.
@scrimshaw: thanks for that. That one has half the memory of the one from the good guys though. I will speak to my neighbour again anyhow. I think they wanted the convenience of being able to take the computer back to a local store if something went wrong e.g. Officeworks, Harvey Norman, the good guys, Jb Hi Fi, etc. I can see umart have stores, but they aren't local.
Select any screen you like with VESA mount at the back (most have it). Select a mini PC e.g. Gigabyte BRIX, Intel NUC, MSI Cubi, ASRock Beebox, etc. They are size of a small book - some are sold as so called barebones (no RAM, no disk), some are fully configured. Select what you need in terms of power vs. price. Mount it at the back of the monitor (4 screws, standard VESA mount). Connect any keyboard and mouse. You have your perfect all in one PC.
The above steps are trivial. Advantages: you will have exactly the configuration and price point you are happy with, your computer will be highly modular for future updates or repairs. Yes, you would have to do a bit of Googling and reading first - but this is fun, and definitely not a hardcore technical task, more like building from LEGO.
I don't think they want any work needed. They just want to be able to reduce cords and space I think.
My iMac has lasted me 6 years now. They are expensive but I highly recommend them.
Unfortunately, a Mac is definitely out of their price range. Thanks though.
I got the last 2015 version of the iMac (the top-end 5K display, 27 inch model) early last year. It was expensive and admittedly a purchase I made partly because it looks so damn good. But I am sure the desktop will work fine for years to come. My brother in law has had an iMac which he bought in 2010 which still serves him well (He did upgrade the RAM).
I have a bootcamp windows installation for all my gaming needs (yes, I game on a mac) and for the occasional unavoidable Windows needs. So far the machine has performed beautifully and with no issues whatsoever. I'm pretty sure I can even get at least half my investment back in case I want to sell the system 4 years down the line.
Could try the Lenovo IdeaCentre 300.
23" Full HD display
touch enabled
AMD A4-7210
4GB RAM, 1TB mechanical HDD.
the usual HDMI 1.4 and USB 3.0 ports
Free KB and mouse
currently on clearance for $600
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/lenovo-ide…
Performance wise, it performs at the level of an intel Apollo lake chip, which is a laptop-grade CPU, surfs the web fine and plays 1080p vids. Fairly modest performance but that's what you get for $600.
If you're feeling rich you could also buy the Intel variant of the machine from Ozbargain's favourite retailer: Hardly Normal. Will cost you double ($1198)
There's another alternative which is a Intel NUC. a palm-sized computer that is designed to fit onto the back of a monitor (or TV) via a VESA mount. Available for around $200~300, it has no RAM, OS or HDD and therefore requires you to buy some to use it with.
It's only ever so slightly less expensive than an AIO, but upside is that it's more modular and you can easily upgrade the NUC (or sell it) when it no longer suits your needs.