Desktop PC recommendations

[Bojuexa]

Hi all, after ignoring the rolling replacement plan for 3 years my school has now decided to replace all class, teacher and suite machines all in one go. I was wondering if anyone has bought any pc's recently and has any recommendations on what to avoid and what's been rock solid for you.

 

thanks guys

[FN-GM]

We have a large fleet of Dell Optiplex Micros. Some are running in very harsh conditions and they have been rock solid.

[kierans]

We have Optiplexs across the board. Micro in offices and SFFs in classrooms.

 

We’re a special school for autistic kids, so our machines at times take quite a beating. Not had a single failure yet (despite some being quite battered) - wish I could say the same for the monitors ☹️

[jmak]

Dell house here too. Failure rate seems low to me, but equally importantly, the next day on site support is excellent.

 

Sign up for a Dell Premier account - you should be able to find an account manager for education in your region.

 

We're now getting 5 year warranties on Optiplex desktops for about the same price as we were paying for equivalent models with a three year warranty a couple of years ago.

[mullet_man]

For classrooms avoid HP ProDesk 400 we have 60 of them between two classrooms they are the G6 model but the power button on them are ridiculously flimsy and if you push them too hard they get stuck pressed in. We took out 5 year warranties so yesterday I had to log 6 for repair.

 

Newer gen’s might be better but these are awful.

 

Edit: the mini models these are.

Edited January 29, 2025 by mullet_man

[Bojuexa]

Thanks guys, Dell's seem the way to go.

[machy]

Make sure you get the edu/bulk discounts.

i know some suppliers forget your a school and just give you EXVat

 

We pay about £450 for I5/16GB/256GB/5YOSW (Dell)

 

Had a couple die in the first month, but most of them will last a decade, there seems to be no in-between

[altecsole]

We bought some StonePC_Lite units in the summer. They definitely aren't as robust as Dells, but good value. AMD Ryzen R5-5650G, 16GB, 250GB, 5-Year NBD On-site for £379.00 per unit.

[PotNoodleTech]

Sadly having only been allowed to buy Lenovos on our Gov framework over the last 3 years I am severely Missing my Dell Optiplex's.

 

Dell are probably the best overall over the last decade. I wouldnt mind giving HP a go En mass but i've never been impressed with their enterprise driver support.

[ThomL]

We bought some StonePC_Lite units in the summer. They definitely aren't as robust as Dells, but good value. AMD Ryzen R5-5650G, 16GB, 250GB, 5-Year NBD On-site for £379.00 per unit.

We've got some of these March 2024, they seem pretty robust - what would you say is missing compared to the Dells? StonePC Lite, AMD Ryzen r5-4650G, 16GB DDR4, 250GB SSD, 5-Year NBD On-site - £325

[tom_newton]

I'd come in here and recommend the sharply dressed Dave Foulks and his pals at ICT direct, as I am sure they are too shy to do it themselves

[MrEprise]

For classrooms avoid HP ProDesk 400 we have 60 of them between two classrooms they are the G6 model but the power button on them are ridiculously flimsy and if you push them too hard they get stuck pressed in. We took out 5 year warranties so yesterday I had to log 6 for repair.

 

Newer gen’s might be better but these are awful.

 

Edit: the mini models these are.

 

I recall someone on here (I think it may have been @ICTDirect_Dave) basically saying avoid HP ProDesk anything as the hardware in these aren't made to the same standard as the EliteDesks and are more prone to failure.

[altecsole]

We've got some of these March 2024, they seem pretty robust - what would you say is missing compared to the Dells? StonePC Lite, AMD Ryzen r5-4650G, 16GB DDR4, 250GB SSD, 5-Year NBD On-site - £325

 

I'd say that Dell cases are more robust. Also, the motherboard connector plate on the Stone is far more flimsy.

 

Due to an aging (but still working) fleet of monitors, we needed VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors. This is standard on the Stone, but for my last lot of Dells, it was an option to add VGA - not sure if that's still the case.

[bigal06]

I recall someone on here (I think it may have been @ICTDirect_Dave) basically saying avoid HP ProDesk anything as the hardware in these aren't made to the same standard as the EliteDesks and are more prone to failure.

 

We have been using HP ProDesk 400's SFF for years here and they last our full 5 year programme. Yes, they do takes some damage but that depends on the room they are in but they always last a full 5 years.

 

Don't forget you can use the trade-in on these to get your old kit removed and paid for the kit.

 

Ranges from £100-£200 per unit trade-in depending on current promo and hero products making very good value.

 

 

https://brighterfutures24.com/qualifying-products/

 

Fell out with Dell years ago due to their ridiculous 'deal-reg' and price fixing. May have changed now and I know HP have deal registrations too but they operate in a fairer way with suppliers.

 

Also, Dell introduced a vent on the top of some models which lead to student poking 'stuff' into the PCs.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I'd come in here and recommend the sharply dressed Dave Foulks and his pals at ICT direct, as I am sure they are too shy to do it themselves

I recall someone on here (I think it may have been @ICTDirect_Dave) basically saying avoid HP ProDesk anything as the hardware in these aren't made to the same standard as the EliteDesks and are more prone to failure.

Thanks Gentlemen!

 

Sorry I'd have been all over this if not for recovering from a very busy Bett!

 

In my experience, HP make better desktops than Dell whilst Dell make better laptops than HP! At the top end this is. Our failure ratios are always higher on Dell destops.

 

If you're looking for a LOT of devices then I'd humbly put forward our exceptional HP EliteDesk 800 G5/G6 Minis.

As refurb devices go, they're in gorgeous condition.

 

the G5's come with 9th gen i5, 16gb ram, 256gb nvme for £160 each

and the G6's come with a 10th gen i5, 16gb ram and 256gb nvme for £245 each.

 

Both models come with a 3 year warranty that gets upgraded to 5 years for free if you spend >£5k in a year (or immediately if you're placing a large order).

 

They're absolutely brilliant machines, run Windows 11 like a dream and will continue to be excellent for many many years to come

 

If you need screens I can do them in bundles with a display, AIO mounting kit and new keybaords and mouse too!

 

 

Drop me a Pm if you'd like a chat?

[MisterTechMan]

I am looking at the exact same thing so this thread is very useful.

 

Has anyone got any feedback or comments on Scan/3XS? The price of their Office range is very attractive, however apprehensive with not going with a known brand, as we will need them to have a 5/6 year service life in them

[mullet_man]

We have been using HP ProDesk 400's SFF for years here and they last our full 5 year programme. Yes, they do takes some damage but that depends on the room they are in but they always last a full 5 years.

 

Don't forget you can use the trade-in on these to get your old kit removed and paid for the kit.

 

Ranges from £100-£200 per unit trade-in depending on current promo and hero products making very good value.

 

 

https://brighterfutures24.com/qualifying-products/

 

Fell out with Dell years ago due to their ridiculous 'deal-reg' and price fixing. May have changed now and I know HP have deal registrations too but they operate in a fairer way with suppliers.

 

Also, Dell introduced a vent on the top of some models which lead to student poking 'stuff' into the PCs.

 

Do you have the same model with the poor power button? The little thin one that is easily pushed in?