Does an SSD make sense for an office PC?

[Vishvas Sudarshan]

The PCs are gonna be used for Word, Excel, and a lot of browsing (Office 365). 

Storage isn't a problem, all of our data is in the could, so the SSD will just need to hold the OS and a few programs. 

 

I had four PCs in mind  -

1)  https://new.hpshopping.in/desktops/hp-desktop-260-a102in-y0n18aa-1.html

2) https://new.hpshopping.in/desktops/hp-slimline-desktop-260-p020il-w2t12aa-1.html + ₹8500 for Windows 10 

3) This Intel NUC with an SSD- http://www.amazon.in/Intel-BOXNUC5PPYH-NUC-Kit-NUC5PPYH/dp/B00XPVQHDU/

4) Complete system build - https://in.pcpartpicker.com/list/c932d6 

 

First, does an SSD in an office PC make any sense? Will it feel more responsive. 

And which of the four PC I mentioned will be best with respect to price to performance ratio?

 

Thanks! 

 

[Zando_]

SSDs are awesome and make everything more snappy. Especially since MS Office takes ages to open unless on an SSD (or mobbed I'm just spoiled...). It'll just improve system responsiveness and make it feel faster, so I'd go for it if you have the budget. It's not necessary though, a normal 7200rpm drive would work fine. 

[Tartandy]

It absolutely will make a difference in performance. If you got one improvement to a PC, an SSD upgrade should pretty much be top of your list, they're pretty cheap and the difference is night and day.

[Vishvas Sudarshan]

Just now, Zando Bob said:

SSDs are awesome and make everything more snappy. Especially since MS Office takes ages to open unless on an SSD (or mobbed I'm just spoiled...). It'll just improve system responsiveness and make it feel faster, so I'd go for it if you have the budget. It's not necessary though, a normal 7200rpm drive would work fine. 

 

1 minute ago, Tartanskittles said:

It absolutely will make a difference in performance. If you got one improvement to a PC, an SSD upgrade should pretty much be top of your list, they're pretty cheap and the difference is night and day.

Well if we're gonna use an SSD then I either need to buy the NUC or go for the complete system build, as the pre builts come with HDDs. Which one do you recommend? 

[Zando_]

Just now, Vishvas Sudarshan said:

 

Well if we're gonna use an SSD then I either need to buy the NUC or go for the complete system build, as the pre builts come with HDDs. Which one do you recommend? 

You can just buy a cheap prebuilt and slap in an SSD...

[Shiv78]

4 minutes ago, Vishvas Sudarshan said:

Well if we're gonna use an SSD then I either need to buy the NUC or go for the complete system build, as the pre builts come with HDDs. Which one do you recommend? 

I think the NUC would be interesting as it saves a ton of space and can be monitor-mounted, but future upgradeablility is nonexistent since the CPU is soldered. Go with the custom rig or buy some old Dell i5 slim towers and put SSDs in em (like 120GB)

[Vishvas Sudarshan]

4 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

You can just buy a cheap prebuilt and slap in an SSD...

The prebuilts I mentioned, one of them has a J series Pentium, and the other an i3(No OS) , so I guess one of them has too less processing power and the other too expensive (With SSD and OS)?

Please correct me if I am wrong . 

 

3 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

I think the NUC would be interesting as it saves a ton of space and can be monitor-mounted, but future upgradeablility is nonexistent since the CPU is soldered. Go with the custom rig or buy some old Dell i5 slim towers and put SSDs in em (like 120GB)

I don't think I really need to worry about upgradability, as these systems will be used for quite a few years and by the time we need new systems newer CPUs will be available. 

Again please correct me if I am wrong. 

[CostcoSamples]

SSD is mandatory for office work.  Too many wasted moments waiting for HDD to load shit.  If you add up all the 5, 10, and 20 seconds pauses over 5 years of working 8 hours/day... It's a lot of wasted time.   Get the SSD.

[dizmo]

Definitely. I'll never run an HDD in a system again. They're too slow. If you're doing simple work like basic Excel and Word, then you don't even need a large SSD.

