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How to pick
There is a floor below which a cheap computer stops being a bargain and starts being a daily irritation. The two things never to compromise on are a solid state drive and 16GB of memory. A cheap machine with those will feel fine for years. An expensive one without them will not, whatever the processor says on the box.
What I recommend
Small and cheap, and still worth owning
There is a floor below which a cheap computer stops being a bargain and becomes a daily irritation. Never compromise on a solid state drive or on 16GB of memory. A cheap machine with both will feel fine for years.
Refurbished Dell OptiPlex Micro
A three year old business machine beats a brand new budget tower and costs less. These come off corporate leases in enormous numbers, which keeps supply steady. Built to be opened and repaired, unlike anything sold new at this price.
- Better built than anything new at the price
- Parts and drivers stay available for years
- Opens without tools
- Very small and quiet
- Cosmetic marks are normal, that is what refurbished means
- Warranty is from the seller, not Dell, so check it
- Older processor generation than a new machine
- Stock varies, the exact model changes constantly
- Comes from
- Corporate lease returns
- Check
- 16GB memory and an SSD
- Check also
- Seller offers a real warranty
- Versus new budget
- Faster and lasts longer
Budget mini PC
A new small desktop with a modern processor for less than most laptops. Fine for email, documents, browsing and video calls, which is what most desktops actually do. Check it ships with 16GB and a solid state drive, because the very cheapest ones do not.
- New, with a full warranty
- Takes almost no desk space
- Quiet, most have no moving parts
- Modern ports including USB-C
- Brands are often ones you have not heard of
- Support can be poor if something goes wrong
- Barely upgradeable beyond memory and storage
- Some ship with 8GB, which is not enough
If you want new from a name you know
More money, but a warranty you can actually use and a support line that answers.
Dell Inspiron or HP Pavilion desktop
The consumer lines from the big two. Not as well built as their business machines and not as easy to repair, but new, warranted, and sold everywhere. Check the specification carefully, because these lines still ship configurations with too little memory.
- Full manufacturer warranty and support
- Widely available and easy to return
- Comes with Windows properly licensed
- Consumer build quality, not business
- Often loaded with software you do not want
- Cheapest configurations still ship 8GB
- Harder to open and upgrade than a business machine
Not sure if it is enough machine?
Send me what you are looking at and I will tell you honestly whether it will do what you need.