Solved Best business desktop?

Haydon · Nov 25, 2021

Question to the professionals and others here. What do you consider the best business desktop(s) and why?

For a typical small business office setting and usage, full size tower for expandability, otherwise anything goes.

barman58 · Nov 25, 2021

With the current situation with covid not going away for a while yet, I would likely not go for desktops at all - laptops with a remote accessible Client server network providing the secure data storage, and some form of remote meeting system. This is the current best system to use for offices that can work through the issue.

Porthos · Nov 25, 2021

Lenovo Thinkcenters.
Dell Optiplexes.
HP is not my favorite but if you do not have a choice...

Haydon said:
full size tower for expandability

I like those as well but getting harder to find.

Be aware you are going to pay a premium for Business class computers.

badrobot · Nov 25, 2021

When you say business, I guess the hardware does not matter too much if it is just mostly for productivity software like MS Office and the likes.. Any PC can perform those tasks. What you probably want to invest on is backup options and data security.

glasskuter · Nov 25, 2021

Depending on what you will be using it for, any desktop might suit your needs. If you specifically want a commercial grade system over a consumer grade one, then Optiplexes or Precisions. I have used both as my daily drivers for the last 15 years and that's in my home rather than an office. As opposed to a one yr. warranty with a consumer quality Dell, they carry 3 years.

pparks1 · Nov 25, 2021

Haven't had anything but a laptop at work since about 2002.

Haydon · Nov 25, 2021

As to business/commercial grade ... is Xeon worth the extra $ ?

glasskuter · Nov 25, 2021

You still haven't said exactly how the PC will be used. You have to take your requirements into consideration when choosing your cpu. For example, Core i7-11700 is a performance cpu with 8 cores and 16 threads and a base speed of 2.5 gz and turbo speed of 4.9 gz, whereas the i9-11900 is considered an enthusiast cpu and has 8 cores and 16 threads with a base speed of 2.5 gz and turbo speed of 5.2 gz. For most people's purposes either of these processors is plenty. The Xeon line uses error correcting memory which is typically for servers. Xeon has much higher maximum core counts (as high as 28).
Maybe the following taken from Lenovo's website can help you decide what you need and if extra $ for Xeon is worth it to you.

Why buy an Intel Core workstation?
Intel Core workstations (whether Core i7- or Core i9-based) are ideal for those who need Xeon-like speed and responsiveness to run the same or similar compute-intensive applications, but who may have tighter budgets. They’re also good for users who want the ability to overclock their CPU when operating conditions support it. For all but the most sensitive workloads, image rendering or data analysis, a Core-based workstation is a strong choice.
Why buy an Intel Xeon workstation?
Intel Xeon workstations are valued by users who run advanced CAD applications, work with sensitive financial data, or operate in environments where system crashes can have a big impact on the business's bottom line. These users can’t tolerate sudden shut-downs and so-called "silent" data corruption errors. For them, ECC memory support delivers a level of reliability and peace-of-mind that makes Xeon CPUs worth the additional incremental cost.

Porthos · Nov 26, 2021

Haydon said:
As to business/commercial grade ... is Xeon worth the extra $ ?

An I5 or better, 16gig min ram and SSD of sufficient size is all most need.

hdmi · Nov 26, 2021

glasskuter said:
You still haven't said exactly how the PC will be used. You have to take your requirements into consideration when choosing your cpu. For example, Core i7-11700 is a performance cpu with 8 cores and 16 threads and a base speed of 2.5 gz and turbo speed of 4.9 gz, whereas the i9-11900 is considered an enthusiast cpu and has 8 cores and 16 threads with a base speed of 2.5 gz and turbo speed of 5.2 gz. For most people's purposes either of these processors is plenty.

Yeah, even a "lowly" Core i5-10400 with 16GB RAM can already be sufficient, depending on how it will be used.

jimbo45 · Nov 26, 2021

Hi folks
Difficult to answer this one as "business" can cover a multitude of sins. !! For example some might do a load of Stock trading which requires a very different optimal setup to those logging on to say Enterprise ERP type systems like SAP fiori etc. There again others might be running small businesses from home where they need some basic e-commerce stuff which could come from some Domain Hosting sites (quite cheap these days), while a lot of others might just need typical "Officy" type stuff where if the client / their work place provided a sensible "Virtual desktop" from the cloud / private vpn then so long as your home system can logon to it - it doesn't matter what your "Local" desktop is.

Afraid this question doesn't have a "Correct answer" -- as the Brits say "Horses for Courses".

Cheers
jimbo

unifex · Nov 26, 2021

I agree, the OP should specify what the machine is for, simply "business" is just to vague.

