A little advice needed on work PC purchase

[RobS10]

I read Mr. Bluesky's thread, but didn't want to hyjack it. The part I'm interested in is not looking for advice about building (that's a seperate project I'm also doing for a home build), but buying a "cheap" Dell.

I have my own business and want to pick up something for under $1000 (hopefully), including decent monitor, and Windows 7 Pro. I need it for basic computing/Internet, Word and Quickbooks, some photo editing, Coreldraw/vector editing. Maybe a rented TV episode from Netflix (for lunch break ;-) ), but no movies. A little iTunes encoding.

I started out looking at Optiplexe 780s because they're supposidly well-made, fewer hassels, and quiet. Problem is all I can afford is Outlet models with an E8500 max, and very few 64bit OS come through.

The Vostro 430 looks very promising, with an i5 650 or 750. Faster memory too. They're a little too new to hit the Outlet very often though. Build q will be less than OPtiplex. I like nicely made things if I can afford it ;-)

There are like zero current reviews of either. If anyone has any experience with Vostros, are they decent build q? How's the noise? Also, in general, does the i5 sound like overkill for me? I do want to hang on to this for a while, and is an E8500 in an Optiplex plenty? Is 64 bit OS worth holding out for, or is 4MB of memory plenty?

Thanks for the help guys!

Just ran across another option to confuse my choice...an Inspiron 580 i3 530, 6GB DDR3 1066MHz, 23" ST2310 monitor for $900, or for $1200 an Inspiron with an i5 650, 8 GB RAM and monitor. I just don't want to buy something that's so cheapo it falls apart as soon as the warranty is up.

 

[coolVariable]

I read Mr. Bluesky's thread, but didn't want to hyjack it. The part I'm interested in is not looking for advice about building (that's a seperate project I'm also doing for a home build), but buying a "cheap" Dell.

I have my own business and want to pick up something for under $1000 (hopefully), including decent monitor, and Windows 7 Pro. I need it for basic computing/Internet, Word and Quickbooks, some photo editing, Coreldraw/vector editing. Maybe a rented TV episode from Netflix (for lunch break ;-) ), but no movies. A little iTunes encoding.

I started out looking at Optiplexe 780s because they're supposidly well-made, fewer hassels, and quiet. Problem is all I can afford is Outlet models with an E8500 max, and very few 64bit OS come through.

The Vostro 430 looks very promising, with an i5 650 or 750. Faster memory too. They're a little too new to hit the Outlet very often though.

There are like zero current reviews of either. If anyone has any experience with Vostros, are they decent build q? How's the noise? Also, in general, does the i5 sound like overkill for me? I do want to hang on to this for a while, and is an E8500 plenty? Is 64 bit OS worth holding out for, or is 4MB of memory plenty?

Thanks for the help guys!

For business use get the cheapes desktop you can get ... maybe upgrade to an SSD.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Optiplex have nicer cases, and some of the parts might be better (PSU, motherboard), but the Vostros are still decent. Just don't get the slim models, they're alot noisier than the regular desktops.

Optiplex also usually have the "Pro" OS by default, while it's an option on the Vostros.

 

[RobS10]

Optiplex have nicer cases, and some of the parts might be better (PSU, motherboard), but the Vostros are still decent. Just don't get the slim models, they're alot noisier than the regular desktops.

Optiplex also usually have the "Pro" OS by default, while it's an option on the Vostros.

Thanks Spicedaddy. I talked to a guy from Dell a while back who said the Optis were nicer quality, just a little behind in CPU technology. Do you think an Optiplex with an E8500 with 1066MHz memory and Windows 7 32bit will be that much slower than an Vostro i5 750/1333MHz (They are about the same price) for what I plan on using it for? Sorry for being so wishy washy. It's been a looooong time since I bought a desktop computer and have no experience comparing such differently speced models.

 

[Spicedaddy]

For the apps you listed, probably not much noticeable difference. Office stuff is limited by HDD speed. But the i5-750 is a quad and a newer architecture, so it's definitely a much more capable CPU, and will have a longer lifespan.

I guess it depends on your working habits.. If you run a few apps at the same time, then a dual-core will be fine. If you like to have everything opened all the time, then a quad will help. Personally, I'd lean towards the Vostro with i5.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Also, I'm sure they'll upgrade the Optiplex line to i3/i5/i7 in the near future, so if you can wait a few weeks...

