Business Workstation Build

[owensdj]

I'm looking at building some basic business machines that will run some accounting & tax apps as well as Office 2007. They need to be very reliable(no overclocking) but as economical as possible. There is no set budget, but I'm look at about a $1000 per machine. Should I change anything in this config?

Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 Wolfdale 2.66GHz $169
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Motherboard $115
Asus EAH3450/DI/256M Radeon HD 3450 $39
Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM $33
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB Hard drive $55
Samsung Black 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive $7.49
Samsung 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F $25
Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Mid-Tower Case $50
SeaSonic S12 II SS-380GB 380W Power Supply $73
Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business Edition $188
Vista Business 32-bit OEM $140

 

[gscone]

The only thing I would change is getting a faster hard drive. perhaps a 10k raptor..

 

[owensdj]

gscone, thanks for the reply. I thought about a 10K RPM drive as well, but it does have the disadvantages of higher noise and power use.

 

[gscone]

I too built about 5 workstations for my business and all have raptors. I swear- no one complains about the noise.

 

[DSF]

There should be a deal going somewhere where you can get a little bit better value on the power supply. There are good quality 500-600W PSUs that go for less than that 380W from time to time.

How CPU-intensive are the apps?

Why 32-bit Vista and not 64-bit?

Lastly, considering the deals going on some Dells why build this kind of machine yourself, especially when you need to pay for the OS? There is, or very recently was, a Vostro that should be fine for your needs for less than $500.

 

[Denithor]

DSF +3

1: Buy HP/Dell machines instead of messing with it yourself.
2: 64-bit Vista for sure! (Unless there's a known incompatibility with software they need to run.)
3: How much CPU do you really need? For most office type apps an e5200 is way more power than really necessary. The extra cache is wasted on these kinds of apps. And the e5200 uses less power so on ten units they'll save some money every month.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: owensdj
Business Workstation Build

I'm looking at building some basic business machines that will run some accounting & tax apps as well as Office 2007.
They need to be very reliable (no overclocking) but as economical as possible.
There is no set budget, but I'm look at about a $1000 per machine.

Your title is misleading. Typically a "Workstation" PC is designed for heavy lifting.
The type of applications you're running are fairly light weight, in terms of hardware muscle required.

Nice "business machine"...
Dell Vostro 420 MiniTower
* E7300 (2.66GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)
* Windows Vista Business with SP1
* 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
* 3GB DDR2 800MHz (2X1GB+2X512MB) Special
* 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive
* 250GB SATA
* 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450
Total = $827

* Samsung Black 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive $7.49
* Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business Edition $188
* APC LE1200 power line conditioner $50

Grand Total = $1,072.49

 

[owensdj]

DSF, the tax app takes some noticeable time to re-calculate the tax forms, but I'm not sure if they're CPU-intensive or I/O-intensive. I considered 64-bit Vista, but I'm concerned about compatibility with the 32-bit apps. I don't know if there is a problem, but I don't know for sure if they work either. Dells are getting a rep for poor quality lately. An OEM like Dell has every incentive to skimp on the quality of their components. They make more money that way.

Blain, you're probably right. I tend to call all of the client machine on a network "Workstations." Why would I want to pay the same money for a Dell that has a slower FSB processor, less memory, and a slower DVD burner? If I build it myself, I know I'm using quality components.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: owensdj
Why would I want to pay the same money for a Dell that has a slower FSB processor, less memory, and a slower DVD burner? If I build it myself, I know I'm using quality components.

Just trying to help...
But it's obvious you don't need any.

 

[zerogear]

Honestly, with what you're doing with the machines, slower FSB/less memory won't matter much. As for the slower DVD burner? Why does it matter if its 2-3 minutes faster? Its nt like the 1990s where you can't use your comp at all when you burn CDs. I would rather have a good warranty from OEM than being dead in the water when one of my component decides to fail on me past the 1 year mark.

But yeah, if you have your mind set already, just go for it. As for 10k Raptors, don't bother with them, Get a good WD 640GB Green drives w/ low power consumption. Raptors (older ones) don't have a noticeable performance gain vs newer hard drives.

 

[owensdj]

Blain, I appreciate everyone's help. I was just pointing out the reasons why I'd rather build the new desktops than buy from an OEM.

 

[DSF]

Fair enough.

Like I said, there was a deal last week that made the Vostro Blain was looking at less than $500. At that price point it's tough to beat the value.

In terms of 64-bit Vista, it's quite well supported. The only real issues come from 16-bit software, like drivers from very old scanners/printers or unusual peripherals.