I’ll see what else I can find, and that I would actually consider buying myself. Stay tuned.
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Thanks so much g0177325!
What about this one?:
https://www.newegg.com/dell-optiplex-7000-student-home-office/p/1VK-0001-6FMY5?Item=9SIAA0SJU93379
I’d say that look darn nice! It’s an upgraded name-brand Dell. It doesn’t have a separate graphics card, but you said that’s not important anyway. Plus, it has your must have 2 TB internal SSD, plus an extra 2 TB spinning disk for good measure! (you can set it up as a backup device if you want). The 64 GB RAM is extreme overkill for you, but RAM is cheap anyway, and this likely didn’t add much to the price. The overall price of $1300 seems pretty reasonable, and if you’re not averse to paying that much, I’d say go for it. Newegg is a reputable seller and should honor their warranty. It also appears to be 30% off the normal price which is also nice. Finally, it has Windows 11 Pro (versus Home) which is a plus IMO. Good job!
I was trying to configure an HP with a 2 TB SSD, but the most they have available is a 1 TB SSD + a 2 TB spinning disk. You can configure it starting here if you’re curious:
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Although, hold your horses! I see this Dell is sold by a third party. Not sure about that, but Newegg has some sort of “protection” when buying their stuff from the Newegg marketplace. And a seller rating of 4.2/5 isn’t bad I guess.
Gee, I didn’t notice the spinning HDD or that it’s sold by a third party! I think shopping for computers makes my eyes glaze over!
Buying from a third party makes me a bit nervous. Maybe I should see if Dell itself sells this or something like it.
I don’t need the spinning HDD so maybe I could save some money if I found the same computer without that. ?
I guess I’ll check with Dell.
Thanks,
Rick
My head is spinning, like a HDD! Look at all the choices here:
Almost any of these would fit the bill, but how to choose?
There’s even one with 128 GB memory!
As far as processors go, are the high numbered Ryzens better and faster? Like 5 instead of 3 or 9 instead of 5?
And what about Intel? Are they faster than Ryzen? Intel i9 vs i7 or i5. Again, are the higher numbers better?
So if I compare prices and don’t mind paying more, what’s best?
A big question I have is how much difference will more memory make vs. better processor?
Thanks,
Rick
Yes, I’d try to configure a similar machine at dell.com. It will be more expensive, and you likely won’t be able to add all those extras, but it’s certainly worth the effort.
I see the spinning disk as a “freebie” extra, not a deficiency. It’s fine for backup space or for other less performance critical storage. A 2 TB hard disk is under $70. Amazon has loads of them, such as this best seller:
Dell looks like a dead end to me. I’m surprised as hell how limited their stuff is! Why on earth?
Example: when I look at the left hand side where you can filter for certain choices, the XPS has no SSD choice at all. And the Optiplex is limited to 512GB SSD.
So direct from Dell looks no good!
Here’s a good Dell sold and shipped from Dell itself for $1400 - with 32 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD:
Lots of good customer reviews as well. But you still might wait to see if it goes on sale in the next few months.
Thanks. But that begs the question: what is wrong with either their website or me! When I go to XPS here that computer does not exist!
In the filters on the left hand side, if I click SSD, then the 2TB or more choices gets grayed out. Similarly, when I click the 2TB or more choice, the SSD choice grays out.
Weird.
How did you find this one?
It’s a bit more money than I wanted to spend. Maybe I’ll wait to see if it goes on sale like you suggested. If you wanted such a beast, would you pay more for this one on Dell or go for one of the ones at NewEgg?
Did you click on the bold link in my post? That takes me directly there and configured exactly that way.
I’d definitely feel more confident buying directly from Dell than a third party, and though $1400 is higher than I personally would pay, it it drops $200 lower, I’d be more tempted. But I’m a Windows laptop user myself, and desktops just take up too much space and weigh too much.
You could also see what desktops ACER has available. …later: don’t bother: they’re aren’t really any cheaper for those specs, and don’t have a 2 TB SSD option.
Hi, yes when I click on your link, I get there. I was just wondering how you found it, since the filters basically say it doesn’t exist. When I filter for SSD, it won’t let me choose 2TB, and vice versa.
Anyway, thanks for finding it! I will keep it on my radar. It’s the best we’ve found so far I guess, considering the others are third party ones.
I’d say buy it now if your current machine dies tonight, otherwise check the price every week or so. Memorial Day is only two months away!
Rick, you are correct about needing more RAM based on the information you provided. As far as the higher numbers (Ryzen5, 7, 9) go yes they are faster but for regular stuff like you and i do, it won’t matter because we don’t game. You do need more RAM when you have 5 or 15 windows open because that ties up memory. The fastest cpu’s out right now are the AMD cpu’s IMO because they are much smaller die size and energy efficient for the next 2 or 3 years at least until Intel can catch up and they haven’t been too successful so far. If price isn’t an issue then of course 64 is better than 32 but you may not notice the difference…doc
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Thanks for this info. That helps. I’m surprised AMD is better than Intel. I know nothing about it, but always assumed Intel was top of the heap!
When you say “fasted cpu’s”, does that mean processor chips?
Thanks
AMD is not always better. And this is coming from a long term holder of AMD stock! Although you might be able to find a faster AMD based desktop, you will likely be paying a premium over Intel, and Intel based machines are by far much more common and have more configuration options. Given your use cases, you very likely won’t notice any difference in AMD or Intel CPUs or GPUs.
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g0177325 is right. For what we do on the computer we probably won’t notice the difference between an AMD or Intel cpu. I too am a long time holder of AMD and I must admit that i built my last desktop which is the one I am sending this message from and it has an antique intel processor because at the time that was the better processor. It’s an I5 3.4 ghz lol. I am shopping for an AMD Ryzen 5 as I want a new box since this one is actually an antique to be honest. I may set this box up as a linux home netserver though since its having no problems. I have been price shopping and you will find AMD boxes more expensive than intel but you will also find faster more powerful AMD boxes less expensive than intel also. The one thing that is happening in compute is the AI thing and we may find that will become important in the future on our desktops. They are also planning for AI on phones, tablets and laptops…doc
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Yup. CPUs and GPUs have had “neural engines” in them for the past few years already, and they’re only going to become more import for AI going forward.
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Gee, should I try to put off buying a new computer until AI is incorporated?
I know next to nothing about AI. It kinda scares me, LOL! TERMINATOR - “I’ll be back!”
ChatGPT for instance - is that good AI? How does it work? Is it just super Google? Sigh.
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