Sub $700 desktops

['putertutor]

With the recent storm that went through the area (see this post) I am having to price out a few new systems for individuals an businesses. Individuals are pretty easy, but the business can be frustrating. Most need more than they can or are willing to afford. I have found that once I pass the $750 mark for a desktop, sales drop through the floor. At $1,000 they are almost non-existent.

In that price range, what units do you guys like? I have really developed a hatred for HP, but they have a very strong place in the market in that price range. I've never really looked at asus desktops. I like Lenovo but the lack of brand recognition has made that a tougher sell at times.

 

[altrenda]

I know this may cause some discussion, but why not Dell?

The company that we provide help desk/IT support for (Fortune 100) buys Dell Optiplex's. They are relatively reliable, have good warranty's, and if you have a decent Rep, you can make some money on them.

They are an easy sell because most small business people know the brand and the prices are reasonable. Stay away from the Vostro or Inspiron home stuff.

 

['putertutor]

Yeah, I know. I'm sure I should give them another look, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth from their crap-days. Those days always seems like just last year, but it probably now at least 5 years back now.

 

[altrenda]

Yeah, I know. I'm sure I should give them another look, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth from their crap-days. Those days always seems like just last year, but it probably now at least 5 years back now.

understandable, but I would bet you're thinking of the cheap home user crap they sell. but there is a difference between that and the business/enterprise stuff. Same for HP.

For under $700 you should be able to get a decent i5 system.

 

['putertutor]

Clearly their non-business line had issues, but it was not entirely isolated to that class of machine.

Still, I feel as though with a little therapy and some time, I can start to work on building a healthy dell relationship.

 

[mraikes]

I've had consistent good luck with Dell's Optiplex line. Over the last five years I've purchased probably 150-ish of them (mix of 740's, 780's, 380's).

The vast majority of the initial batch of 80 Optiplex 740's purchased in the spring of 2007 are still going strong after constant 7-day/week use and minimal to no maintenance.

Most recently (last week) I bought 1/2 dozen Opti 3010 SFF units w/Win 7 pro, I5, 8gb ram. Time will tell if they hold up as well as previous units.

None of the batches have had any particular issues or problems that aren't easily attributable to poor treatment by the employees here (kicked, knocked over, spilled on, shoved into spots with zero airflow, etc).

 

[ccritchie]

I Know What You Mean About Dells

At my previous employer, I had to deal with about 40 Dell Optiplex GX280 capacitor issues - helped me to get some good experience swapping motherboards. Those issues notwithstanding, the Optiplex line has been generally reliable in my experience, even after they go out of warranty. I feel pretty confident refurbishing & reselling the Optiplex 755's as a lower cost alternative for my home customers, even if they are a few years old. The 990's and 9010's that I have purchased recently have been rock-solid. You should be able to get a 990 for sub-700.

 

[BillMoney]

If customer is willing, Lenovo's outlet is great has really good deals and warranties for them start at $39.99

example pricing for a refurb yoga warranty:
2yr depot $59 2yr onsite $79
2yr accidental depot $119 2yr accidental onsite $139

 

[skdmaster]

I have been buying Dell Optiplex/Latitude systems from Ingram Micro for a while now. I find the pricing is usually better then what I can get direct. I also like the fact that the systems come with a 3-year next business day warranty which makes it sound like an upsell to the client when it is already included. With being from Ingram I can have the system next day usually. Very little junkware on the systems - remove the TrendMicro AV, update Adobe products/Java, and install some windows updates then ready to go out the door.

 

[SprinterTech-WI]

I just tell people Lenovo is IBM, everyone knows IBM.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I just tell people Lenovo is IBM, everyone knows IBM.

Same here. Same company, new name. Never have anyone question it after explaining that.

 

[masterworksintl]

We know you're burned out on HP, but we specialize in refurbished HP systems and replacement parts - you can offer your clients the same performance at a cheaper price. If you absolutely must have something other than HP, contact us - we deal with other manufacturers as well.

 

[HCHTech]

I just tell people Lenovo is IBM, everyone knows IBM.

Except that it isn't, is it?

Seriously, back in 2005, you could make this argument. 8 years later - not so much.

Don't get me wrong, I like Lenovo business laptops (and their consumer mid-range series is well spec-ed and underpriced, IMO), but I don't think there are any threads left to pull on for the 'Lenovo is IBM' argument. Just sayin'...

 

[nlinecomputers]

You put an old IBM thinkpad next to a Lenovo thinkpad and it's obvious that they are related computers.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

HP Elite Business Desktops
Dell Optiplex like the entry level Optiplex 3010 models.

 

[rjg.tech]

Except that it isn't, is it?

Seriously, back in 2005, you could make this argument. 8 years later - not so much.

Don't get me wrong, I like Lenovo business laptops (and their consumer mid-range series is well spec-ed and underpriced, IMO), but I don't think there are any threads left to pull on for the 'Lenovo is IBM' argument. Just sayin'...

An IBM field tech responded to one of my clients Lenovo warranty issues. He did admit that they took very little warranty calls for Lenovo desktops but nevertheless they may not be the same company but there is some relationship between them for the time being.

 

[TAPtech]

I've been selling the OptiPlex 3010's as well. My standard spec is i5, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, win 7 pro x64. They perform great and have been reliable so far. I think they are still on USB2.0 though, that would be my only gripe.

Have had two of the 3010 SFF heatsink fans get noisy within the first 3 months, quick call to Dell to have it replaced. Hopefully they don't become an issue.

I think these units typically price out around $750, maybe a bit more. You could save some money using an i3, I personally always opt for the i5 but have been impressed with the i3 line. MUCH different than the old Pentium vs Celeron.

 

[cypress]

Put me on board for the Optiplex models as well. Got them for a doctors office last year along with the 3 year Pro Support. It has not had any issues to date. Very stable.

I ended up getting the i3 desktop with 4gb ram since they only use an online application and very light use. Although now I need to get a desktop for the Doctor so I will be going with the i5 6gb model as stated above.