My old Dell T3400 Workstation has died, and I'm unsure whether to replace it or just replace its motherboard and PSU. (The case is a good one, with lots of front-panel and internal drive slots.)
Either way, I need to figure out what hardware I need--which CPU, how much RAM, etc.
I am not a gamer, and if I ever do video editing it will probably be just cut-and-paste.
I write articles, which means I sometimes have multiple Word docs and Web pages open, plus the occasional Excel file. I also do some photo editing--so far just on images smaller than 16 megapixels, though it's possible I might someday have to tackle 25 MP or so.
I drive two monitors at once (my old nVidia card might serve in the new setup, if it didn't die along with the PC). I also have multiple scannners and two printers (a laser and an inkjet all-in-one)
I have four SATA drives I'd like to carry over to the new setup. I also have a 500-GB SSD and a Blu-Ray drive I hadn't installed yet.
If I buy a new PC, I could live with fewer internal drive slots and get either eSata housings or a NAS.
I want to get this figured out before the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. And I want to spend under $1,000--as far under as possible. I want this to be updatable and upgradable, like my decade-old Dell, because I'm 81 and this is probably the last PC I'll ever buy.
Any recommendations, either of specs in general or of pre-configured PCs I should consider?
BTW, I run Windows 10, up-to-date as of last month. (Can't check the version as that PC is dead).
How old is old? IF more than 5 years old.....get a whole new system.
For your SATA drives....you could get a HDD/SSD docking station and use that to access your drives as needed. I use the Wavlink Red....works great. If the new system doesn't have space for the extra drives.
For a recommendation on a PC....for 1K you could get a very good laptop to suit your needs as far as specs goes.
Depending upon the age the Add-in Video card may be PCI, AGP or PCIe [PCI Express], most new motherboards are PCIe X16 for video. There are boards with 2 PCIe X16 slots.
Computer Type: PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number: Customs, Dell, HP, ASUS OS: Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint CPU: AMD and Intel Motherboard: Dell and Gigabyte Sound Card: Onboard Monitor(s) Displays: Dell 24" Screen Resolution: 1920x1080 Hard Drives: SATA and NVMe SSDs and SATA HDDs Browser: Firefox, Edge, Chromium, Vivaldi, SeaMonkey Other Info: 4 computers on KVM switch
Computer Type: Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number: Dell, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo OS: Win11 Pro, Win7, Win10 Home and Pro, Linux Mint, MS-DOS 6.20 w/Win3.1 CPU: AMD and Intel Monitor(s) Displays: 12", 13", 14", 15", 17" Browser: Firefox, Edge, Chromium [not Chrome], Vivaldi, SeaMonkey
The Quadro workstation graphics card is PCI-E X16, so it ought to be compatible with current motherboards. It's pretty ancient, though.
I'm unsure how much value is in the case and power supply. The Dells I recall from years ago had a number of proprietary features that made it less easy to stick in a new motherboard than with a generic case. Maybe the T3400 is new enough that it's not an issue, but its motherboard doesn't look like a standard form factor.
If you want maximum expandability, a full tower can give you that. I use a Corsair Obsidian 750D. it comes with six 3.5"/2.5" drive bays. (Of course, I use just one 8TB drive. My primary drive is a 1TB M.2 SSD.)
Slots for optical drives seem to be falling out of favor, so make sure that any case you buy has one, if you really want it.
Thanks for all the input, but there's still info I need.
What sort of CPU should I look for? How many cores? What speed?
Based on my experience so far, I think 16 GB of RAM should suffice--any comments?
Assessing my capabilties, I think I am best off with a pre-built system with tech support available and good reliability. I can mount additional drives externally, no problem there. But I'd still want a system with lots of expansion slots, because I can probably afford to add boards to adapt to whatever's coming down the pike, but not to replace the entire PC. (So far, I've upgraded my Dell with boards for USB 3.0-, FireWire, and eSATA. plus one or two I don't recall offhand, plus added drives.)
Any suggestions as to what brands and dealers I should check out?
So far, a refurbished Dell workstation looks like a possibility, but I don't yet know what specs I need. I've had good luck with Dell refurbs in the past.
I presume that any recent quad core (Intel I5) CPU would be much faster than the best possible CPU (4 cores/4 threads) sold with the T3400. The DDR4 RAM in a new machine will be much faster than the DDR2 800MHz RAM in the T3400.
Make sure that if you get 16GB of RAM, that it's 2 X 8 GB rather than 1 X 16 GB. That's to get dual channel memory access, which, in priciple, can be 2X the speed of single channel. (In more expensive systems, Intel offers quad channel.)
If you can afford it, get one with an M.2 SSD of at least 200GB for the OS and applications.