 

[Silenus]

In the office where I work I am going to be performing a complete overhaul/upgrade of all the user machines. Since I work for computer builder/system integrator we will be building our own machines. This is setup I have chosen to go with:

- In Win BK623 micro-ATX mini tower 300watt (IW-BK623.BN300BL)
- Intel DH55TC board
- Intel Core i3-530
- WD Caviar Black 500GB
- DVD Burner SATA

Nice and simple. Here is the thinking behind this. The small form factor case replaces our old crappy mid towers. This will get the cases OFF the floor and on TOP of the desks. I for one will appreciate the extra leg room. 300 watts is WAY more than enough also. Ideally I would have liked to have had a high efficiency power supply of not more than 200watts, but the cost of trying to do that was not worth it. Although there are cheaper boards, we are an Intel dealer and buy boards from distribution abd stock them here. So the Intel board makes sense. Core i3 was easy. For all the basic office stuff (including some basic photo editing that I do here) the i3 is PLENTY. Compared to old P4's that are being replcaed it will be a speed demon. Now the hard drive is one item that I didn't go basic on. We don't need SSD speed, but going above the slower green and blue's will help out the general usability a lot more than a faster CPU. Using the built in IGP graphics of the Intel chip will be plenty for anything we do here (and can decode HD video to boot!).

In the end we will have inexpensive systems that are a LOT faster than what they are replacing, while also being quieter and using less than half the power. Hooray for i3!

 

[RobS10]

Also, I'm sure they'll upgrade the Optiplex line to i3/i5/i7 in the near future, so if you can wait a few weeks...

Can't wait for that, much less for them to trickle down to the Outlet at a price I could swing.

 

[RobS10]

For the apps you listed, probably not much noticeable difference. Office stuff is limited by HDD speed. But the i5-750 is a quad and a newer architecture, so it's definitely a much more capable CPU, and will have a longer lifespan.

I guess it depends on your working habits.. If you run a few apps at the same time, then a dual-core will be fine. If you like to have everything opened all the time, then a quad will help. Personally, I'd lean towards the Vostro with i5.

The Vostro is what I want, but the conservative little voice wants me to play it safe and boring . I might even consider down to a Vostro/i5 650 to save, though I'll see what trade off is. Vostros at the Outlet are a pretty sweet deal, but very slim pickins.

 

[bamacre]

Try checking the Outlet for a Precision T1500. That will likely fit in your budget. Inventory changes throughout the day, and I'd start looking Monday now that the weekend is here. Very good build quality compared to Optiplex and Vostro models, and comes standard with a 3yr warranty, even from the Outlet.

 

[RobS10]

Try checking the Outlet for a Precision T1500. That will likely fit in your budget. Inventory changes throughout the day, and I'd start looking Monday now that the weekend is here. Very good build quality compared to Optiplex and Vostro models, and comes standard with a 3yr warranty, even from the Outlet.

I looked at those a while back. I bit more than I really need, though with the new i5 processors available, I can "build" a new one for less than the i7 models currently at the outlet. I'll compare them to the Vostros when I get a chance. It all depends on the prices. I'm trying to stay around $700 for the tower since I have to get a monitor and some kind of office software, all for roughly $1000 (I hope!).
Thanks for reminding me about the Precisions!

 

[taltamir]

define "business"... what are your actual needs? what is this computer going to do?

 

[RobS10]

define "business"... what are your actual needs? what is this computer going to do?

I have my own business and want to pick up something for under $1000 (hopefully), including decent monitor, and Windows 7 Pro. I need it for basic computing/Internet, Word and Quickbooks, some photo editing, Coreldraw/vector editing. Maybe a rented TV episode from Netflix (for lunch break ;-) ), but no movies. A little iTunes encoding. Possibly XP Mode.

 

[taltamir]

your requirements are very low... I'd recommend core2quad, athlon2 X4, or an i5. (i3 is faster than C2Q, but it had the virtualization ability removed, so it cannot do XP mode).
just make sure it has an IGP instead of full sized video card. and 4gb of ram

 

[Emulex]

CMT P5300 with intel-vt - oem win7 pro
X25-V
2gb ram
dvd burner

if you really are an integrator then probably cost you little over $300

 

[RobS10]

I obviously put everything on hold for the last few months. In the meantime, Dell did what I thought, which was to release an Optiplex with better processor options like the i5 and i7. The problem is I'm a bit confused and contradicted on what I need as far as processor requirements, and to a lesser extent, GPU needs.

