Cheap Desktop For G/F's Boss

shuffles03

My G/f's boss is looking for a cheap desktop. Budget is €300/400. Needs everything - screen, desktop etc etc.

What's the best he can get for that price? Primarily uses it for daily basic work, internet banking etc.

Recurve360

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/ASUS-K5130UK006S-Desktop-PC/315445/307 and this http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/AOC-e2050S-20andquot-LEDBacklit-Monitor/309479/113.

Comes to 270 total. Would just need a mouse and keyboard then which can even be got in the likes of tesco or PC world itself too

shuffles03

Is it possible to get 4GB of ram and a fast enough processor for that price?

Khannie

Dell for that budget and the not technically inclined IMO.

shuffles03

Thanks for the responses. I just asked my g/f what exactly the desktop will be used for. This is what he needs:

- The ability to do online banking
- A large hard drive
- The ability to run Illustrator
- The ability to run CAD

I think CAD will be the problem. I'm guessing a good amount of RAM will be needed for that. Capacity and compatibility is what he is looking for essentially.

RangeR

shuffles03 wrote: »

I think CAD will be the problem. I'm guessing a good amount of RAM will be needed for that. Capacity and compatibility is what he is looking for essentially.

And a semi decent graphics card.

RangeR

If you go for one of those two cheap PC's above, and IF they support the extra ram, you can get cheap compatible ram from the likes of http://www.crucial.com/eu/. I've upped a good few PC's in here to 6 or 8GB for less than €100. You really will need the extra RAM for CAD and Illustrator.

shuffles03

I've just been told that a laptop could be used too if one could be found that matches the specs needed as well as the price

GarIT

For CAD you will need to double the budget.

RangeR

How about this?
It's €488 inc VAT but he should be able to get the VAT back.

GarIT

Check the minimum requirements for Solid works, its the most common CAD program. You need about 8GB or ram, a good processor and a high end graphics card.

Recurve360

Machine I listed will be of no use then. Cad is a demanding program. I really wouldnt reccomend getting at least 8gb ram and also a decent graphics card like a 6670 or gt640

shuffles03

GarIT wrote: »

For CAD you will need to double the budget.

Do you have a link to a desktop/laptop that would run CAD? I'll send the link onto her boss to show him he needs to spend more.

kirving

shuffles03 wrote: »

Do you have a link to a desktop/laptop that would run CAD? I'll send the link onto her boss to show him he needs to spend more.

Even 2D AutoCAD is demanding enough if you want smooth scrolling and zooming, etc, although you can run on lower setting but it looks awful and is a pain to work ok.

If he's doing any kind of demanding work, he has to up his budget. It might also be an idea to look at a CAD orientated gfx card too?

For even light CAD work, using any program, you need at 19 inch 4:3 and the absolute minimum. 20 inch wide is too small, go with 23. Any less and you'll have a headache.

yoyo

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Even 2D AutoCAD is demanding enough if you want smooth scrolling and zooming, etc, although you can run on lower setting but it looks awful and is a pain to work ok.

If he's doing any kind of demanding work, he has to up his budget. It might also be an idea to look at a CAD orientated gfx card too?

For even light CAD work, using any program, you need at 19 inch 4:3 and the absolute minimum. 20 inch wide is too small, go with 23. Any less and you'll have a headache.

Illustrator is quite demanding as well, particularly with larger artboards. I would definitely recommend getting a decent system if CAD and Illustrator are going to be main uses. Cheap computers are really only good for internet and email

Nick

shuffles03

What computer would you recommend to do all of that? I'll give him a link to a cheap computer that would handle basic computing and then a link to a computer needed to handle CAD, Illustrator etc and let him make up his own mind on what he wants to do.

GarIT

Tell Precision T1700 should do the job, I can't link to it though. Comes to 1.4k including vat, 22 inch Monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. 1.1K ex vat.

You could save massively by building it yourself.

shuffles03

His budget has gone up to €800 based on feedback from here. Would that do? Any recommendations?

GarIT

Could it be a custom built PC?

shuffles03

GarIT wrote: »

Could it be a custom built PC?

It could. Would need to come pre-built though (I think that's an option when you order, isn't it?).

Also, would an iMac work? There's a 2011 iMac on adverts for that budget. Big screen - good for designers?

Torqay

GarIT wrote: »

Tell Precision T1700 should do the job, I can't link to it though. Comes to 1.4k including vat, 22 inch Monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. 1.1K ex vat.

You could save massively by building it yourself.

Maybe... But the Precision workstations are so expensive because of the business-grade graphics cards. Many CAD applications support features which are locked in consumer GPUs. AMD FireGL or Nvidia Quadro cards cost a helluva lot more than comparable Radeon or GTX cards.

Torqay

shuffles03 wrote: »

It could. Would need to come pre-built though (I think that's an option when you order, isn't it?).

Also, would an iMac work? There's a 2011 iMac on adverts for that budget. Big screen - good for designers?

It would be good to know which CAD software they're using.

Skerries

I think for that money and the specs he needs I would post this over in the building and upgrading forum and get them to spec up a decent custom build that can be pre-assembled for the money

JIdontknow

What CAD software will be used? For example a basic 2D Autocad package, or Pro-Engineer (Now Creo) or Solid Works, Autodesk Inventor etc?
I use a Lenovo laptop W520 in work, 4gb HD, Intel core i7 2.4 Ghz processor, and often have Creo2.0, and Autocad running at the same time, along with emails, word, maybe even Inventor and its ideal, the machine is a beast (Maybe out of price range unless you find second hand one).

You would need 4GB memory minimum, 8 may be too much in my personal experience (I know you cant have enough ram but for budget 4 I think could do the job, you can always add another 1-2GB), but 4 minimum and a graphics card.

It really depends on what software, for example as said if its just 2D AutoCad / Mechanical Desktop / Autocad LT etc, its not too heavy to run, or are they large 3D assembly Models, or basic 3D Parts?

Creo really drains the system compared to Solid Works or Inventor, have a Dell Inspiron 531 desktop at home which runs Autocad or Autodesk Inventor 3D assembly models no problem.

shuffles03

My g/f just sent me the basic requirements for CAD 2014 that they will at least need:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=15412189&linkID=9240617

GarIT

shuffles03 wrote: »

My g/f just sent me the basic requirements for CAD 2014 that they will at least need:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=15412189&linkID=9240617

That doesn't look too bad, I've seen much worse with other CAD software, although I assume if you get the bare minimum it will be extremely slow.

If you go over to the PC building & Upgrading form, link to this thread, tell them your budget, that you need it prebuilt, what extras you need and specify that you need an Xeon Processor and a CAD graphics card. They will help you from here.

shuffles03

Thanks for all the help and responses. Could a mod move this thread over to the PC Building & Upgrading section?

yoyo

shuffles03 wrote: »

Thanks for all the help and responses. Could a mod move this thread over to the PC Building & Upgrading section?

I would recommend creating a new post using the template provided there in the stickies . Too many posts in this thread may cause people to skip your info . I'll move it over for you if you like though just let me know

Nick

shuffles03

yoyo wrote: »

I would recommend creating a new post using the template provided there in the stickies . Too many posts in this thread may cause people to skip your info . I'll move it over for you if you like though just let me know

Nick

I posted a new thread using the template.

Thanks.

Also, if anyone can think of an existing desktop that would satisfy the above requirements for €800 or less, post away.

Thanks again for all the responses.