Opinion on this PC please

Gadgetman496

I have a really old PC running windows 7 and am looking to buy a new PC (not in a position to go building).

I'm looking for something that would be fast enough for everyday home\office\colledge work. No gaming capability is required. I don't think I'll get much bang for my buck in the local bricks and mortar stores so I'm asking for opinions on this particular PC I'm looking at (I know the processor is maybe 3-4 years out now).

Will it do what I need and is it reasonably priced for what it is?

https://www.pcspecialist.ie/computers-for-next-day-delivery/1392/

wandererz

Have a read of the CPU review below. Keeping in mind that the review was from 2.5yrs ago.

In terms of other features 8GB RAM would be the minimum one would consider these days and it has an SSD which will improve the user experience and startup times.

Your basic HP and Dell machines are going to start from around €580, so it's not bad price wise.

https://uk.pcmag.com/chipsets-processors/127232/amd-athlon-3000g

Would you not consider a refurbed / certified used PC, perhaps with a new SSD if that works out cheaper.

Gadgetman496

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083038#Comment_120083038

What is the monitor connectivity on this machine? Looking at the Mobo it seems to have an HDMI and a VGA port.

Gadgetman496

I also saw this in Harvey's sale today and thought it was very poor Spec and value for €450

https://www.harveynorman.ie/computing/desktop-computers/lenovo-idea-center-5-14iob6-core-i3-4gb-256gb-mineral-grey.html

wandererz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083368#Comment_120083368

There's no information on this.

You would need to call them up to find out what the connectivity is.

This would affect your current monitor and possibly future monitors as well. e.g USB-C.

wandererz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083386#Comment_120083386

Yes. This is very basic for the comparative price.

Gadgetman496

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083853#Comment_120083853

You mentioned in your first reply the option of "refurbed / certified used PC" Where do you buy such machines?

wandererz

https://www.refurbed.ie/c/desktops/?sort_by=price&sort=asc

greenit.ie

Laptopsdirect.ie

Or even adverts.ie

Esel

Amazon too

Homelander

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083386#Comment_120083386

It's not. That i3 is light years faster than the AMD 3000G posted earlier in the thread.

It's a four-core/eight thread processor. It's comparable to the then-flagship i7-7700K from around five years ago. It's fast enough that if you added a graphics card it would run games like the latest Battlefield or Call of Duty just fine.

The only thing lacking in that machine is the RAM, 4GB is very small and 8GB would be the real minimum for a new PC, but that's easily added.

The base core of the machine is very fast for a home PC. Not sure how someone above would recommend the 3000G but then say the i3-10100 is basic when it's night and day in terms of which one is faster (the i3).

If you want a more complete machine without having to think about adding more RAM this is basically similar but with the 8GB.

https://www.currys.ie/products/lenovo-ideacentre-3i-7.4l-desktop-pc-intel-core-i3-256-gb-ssd-grey-10240994.html

Gadgetman496

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085640#Comment_120085640

Thanks for that. There was a time when I had my finger on the pulse but I'm so long away from all this that I get confused at times.

The general rule of thumb with manufacturers in order to keep systems within a certain price point seems to be that if you get decent memory and storage it's more than likely at the cost to the processor and if you get a decent processor is normally at the cost of the memory and storage. If you want a system with all 3 the cost shoots up.

Homelander

The one from Currys I linked above is perfect at €450. Very solid processor, 8GB of ram, and a 256GB SSD in a fairly compact form factor. For casual home and office use, it will last years without having to touch it.

You might get something similar 2nd hand for €250, the likes of a HP Mini with 6th/7th gen i7, 8/16GB RAM, and 128GB/256GB SSD. I see them going regularly enough for €200-300 depending on the actual spec.

Of course, you can go even cheaper - plenty of machines with 6th/7th gen i5, 8GB, SSD going for as little as €120-150 2nd hand and they'd also be perfectly suitable for years for that type of use.

Eg at a quick glance this for 220. 8th gen i7, 8gb ram, 256gb nvme drive, very fast PC for the money.

https://www.adverts.ie/desktops/hp-pro-400-g5-i7-8700-8gb-ram-250gb-nvme-win-10/28954064