low cost desktop

Need 2 desktop computers for elementary/early middle school students. I see deals like this regular via email subscription for lease trade ins and such for under $100 from Newegg. I have purchased items in the past from them. Kids just need something basic. The school system is going more and more towards posting assignments and grades online through a central school district website/app. Nothing major just some basic low key stuff. They will not use these for any gaming (like mindcraft) or heavy you tube. They have tablets for that. Only for daily school assignments / checking grades on posted quiz and testing needs.

For now I want to go least expensive as possible. Will wait until well into middle school or hopefully until high school to do laptops or far better desktops.

basic need
- email
- calculator
- calendar
- embedded videos
- low graphic style test/ educational games/activities
- pdf

I have built computers and initially was going to build them each one. But just the OS alone is $100 plus all the other hardware. So building puts me way above where I would like to be right now. But when I see deals like this I think this would be the better way to go. Would love to have $200 or less in two desktops. Yes I would still need monitors.

Only cons I see is no Bluetooth, WiFi or HDMI connections. Bluetooth is not needed. WiFi would be nice and an added expense to add a doggle but I can and would rather hardwire via direct or through a powerline adaptor. HDMI would only be an issue if the monitors I would like are only HDMI. But there are adaptors for that, but then again its another expense.

Thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks

Obviously, a screen can be had anywhere for next to nothing. Looks like an excellent entry level work computer. I have an 8200 series very much like this, and they are quite nice. Some pluses with these:

Takes up almost no room

Because it uses a laptop HD, they run extremely cool

Can accommodate up to 8gb of RAM (I'd recommend)

Windows 7 Pro- probably the best version of 7

Duo Core processor- still plenty fast

There is still a back door at Microsoft to upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost (a larger HD would be best to move up to)

In addition, you can very easily clone a larger volume HD if you need more storage.

AC power cords for these things alone are not all that cheap, so all in all $60 shipped is a great deal.

There are a few low profile HDMI PCI-e graphics cards available for about $40.

Shipping is probably worth $20 and I've paid $30 just for a license for Windows 7 Pro. On the plus side, it is one from their business line.

According to Crucial.com, the system memory is expandable to 32 GB.

We've bought refurbished systems like this and had them last for years.

I've been thinking that perhaps a Raspberry Pi could get that job done. It comes with open source Office products, a web browser. It's linux based, so low malware risk. I thought it'd be atrociously slow, but this Pi 3 I just got is relatively snappy. Darn sure worth every penny of $35!

Any chance something like a Chromebook would work? I’ve seen a few in the $100 range.

If you don't need the horsepower or serviceability of a desktop, a laptop makes more sense for students at any age. Laptops can be had for cheap, even under $200 for a decently equipped Chromebook.

For young kids, it gives you the ability to set kids up at the kitchen table or in the family room so you can monitor them while they do their homework. If you move to a different room, so can they. They aren't stuck at their desk.

As they get older, the portability will only be more helpful.

Many workplaces issue laptops now to their salaried employees, rather than desktop workstations because it's just simpler to let the employee take the laptop home than to figure out some sort of solution to let employees remotely login to work.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
If you don't need the horsepower or serviceability of a desktop, a laptop makes more sense for students at any age. Laptops can be had for cheap, even under $200 for a decently equipped Chromebook.

For young kids, it gives you the ability to set kids up at the kitchen table or in the family room so you can monitor them while they do their homework. If you move to a different room, so can they. They aren't stuck at their desk.

As they get older, the portability will only be more helpful.

Many workplaces issue laptops now to their salaried employees, rather than desktop workstations because it's just simpler to let the employee take the laptop home than to figure out some sort of solution to let employees remotely login to work.

I would go this route but its the portability that stops me. We don't want the kiddos asking/wanting to bring their laptop in their rooms, in the car, friends house, out to eat and so on as they do the tablets. Just one more electronic device to deal with and keep up with. Laptops are prone to being dropped also. I would rather the laptop but its just another "thing" to have them fuss over.

We have a "work station" area out in the open. We want to have the kiddos sitting out in the open with monitors we can see from various distances as we are with them or on the other side of the room. No hiding what they are trying to access or look at that way.

I have thought about the Raspberry but wasn't sure it would be enough. Maybe Ill take another look.

Depends on who refurbed it and if you’ve got slots to put in a network card of some sort. Looks like these are the type of units you often see in doctor’s offices in the exam rooms. Small and they’ve probably seen lots of hours of being plugged in. Heat is often a killer on electronics. For $59 buying 3-4 of them, you’d have backup parts for anything that decided to fail after 90 days.

quote:

basic need
- email
- calculator
- calendar
- embedded videos
- low graphic style test/ educational games/activities
- pdf

I'm not understanding the question. I'm dense that way sometimes. Your list doesn't look like something their existing tablets can't do. My kids' original iPad minis can do it.

My 4th and 6th graders do their PowerPoint presentations, research projects, book reports, etc. on the computer we have in the play room. As they and our 2nd grader get older, we'll probably get another computer, but for now one computer isn't a bottleneck. We have no trouble checking their grades on our phones or tablets.