I've gotten away from peripheral cards. The onboard Realtek sound device is adequate for most people. Built-in gigabit Ethernet is common. USB 3.x. USB 3.2 Gen 2 is faster than 6Gbps SATA (sometimes called SATA3). The only peripheral card I'm using is a graphics card. Those vary hugely in price. Firewire is ancient, and eSATA is pretty much obsolete too.
I think 16GBs of RAM will last you for some time. 8GBs of RAM is getting to be a tad claustrophobic these days and 32 is way past your needs.
I observe on this forum that many people with problems seem to have hodge-pdge systems with different parts from different eras. Personally I'd advise anyone to get a system to designed to work with itself. And get it set for 3 years or more without the need to upgrade internal hardware. (Instead sell it on eBay and upgrade the entire unit if and when that becomes necessary.)
This following recommendation may not meet all your needs, but at $689 may interest you.
An M2 SSD is a little thing, about the dimensions of a common stick of Doublemint gum......usually 22 millimeters wide and 80 millimeters long and maybe a 1/4 inch thick. Figure 7/8 inch wide and a little over 3 inches long. Similar to a RAM stick. They typically connect DIRECTLY to a motherboard port without cables, although in some cases you'd attach them to a card in a slot.
Capacities 250 GB and up. Good name brands at that capacity in the 50 to 70 dollar range. 2 TB capacity in the $200 to $250 range. So, they are usually a bit more expensive than the well-known 2.5 inch SSD variety.
Available in standard SATA and newer NVMe interfaces.
The trend is toward M2 SSDs and away from ordinary 2.5 inch SSDs like you now have, but it's gradual. Lower weight, fewer cables. The NVMe variant is the current rage--it is faster than SATA, but you likely wouldn't notice the difference if you didn't know which was inside.
Most newish motherboards have at least one M2 port. Two ports is fairly common. Might be some 3 port boards out there, I'm not sure.
A pre-built PC from someone like Dell in the mid to upper price bracket may well have an M2 SSD. I haven't checked them lately.
I don't buy pre-built machines, but I'd assume someone like Dell is as good as any. You roll the dice and hope you don't need to rely on their support.
I'd think in terms of the most recent generation or two of Intel processors...9000 series or 10000 series. 6 cores or maybe 8 cores. The i5s are 6 cores and begin at under 200 bucks. The i7s are 8 cores and begin at about 300.
We don't know about your access to a decent local builder who could build a PC using parts you specify or supply.
I assume you have no interest in building it yourself.
Go to Dell online or Dell refurb store and see what you can get for 1000. Or go to Costco/Best Buy/wherever locally. Post back here with what you see, with full detail.
Avoid 32 GB RAM configurations. They would likely grossly overcharge you for it and you'd likely not notice the difference from 16.
Avoid spinning drives if at all possible.
Avoid narrow/slim cases if you want maximum flexibility for future upgrades inside that case. Too cramped.
You will be forced into buying a new license for Windows 10. Decide if you need Pro rather than Home. Mid to upper level configurations may force you into Pro.
Do you need an internal DVD? Those cases may be hard to get from Dell.
I guess ideally you'd want a mid to upper level machine, but with only 16 gb of RAM and as few drives as possible. But if you shop for a single drive machine, it may have a weak processor as part of the package.
I wouldn't get bogged down in the Intel/AMD debate, despite fan-boy ravings to the contrary.
I'd guess you might have trouble putting 4 full size hard drives in a current Dell case. Be careful about that or have an alternative idea.
You can certainly get a small form factor "appliance" type machine that would have adequate performance, no bigger than a shoe box, but they aren't easily upgraded. I wouldn't want to work inside one.
Maybe you can talk to Dell sales on the phone and get a semi-custom configuration, but I don't think they offer as much flexibility as they did 10 or 15 years ago.
Here's a picture of an M2 drive.
Last edited by ignatzatsonic; 13 Nov 2020 at 06:56.
I think 16GBs of RAM will last you for some time. 8GBs of RAM is getting to be a tad claustrophobic these days and 32 is way past your needs.
I observe on this forum that many people with problems seem to have hodge-pdge systems with different parts from different eras. Personally I'd advise anyone to get a system to designed to work with itself. And get it set for 3 years or more without the need to upgrade internal hardware. (Instead sell it on eBay and upgrade the entire unit if and when that becomes necessary.)
This following recommendation may not meet all your needs, but at $689 may interest you.
Looks nice, if not ideal for someone who wants a lot of PCI-E slots.
I wonder what kind of interface "Newmaven" needs for dual displays? The DMS-59 connector on the current Quadro NVS 290 mainly supports VGA or DVI. I'm not sure that the outputs on the mini PC can drive those.
Upgrading is the usually slippery slope, which can lead to having to update more hardware than hoped for. Knowing the right questions to ask is the hard part.
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