New build for office work

AWI

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Hi all. Long time lurker here.

The main computer I use at work (Dell Optiplex 390) isn't running the best these days, so my boss has tasked me at putting together a new system. I've been putting my own computers together for about 10 years now, so I know what I'm doing on that end, but I don't know where to start when it comes to building a computer for office type work. Thanks for the help.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

As the title says, it's going to be for work/office use. Quickbooks accounting software (Which seems to be the real killer of the current computer), Excel, and web browsing. No gaming or photoshop of any kind.


2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$500 before tax/shipping. Can go slightly ($50-$75) higher if it'll make a big difference, but would prefer to stick to $500.


3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

U.S. in the Kansas City area. Amazon, Newegg, and Micro Center are the options I'm comfortable purchasing from.


4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

CPU (preferably Intel), motherboard, RAM, power supply, case, 250GB+ SSD, DVD drive, and any cables that might be necessary for the build.


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers.


6) Will you be overclocking?

No.


7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

I believe the small monitor we currently have is 17" and 1280 x 1024. My boss has his eyes on the Samsung S34E790C so the build should probably be based around the 3440x1440 resolution of that monitor. I know we'll be upgrading the monitor one way or another at some point.



8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

As soon as possible.


9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

Onboard video as the main GPU.


10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Have Windows 7 64bit.
 
Dell Inspiron

$480
i3 3.7Ghz
8GB RAM
Windows 10 License

Inspiron 3847
If accessories are purchased, they may ship separately
Intel® HD Graphics
Tray load DVD Drive (Reads and Writes to DVD/CD)
DW 1705 802.11bgn + Bluetooth 4.0, 2.4 GHz, 1x1
Inspiron 3847 Chassiss, MT, Black w/8:1 media card reader
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell KB113 Wired Keyboard
Dell MS111 USB 3-Button Optical Mouse
Dell SRV Software 1705
US Power Cord
English French Documentation
Placemat Inspiron 3847
LBL,STKR,WIN10,PREINSTALL
Shipping Material
Black Bezel
No Energy Star
Dell.com Order
Shipping Material, Direct
GENMT1603_207/US/BTS
Cyberlink Media Suite Essentials without Media
Regulatory Label
CFI Not Included
Label Structured in Addl SW
Additional Software
Operating System Recovery Media Not Included
 
Since this system is for your job, go to Dell or Lenovo and order through their Small Business or Enterprise departments. This is one time that you want a good warranty, especially since you might not be around to troubleshoot any problems (nor should you want to do that).
 
I'd say Fujitsu by far over Dell, HP and Lenovo but they don't seem to be widely available in the US.
//Danne
 
I'd say Fujitsu by far over Dell, HP and Lenovo but they don't seem to be widely available in the US.
//Danne
Just a few reasons off the top of my head:
1) They tend to cost significantly more than Dell or HP consumer or business grade desktops and servers.
2) Dell and HP tend to do a lot of partnerships with universities and colleges so thats gets a lot of people working with Dell and HP when they're young and impressionable.
3) As a cheap way of studying and/or setting up an actual network/server/lab, people will buy used hardware. Since used Dell and HP hardware are effectively flooding the market, if and when it comes time for those same IT people to recommend or upgrade the hardware of their business, they're tend to stick with the same brand that they tried at home.
4) American tendency to buy "American" when possible.
 
Whatever you do, get a fast-clocked CPU, as much ram as you can afford, and and an SSD. Quickbooks is single-threaded, and (as you might expect from a data management system) is I/O-heavy.

http://blog.quickbooksusers.com/quickbooks/why-quickbooks-is-sometimes-slow/

That dell should be just fine, as you'd have to go 4970k to get a higher stock clock. You'll probably have to add the SSD yourself, since no OEM is going to configure a system that inexpensive with one. They like to pretend that SSDs are still outrageously expensive, and charge idiots a premium.

I would buy this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-BX100-250GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B00RQA6TEI

Or this one if you need encryption:

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX200-250GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B00RQA6DTE
 
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@ Dangman
1. In Europe (and most likely Asia) they're on pair or even cheaper than Dell, HP and Lenovo. The few times I've seen Fujitsu Esprimo-series on Newegg they seem decently priced.
2, 3, 4 I guess that applies somewhat :)
//Danne
 
The main computer I use at work (Dell Optiplex 390)

You know, I should have done full research earlier. I'd hate to have someone waste $480 on exactly the same thing they already have. This is your current machine's specs:

http://www.cnet.com/products/dell-optiplex-390/specs/

That computer is Sandy Bridge Core i3 3.3 GHz. I doubt you're CPU-limited. But from my quick glances around the internet, it seems that Quickbooks gets bogged -down with only 4GB ram and a slow hard drive.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19505794

Also, according to the link above it's upgradable to 16GB ram. Why don't you try upgrading with this ram and adding the SSD I linked earlier (install OS an all applications and swap on the SSD), and see if your performance goes up?

It's only $175 to try it out, which is a lot cheaper than a new computer!
 
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If he's only got 4 GB RAM, the likelihood is that he's running 32 bit Windows too. So a reinstall of Windows may well be necessary - the same license key will work.
 
I actually agree on this. The systems he'd buy in the $500 range won't be THAT huge a boost for him.

But, some judicious spending on RAM and an SSD could yield some BIG performance boosts in the apps he's using.

Doublecheck how full your system is BEFORE buying the SSD though. You don't want to buy a 250GB SSD and find out you have 300GB of crap.
 
Another vote for maxing out the system RAM (Crucial Ballistix), loading x64 Windows (if needed), and an SSD that is adequately sized...Intel 730, Crucial MX, or Samsung 850 Evo/Pro.
 
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