What I plan on using this for are essentially the same as I stated in my first post, but might some video editing (mini DV tapes). What do you guys think of the Optiplex 980 with either an i5 or i7? I don't want to think about upgrading for a few years, so I assume I should be looking at the i7 for longest "life"?

Also confused on GPU. My first need is clear, clean lines for graphics/drawing. Don't know if that has anything to do with the graphics card or only the monitor quality. Like I mentioned, I do some "light" photo editing with PS Elements, but also want the optoin for video editing, and possibly dual montors. Do I get the cheapest card and upgrade to one on my own, or are any of the more expensive OEM cards good enough?

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...d=optiplex-980

 

[bamacre]

Looking at the video card options for that model, it appears it does not have a power supply capable of running mid-range video cards. But you probably don't need that for what you plan on doing with the PC. If you plan on keeping this system for a while, definitely go with a quad core processor.

Those memory options are REALLY expensive. IMO, go with the minimum, and add in your own. This memory will work fine in that system...
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2127633
I'd get two of those, and just sell off whatever comes with the Dell, or keep it in case of emergency. You can do the same with hard drives, keep the original, use it as a boot drive, and buy a second for storage or whatever.

 

[RobS10]

Looking at the video card options for that model, it appears it does not have a power supply capable of running mid-range video cards. But you probably don't need that for what you plan on doing with the PC. If you plan on keeping this system for a while, definitely go with a quad core processor.

Those memory options are REALLY expensive. IMO, go with the minimum, and add in your own. This memory will work fine in that system...
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2127633
I'd get two of those, and just sell off whatever comes with the Dell, or keep it in case of emergency. You can do the same with hard drives, keep the original, use it as a boot drive, and buy a second for storage or whatever.

Thanks bamacre,
I've heard both sides of the Dell PSU issue, some say that their specs are pretty conservative...definitely would not chose the "efficient" PSU. Also, I've never understand why Dell charges so much for RAM. I upgraded my laptop after purchase for a lot less, actually buying it from Dell even!
Another thing I just thought of is a Precision T1500. It has a 350W PSU and more graphics oriented GPU choices. Looks like about $100 more, depending on the exact specs and Dells moving-target-pricing deal-of-the-day.

 

[bamacre]

The Prec T1500 should be a nicer model. I'd also check their Outlet inventory before buying new. Like I said earlier, the warranty is the same.

 

[RobS10]

The Prec T1500 should be a nicer model. I'd also check their Outlet inventory before buying new. Like I said earlier, the warranty is the same.

Yes, the Outlet is often the first place I check. BTW, do you know if a GPU make much of a difference on 2D graphics like for Coreldraw and general text/line sharpness?

 

[bamacre]

Yes, the Outlet is often the first place I check. BTW, do you know if a GPU make much of a difference on 2D graphics like for Coreldraw and general text/line sharpness?

Nah, you'll be fine with a decent 2D video card. Whatever comes standard will do.

 

[RobS10]

Nah, you'll be fine with a decent 2D video card. Whatever comes standard will do.

I'm a total noob at GPUs...are any of the following Optiplex choices decent...

1024 (MB) ATI HD4550 Radeon
512 (MB) ATI HD4550 Radeon
512 (MB) ATI HD3450 Radeon
256 (MB) ATI HD3450 Radeon

or are the workstation cards on the Precision like the ATI Firepro or NVIDIA Quadro worth the money for what I need to upgrade the whole box?

 

[bamacre]

Seriously, go with what is cheapest.

 

[Emulex]

the dc7900 box i got for $184 off cowboom had built in VGA and displayport. so i bust out the cable and figure i'll get 1280x800 on my ZR30w (30" 2560x1600 only) - but no!! this thing works at full resolution and scores a 3.5 /4.3 graphics score on win7. lol.

i removed the hd 2400xt because i can't stand amd driver bloat (Catalyst) - for what i'm doing (dev/rdp) the onboard DP works perfect with the ZR30w. Which is quite a beauty itself. Sadly the intel graphics is only 24bit - i think i need to go with a quadro to use the full 30bit