thin client for office setup

EL_Loco

Hello,

Require Dual screen capability, 4gb RAM. Still using xp because of in house software but it's all being tested for win7, eventually hope to move across. not alot of HD space required. Not a media rich environment.

Pricing is a big consideration also.

Here's my stab, be gentle.

http://www.komplett.ie/k/shoplist.aspx?mode=receive&si=781724&su=95e34cba-3924-44d0-9d31-7642bde020a6

edit: no dvd, cd drive is intentional. no need for keyboard, mouse or screens.

Solitaire

Do you need a full-width case or would you fancy something smaller? How vital is processing power? Are your apps enabled for multithreading? And does it matter about GPU power/functionality or do you need the dual monitors to both be connected via the same method (VGA, DVI, DL-DVI, HDMI)?? Are you sure about RAM (you only have 2GB on the shopping list) and how much local storage do you really need - given these are thin clients aren't you going to store everything including OS and apps on a networked location (server/NAS rig) instead of having local HDDs?

Until I get some of the above info I'll probably be a bit off-base, but so long as you're willing to move a little further afield in the Eurozone (tell me now if you are limited to Ireland for tax!!) here's a basic thin-client for less than €220 a pop or under €250 shipped per unit:



Of course this assumes that you really need the local storage (which could save you nearly €40 a pop if you go for a truly "thin" client) and that you can use either DVI or VGA on the monitors (modern onboard graphics support two monitors but are limited to one digital output).

EL_Loco

opps,

back to terminology school with me. The Clients will have the OS and apps on the local machines. Most of the files worked on are on a network drive. so a large local HD isn't required. 320 should be loads for windows, MS office and the inhouse stuff. People are barely breaking 30GB as is.

There's an upgrade kit in my list which has 2gb, + the 2gb that listed by itself.

I'm not sure about the tax implications, I'll talk to the accountants.

edit: the monitors have VGA inputs mostly, with the few DVI outputs having a converter attached to bring it to VGA. The GPU isn't a huge requirement as the fanciest thing being displayed will be an excel graph 1280 x 1024 would be plenty from a desktop dimension point of view.

Thanks for the input.

Solitaire

Sorry, forgot about the stick included with the kit

That upgrade kit is okay, but the mobo is naff. The problem is that while the X3-435 kit is probably a better bet the mobo is even worse! At least it won't matter too much given we're not using high-end equipment or RAID arrays here! As for CPU it really depends on if the apps you're using are multithreaded - Excel has only been multithreaded since Office 2007 AFAIK. Of course, if you're multitasking CPU-intensive apps you'll also see the benefits of the third CPU core, giving it a 50% lead over the E6300.

The monitors will be an issue as very few graphics cards are designed to drive multiple analog displays. Most kits only include a DVI-VGA adapter if they come with no VGA port in the first place If you don't need any fancy functionality get these, if you need a bit more power and/or full set of multimedia acceleration for some reason, get these. If you need CUDA support for some reason you need this instead. There might be some latitude for running the second monitor off the integrated VGA on the cheapie motherboards of course!

Maximum PSU you'd ever need in these rigs is the Corsair CX400; they'll use feck-all power without a fleet of local 3.5" HDDs (and that only contributes to peak output), hardcore CPUs or gaming-grade GPUs. I'd have specced some low-end Antecs instead to cut costs further but Komplett don't do any sub-400W units anymore. Same gig with the HDD: a decent (recent Hitachi or Samsung) 320GB HDD isn't going to come to much more than a naff 250GB unit and reliable small-capacity units are all fallen by the wayside or no cheaper than the units above.