NviGate Systems
Well-Known Member
- Reaction score
- 1,022
- Location
- Vancouver
So, with Windows 10 gearing down in about a year and a half, I wanted to see if I could find a cheap machine that would "officially" support Windows 11 so that I do have a supported Windows Box to test, design and run a few Windows only apps I have. (I have a tax program I'm used to that's free so I don't wanna lose that!)
I didn't want to spend allot, but I finally found...Intel NUC NUC7JY with a Celeron J4005. I got it for $60. I don't need much, so this will do perfectly. It will ship from Japan in a few weeks with a few other items. Finding something this cheap wasn't easy. Everyone and their cousin has anything from 4th Gen (have one) to 8th Gen but prices in my local market is insane.
I couldn't justify spending a few hundred for something more that would almost never get used, as I use my Fujitsu Q520 for everything in Linux, I even ordered a Quad Core Low TDP i5 that is the exact SKU for this model machine, so my performance isn't an issue for Linux.
Case in point, eBay Canada's cheapest 9th Gen system was a HP ProDesk 600 G5 for $285. Craigslist had a Dell OptiPlex 3070 for $200, still too much. I'm already importing a bunch of stuff so, I grabbed the chance to pick up a NUC.
It seems NUC prices are all over the place. Plus, I have a SATA SSD and extra RAM, so it will be 8GB when I finish the upgrade. It currently has a 32GB eMMC, but I'll likely just disable or ignore it and use the SATA drive.
As a side rant, here in Vancouver or rather, in Canada general, the used Market is kinda weird. You have eBay which is hit and miss. Amazon which is even more hit and miss. Craigslist which is mostly miss. I feel for those who are on a budget and the options aren't that great. When I was looking for a tablet a few months ago, every marketplace was littered with 4-6 year old Apple & Android devices with ludicrous prices. Even the "refurb" options were not that great. I did have a look across the border, but some of the sellers I would trust insist on using UPS or FedEx Ground, which means my import fees would be as much as the system. (They really get you with those fees)
I got a cheap Unisoc bsed OctaCore 10" Tablet from Japan for only $50, perfect for my limited needs. With Android 10, it's not "current" but will still be good to go for a while yet.
Needless to say I was surprised to find a NUC this cheap from Japan, as Japan has a higher cost for imported goods, especially American ones.The only thing will be if the AC Adapter will work here, but chances are it will as the NUC is available in many countries, pretty sure they ship them with multi voltage adapters. If not, I have adapters I can use.
I didn't want to spend allot, but I finally found...Intel NUC NUC7JY with a Celeron J4005. I got it for $60. I don't need much, so this will do perfectly. It will ship from Japan in a few weeks with a few other items. Finding something this cheap wasn't easy. Everyone and their cousin has anything from 4th Gen (have one) to 8th Gen but prices in my local market is insane.
I couldn't justify spending a few hundred for something more that would almost never get used, as I use my Fujitsu Q520 for everything in Linux, I even ordered a Quad Core Low TDP i5 that is the exact SKU for this model machine, so my performance isn't an issue for Linux.
Case in point, eBay Canada's cheapest 9th Gen system was a HP ProDesk 600 G5 for $285. Craigslist had a Dell OptiPlex 3070 for $200, still too much. I'm already importing a bunch of stuff so, I grabbed the chance to pick up a NUC.
It seems NUC prices are all over the place. Plus, I have a SATA SSD and extra RAM, so it will be 8GB when I finish the upgrade. It currently has a 32GB eMMC, but I'll likely just disable or ignore it and use the SATA drive.
As a side rant, here in Vancouver or rather, in Canada general, the used Market is kinda weird. You have eBay which is hit and miss. Amazon which is even more hit and miss. Craigslist which is mostly miss. I feel for those who are on a budget and the options aren't that great. When I was looking for a tablet a few months ago, every marketplace was littered with 4-6 year old Apple & Android devices with ludicrous prices. Even the "refurb" options were not that great. I did have a look across the border, but some of the sellers I would trust insist on using UPS or FedEx Ground, which means my import fees would be as much as the system. (They really get you with those fees)
I got a cheap Unisoc bsed OctaCore 10" Tablet from Japan for only $50, perfect for my limited needs. With Android 10, it's not "current" but will still be good to go for a while yet.
Needless to say I was surprised to find a NUC this cheap from Japan, as Japan has a higher cost for imported goods, especially American ones.The only thing will be if the AC Adapter will work here, but chances are it will as the NUC is available in many countries, pretty sure they ship them with multi voltage adapters. If not, I have adapters I can use.
