Great - thanks Ed. Good to hear that you do have reason to suppose that those links are likely to be unbiased.
On reflection my I think my main problem with those links was that I need reviews with a more business/design emphasis rather than gaming, multimedia, family etc. Also Apple is no use to me due to the software that I own.
Cheers
J
Here's another story on "business desktops" from PC Magazine that once again includes Apple (an iMac 27 this time). Of the other items, I'll skip the Dells (though I've had very good luck with them and own three such machines right now), and say instead that the HP Small Form Factor (SFF) workstation gets good marks from many sources, as do the various Lenovo desktops/all-in-ones. Hopefully you'll find something interesting there: The Best Business Desktops of 2017 | PCMag.com.
Keep trying: you'll get it sorted.
Best,
--Ed--
Last edited by EdTittel; 24 Jan 2017 at 16:20. Reason: Fix URL
I bought a Dell XPS 8900 (?? I think) for my Dad for Christmas. It was on sell for $699. Core i7 with 16 gigs. 2 terabyte drive. Came with a corded mouse and keyboard. Tried some games runs fine.
I am getting increasingly desperate.
Yes, Lenovo, Dell and HP all seem to broadly get good reviews.
But is there any advantage AT ALL for a getting a "Small Form Factor" or "All-in-One" when space isn't an issue? Presumably it just means that adding things like graphics cards later on becomes a problem, no? No, I don't give a damn what it looks like. Presumably that means I need a "tower" (or mini-tower?) design, yes?
I mean, my current PC has lasted me 7 years and I'm hoping the next one will do likewise, with probably one round of upgrading some components as technology improves.
Maybe Dell are worth reconsidering after all. [Historically I always found all their myriads of models confusing and I also hated being herded in as business or home user from the start. But if they are still in business after all this time they must be doing something right, even if their domestic customer support certainly used to be diabolical....]
OK, simply put, I just want something that has reasonably good reviews and which can power a nice big monitor - ideally 4K (maybe 2 of them at once??) . Must have SSD. And be moderately future proof (i.e. "up-gradable")
It just seems SO hard to find any comparative reviews for business desktops that contain a reasonable number of desktop computers at once.
Or should I abandon the reviews and just focus purely on the brand and spec?
EDIT:
I seem to be tripping up over the graphics cards. I have an old 24" Samsung SyncMaster 244T (1920x1200) and would like something a bit larger (e.g. at least 27") and somewhat higher resolution (at least WQHD, possibly 4K). What should I be looking for in terms of spec in that case?
- How many GB?
- DDR3 or
- 64bit or 128bit?
- What is the best way of connecting to a monitor?
Also are ChillBlast desktops any good?
Last edited by ship69; 24 Jan 2017 at 18:21.
I think TigerDirectB2B may be more in line of showing products you are interested in. I like the All-in-One but the downside is they are too much like a Notebook, can't easily change/upgrade parts in it. I prefer a standard Tower for a similar reason, the SFF or Micro/MiniSFF cases can't have anything added to the such as a second HDD or second ODD when needed, not much room. The mSFF uses an ODD similar to those in Notebooks while the SFF usually has the standard size ODD.
If you don't want to roll your own rig in the UK, you can't do much better than a PC specialist build, you can customise them to whatever you want, build quality and after service is excellent. They even customise laptops.
As regards monitor connectors: when I bought my current 4k monitor (Samsung U28E590D) I went with DisplayPort, which was what was needed at that time to get a 60Hz frame rate at 3840X2160. It's now practical to get that with an HDMI 2.0 interface. You may want a different monitor than that, though, if you need critical color performance: it's TN.
My most recent employer used Dell. That may not say much about longevity, though, because the machines were on 3 year leases. The main problem I see with Dells is their relatively weak power supplies, which limit expandability (mainly graphics cards).
For my home desktop PCs, I assemble my own, regardless of how much extra it may cost. I'm a snob.
I'd go with a 'standard' or maybe full-size Tower and the full ATX board that has more of everything on it.Re cases I want something functional. i.e. Big with lots of connectors! Able to handle a HDD or SSD.
I have to agree with the posts early in this thread. Upgrading is a waste. Your old motherboard won't handle the new, faster RAM. And it might not take a newer processor. And it will likely have USB 2 ports, not the faster/newer USB 3. So you generally replace motherboard, CPU and RAM as a set. So now you're close to $300.
Anyway, if you're not technically inclined, DIY is out of the question. Just buy a new box.
For the graphics card ... if you're playing high-end games or if you're doing engineering graphics, you need a high-end graphics card. For anything else the motherboard / integrated graphics is all you need. If you're an office user with no special high-performance requirements, you can find a box for well under $1000 USD.
I've avoided Dells for years. I've had good luck with HP desktops.
If you decide to go with a laptop, avoid the home/small office stuff. Those are pure junk. Instead, go for a business laptop. You'll pay a lot more, but it will last.
There are small-name computer companies that come recommended. But I've always bought name-brand.
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