Computer worthy

[sis little]

Is this computer worthy to purchase?

HP 8200 Desktop Computer PC - Intel Quad-Core i5, 128GB SSD, 16GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 11 Pro, DVD, WIFI, (Monitor Not Included), RGB Keyboard and Mouse (Used - Like )

[Mike047]

6 hours ago, sis little said:

HP 8200 Desktop Computer PC - Intel Quad-Core i5

I guess this is a second-hand option you are considering. There are pros and cons, for this model and it may depend on how much they are asking for it, and whether it has a guarantee, for at least 1-2 years. Also whether you can see it working. What you want to use it for may also affect its usefulness.

 

Apart from that, you should look on some computer sites for view of those who have, or have had this model, and get their opinions on it.

 

 

[foghorn]

I purchased a HP with similar specs a few years ago. I use some fairly heavy-duty programs on it, and it has been working just fine. I got mine refurbished from Amazon - I checked today and the price is down to $106! Link if you are interested: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L7P3XYW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Myew]

11 hours ago, sis little said:

Is this computer worthy to purchase?

HP 8200 Desktop Computer PC - Intel Quad-Core i5, 128GB SSD, 16GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 11 Pro, DVD, WIFI, (Monitor Not Included), RGB Keyboard and Mouse (Used - Like )

Used refurb machines, particularly business desktops, are often decent computers, but it largely depends on your use case (what are you going to be using it for?) and the cost/value of the purchase. Do you have a link to it? It says Intel i5, but it's important to know the actual CPU model and the cost to know if it's a good value or not. I see it also doesn't come with a monitor, which would add to cost. Anymore, when it comes to someone wanting a traditional desktop style computer for basic use cases (email, web, video, zoom), I will typically recommend a used (cheaper, more power/performance) or even new (modern, tiny, low power, silent) mini PC. They can be found for similar prices, but are much more modern, smaller, easy to access/upgrade and less power consumption. The only reason to have towers anymore is if someone needs a graphics card for games/video editing. Take a look around any time you go into a doctor's office/hospital, they're all Mini PCs that they auction off every few years.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335352119320 (no power adapter included on this listing, need to buy separately)
https://www.amazon.com/Beelink-Desktop-Computer-Support-Ethernet/dp/B0CRKD4YQL/
https://www.amazon.com/GMKtec-Mini-PC-Computer-N100/dp/B09Q8Z6VB7/
https://www.amazon.com/KAMRUI-AK1PLUS-Computer-Computers-Family-NAS/dp/B0CKWTPX4T/

 

Edited April 21 by Myew

[computerwiz]

On 4/20/2024 at 11:01 PM, sis little said:

Is this computer worthy to purchase?

HP 8200 Desktop Computer PC - Intel Quad-Core i5, 128GB SSD, 16GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 11 Pro, DVD, WIFI, (Monitor Not Included), RGB Keyboard and Mouse (Used - Like )

 

Everything's good up until that 128GB SSD.  That's so little space....it will fill up fast.  Even if you barely use your PC, at least get a 256GB SSD.  Preferably 512 or 1TB if you plan to put a lot of videos on the computer.

[Mike047]

I recall my first computer, it was virtually a square box, and cost appr. £2,300. It ran on DOS (some will remember it) and it could hold 4 Mb of data (that's right 4 Mb of data).

It took up the greater part of my desktop but, at the time, it was a pretty amazing bit of equipment.

 

I remember that DOS took a bit of getting used to.

[foghorn]

2 hours ago, Mike047 said:

I recall my first computer

Well, since you brought that up...😀 my first one was a Kaypro  II.  It was a top dog for a short minute because 1) it was portable (sort of - weighed 26 lb,) and 2) it had  two 5¼-inch double-density floppy-disk drives. Also came with a word processor, spreadsheet, and a simple database. It had a Z80 microprocessor that ran at 2.5 MHz. The memory included 64 KB of RAM and 2 KB of ROM. The operating system was CP/M 2.2. Bill Gates supposedly used a variation of CP/M as the foundation for what ultimately became DOS.

