Office PC selection

soaringphoenix on 11/11/2019 - 13:43

Hi,

I'm looking for a work PC that will be used for the following:

Web multi-tab browsing up to 6-8 tabs simultaneously
Word processing
Multiple users logged in, up to 4 at a time
Very occasional spreadsheet work and basic photo processing
We are currently using a Dell laptop with 8GB RAM, Windows 10, an AMD A6-9200 processor, and a mechanical hard drive. This computer is and has always been very slow performance-wise (e.g., even loading pdfs takes considerable time).

I am looking to update to something like this:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dell-Optiplex-9020-SFF-Desktop-P…
Would something like this be appropriate? or perhaps something like this? https://www.graysonline.com/lot/0009-2178465/computers-and-i…

Our budget is $500.

We would like the unit to be fairly future-proof.

Computing

Comments

  • spackbace on 11/11/2019 - 13:49
    +1

    future-proof.

    Lol you can't say that about a $500 PC, just look at your laptop as an example, that's not future-proof is it?

    • spackbace on 11/11/2019 - 13:51

      Or this for $300, swap out the SSD for a bigger one. Already has more ram, faster CPU

      • soaringphoenix on 11/11/2019 - 13:57

        Yeah this looks good. 128 GB would be fine for us for now, can upgrade the SSD down the line if needed.

        Thanks for your suggestions!

        • soaringphoenix on 11/11/2019 - 14:49
          +1

          Looking into it a bit further, Australian Computer Traders has a fairly terrible reputation online.

          Are there any other online refurbished PC providers you might be able to recommend? I like this model with the i7-4770.

          Cheers

          • BLAIL on 11/11/2019 - 15:14
            +1

            @soaringphoenix: Their Ebay Store is fine, i've purchased a couple of items from them without any issue.

  • Switchblade88 on 11/11/2019 - 13:54

    You're still on spinning rust for a boot drive?? No wonder it's slow. A cheap $40 SSD upgrade will do you wonders, and it'll feel like a brand new PC.

    If you're set on an upgrade though, any refurb 9010/9020 with an SSD will do just fine for officework, BUT you also have to budget for monitors/KB/mouse/wifi adapter etc.

    I've got mine powering two monitors and 20+ tabs and it's never felt sluggish simply due to the SSD.

    • soaringphoenix on 11/11/2019 - 13:58

      Thanks for your response.

      Replacing the mechanical drive is a good suggestion however it is a laptop and it would be cheaper for the business to just purchase a new computer compared to having me go into the effort of pulling this unit apart.

      We have a monitor and other peripherals sitting around, so should be fine other than the wifi adapter.

      • Switchblade88 on 11/11/2019 - 14:38

        SSD upgrades are ridiculously easy and fast - I can just about have a new PC ready to use in under half an hour including drivers/office/Chrome etc - but I DO have a Win10 USB installer always on hand, so that might make a difference if you're not quite so prepared as I lol

        You mightn't need a wifi adapter either if you're sticking the new PC on a desk near your router - any cheap and cheerful ethernet cable will suit - but wifi certainly does win for convenience once you're a few metres away.

        • soaringphoenix on 11/11/2019 - 15:28

          SSD upgrades on a desktop or laptop? Last time I did an SSD upgrade was a decade ago and I remember the process of pulling the laptop apart to be lengthy!

          The PC will be in an office whereas the router is in the hallway, so wifi does win out here.

    • boomramada on 11/11/2019 - 14:05

      SSD on AMD A6-9200 still be slow, rather buy Dell $200+ (Intel Core i5-4590) as above, at least twice faster.

  • wiipantz on 11/11/2019 - 13:58

    Multiple users at a time? What OS are you talking about for the new machine because AFAIK Windows PC editions only allow single user sessions, Server editions allow multiple concurrent sessions.
    Also looks like you were using AMD, stop that if you want future proofing.

    • Switchblade88 on 11/11/2019 - 14:40

      Given the description I'd suggest non-simultaneous, and they're just jumping on to their own accounts and taking turns when they need to use the PC.

      • soaringphoenix on 11/11/2019 - 14:45
        +1

        Yes, that's correct. Apologies for the confusion.

      • wiipantz on 11/11/2019 - 15:47

        You would have to be right.
        However it's entirely clear in the way it reads and made me rephrase to "multiple users at a time?"

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