Home PC for Basic Office Work

[MiniMan64]

Morning gents,

With an epic sense of timing my ancient MSi laptop has died a death (or rather it dies a death after running for about 5 minutes with or not at all of its not plugged in)

It is not used for anything too taxing, no gaming (is only ever want to play classic stuff anyway!) and is primarily a work station at home (teacher) running PowerPoints, the internet etc.

In other words it’s not fancy but it needs replaced. A laptop is not required (I didn’t have an office when I bought the MSi) so something a little more sturdy is in order.

Where do people buy PCs these days? I’m not in the mood to spend a fortune here and I noticed amazon have refurbished Dell stuff for under £200.

Any other suggestions?

[breamster]

A new pc is probably a good idea. However, I recently had a similar problem with an old laptop and it was overheating due to build up of dust in the case.

I used a compressor to blow as much out as possible and it now works as before. It might be worth a try? It's free! If you are happy to open up the laptop to get access even better. You can get software to look at cpu temps etc if you feel so inclined.

[Mr Pointy]

Buy one of these for £75, add some RAM & maybe an SSD if you have the budget:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Optiplex-7010-SFF-...

[MiniMan64]

Mr Pointy said:

Buy one of these for £75, add some RAM & maybe an SSD if you have the budget:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Optiplex-7010-SFF-...

And a screen too?

What about these on Amazon?

WiFi enabled Complete set of Dell OptiPlex Dual Core Windows 10 Desktop PC Computer (Renewed) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012AUCJ8I/ref=cm_sw_r...

I’m not sure how technically skilled I am to start adding bits and pieces to it?

[Mr Pointy]

MiniMan64 said:

And a screen too?

What about these on Amazon?

WiFi enabled Complete set of Dell OptiPlex Dual Core Windows 10 Desktop PC Computer (Renewed) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012AUCJ8I/ref=cm_sw_r...

I’m not sure how technically skilled I am to start adding bits and pieces to it?

That's a terrible processor, don't go anywhere near it. I'll hunt for another one, but £200 is a tight budget. The one I posted will run fine & any upgrades are not vital, just nice to have.

[ZesPak]

At that budget, might take a look at a chromebox.
You'll be limited to the web versions of Office, but they've become very good for basic work you describe.
It'll feel a lot faster and complete than anything else at that price point, but you'll still have go over budget.

Second hand is your best bet. Maybe a laptop with an i3/i5 and broken screen that you can hook up to a real monitor?

[MiniMan64]

£200 is not an absolute limit. Say sub £500?

And a desktop is going to be a better setup I think too

Edited by MiniMan64 on Tuesday 14th April 11:50

[Mr Pointy]

MiniMan64 said:

£200 is not an absolute limit. Say sub £500?

OK, there are quite a few good contenders on Amazon if the budget is raised. I quite like the look of this one for £219. It has a 4th gen i5 processor with 8GB RAM & a 256GB SSD, 2 Displayports & a 1 year warranty:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-EliteDesk-Desktop-Cert...

This one is a slightly older model for £150. It has a 3rd gen i5 with 8GB RAM & a 256GB SSD. Only 1 monitor port:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-i5-3470-Professional-C...

The Dells on offer don't seem to have SSDs, although you could try contacting the vendor to see if they'll put one in. i5/8GB/250GbHDD for £114:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-OptiPlex-i5-3470-Pro...

This one is considerably more powerful than any of the above but costs £246:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optiplex-Office-240GB-Int...

Be aware that with any of these there may be marks on the case.

I wouldn't buy a second hand monitor as you don't know if it has marks on the screen or even screen burn. I'd also spend a good portion of the budget here as you're going to be looking at it a lot. Personally I like 1920x1200 screens like this one (there are a few others available):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-UltraSharp-U2415-Inc...

It's not cheap though at £237 & there are plenty of 1920x1080 screens available. Just check they have both HDMI & Displayport inputs.