[Pabo]

On 4/22/2024 at 12:58 AM, Myew said:

Do you have a link to it? It says Intel i5, but it's important to know the actual CPU model and the cost to know if it's a good value or not.

 

For the computer to be using Windows 11, it would have to be at least 8th Gen CPU.

 

As @computerwiz said, the SSD is a tad too small, unless you are thing of using it just for Zooming or web browsing.

Edited April 23 by Pabo

[sis little]

On 4/22/2024 at 1:53 PM, computerwiz said:

 

Everything's good up until that 128GB SSD.  That's so little space....it will fill up fast.  Even if you barely use your PC, at least get a 256GB SSD.  Preferably 512 or 1TB if you plan to put a lot of videos on the computer.

Thanks my brother.

[sis little]

On 4/21/2024 at 9:58 AM, Myew said:

Used refurb machines, particularly business desktops, are often decent computers, but it largely depends on your use case (what are you going to be using it for?) and the cost/value of the purchase. Do you have a link to it? It says Intel i5, but it's important to know the actual CPU model and the cost to know if it's a good value or not. I see it also doesn't come with a monitor, which would add to cost. Anymore, when it comes to someone wanting a traditional desktop style computer for basic use cases (email, web, video, zoom), I will typically recommend a used (cheaper, more power/performance) or even new (modern, tiny, low power, silent) mini PC. They can be found for similar prices, but are much more modern, smaller, easy to access/upgrade and less power consumption. The only reason to have towers anymore is if someone needs a graphics card for games/video editing. Take a look around any time you go into a doctor's office/hospital, they're all Mini PCs that they auction off every few years.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335352119320 (no power adapter included on this listing, need to buy separately)
https://www.amazon.com/Beelink-Desktop-Computer-Support-Ethernet/dp/B0CRKD4YQL/
https://www.amazon.com/GMKtec-Mini-PC-Computer-N100/dp/B09Q8Z6VB7/
https://www.amazon.com/KAMRUI-AK1PLUS-Computer-Computers-Family-NAS/dp/B0CKWTPX4T/

 

I was looking at those but I don’t know anything about computers except how to use them. So what do i need to know about the mini pc’s. What brand is good, how much space should they have?

[sis little]

20 hours ago, Pabo said:

 

For the computer to be using Windows 11, it would have to be at least 8th Gen CPU.

 

As @computerwiz said, the SSD is a tad too small, unless you are thing of using it just for Zooming or web browsing.

Where do I find CPU model at.

[Pabo]

1 hour ago, sis little said:

Where do I find CPU model at.

 

It may say on the CPU description i5-9??? or i5-10??? where the first number in a 4 digit or first 2 numbers after the "i5-" is the generation number. As we are at cutrently generation 14, each generation is released a year apart. So a 9th generation is about 5 years old, and 10th generation is 4 years old, and so on. However, they may not mention what generation CPU that is in their products sale specification description.

[Myew]

7 hours ago, sis little said:

what do i need to know about the mini pc’s. What brand is good, how much space should they have?

You generally need to know the same hardware specifications with any type of PC. That is, the CPU, RAM, and Storage for basic users. Brands don't matter too much. You want to meet a minimum threshold of performance from the CPU, which varies with model and generation, along with enough RAM and storage. At least 8GB of RAM and 256GB of Storage is fine for most people. Years ago I downloaded every single video in JW Library on a tablet which used 128GB of storage... 256GB might still allow you to download every video now (though it's very unlikely anyone needs to do that). The mini PCs that I linked there should be more than adequate in terms of performance for basic use cases (browsing, email, videos). For used, you would want at least a mid tier (i5) 8th gen CPU. With the new 12th gen+ chips, even the cheap n100/n97 ones are fine. Here's a short review of one of the cheaper GMKTec models.
 

