Help Me Pick a Tower Computer.

[Garv]

Google is not my friend, there are too many choices out there.
(Insert "I'm so confused" Jackie Chan meme.)

I am looking for a new tower computer, do not want to build one.
Relatively low end, maybe ~$500 or so.

Need Calguns, e-mail, regular internet, no gaming.
Data storage probably not an issue for modern computers.

I currently have an old HP Pavilion that has lasted a long time.

Suggestions?
Brand?
Any special Intel chips or video cards?

Heck, I don't even know the right questions to ask.

Thanks.

[Snuffleupagus]

I only build desktops, but you don't want to do that.

Maybe get a generic white box from Fry's or Walmart. If this is for general use I think they're all about the same for that price.

I like Lenovo for a cheap laptop. I think their desktops are decent.

[KSH]

Just go to Costco, prices are great on low end stuff that will work fine for you.

[Foebia]

You can try microcenter, no idea on the quality.
May try qvc also

http://www.microcenter.com/category/4294967292,4294848341/PC-Desktops

[Garv]

Just go to Costco, prices are great on low end stuff that will work fine for you.

My regular Costco did not have much selection.
Good excuse to go to the bigger one, dogs need food.
Will see what they offer online.


Thanks to all so far.

[KSH]

here's a good option i5, 8g ram, 1tb hd.

http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-3252-small-desktop/fdcwst315s

[the86d]

I stopped all that racket a quite a few years ago...
No BS proprietary gamer cases for me... that take forever to remove the PS from, no HDD cabled to get pinched in sideways mounts or mount from the other side of the case, no proprietary fans to die...
19" Rackmount for the win! Reduce, recycle, reuse. Heck I bought most of them for around $50, shipped.


I don't think anyone really needs a "tower" anymore, but I DID... until I went rackmount.
I think a Lenovo small (think thin client sized) i5-i7 with SSD and a buttload of RAM is like $500, oh, here it is:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/thinkcentre/m-series-tiny/?gclid=CNej1Zijw9ECFQ9rfgodme8Avg&cid=us:sem|se|google|kw_35|Lenovo__Desktop_M_Series_Tiny|NX_Lenovo_SMB_Desktops&invsrc=sem_google&ef_id=V4oxEgAABYYp-4i5:20170115040703:s

Just throw a USB 3.0 drive plugged into the back with a 1TB dock?

[d33pt]

Why bother with a tower nowadays unless you're a gamer and need big power supplies and video cards? I've been running mini computers for years now. Something like an intel NUC, or Lenovo Thinkcentre Tiny would have plenty of power for what you need in something that you can mount on the back of your monitor. You can get a nice computer for $500.

[SheepDog78]

I don't think anyone really needs a "tower" anymore, but I DID... until I went rackmount.

Hell if you're going rack mount and don't care about gaming, why not just take it a step further and get a server? I bought a used HP G7 DL360 with 2 of the faster Intel Xeon 6-core CPUs and 72 GB RAM for about $500 on ebay. I filled it up with 8 146 GB 15k SAS hard drives for $22 each, running them in RAID 5.

Overkill for a desktop and casual PC users? Absolutely. But if you're in the same price range anyway, it's worth considering. Plus if you're running Windows 8.1 or 10, you can use Hyper-V and build as many VMs as you want with that kind of hardware, so you can run all kinds of different systems.

Granted servers are not as user friendly as workstations, but it's well worth the investment.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

[fishmonger]

Google is not my friend, there are too many choices out there.
(Insert "I'm so confused" Jackie Chan meme.)

I am looking for a new tower computer, do not want to build one.
Relatively low end, maybe ~$500 or so.

Need Calguns, e-mail, regular internet, no gaming.
Data storage probably not an issue for modern computers.

I currently have an old HP Pavilion that has lasted a long time.

Suggestions?
Brand?
Any special Intel chips or video cards?

Heck, I don't even know the right questions to ask.

Thanks.

if thats all you need to do you can get away with $200 or less. sign up for frys emails. they often have computers under $200 that will fit your need. heck they even have some dual core which should be good enough for under $100. worst case upgrade ram maybe add a ssd.

[d33pt]

Hell if you're going rack mount and don't care about gaming, why not just take it a step further and get a server? I bought a used HP G7 DL360 with 2 of the faster Intel Xeon 6-core CPUs and 72 GB RAM for about $500 on ebay. I filled it up with 8 146 GB 15k SAS hard drives for $22 each, running them in RAID 5.

Overkill for a desktop and casual PC users? Absolutely. But if you're in the same price range anyway, it's worth considering. Plus if you're running Windows 8.1 or 10, you can use Hyper-V and build as many VMs as you want with that kind of hardware, so you can run all kinds of different systems.

Granted servers are not as user friendly as workstations, but it's well worth the investment.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Those things are noisy as hell. You'd need it in a different room.

[fishmonger]

$89

http://www.frys.com/product/9041507?site=204premail011517

$99

http://www.frys.com/product/8770461?site=204premail011517

with the coupon from the email.

[ElDub1950]

Go pick up an off the shelf dell. No hassle, good warranty, no frills basic computer that will do everything you mentioned and more.

[SheepDog78]

Those things are noisy as hell. You'd need it in a different room.

Actually my HP isn't that bad, it throttles the fan speeds nicely. I can sit in a room with it no problem. But yes in general they are louder than most desktops. I also have 3 Dell rack servers I use for a VMware lab, and when I fire those up, it sounds like I'm testing a jet turbine, lol.

In my situation though, I can have a rack in the garage so I don't hear the equipment, and I have a desktop and a few laptops in the house, so I just remote to the server.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

[KSH]

He wants a computer not a server. Noise isn't an issue with the small Dell I put a link to in a previous post.