Most places I looked are trying to charge ridiculous prices for age old components.
I will be running dual monitors with a light to medium work load. Not going to be playing games so don't need powerful GPU, although the option to upgrade later would be useful. It's for work, so I've been given a max $1000 budget (excluding monitors).
Low noise is an absolute must.
Any suggestions for specific models or brands are appreciated!
Places like Dell, Lenovo and HP will do this for you and you get solid discounts for buying in bulk. For lowest cost stuff, they're the way to go.
Where are you? For suggesting local PC shops that do this kinda stuff. CPL and Scorptec both do this sort of thing in Melbourne.
Places like Dell, Lenovo and HP will do this for you and you get solid discounts for buying in bulk. For lowest cost stuff, they're the way to go.
Not a chance, they're always far more expensive than building yourself or just paying your local PC shop to build it for you after picking out parts.
I'm thinking of when buying dozen's of computers for an office. If you're buying one, then local places are the way to go.
That has a $500 GPU in it. OP has stated that he doesn't need a GPU.
Try DD Computers
Not pre-built but PCCASEGear put them together pretty quickly. I'm a fan of their service. Couple of times I've had trouble with components they sorted it out promptly with no fuss.
PCCG Silent Professional System
https://www.pccasegear.com/bundle/98/pccg-silent-professiona…
Are you after one PC or a bunch?
For basic office work a refurb Optiplex 9010 and SSD, optionally with a 1050Ti for gaming, and you're set for $500. If you want brand new then Techfast always has great PC deals on OzBargain - even a cheap build for $700 will be an easy solution including a modern GPU.
I'd suggest spending the excess on an ultrawide monitor for "improved efficiency" though!
"It's for work"
Meaning next business day service would be necessary like via Dell or Lenovo? Or your employer is happy for you to be offline for several days whilst stuffing around fault finding.
If it's just office workload — there are lots of refurbished ex-corporate PCs that are well built and come with Windows license. Lookup on eBay for Dell Optiplex or Lenovo ThinkCentre in $200-$300 price range.
intel NUC, been running on 24/7 as a home media server for over 5 years.
I5 with a SSD should be good.