Would Like Input Regarding Cheap Refurb Win10 Computers

Qs Laptop

Qs Laptop

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I'm considering getting DW a cheap desktop computer. She needs to be able to run MS Office, surf the web, use dual monitors, and connect a web cam. At some point it should be able to be upgraded to Win11, but if it's cheap enough, it won't matter. It need not be anything fancy.

I found this at MicroCenter. I am quite surprised at the price. Has anyone got experience with buying and using a cheap refurbed computer?

https://www.microcenter.com/product/639274/dell-optiplex-5050-sff-desktop-computer-(refurbished)
 
I run HP Elitedesk 800s at home and they run great. I pay $139 to $160 for them. They also have newer and fast m.2 drives. Ebay Link
 
Sorry I didn't answer the second question. Yes I have tons of experience with refurbished laptops and desktops. The majority of these machines are off corporate leases. I'm in the IT field and our replacement cycle for laptops was 3 years and desktops 4 years. I have not had any problems buying off lease products.
 
Looks like I'd have to get a wi-fi adapter for the Dell 5050. Also just learned they are almost 7 years old.
 
I should have mentioned I don't want a laptop. DW has a laptop and wants to move on to a desktop. Also, I don't want to debate the laptop with docking station solution. That's what she has and she doesn't like it.
 
upupandaway said:
Sorry I didn't answer the second question. Yes I have tons of experience with refurbished laptops and desktops. The majority of these machines are off corporate leases. I'm in the IT field and our replacement cycle for laptops was 3 years and desktops 4 years. I have not had any problems buying off lease products.
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You bring up a concern of mine. This Dell I'm looking at came out in 2017. It's 7 years old. How long can I expect it to last?
 
We have a couple Optiplexes we replaced a year or so ago with Lenovo Thinkcentres. The Optiplexes were fine, but the Thinkcentres are about an 1/8th the size (about 7"x7"x1.2") and substantially cooler and quieter. We have one with internal WiFi and one with a WiFi dongle - both work fine. Built for industry, they have multiple monitor outputs. Lots of variety in the outputs in the different build Thinkcentres, so worth checking around. Think there may be an issue converting to Windows 11, but not too excited to do that anyway, so... Been nothing but business refurbs for decades now? Work$ for u$.
 
Qs Laptop said:
You bring up a concern of mine. This Dell I'm looking at came out in 2017. It's 7 years old. How long can I expect it to last?
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Well, you may want to check if it can support Windows 11. If it can, it will likely require some fiddling to get it to work. Microsoft plans to stop supporting Windows 10 next year. I've always preferred desktops but my next PC will likely be a mini-PC. They run the gamut of computing power from basic to even gaming capability and their footprint is amazingly small. They generally come with Windows 11 installed.
 
Ian S said:
I posted my recommendation for a mini-PC before I saw your link to one. I definitely think this is the way to go!
Click to expand...

I also went mini about 6 months ago with bmax. Attaches to back of monitor, runs dual monitors and with wireless keyboard and mouse makes for clean desktop. All in with 24” monitor was about $300/. Windows 12, office 2021
 
Sunset said:
My computer I'm using right now is 12 years old.
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Looking at past PC purchases and PC builds, most of my PCs lasted about 5-6 years. Usually, once I jumped to a new Windows OS, I upgraded the hardware (Win95 -> WinXP -> Win7 -> Win10).

My current PC is a bit over four years old and should last me until Win10 is EOL'ed in October 2025, making it about six years old. At that time, I will transition away from Windows to Linux, and hopefully my (then) six year-old PC can give me a few more years of service.
 
I'm not advocating for the specific computer I listed but I did want you to know that Intels nomenclature for processors can be very difficult to understand. The HP I posted has a 7th gen I7 and the beelink has a 12th gen N100. At least to me that would mean the 12th gen would be far better. In reality the N100 is an embedded low power consumption CPU. This will however save you around $10 a year in electricity but performance wise it is around 45% slower. What ever you buy I would look at the type of processor that is being used.

Here are is the benchmark for the two processors.
 
upupandaway said:
I'm not advocating for the specific computer I listed but I did want you to know that Intels nomenclature for processors can be very difficult to understand. The HP I posted has a 7th gen I7 and the beelink has a 12th gen N100. At least to me that would mean the 12th gen would be far better. In reality the N100 is an embedded low power consumption CPU. This will however save you around $10 a year in electricity but performance wise it is around 45% slower. What ever you buy I would look at the type of processor that is being used.