 

Edited April 25 by Myew

[Witness1970]

I had an i5 in my last computer.  I could not update to Windows 11.  I was told that an i5 with a different chipset would update to Windows 11, but I had the wrong chipset.  I still have the old computer but don't use it much.  My new computer came with Windows 11 already installed, of course.  My old computer has a 256G SSD and a 1 TB HD.  If I decide to dispose of it, I would probably remove the 1 TB HD to use (possibly with my new computer.)

 

I hate to throw anything away, not because of the cost, but because we are trashing the earth when we throw things away.

[Pabo]

1 hour ago, Witness1970 said:

I had an i5 in my last computer.  I could not update to Windows 11.  I was told that an i5 with a different chipset would update to Windows 11, but I had the wrong chipset.  I still have the old computer but don't use it much.  My new computer came with Windows 11 already installed, of course.  My old computer has a 256G SSD and a 1 TB HD.  If I decide to dispose of it, I would probably remove the 1 TB HD to use (possibly with my new computer.)

 

I hate to throw anything away, not because of the cost, but because we are trashing the earth when we throw things away.

 

The i3 & i5 7th generation CPU or previous generations will not update to Windows 11, but 8th generation onwards will. However, some i7 & i9 7th generation CPU's will update to Windows 11.

 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors

 

Edited April 25 by Pabo

[Katty]

Sounds good if you don't plan on storing a lot of videos. 128GB isn't a whole lot if you have a lot of video or graphical files, but if you just stream videos, mostly, that's fine. 

[Katty]

3 hours ago, Witness1970 said:

I had an i5 in my last computer.  I could not update to Windows 11.  I was told that an i5 with a different chipset would update to Windows 11, but I had the wrong chipset.  I still have the old computer but don't use it much.  My new computer came with Windows 11 already installed, of course.  My old computer has a 256G SSD and a 1 TB HD.  If I decide to dispose of it, I would probably remove the 1 TB HD to use (possibly with my new computer.)

 

I hate to throw anything away, not because of the cost, but because we are trashing the earth when we throw things away.

Not upgrading to 11 sounds like a perk to me. My husband has 11, and I still have 10, and I hate working on his computer. They went and changed everything again. 

[Myew]

The limitations on CPUs for Windows 11 are mostly arbitrary, though there are a couple of security reasons. Windows 10 will continue to work after Oct 2025, though it may no longer receive security updates. Technically the limitations on installing Windows 11 are pretty easy to bypass, you can manually install Windows 11 on very old hardware... but at least when it comes to my main desktop (my mini PC, laptop and handheld are Win 11) I'm content to stick to Win 10 as long as I possibly can. You can make either operating system more or less look the same as the other (sometimes for a price), but Windows 11 adds next to nothing in features (they even discontinued the Android subsystem), actually removed a few features, and bake yet more advertisements into the operating system itself.

[sis little]

