Cheap Desktop with 1TB disk

T

tim999

New Member
I've currently got a Desktop with 1TB of spinning rust which has a failing display interface.

So I need to replace it with same

But no one seems to sell computers with old style spinning disks, all have moved to SSD

I can buy a HP S01-aF2006na for £299 which, trust me, has more than enough computer power for my needs, except that it only comes with 256GB of storage, which is pathetic.

But trying to find a box with 1TB is next to impossible under £699

No way am I paying an extra £400 just for some extra storage. OK so I'm going to get a lot more processing power, but I have no need for that. And I know that I can plug in an external drive, but that's just so fiddly.

Is there anywhere I can buy an entry level processor with more storage than the tiny amount offered by the above?
 
voyagerfan99

voyagerfan99

Master of Turning Things Off and Back On Again
Staff member
Just buy a PC that works for you and buy a separate SSD that's 1TB and replace it and reinstall Windows. A 1TB SSD isn't expensive at all.
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
You should be able to find a local computer store that has computers with a 1tb ssd. You really don't want to go back to a spinning hard drive once you see the performance of an ssd. Look on amazon as well.
 
beers

beers

Moderator
Staff member
Why are you chained to mechanical? You could always just buy a mechanical drive.

I don't really understand why it has to be a specific bundle when you can just buy the thing.

The only spinners I buy anymore are ~$15 3TB SAS drives as a cheap raid6 option as a retirement home for drives that have had a hard life.

Can you elaborate on your requirements for a mechanical and why an SSD wouldn't be suitable?
 
T

tim999

New Member
Thanks for your help:

1) I don't fancy the idea of "re installing" Windows.
2) I'm guessing that this is an international forum and most poster are from the US (I didn't think about that until after I had posted). But over my side of the pond independent PC retailers have pretty much disappeared. It's a choice of a couple of major chains or direct purchase from Dell. I've checked all 3. And the all have the same step increment.
3) Sorry, my original post was ambiguous, It's not the mechanical disk of my current setup I am after. It's matching the capacity I require. I'm quite happy to pay the upgrade from 256GB to 1TB SSD, but not the step improvement of everything else that comes in the bundle when they do this. No-one seems to offer this configuration.

Yes there are a few places that will "hand build" a computer to order to my spec. Though they seem to have a £200 premium built into the price before you even start to add things. (Partly because they don't get the hugely discounted Windows price that the majors get.)

I was half hoping someone would suggest the possibility of opening up the box and adding a second drive. I did that many years ago when 30GB was a normal disk size (and USB connected external drive just a pipe dream). Is that a reasonable solution?
 
beers

beers

Moderator
Staff member
I'd just buy cheap and upgrade the drive yourself, the money you save in dollars you make up for in effort. You could also just clone the drive. Or just add one and save crap to D: or similar.

This side of the ocean even a $180 microcenter refurb special contains a 1TB SSD and 32G RAM, they're not really that outlandish anymore. Maybe look around a bit more for other options or deals.

www.microcenter.com

Dell OptiPlex 5040 SFF Desktop Computer (Refurbished); Intel Core i5 6th Gen 6500 3.2GHz Processor; 32GB RAM; 1TB Solid - Micro Center

Get it now! Take control of your desktop. Inspire your workforce with the (Refurbished) Dell OptiPlex 5040, designed for essential productivity, stable lifecycles and simple IT control.
www.microcenter.com www.microcenter.com
 
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