Looking for the best value PC, hoping for a small or slim one so it can be mounted to the back of a monitor. It would only be for basic youtube, emails and web browsing for an older person.
I know theres been lots of deals for the small form factor PCs but looking for one thats good enough for everyday use. Preowned or new.
Old Pc for Old Person?
i5 is old but still good
Old Person is old but still good
Works both ways, I don't buy teddy bears or books for baby showers anymore, I buy a 7950X3D.
8th gen or above is worthwhile for official Windows 11 support.
Windows 10 support ends in October 2025.
so it can be mounted to the back of a monitor.
probably a micro?
Look at:
Dell Micro (3030, 3050, 3070, 7040, 7050, etc) Lenovo Micro (mq910, mq920, etc), etc, they're solid machines that are tiny and reasonably cheap second hand ($150 - $250 depending on specs).
Go for a 16GB ram, 512GB SSD version of one of these boxes.
I can vouch for the Dell micros. I’ve been running a 9020m 24/7 for three years without any problems in a shed.
It is pretty hard to find something that won't do those sorts of light duties.
Its just a matter of find something that's not so old that it doesn't support all the current connectivity options like being able to plug in an M.2 NVMe drive, USB 3 at at least 10 Gb/s, and ethernet, and a DP or HDMI screen.
OP, do you need wifi to connect to your router?
And would you be happy with a reliable refurbished PC, and could do stull like installing Windows and software on it. Or do you want a new PC with a new guarantee and fully loaded ready to go?
Oh, and then there's Windows. Any thing will run Windows 10, but it has reached the end of its support life and will stop getting security updates soon. But will still work. Would you be happy with that, or do you want Windows 11 which will get updates and be more secure?
I have heard many of the micro and small sized ones are not very powerful but I am out of the loop. Its for a family member who wants a laptop but I figure this is better because screens can easily be replaced compared to a laptop for full time home use. I can install windows myself, used is fine, theres some good deals with used PCs. Family member was even using a lite version of linux on an ultra low spec laptop. As its literally for web use, word processing and youtube etc even linux is ok, that I can figure out myself. I just need help with hardware as I am a bit out of the loop.
Look at the mini pcs on Amazon. Starting at Intel N100 based with 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD from around $200, or spend a bit more for higher spec. Mount on your monitor, if your monitor supports it, my curved screen doesn’t. There’s been quite a few posted on Ozbargain recently. The prices fluctuate week to week, but camelcamelcamel will help you get one at a low price.
Eg $259 Beelink N100 https://amzn.asia/d/aJa2gzJ
I'd recommend a pre-owned MacBook Air or 12-Inch, but if you must have a PC: HP EliteDesk and ProDesk are desktop mini form factor. You can use this type of mount for any brand display or there are specific versions that play nicely with HP displays. I used to resell HP desktops; they're arguably better than Dell.
Sure an iPad wouldn't cover their needs? iPads are pretty old persons friendly, once it's all set up anyway.
My dad used a windows machine daily for his job, once he hit retirement and he handed his laptop back I setup a mini desktop in case he wanted a computer to use.
He uses his iPad daily. The desktop gets turned on once every 6 months, by me, to install the last 6 months worth of updates. He's a lot happier not having to use windows anymore and the iPad gives him all the books/news/games he wants in a simple package.
I think a PC would be better as they are used to it, with the keyboard etc. They can use a phone, so maybe an android tablet would be ok at some stage but I am hoping to have a large screen with the mini pc bolted to the back of it, their eye sight is bad so figure the bigger screen the better. Easy to move as they dont like the table cluttered up with a pc all the time either.
In the same boat, thanks for all the suggestions above everyone. Old man’s i7-3770 is due for an upgrade
For a simple solution, I would highly recommend one of the Amazon mini-PCs we see around here every few weeks. Basically the requirements are an Intel N100 CPU and at least 16GB RAM. You can easily find them for < $200 here.
For example, something like this would be perfect: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/848748 - way more than powerful enough for basic home / office use - e.g. checking emails, web browsing…etc. The integrated Intel graphics is quite modern, so will support decoding of the latest video formats, meaning streaming high bitrate / resolution online videos should be a breeze.
In terms of performance, the Intel N100 has obsoleted most of the Dell Optiplex style systems we see on sale here - it's around comparable to an i5 6400 or so, with significantly less power consumption and future longevity.
There are uses for a Dell Optiplex (e.g. they are easily expandable with PCIe slots, storage devices, are more flexible in how they can be deployed, can be repaired and redeployed…etc.), but these are all more relevant for tinkerers than your use case.
With the advent of CPUs with decent integrated video, and M.2 SSD drives you don't really need a big power supply or case these days.
Start with a monitor that has HDMI and speakers.
Get an ASRock A520M/AC motherboard or similar. $99. AMD 5600G CPU. Or, even better, a 5600GE. RAM and SSD of size required.
Get sheet of polycarbonate from Bunnings. Cut to size of motherboard. Drill 4 holes for screws to mount it to the VESA mounting holes on the back of the monitor. Drill 4 or 6 more holes for screws (with spacers) to mount the motherboard to the out-facing side of the polycarbonate sheet. Attach it to monitor. Attach motherboard to it.
Now get a 150W picoPSU - or similar - and a 12V 10A power brick to power it.
Boot up the board by shorting the PWR pins on the motherboard, then go into the BIOS and set it to boot from the keyboard or mouse. Or get a remote PWR switch and mount it somewhere accessible.
Presto, you've got a quite powerful PC hidden out of sight on the back of your monitor which usually just faces a wall anyway.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/865626