What about this one, 

About this item 

• ✔️Latest 12th Intel Alder Lake-N100 - Beelink Mini S12 Pro mini pc is powered by 2023 Latest Intel 12th Gen processor Alder Lake-N100(4C/4T, 6M Smart Cache, up to 3.4GHz, 25W TDP) , delivers more than 25% higher performance than N5105. Compared with U59 Pro mini pc, Mini S12 pro is smaller, only 4.52x4.01x1.54 inches. Easier to carry anywhere for flexible working. Compact size makes the mini computer the top choice for your light Office work, 4K video playback, online education, design and etc. 
• ✔️8GB DDR4 + 256GB SSD, Upgrade Friendly - Beelink N100 mini pc has built-in single channel 8GB DDR4 RAM (max 3200MHz) and 256GB PCIe 1X SSD. You can replace the SSD to max 2TB or add a 2TB of 2.5-inch 7mm HDD/M.2 SSD 2280 (not included) to expand the storage. Large capacity enables you to switch back and forth between more applications and save more favorite documents or movies. 
• ✔️UHD Graphics & 4K Dual Screen Display - Mini desktop computer has equipped with Intel UHD Graphics(max 750MHz), delivers powerful graphics performance, supports 4K video playback and AV1 decoding, connect the pc with a projector as a home theatre, enjoy a variety of entertainments. Two HDMI 2.0 ports allow you to multi-task efficiently on two 4K@60Hz displays. It is convenient to hide the mini pcs on the back of the monitor or HDTV via the vesa mount, free you from messy desktop. 
• ✔️Stable WiFi6 & Fast BT5.2 - The latest wireless connectivity with 802.11ax which offers speeds up to 600Mbps. Built-in Bluetooth 5.2 enables you to connect multiple wireless devices such as mice, keyboard, monitoring equipment, printer and monitor. High-speed wireless connection technology, reliable and efficient transmission speed, providing a faster internet experience for browsing and streaming. Small pc supports Wake On LAN, PXE Boot, RTC Wake and Auto Power On, ideal to use as a server. 
• ✔️Upgraded Interface + Efficient Heat Dissipation - Mini S12 Pro micro pc comes with multiple interfaces (4*USB3.2 Gen2, 2*HDMI2.0, 1* 1000M LAN, 1*Audio Jack, 1*DC Jack). The new upgraded USB3.2 Gen2 ports run at up to 10 Gbps speeds, which is 2 times faster than USB3.0. The built-in ultra-quiet fan, heat sink, and hard drive cooling cover help to cool down the CPU processor and reduce hardware loss, delivering faster response speed.

[Myew]

That's the first one I linked in newer mini PCs. That also happens to be the most frequently sold Mini PC on Amazon. Spec wise it is fine for web use. There is a small number of users who had issues with them within the first few weeks, so I want to make sure you're aware of that, but that's sadly pretty common with most cheaper tech and dealing with random sellers on Amazon. It doesn't really offer any customer support. If you value reliability over value, you may be interested in a more costly PC from a major manufacturer... but I don't personally feel it's worth paying twice as much to get something from a major brand, since if something went wrong, I could easily do a clean Windows install or replace a bad component like storage. But I'm not most people.

Personally, I would prefer this specific GMKtec G5 model/seller with the faster n97 CPU and a bit more RAM. https://www.amazon.com/GMKtec-Nucbox5-Desktop-Computer-Windows/dp/B09Q8Z6VB7/ I might even prefer to buy it directly from their website to make sure I'm not dealing with a third party seller. https://www.gmktec.com/products/intel-alder-lake-n97-mini-pc-nucbox-g5

 

[sis little]

14 hours ago, Myew said:

That's the first one I linked in newer mini PCs. That also happens to be the most frequently sold Mini PC on Amazon. Spec wise it is fine for web use. There is a small number of users who had issues with them within the first few weeks, so I want to make sure you're aware of that, but that's sadly pretty common with most cheaper tech and dealing with random sellers on Amazon. It doesn't really offer any customer support. If you value reliability over value, you may be interested in a more costly PC from a major manufacturer... but I don't personally feel it's worth paying twice as much to get something from a major brand, since if something went wrong, I could easily do a clean Windows install or replace a bad component like storage. But I'm not most people.

Personally, I would prefer this specific GMKtec G5 model/seller with the faster n97 CPU and a bit more RAM. https://www.amazon.com/GMKtec-Nucbox5-Desktop-Computer-Windows/dp/B09Q8Z6VB7/ I might even prefer to buy it directly from their website to make sure I'm not dealing with a third party seller. https://www.gmktec.com/products/intel-alder-lake-n97-mini-pc-nucbox-g5

 

I ordered it from Amazon and I should have it today sometimes 

Thanks for everyones help AGAPE 

[Myew]

Let us know if you need any guidance setting it up. I would typically recommend at least uninstalling OneDrive for more performance, provided you don't intend to use Microsoft's $100/y office suite. There's plenty of free office software.