Here are is the benchmark for the two processors.
Click to expand...

Yes, I brought this topic up to my son, who is an avid gamer and builds computers for himself and friends and he said the exact same thing. Basically, the processor in the refurb Dell was better and faster than the Beelink mini PC and overall better, but was old. He also said the Beelink screenshots on Amazon were faked!

Thanks for the link. I can use that to compare CPUs when I build my next computer.
 
Ian S said:
Well, you may want to check if it can support Windows 11. If it can, it will likely require some fiddling to get it to work. Microsoft plans to stop supporting Windows 10 next year. I've always preferred desktops but my next PC will likely be a mini-PC. They run the gamut of computing power from basic to even gaming capability and their footprint is amazingly small. They generally come with Windows 11 installed.
Click to expand...

I don't think the Dell refurb will support Win11. From what I understand you need a Gen 11 Intel processor to run Windows 11. The one in the Dell refurb is Gen 6.
 
Qs Laptop said:
I don't think the Dell refurb will support Win11. From what I understand you need a Gen 11 Intel processor to run Windows 11. The one in the Dell refurb is Gen 6.
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I am running Windows 11 on an Intel i7 7700 system I built about 5 years ago. I wasn't looking to upgrade necessarily but Windows said it was ready and I just gave it the go ahead.
 
Qs Laptop said:
Yes, I brought this topic up to my son, who is an avid gamer and builds computers for himself and friends and he said the exact same thing. Basically, the processor in the refurb Dell was better and faster than the Beelink mini PC and overall better, but was old. He also said the Beelink screenshots on Amazon were faked!

Thanks for the link. I can use that to compare CPUs when I build my next computer.
Click to expand...
When I looked at Beelink models, I came to a similar conclusion, that a refurb Dell desktop model would be a better spend, if space wasn't an issue. Others will have different opinions.

I think the difference is that you want something that works like your setup. It is easier to support two similar models, in my opinion.

I personally wouldn't buy a 7-year old desktop, but others would.
 
statsman said:
Looking at past PC purchases and PC builds, most of my PCs lasted about 5-6 years. Usually, once I jumped to a new Windows OS, I upgraded the hardware (Win95 -> WinXP -> Win7 -> Win10).

My current PC is a bit over four years old and should last me until Win10 is EOL'ed in October 2025, making it about six years old. At that time, I will transition away from Windows to Linux, and hopefully my (then) six year-old PC can give me a few more years of service.
Click to expand...

My 12 yr old computer has been running Ubuntu the entire time. I upgrade the OS to the new version every few years (after taking doing a clone of the drive).

So I think you will get a lot more years out of it.
 
target2019 said:
When I looked at Beelink models, I came to a similar conclusion, that a refurb Dell desktop model would be a better spend, if space wasn't an issue. Others will have different opinions.

I think the difference is that you want something that works like your setup. It is easier to support two similar models, in my opinion.

I personally wouldn't buy a 7-year old desktop, but others would.
Click to expand...

Even if it would somehow run Win11, after thinking about it I'm not comfortable buying a 7 year old desktop.

As to getting a mini PC, to get one with a decent CPU and dual monitor output, it's over $300. I worry about heat with these little boxes.

My current thinking is to scavenge components out of my old Win7 machine and build a mid-tower PC. I can take the 750 watt gold plus fully modular power supply and possibly my mid-range graphic card. I have plenty of keyboards and mice, as well as speakers.

I'm going to price out some components and see how it compares to buying something new.
 
Yep. I go in the bank and sit down at a desk to speak with someone and look at the back of their monitor and - there's a "tiny" Lenovo or Elite. I don't do mad hi-res gaming or ask the computer to create and render 3D AI movies or anything - I sit and read email and websites, commune with Quicken, flounder around in Fidelity, look at all kinds of video on YouTube or Reddit - that's about it. For me it is important that my CPU is as quiet as possible, cool running (here in the desert one notices), and easy to transport between N and S homes.

For us, the re-furb industry tiny Lenovos were just perfect.
 
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