It’s time to replace my home office computer. I currently use a laptop that’s docked, but it’s not optimal and I believe I want a tower/desktop.

I just don’t know what I’m looking at and what’s needed.

This would be for general family use, surfing, email, maybe some educational sites or apps for the kids, and probably some PowerPoint/Word/Excel stuff here and there.

So nothing much, really. My actual work stuff is through my work laptop that I also do k when needed.

I was looking at Costco but I’m stupid when it comes to this stuff. My only requirement is that it lasts a few years and maybe a solid state drive? Maybe a CD drive too, just in case I need to run something older? Is that a valid concern?

Amy other suggestions or recommendations? I think I’ll also upgrade to a single larger monitor.

I buy direct from Dell
https://www.dell.com/en-us/sho...als/pc-desktop-deals

A Dell Optiplex is what we primarily order at work for desktops.
Micro or small form factor
Intel i5 & 8gb ram should suffice. We usually order with a platter drive & upgrade to ssd in house, with an OS fresh install, as that's usually quicker/cheaper from our vendor.

They used to be around $4-500 but have gone up in the last couple years

$549.00 as of this post.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V...lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

I’ve had good luck with Dell, and my only advice is to shop their site pretty hard. They will have similar computers under different badging, and you can look for example under “home office” and “small business” and can get different pricing for similar machines.

Probably anything will be fine. The less expensive Costco models sometimes do not have much upgrade room. A usb dvd drive is available to plug in if you decide you really need one. Dell are usually reliable and may be best choice if you are not handy at parts replacement. Agree on monitor enlargement. Computer should have HDMI output to match monitor input

It may well be that non-technical factors (how big, how noisy, how hot) might be more applicable to the decision process than the traditional technical specifications. For your listed purposes, pretty much anything offered for sale will be "enough computer." Your useful longevity will be more at the mercy of your OS provider, and how long they support your hardware with security patches, etc. than any component going obsolete. Even then, alternative OS's such as Linux can often extend the life of even the eldest hardware.

You may want to consider switching from a buggy, security-compromised-out-of-the-box OS to something like macOS or Unix/Linux which aer designed to at least have a chance of being secureable.

any interest in building one from parts you can get either locally or from NewEgg or Amazon?

there are MANY experts here who coulde walk you through it and won't let you fail

Anyone who can put together an AR-15 lower can put together a computer, it's about the same complexity, having done both

you would end up with something that has no bloat ware and that you could improve / fix easily in the future.

To be honest, you won't save any money, but it's an option.

Do You have a buy, sell, trade, electronics place near you??
Your needs are much like ours. I go to that sort of place here and buy a refurbished tower from them for like $125 and they last me years.
Their support and service is great.
I tell them our usage and say I want to spend as little as possible.
I bought my wife a nicer used laptop from them and 3 months later the keyboard quit working I took it back expecting to pay them to fix it.

He just gave me the newer model and sent me on my way said he’d fix it later and sell it again.

When Covid hit and kids were stuck zooming at home I bought a couple towers because our kids don’t have devices and I wanted them stationary. Those towers are still going strong. But we do nothing of any major processing.

Have you considered a Mac Mini? Add monitor of your choice, keyboard, and mouse or trackpad, and you're all set.

Some good buys in used stuff at macSales.com -- tell the pre-sales support dudes what you'll use if for and they'll make good recommendations for you.

I buy used Dell Precision Workstations from Flea Bay. They are usually business returns of some sort. I like the 7820's currently, but you can get smaller and cheaper models.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Have you considered a Mac Mini? Add monitor of your choice, keyboard, and mouse or trackpad, and you're all set.

This is what I have. I have it connected to a Dell monitor, Microsoft Bluetooth mouse, and a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard. It's run flawlessly for me.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:Some good buys in used stuff at macSales.com -- tell the pre-sales support dudes what you'll use if for and they'll make good recommendations for you.

I second this. I've bought a lot of gear from these guys and they are terrific.

Probably about anything will work for your application.

I have used Dell Outlet for decent "refurbished" machines a few times. There are also large commerical refurbishers that buy pallets of machines from businesses. I like the engineering and design of business class machines. Generally smaller and of better materials.

All things being equal, I would look for something small form factor with an SSD and at least 16 GB of RAM. If you already have a monitor that you like, this could be done for a couple hundred bucks. If sound is a factor, an added bonus to a lot of the ultra small form factor machines is that they are super quiet. Some are also designed to mount to the back of a monitor if space matters.

I am a Lenovo guy. So here is a good option. Without knowing what your budget is and assuming you do not have any gaming needs . . .

Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Desktop Computer PC

Many folks are migrating to iPhones and iPads. For me, a 27” Mac works well with that universe. Add Parallels and windows stuff works fine. I still run a couple of windows programs.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
I am a Lenovo guy. So here is a good option. Without knowing what your budget is and assuming you do not have any gaming needs . . .

Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Desktop Computer PC

This is not Windows 11 compatible. I have no issues with refurbished computers like this, but before you buy one make sure it's compatible with Windows 11. Windows 10 is scheduled for EOL in 2025.

Windows 11 supported Intel processors
https://learn.microsoft.com/en...ted-intel-processors

quote:

Originally posted by xantom:

This is not Windows 11 compatible. I have no issues with refurbished computers like this, but before you buy one make sure it's compatible with Windows 11. Windows 10 is scheduled for EOL in 2025.

I've never understood the EOL thing. I'm still running two Win7 machines and they get updates at shutdown from time to time.

I've been a Dell guy ever since PC's came out. I guess about 6-7 units mostly for my graphics business. Never had a serious issue.

Dell has changed a bit over the years, and they offer several levels of computers, with some low end consumer units. I think you can still call the Dell sales department and talk with a rep who will guide you to the best unit for your needs. Then you can buy a customized unit, adding drives, RAM and so fort. You might be surprised that the pricing on a custom unit is in the area of off the self units from big box stores.

https://www.costco.com/dell-in...duct.4000139132.html

Hard to go wrong with a name brand like Dell, Lenovo or even Asus with a 13th gen Intel processor for your needs. Just find one at a good price. If you use dual monitors or think you might, that may alter things slightly.

For me, fast USB plugs far outweigh a CD/DVD drive.

An external CD drive is cheap and they work well. Ours is a dvd/cd burner, so it does pretty much any format you might need. USB plug into the computer, no other external power supply. I paid something like $20 for it. So I would say don't make an internal cd drive a priority because you can add an external one really cheap as long as your computer has a usb port.