Which Desktop Computer to Buy on eBay?

• 

  scrimshaw on 20/10/2017 - 16:22

  +9

  . My current desktop (about 4 years old) struggles in summer and on really hot days will slow down and switch itself off.

  4 years is not very long ago. My 4 year old desktop is essentially a Core i5 desktop (Ivy Bridge) and just over 2 months ago was my main work desktop. It now does HTPC and some gaming duties…

  Do you own pets / smoke cigs indoors? what are the specs of your PC? Was it self built or sold whole off the shelf?

  I think your desktop may require some very urgent cleaning if it has never been opened up and cleaned before. Take a trip down to Kmart and buy yourself some compressed air cans ($5). Otherwise an air compressor fitted with a moisture trap will do in a pinch.

  Clean the following areas:

  1. CPU fan. Hold the fan still with finger and blow the heatsink out. (avoid spinning the fan rapidly as it causes a backwards current flow)
  2. Intake fans (use a dry tissue paper for this — wipe the fan blades)
  3. GPU fan
  4. Power supply fan — just blast it with some canned air, just like CPU fan.

  Don't worry about making the case super clean — most PC's are still fine with a little bit of dust. It's just as long as the fans are mostly dust free.

  I strongly doubt you need a new Core i7 or Ryzen 5 PC for the following task:

  normal office work stuff (working of MS Office/Outlook etc) while running 2 27' dell monitors.

  if you must buy a desktop, the Ryzen Dell would be the best choice, as it has SSD and a fairly spacious case, making it easy to upgrade as well as clean out in the future.

  • 

    Presence on 20/10/2017 - 22:11

    +3

    Also check your CPU temps and consider replacing the thermal paste.

    • 

      ATD on 21/10/2017 - 08:47

      Good recommendation - I think one cause is the mini case not allowing enough air flow with whats in there.

      Once I get the new box setup, I'll tinker around with the old one, give it another clean, replace the paste and see how it runs.

• 

  Axelstrife on 20/10/2017 - 16:27

  +1

  Dell New Inspiron Gaming Desktop AMD Ryzen 5 8GB RAM 128GB SSD AMD RX 570 4GB(ebay.com.au)

  Go for this since you want to use plex media server the Ryzen 1600x CPU will allow for more simultaneous streams than the i7 7700.

  http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-7700-vs-A…

  comparing the two CPU's

  • 

    ATD on 20/10/2017 - 16:38

    Thanks for that, very informative link. The running of the Plex media server in the background is a major factor in the decision.

    • 

      Axelstrife on 20/10/2017 - 16:44

      +1

      No worries
      https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201774043-What-kin…

      The Guideline
      Very roughly speaking, for a single full-transcode of a video, the following PassMark scores are a good guideline for a requirement:
      1080p/10Mbps: 2000 PassMark
      720p/4Mbps: 1500 PassMark
      The CPU Benchmark website is a good resource to see what sort of PassMark score a particular processor received.

      https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=3000&cmp[]=2905
      ^this is passmark scores for both CPU's

      Both CPU's would be fine but Ryzen 1600x is the winner here.

• 

  ATD on 20/10/2017 - 16:33

  Current one is self built with budget components at the time - can't remember the specs off the top of my head and not at home presently to check. With the heating, I did think it was a cleaning issue and its been cleaned.

  I agree I don't need a i7 for the work stuff. I was figuring to get the best bang for buck in the above price range. I may get into doing some picture/movie editing as well down the track when I have some time - so maybe another reason I had in the back of my mind to go higher spec than what you would for a office PC.

  • 

    scrimshaw on 20/10/2017 - 23:01

    +1

    Go for the Ryzen Dell. It's a pretty good bang for buck machine (would cost similar if you bought from MSY or other computer shop)

    Review by Linus Tech tips
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVw9VuofPzU

    However, major downside is no dust filter so it won't take long to accumulate dust. Still recommend cleaning it out twice a year.

    • 

      ATD on 21/10/2017 - 07:57

      Thanks scrimshaw, I've decided to go with the Dell and will keep an eye on dust collection as noted.

• 

  PVA on 20/10/2017 - 22:22

  Take off the case and give it a clean.

  Go to office works and buy an aerosol of air for $10 and blast the dust away.

  If you really want a new one also go to Harvey Norman and see what they have for similar dollars, never know they may have something on sale.

• 

  Tasmaniac on 21/10/2017 - 11:28

  +1

  Hi there have you considered an all in one ?. I've got a Toshiba all in one and I find that it's much easier to clean, maintain and arrange than the traditional tower PC's. http://au.pcmag.com/toshiba-lx835-d3230/1347/review/toshiba-…
  You should be able to find one for about $700-$800.

  • 

    ATD on 21/10/2017 - 11:34

    I'm a bit old school with all in ones - they have their place, but not the best choice for what I'm looking to do. Thanks for the suggestion however.