[Vishvas Sudarshan]

2 minutes ago, CostcoSamples said:

SSD is mandatory for office work.  Too many wasted moments waiting for HDD to load shit.  If you add up all the 5, 10, and 20 seconds pauses over 5 years of working 8 hours/day... It's a lot of wasted time.   Get the SSD.

 

Just now, dizmo said:

Definitely. I'll never run an HDD in a system again. They're too slow. If you're doing simple work like basic Excel and Word, then you don't even need a large SSD.

Thanks guys! So SSD it is! Now which PC do you guys recommend? Custom, NUC or something else?

[Zando_]

9 minutes ago, Vishvas Sudarshan said:

 

Thanks guys! So SSD it is! Now which PC do you guys recommend? Custom, NUC or something else?

I'd go for a custom build, but with a better PSU. The current one you have picked is a VS, which is a terrible PSU. 

[Heywhatsup]

My dad only works with some of the programs you mentioned and I got him an SSD, he loves the extra speed. Definitely worth.

[Vishvas Sudarshan]

5 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

I'd go for a custom build, but with a better PSU. The current one you have picked is a VS, which is a terrible PSU. 

What about the CM Masterwatt lite 500 or the Corsair CX500? 

[Shiv78]

Just now, Vishvas Sudarshan said:

Corsair CX500

nope get a CX450 (2017) or a CX450M gray label or a Seasonic S12ii, M12ii or an EVGA B3 550W (not the 450)

[Zando_]

Just now, Vishvas Sudarshan said:

What about the CM Masterwatt lite 500 or the Corsair CX500? 

The CX (2017) Grey label model is good, but the old green label ones are terrible. The CXM is great as well. Check out the PSU tier list: 

And pick something from at least Tier 3. 

[vivek.manunited]

Hi vishvas!

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

 

I'll see you on Monday! 

Cheers!

[Stagea]

1 hour ago, Vishvas Sudarshan said:

 

Thanks guys! So SSD it is! Now which PC do you guys recommend? Custom, NUC or something else?

If you'd be operating multiple machines, NUCs (and their equivalents) would be the most convenient. They're easy to stow away and use very little power. When a machine is broken, you RMA the entire device. If you need a new power supply, just swap in a new power adapter (like how you would with a notebook computer). The savings in manpower hours versus troubleshooting custom built machines plus the power savings stack up when you're talking tens, hundreds or thousands of machines. Cumulative energy savings over the ownership period would also be substantial if you're in an area where the utility cost is high. You can also look at equivalent business grade solutions from the major makers; they are generally built to last for many years at high duty cycles (and they carry long warranties).

[Vishvas Sudarshan]

2 minutes ago, Stagea said:

If you'd be operating multiple machines, NUCs (and their equivalents) would be the most convenient. They're easy to stow away and use very little power. When a machine is broken, you RMA the entire device. If you need a new power supply, just swap in a new power adapter (like how you would with a notebook computer). The savings in manpower hours versus troubleshooting custom built machines plus the power savings stack up when you're talking tens, hundreds or thousands of machines. Cumulative energy savings over the ownership period would also be substantial if you're in an area where the utility cost is high. You can also look at equivalent business grade solutions from the major makers; they are generally built to last for many years at high duty cycles (and they carry long warranties).

NUCs are convenient, I totally agree on that, troubleshooting, RMAs............ But now, I think, for a little more money, am I not getting better performance? Cause these won't likely be replaced for a long time and its good to have the headroom. Troubleshooting is a problem, but I guess I need to deal with it if I want the best price/performance ratio?

[Stagea]

2 hours ago, Vishvas Sudarshan said:

NUCs are convenient, I totally agree on that, troubleshooting, RMAs............ But now, I think, for a little more money, am I not getting better performance? Cause these won't likely be replaced for a long time and its good to have the headroom. Troubleshooting is a problem, but I guess I need to deal with it if I want the best price/performance ratio?

They are generally adequate. Performance is comparable to a decent notebook computer for higher end models. 

 

I don't know how pricing works in your location but if you want the best price/performance, I suggest getting quotes from Lenovo, HP, Dell and Acer for business machines (provide them with your minimum specifications). Check what sort of service contract is included in their proposal (length of coverage, turnaround times, service location, etc.). The larger the machine count you're getting, the sweeter the deal that they'd offer for the same cost per unit.