Opinions/verdict on this computer?

Squall Leonhart

I am thinking strongly about purchasing the refurbished Dell Optiplex at the link below, with 32GB RAM & 960GB SSD. With Win10Pro it comes in at a total of approx 740eur.

It will be used for running Autodesk Revit, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Navisworks, Autodesk 3DS Max as well as all the usual MS Office software etc.

I've been advised that the i7 4770 processor may be a bottleneck for any future upgrades and that maybe I'd be better looking at other options. If anybody has any suggestions within the same price bracket that'd be great. The 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD sound good to me, but might be causing myself issues in future? Or not!

https://www.tier1online.com/292-dell-9020-sff-i7/refurbished-dell-optiplex-9020-i7-4770-quad-sff-dvdrw

Thanks.

K.O.Kiki

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£128.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 Gaming Plus ATX AM4 Motherboard (£84.90 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£131.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Intel - 660p Series 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£97.27 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: PNY - Quadro K2200 4 GB Video Card (£95.00)
Case: RIOTORO - CR480 ATX Mid Tower Case (£42.62 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: be quiet! - Pure Power 11 400 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£47.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £627.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-14 17:36 BST+0100

Better upgrade path & CPU.
If you can wait until 7. July, buy Ryzen 3600 instead (£160).
GPU can be found on eBay.

Squall Leonhart

Wow, thanks for that. I've never built a PC before, and I'd be a bit afraid if I purchased all those parts I'd be left with a pile of expensive bits and no computer

DaveyDave

Building a PC is very easy, once you do a little bit of research and take your time. It leaves you open for future upgrades and you can tailor it to your needs, along with buying components at the right price. Definitely worth doing.

Squall Leonhart

I might just give it a go. Why not I suppose!

pah

Keep an eye on adverts, it's great for older builds or parts at a good price. I picked this up recently http://www.adverts.ie/18013472 for 450 added 32GB RAM for another 100 and 500GB SSD for 50.

Need to run it through userbenchmark again since doing the upgrades but it's a solid machine on a budget. Not looking to tax the system either game wise. More as a workstation and the GPU is mostly for hashcat.

I'm not worried about the 4770 being a bottleneck as it's still quite capable IMO

Squall Leonhart

Now you have me veering towards the ready built one if the 4770 is decent. I won't be gaming with the computer. Are refurbs generally okay? It comes with a 12 month warranty

TerrorFirmer

The 4770 is still pretty OK but it's from 2013 and there are no better CPU's to upgrade to down the line. I would say spending 750 on such a machine is a very poor investment.

Look at new machines for example. This build on AWD configured with Intel six-core 9400F, 32GB DDR4 Ram, 960GB SSD and Nvidia GTX1060 6GB.

Comes to around 760 for all the above brand new. Spending the same amount on an outdated and slower 6 year old machine with zero upgrade options is daft.

Also consider that if you have no need for the GTX1060, it can be removed and sold for around 150 euro....the Dell machine you linked doesn't even have a graphics card installed.

K.O.Kiki

Plus, the Quadro I mentioned is certified for AutoCAD.

pah

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The 4770 is still pretty OK but it's from 2013 and there are no better CPU's to upgrade to down the line. I would say spending 750 on such a machine is a very poor investment.

Look at new machines for example. This build on AWD configured with Intel six-core 9400F, 32GB DDR4 Ram, 960GB SSD and Nvidia GTX1060 6GB.

Comes to around 760 for all the above brand new. Spending the same amount on an outdated and slower 6 year old machine with zero upgrade options is daft.

Also consider that if you have no need for the GTX1060, it can be removed and sold for around 150 euro....the Dell machine you linked doesn't even have a graphics card installed.

No integrated graphics with the i5 9400F and the Gigabyte 310 board with that build has no graphics support of its own that I can see.

Each to their own of course, that's a good package you've linked to for the price.

TerrorFirmer

Ah yes, you're right, my mistake actually. You could remove and sell for 150 and replace with a 20 euro card though in that case.

Barack Obama

Same PC for a fraction of the cost of that one!
https://www.adverts.ie/18173249

Squall Leonhart

Wow, does seem a very good price

smacl

Barack Obama wrote: »

Same PC for a fraction of the cost of that one!
https://www.adverts.ie/18173249

Not quite the same, 16gb vs 32gb of RAM.

TerrorFirmer

Obviously, but considering €250 was accepted, versus €750 of the OP....even casting aside all of the RAM in the adverts PC, 4x8GB sticks would be €100 or so 2nd hand. The 16GB in the Adverts machine would get you €50 back, leaving it still €450 cheaper.

Squall Leonhart

Made a purchase. Not quite as good as what TerrorFirmer linked to, but same site. I won't be gaming, and spec far exceeds performance criteria for software I will be using. Just didn't want a sluggish machine.

Came to 770eur.
I will now need to get a keyboard and a mouse!

AWD Defiant Ryzen 5 2400G with VEGA Graphics MasterBox Gaming PC
CODE: FL4-M37-4RD4


Options: Choose your Build Time: Standard Build Time - 4-6 Working days (Monday - Friday) , Change your MasterBox LED Colour: Green LED , PC Memory Upgrade Dual DDR4 : Corsair 32GB Vengeance (2x16GB) 2400Mhz DDR4 (+£99.99) , Choose your Primary Hard Drive: **SPECIAL OFFER** PNY 960GB SSD (+£47.99) , Choose your Secondary Hard Drive: No Drive , Choose your Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 64 Bit - Installed and Fully Optimised (+£79.99) , Choose Your Internet Security Package: BullGuard™ Internet Security - 90-Day Free Trial , Choose your Wifi: USB 600Mbps Dual Band Wifi Adapter (+£9.99)

Squall Leonhart

Thanks to all for your advice. Also, thanks JoyPad specifically for your PM assistance.

JoyPad

Are you sure those specs are enough?
That CPU is the weakest from everything that has been suggested, and there's no separate GPU.

Squall Leonhart

Have modified the order to upgrade to the Ryzen 2600X + Asus Phoenix GeForce GTX 1050.