However, assuming there is no specific single task planned for this machine, and moreover, there will be no gaming and no extraordinary multi-monitor setup (not more than 2-3 screens), and in addition, it's not a "number cruncher" (either scientifically or mining or whatever), then basically anything you can afford will be good enough.

To explain, most modern computers are under-utilized - they are way more powerful that what people are using them for. Typical "office" tasks - spreadsheets, texts, web surfing, Zoom, some regular management software - all can run on basically any new computer one can buy. From this viewpoint, there is no difference at all, whether it's a Dell, HP, or any other brand out there. These tasks just don't need any special performance beyond your basic $400-500 desktop. If, on the other hand, you have some special needs that require better performance, then there is no general advice, you should start with the task and see what kind of resources are required.

BunnyJ · Nov 26, 2021

unifex said:
I agree, the OP should specify what the machine is for, simply "business" is just to vague.

However, assuming there is no specific single task planned for this machine, and moreover, there will be no gaming and no extraordinary multi-monitor setup (not more than 2-3 screens), and in addition, it's not a "number cruncher" (either scientifically or mining or whatever), then basically anything you can afford will be good enough.

To explain, most modern computers are under-utilized - they are way more powerful that what people are using them for. Typical "office" tasks - spreadsheets, texts, web surfing, Zoom, some regular management software - all can run on basically any new computer one can buy. From this viewpoint, there is no difference at all, whether it's a Dell, HP, or any other brand out there. These tasks just don't need any special performance beyond your basic $400-500 desktop. If, on the other hand, you have some special needs that require better performance, then there is no general advice, you should start with the task and see what kind of resources are required.

Spot on comments. Until we know what the device is going to be used for it's hard to tell what would be the 'best' one to suggest. Is it going to be used for basic office tasks? Or programming? Or data analysis? Or some creative things like photo editing?

I hesitate in suggesting a high end processor because it may not be needed. IMO... the 'best' overall processor has 6 cores and 12 threads. It's in the sweet spot for processors.. then toss on at least 16gb or ran and go from there

hdmi · Nov 26, 2021

BunnyJ said:
IMO... the 'best' overall processor has 6 cores and 12 threads. It's in the sweet spot for processors.. then toss on at least 16gb or ran and go from there

The CPU in my laptop "only" has 4 cores and 8 threads. Yet, the overall performance is easily more than 10% faster when compared to similar-priced laptops (I am talking about normal prices, not some heavy discount/promotion that could be used to make my conclusion "invalid"...) that use an AMD Ryzen CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads, so nope... even that still also greatly depends.

BunnyJ · Nov 26, 2021

hdmi said:
The CPU in my laptop "only" has 4 cores and 8 threads. Yet, the overall performance is easily more than 10% faster when compared to similar-priced laptops (I am talking about normal prices, not some heavy discount/promotion that could be used to make my conclusion "invalid"...) that use an AMD Ryzen CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads, so nope... even that still also greatly depends.

A four core could be what's needed and what the budget is. Until we know what it's going to be used for we're all just guessing at this point.

Berton · Nov 26, 2021

Don't know about many brands' offerings but my ASUS came from their business line and has been flawless for 6 years now. I like the Dell Latitude Notebooks for full-blown business and the Vostro Notebooks for combination consumer and business, so would assume their Desktops would be just as good. I just got a decent buy on a new 14" Vostro a month ago to get one that will run Win11 [none of mine meet the specs] so I can learn for support of my clients down the road. A lot of decision-making on the purchase will depend upon cost versus budget.

BunnyJ · Nov 26, 2021

Berton said:
Don't know about many brands' offerings but my ASUS came from their business line and has been flawless for 6 years now. I like the Dell Latitude Notebooks for full-blown business and the Vostro Notebooks for combination consumer and business, so would assume their Desktops would be just as good. I just got a decent buy on a new 14" Vostro a month ago to get one that will run Win11 [none of mine meet the specs] so I can learn for support of my clients down the road. A lot of decision-making on the purchase will depend upon cost versus budget.

I would look into an Asus.. but I just love their parts.

Berton · Nov 26, 2021

BunnyJ said:
I would look into an Asus.. but I just love their parts.

My ASUS is the one I mentioned in the Always on thread.

barman58 · Nov 26, 2021

I have been working for and with business and industry in the computer field for more than 40 years in various management roles and I cannot recall any two sets of equipment requirements that could be called Standard, basically as no two companies business needs are the same then the hardware required to run their systems can never be the same.

Haydon · Nov 26, 2021

We went up to the Xeon, and it will appear to me that not much (nothing?) is to be gained for typical SOHO use. If you go to your doctor's office, you see such a typical SOHO computer.

Now going down (although not all the way down to the bottom) to the Dell Vostro. What exactly are we giving up here? Or is the simpler device even the more appropriate SOHO device? Not just prudent but even wise frugality?

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