Office PC's which will last a long time.

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bigboy529

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Hi all
I've been asked for advice by someone who wants to buy computers for a NPO, eventually they want to put up a entire computer centre, but for now they'll only start with 4 computers to see if the project works. These computers will get MS Office and would be used to teach young adults computer skills which would enable them to eventually be job ready.

With these type of projects, I know that you must buy once and buy right, since there will probably not be funds in the near future for upgrading, so what I buy now must last as long as possible as is, without any future upgrades.
I have no idea of budget yet, but probably around R10 - R12K per machine including software and monitor.

Firstly will you buy a off the shelf manufacturer branded machine like Dell or HP, or would you assemble the machine yourself?
Secondly depending on budget of course, will you go SSD or stick to HDD considering that this will basically be used as office PC's and nothing more?
Would you go i5, i3 or even Pentium with 4 or 8 GB memory considering that this spec must last as long as possible?
 
I would buy off the shelf if it is cheaper overall, or else build own.
1TB HDD should be more than enough
i3 7100 (3.9GHz dual core with hyperthreading, hell, it's what I got my own mother haha) and 8GB RAM.
 
supersunbird said:
I would buy off the shelf if it is cheaper overall, or else build own.
1TB HDD should be more than enough
i3 7100 (3.9GHz dual core with hyperthreading, hell, it's what I got my own mother haha) and 8GB RAM.
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yeah, i agree. But if you getting it built, dont go with evetech. Go with wootware or someone else good. I can select the parts for you if you want.
 
Assemble self.

I'd go for 128gb SSD rather than 1TB hdd. i3 with 8gb is perfectly fine for office work.

You might also be able to get MS licenses are cheap/free as an NPO...but guessing on this front. I know for education institutions they hand them out like candy.

bigboy529 said:
With these type of projects, I know that you must buy once and buy right, since there will probably not be funds in the near future for upgrading
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Find a way to get around this. Buy for 10k and ringfence 2k for repairs and maintenance or some such BS excuse. Something is bound to come up where you need extra cash.

Also...expect to be replacing mice & keyboards...they tend to get farked in any type of teaching environment.

Knowing NPOs...check security to make sure that kark doesn't get feet

bigboy529 said:
These computers will get MS Office and would be used to teach young adults computer skills which would enable them to eventually be job ready.
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Check out this thread
https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/715570-W-Any-old-unwanted-broken-computer-equipment

@JanvN is doing good work in this space, so might be worth reaching on what has worked for him. Met him in person (briefly) & comes across as 100% legit.
 
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8GB RAM sounds like overkill, 4GB is perfect.

New gen i3, el cheapo 128GB ADATA SSD and you good to do.
 
ponder said:
Buy Dell with 3yr next day onsite warranty.
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This is probably the best advice in this thread. A warranty makes a huge difference if you want to keep the computers for a long time.
 
bigboy529 said:
Where can I get Dell desktops at good prices?
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Go to Dell themselves, or as Flashgear here on the forum for some awesome prices. I have a 10yo Dell Optiplex that has not given one day of troubles. All I have done to it was put an SSD in. 3y NBD on them is also a good option. The build quality on Dell machines have always been good.
 
Lord Farquart said:
Go to Dell themselves, or as Flashgear here on the forum for some awesome prices. I have a 10yo Dell Optiplex that has not given one day of troubles. All I have done to it was put an SSD in. 3y NBD on them is also a good option. The build quality on Dell machines have always been good.
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I'm generally a big fan of Dell, I didn't know Flashgear does desktops as well, I'll give him a buzz.
 
You buy off the shelf from the likes of Dell or HP because it’s the extended warranties that make it last longer not the hardware itself.

Also there should be a finite depreciation cycle for a business to score the tax benefits and buy new hardware.
 
Dell have offerings for this purpose:
From the retail counter to the factory floor, the XE2 easily integrates into your unique workspace and can handle the most demanding physical conditions.
Confidently run your desktop in hot and space-constrained areas — even inside cabinets. A robust chassis design and a durable fan enable a high temperature tolerance, up to 45°C ambient.
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http://www.dell.com/za/enterprise/p/optiplex-xe2/pd


That should be more durable than your average office PC.
 
What is your budget for physical security? Quite important, particularly if you want your PCs to "last a long time"...
 
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