Buying Computers

[MK-2]

What sort of stuff are you going to be doing on the computers? Are they just going to be (essentially) dumb terminals using Citrix or sumfink? It's just that if a 3-year old ex-business PC isn't powerful enough for business then I don't think it'll be fast enough for school needs. Just my tuppence-worth.

What exactly won't a 3 year old PC with 3gb ram and core2duo/quad processor do??
We have them in our ICT suite running XP/Office 2010/Serif Webplus/Gamemaker/Sibelius and various other subject specific programs and had no slowdowns at all. If your students are all using photoshop or massive video editing, fair enough, but as for a day to day usage, i don't see a prob.

Had some little niggles with faulty RAM (like, two sticks) - but then my last lot of brand new HPs are right dogs with rubbish motherboards.

yep same, had a couple of issues, but then the last 17 brand new hp machines i had two dead motherboards so swings and roundabouts

[plexer]

My current in house build multipoint servers each providing 8 stations comes in at approx £210 per station.

Ben

[Flatpackhamster]

What exactly won't a 3 year old PC with 3gb ram and core2duo/quad processor do??

It'll do it now. But perhaps it won't do it in 2 or 3 years' time. Tomorrow I'm off to see yet another client who until about a month ago was running quite happily on XP Pro with 1GB RAM on a Pentium D. Since the most recent batch of Windows updates, the machine is running like a dog. That's the third person with an identical problem in the last few weeks. These installs don't stand still, and software gets bulkier on a month-by-month basis. Adobe Reader updates, Windows updates, Java (unless you can avoid it), Office updates... it all slows the machine down.

[3s-gtech]

We're running a few Pentium Ds with 1.5GB RAM (DC7600), on XP Pro they're working nicely. Got four running Windows 7 on 2GB, no problems at all. Much of it comes down to what you install and how you keep them running well. Getting five years out of a machine in a school is easy - if they're shunted off to less demanding roles as they age. I tend to get new machines for the IT suites every three years, and shuffle the old ones down elsewhere (maybe with some RAM upgrades etc). Refurbs are fitting in well with this - we don't have anything amazing PC wise, but they're much better than just a few years back (think Athlons on 128MB SDRAM, PIIIs etc). Plus, the top spec refurbs are pretty decent PCs overall (DC7900s with 4GB RAM, ATI 5770s and 3GHz C2D).

[MK-2]

It'll do it now. But perhaps it won't do it in 2 or 3 years' time. Tomorrow I'm off to see yet another client who until about a month ago was running quite happily on XP Pro with 1GB RAM on a Pentium D. Since the most recent batch of Windows updates, the machine is running like a dog. That's the third person with an identical problem in the last few weeks. These installs don't stand still, and software gets bulkier on a month-by-month basis. Adobe Reader updates, Windows updates, Java (unless you can avoid it), Office updates... it all slows the machine down.

I know it'll all slow it down, but again, you could spend £500 on a brand new unit that will last, lets say, 5 years before showing signs of aging. That price might include a 3 year warranty.
With a refurb even on conservative measures, it might last 2 years with a 2 year warranty before needing to be replaced. You could then buy another one with a 3 year warranty after that to replace it. Cost per unit approx £150. So in 5 years you've spent either £500 on one new pc or £300 on two pc's, with the older one still perfectly good to use for lesser tasks.
That's my point, with our budgets sure to get cut finer and finer, a refurb pc makes sense. especially ones you can bulk up to 3/4gb.
2.6ghz/4gb for £180 isn't exactly yesterdays news in terms of standard desktops.

[glennda]

How many are you looking to by, I know that companies can be very competetive on pricing if you push them, i've paid under £300 per machine for i3s and 4gb ram for the last 2 summers but i have been purchasing 200+

[w-clarke101]

If your going to be getting new PC's! do it soon as the cost will! if not yet will go up.

As HDD 250GB going for around £50!!! thats if you can find any

[dhicks]

I know it'll all slow it down, but again, you could spend £500 on a brand new unit that will last, lets say, 5 years before showing signs of aging.

Good point. If people are considering new machines, it might be worth thinking about how they could be upgraded in 3 / 5 years time. If you buy new machines now with cases capable of taking standard-sized motherboards you might be able to upgarde more easily in the future. Of course, in 5 years time it might be cheaper to buy a whole new integrated device rather than a standard desktop PC - all our recent new machines have been Acer Revos, small enough to clip to the back of a screen and around £200 each.

[simpsonj]

Just throw in that Misco are doing Refurbs as well, DC7700 with 2gb RAM, XP and Core 2 Duo E6300 for £121, bought 30 of these a few weeks back and so far no issues other than scratched cases.

The other benefit of buying cheap PCs is the possibility of turning them into thin clients as they near the end of their life.