Finally add a cheap wireless keyboard & mouse set:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboar...

[ZesPak]

Mr Pointy said:

I wouldn't buy a second hand monitor as you don't know if it has marks on the screen or even screen burn. I'd also spend a good portion of the budget here as you're going to be looking at it a lot. Personally I like 1920x1200 screens like this one (there are a few others available):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-UltraSharp-U2415-Inc...

It's not cheap though at £237 & there are plenty of 1920x1080 screens available. Just check they have both HDMI & Displayport inputs.

When on such a tight budget spending that amount extra just to have a 16:10 instead of 16:9 seems silly.

Iiyama make some great monitors at any price, with the necessary connectivity and a full mobility stand.
This one for example:
Iiyama-XUB2492HSU-B1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/iiyama-XUB2492HSU-B1-24-I...

[Dibble]

We use Iiyama monitors at work for “office” stuff and they’re perfectly fine for word/PowerPoint/Outlook/general web browsing.

[grumbledoak]

Mr Pointy said:

Finally add a cheap wireless keyboard & mouse set:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboar...

Don't add that one. I got it for Christmas, it's awful. I threw it out and went back to a wired K120 and B100.

This one is much better:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keyboard-Sonkir-Rechargea...
though beware the Function keys are Media keys unless you press "Fn" at the same time, which is slightly annoying if you use them a lot.

Edited by grumbledoak on Tuesday 14th April 18:17

[MiniMan64]

Mr Pointy said:

MiniMan64 said:

£200 is not an absolute limit. Say sub £500?

OK, there are quite a few good contenders on Amazon if the budget is raised. I quite like the look of this one for £219. It has a 4th gen i5 processor with 8GB RAM & a 256GB SSD, 2 Displayports & a 1 year warranty:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-EliteDesk-Desktop-Cert...

This one is a slightly older model for £150. It has a 3rd gen i5 with 8GB RAM & a 256GB SSD. Only 1 monitor port:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-i5-3470-Professional-C...

The Dells on offer don't seem to have SSDs, although you could try contacting the vendor to see if they'll put one in. i5/8GB/250GbHDD for £114:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-OptiPlex-i5-3470-Pro...

This one is considerably more powerful than any of the above but costs £246:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optiplex-Office-240GB-Int...

Be aware that with any of these there may be marks on the case.

I wouldn't buy a second hand monitor as you don't know if it has marks on the screen or even screen burn. I'd also spend a good portion of the budget here as you're going to be looking at it a lot. Personally I like 1920x1200 screens like this one (there are a few others available):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-UltraSharp-U2415-Inc...

It's not cheap though at £237 & there are plenty of 1920x1080 screens available. Just check they have both HDMI & Displayport inputs.

Finally add a cheap wireless keyboard & mouse set:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboar...

Thank you for all that, it strikes me that the more expensive £246 one is better value with more ram for an extra £30 and add a screen for £150 and that’s the lot for under £400. I can rustle up a keyboard and mouse easily enough.

Or is it better to save £100 and stick with 8GB RAM to upgrade later?

Plus, how reliable are these amazon sellers?

Edited by MiniMan64 on Tuesday 14th April 18:26

[Mr Pointy]

MiniMan64 said:

Thank you for all that, it strikes me that the more expensive £246 one is better value with more ram for an extra £30 and add a screen for £150 and that’s the lot for under £400. I can rustle up a keyboard and mouse easily enough.

How reliable are these amazon sellers?

It's a bit of toss up between the two as the i5 in the HP is one generation newer than the i7 in the Dell & you probably don't need an i7 for general office work. Again 16Gb of RAM is nice to have but may be overkill for most uses. They both have SSDs though which is good (the HP is slightly larger). I'd maybe tend to err towards the cheaper HP but you certainly wouldn't be able to update the RAM for £30. Both of them are Small Form Factor machines so there's some room for adding extra cards & drives but not much. I get the impression that's not likely to be an issue though. The HP doesn't have HDMI monitor outputs, only Displayport, which isn't a problem as long as you make sure your chosen monitor has a DP input.

