PC Desktop Recommendation
2Have gotten great suggestions on tech stuff in past. Need a new PC. Light user. Email, internet, family pics. Have bought used on Ebay off lease with good results. Know of good sites to do so? Upgrading from Windows 7. Need to get up to date without breaking the bank.
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Lot of smart people here. Always amazed by the intelligence and humanity.
Last time I needed a cheap desktop computer I bought a refurb Dell from Amazon. It was around $300 but depending on your needs you could get a lower spec refurb for less.
Example without any real searching.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-9020-DisplayPort-Bluetooth/dp/B08BJDFZRF
Sometimes you can pick up a couple years old pc for less than a hundred bucks at local out-of-business auctions. Or you can pick up a bottom of the line new pc with warranty for less than 400. It’s really depends on what’s your budget and how soon you want it.
If you’re set on Windows and looking for some extra longevity, then focus on 8th gen Intel or Zen2 AMD or newer as older generations are not directly Windows 11 compatible.
In the past, I’ve had success with Dell Financial’s off-lease computers (dellrefurbished.com), but in recent times, their pricing has been on the higher side.
What budget are you looking at? And what are the specs of your current computer? It may still be sufficient to upgrade to W10.
@narfcake You are spot on regarding the pricing. If you wait for one of their sale events, price comes down 40% on average. I’m signed up for email which is not a spamalanche.
@detailer Even with a 40% deal, their pricing can be on the high side. A while back when my work needed to replace one of the engineering workstations, Dell Outlet was cheaper for a newer model refurb versus the off-lease refurb. Same class GPU, same memory, same NVMe, one generation newer on the i7, $700 LESS from Outlet. Also they have the same 3 year NBD warranty as if it was new.
One big aspect is how much performance has improved in these past few years. Thanks in part to real competition, a 10th gen i3 essentially matches the 7th gen i7. A 12th gen i5 performs on the level of a 9th gen i9.
Try tigerdirect.com. Refurb Win 10 Pro 64bit Core i5’s start at @ $200
I’m surprised no one has mentioned a Chromebook. It’ll do everything you’re asking for and for a much lower price than a desktop PC
@capguncowboy
Chromebooks can be a pleasure to use, or not. Depending on user and needs.
Caveats:
There is that 2-year limit on OS upgrades.
Plus: I assume, with a Chromebook, google is watching everything the user does (regardless of privacy settings, vpns, and privacy extensions.)
Or else, why would Google require the user to login with a google id?
Of course, Microsoft is doing the same corporate data-gathering panopticon-style user surveillance with any version of Win past Win 7.
@capguncowboy the problem Chromebook is. It is oversized Android phone operating system with all the security problems and holes. Plus you don’t have as much software. I was given one it was broke and I gave it to another tech who could use it for parts.
If you go to that “W” site sometimes good deals can be found. You will need to cull through the offering though.
@rtjhnstn Whores dot com?
@yakkoTDI In a corporate sense, I guess they are.
@rtjhnstn @yakkoTDI we’re allowed to say woot here
As before, wonderful smart intelligent replies. Amazon deals looks good. Looking into it.
@dhackle2000 What’s your budget? There are plenty of questionable offered there too, like 10 year old computers with a $5 worth of RGB lights – and it’s suddenly a $300 “gaming computer” that in reality, is worth less than $100.