cbrshadow

I have a cycling setup in my garage that has software that I use my home laptop for. While I do that I'm playing youtube videos in the background. I'm wondering if this is a good use-case for a cheap "mini-PC". I don't require a lot of HDD space, no major graphics processing, ability to connect 1 monitor (2 would be nice but not necessary) and generally only 1-2 hours of use per session, 4-5 times per week. Is there anything else I should consider? Here's the minimum system requirements for the software I use: 2.33GHz or faster x86-compatible processor, or Intel Atom™ 1.6GHz or faster processor for netbook class devices. Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008, Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (including 64 bit editions) with Service Pack 2, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10. 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended). A minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 What's the cheapest route I could go? Any outstanding mini-pc deals out there right now? Thanks, Ryan

Only thing I couldn't find was the Windows 10 for $25. Did I miss out on a deal, or is this always the price? Thanks!

Thanks a lot for the help!

Do any of these deals take advantage of the Cyber Monday discounts? Any big savings? I'm wondering if I should rush home from work this evening to quickly purchase rather than waiting until tomorrow morning/evening.

Not a lot. I do have a laptop which has a nice i7 processor and lots of RAM, but no graphics card.. so I use that for everything outside of "gaming". I don't really game - mainly just want this setup for my outdoor trainer. I should have mentioned that I'll need Windows 10 as well. Thanks

I'm looking to build a super budget desktop computer for a training program called "Zwift". Hopefully I can take advantage of Cyber Monday and build a setup for $300-$450 (Not including Monitor, mouse, keyboard).. Possible? Here are the minimum specs for Zwift, but I'm told it's graphics card intensive, not CPU. Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo. Memory: 4GB. Graphics: 1GB dedicated GPU, or embedded Intel HD 4000/AMD R5. Hard Drive: 4GB of free space. Thanks

She actually is! :-)

Haha I would agree, but her company makes her use the Macbook since she's on a huge Apple account. Even with a Windows PC she'd still need a monitor

She does some coding and mostly excel, explorer, and their proprietary software. No graphic design or editing.

I set up a nice home office for myself and now my wife is starting to work from home so I want something similar for her. She has a new macbook pro if that matters. I'm considering these two monitors. Which would you go with, and why? I do like the ultrawide (she does too) for workstation use, but we only have experience with the 29" version not this 25" version. Thanks for any feedback! BenQ GW2760HS 27-inch VA panel HDMI LED-lit Monitor - ($179 on NEWEGG) http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-GW2760HS-27-inch-LED-lit-Monitor/dp/B00ITORMDC LG Electronics UM57 25UM57 25-Inch Screen LED-lit Monitor - ($183 on Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-25UM57-25-Inch-LED-lit/dp/B00V8FAWC2/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1463503412&sr=1-6&refinements=p_72%3A1248879011%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A3547806011%7C3547807011%2Cp_36%3A18000-25000

Looks like the audio outputs are: 3.5mm (headphones) Optical Component (R, L, Y/Video, Pb, Pr) PC Audio USB So it sounds like there are a few options there. What would you recommend for speakers? Would something like this be ok? http://www.amazon.com/Arion-Legacy-AR504LR-BK-Speaker-Subwoofer/dp/B0029Z9UNW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1461873969&sr=8-10&keywords=TV+Speakers

My wife and I don't watch much TV, so we bought a cheapie Westinghouse TV at Best Buy. 48" LCD for $279. We have two issues: 1) The video quality looks "good" but seems to be way too smooth. The TV must be smoothing out the video or something. Our previous older TV doesn't do this, and our computers don't either. This is video that is being fed from my laptop. Maybe people prefer this nowadays, but neither of us like how smooth the video shows up. 2) The sound quality is very bad. This is probably to be expected with such a cheap tv, but it makes hearing certain parts of the film difficult. Is there an inexpensive add on that I can do to give better sound? Maybe a $30 speaker system or something? Thanks! Ryan

Understood - thank you for your help! Decision made!

Ahh it looks like you're right they do - awesome! Would you get the LG29UM67 over the ($50 more expensive) LG29UM68 ? I can't tell what the difference between the two are, other than Amazon's description saying "There is a newer model" pointing to the LG29UM68.

Can you specify the model that you mean? How do I get the $200/ea discount on these? Thanks!