I think the Amazon sellers are bit safer than buying through ebay, although I've only bought from ebay. One advantage is a years warranty with the Amazon ones which you don't usualy get from ebay resellers. Be aware the PCs may not be cosmetically perfect - they are ex-business machines & may have some marks although anything major & I'd reject it.

[MiniMan64]

Thanks.

A bit of wear and tear on a case doesn’t bother me, it’s only going to sit under a desk to be fair! It’s not how it looks, it’s how it performs!

Anything wrong with this monitor?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01L89GYRY/ref=cm_sw_r...

Edited by MiniMan64 on Tuesday 14th April 23:28

[ZesPak]

MiniMan64 said:

Thanks.

A bit of wear and tear on a case doesn’t bother me, it’s only going to sit under a desk to be fair! It’s not how it looks, it’s how it performs!

Anything wrong with this monitor?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01L89GYRY/ref=cm_sw_r...

For the price, not much, but it's a TN panel. An IPS of the same size and resolution won't be that much more. and generally produces much nicer viewing angles and colors. As someone said, the monitor is the thing you spend staring at all the time.

Like I said, on a budget, look for Iiyama generally. They usually have their cheaper ones about 15GBP more expensive with a full motion VESA stand, well worth it.

This one for example:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/iiyama-XB2474HS-B2-Height...

25 quid more than the one you found, but a VA instead of TN (not as good as IPS but generally better than TN) and the stand I was talking about.
The Acer has VGA, HDMI and DVI while this one has VGA, HDMI and DP. DP is a lot more common these days but HDMI should serve you in either.

[MiniMan64]

Thanks.

Lots of stock issues on a lot of these monitors though.

Argos don’t though:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6829728

Edited by MiniMan64 on Wednesday 15th April 09:25

[ZesPak]

That HP looks great VFM. Be sure the inputs match up with whatever system you get. Some cheaper monitors might lack the input your computer outputs, and it's not an easy fix in most cases!

[Mr Pointy]

MiniMan64 said:

Lots of stock issues on a lot of these monitors though.

Argos don’t though:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6829728

That HP monitor doesn't have a Displayport input so will only connect via VGA to the HP PC that we were discussing yesterday. It's not a total disaster but limited inputs is often the price you pay with monitors.

[Funk]

ZesPak said:

When on such a tight budget spending that amount extra just to have a 16:10 instead of 16:9 seems silly.

Iiyama make some great monitors at any price, with the necessary connectivity and a full mobility stand.
This one for example:
Iiyama-XUB2492HSU-B1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/iiyama-XUB2492HSU-B1-24-I...

I have a pair of Iiyama B2483HS screens on my desk right now and they're great for boggo office work; having ones which adjust every which way is very useful as I like to try and get them up into my eyeline as much as possible so I'm not sat with head hunched over looking down all day.

Miniman - get a pair if you can, it makes working so much easier having email/Teams etc open on one screen and browser/CRM whatever on the other. I thought about buying myself a single ultra-wide thing but decided it's just really not worth it when a pair of 24s works fine.

I'd echo the others spec-wise - something i5 with 8th Gen CPU, 8Gb RAM and an SSD should be achievable for sensible money. One thing I wouldn't cheap out on is the mouse and keyboard - you use them continuously so get decent ones as crap ones will infuriate you. Decent ones will last ages as well. Probably overkill for what you're looking at but I have a Microsoft Sculpt keyboard and Logitech Master 2S mouse.

[MiniMan64]

Well this thread is going to get a resolution (unlike many on here!!)

Ordered the £246 16GB tower suggested above https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optiplex-Office-240GB-Int... and apparently it arrives tomorrow

And I collected the HP screen from Argos tonight so hopefully by tomorrow night we’ll know if it’s all any good!