Budget 31-40k CPU for Office use. Can buy from USA

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Disciple
  1. What is your budget?
    • 40K
  2. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    • None
  3. Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    • Monitor -
      LG 29UM69G
    • SSD SAMSUNG V nand SSD 850 EVO
  4. Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
    • CPU -
  5. Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
    • Will be final atleast for next 3 years
  6. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    • Chennai, USA
    • Open to online purchase
  7. Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    • No
  8. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    • Browsing
    • Desktop Processing
    • Watching HD movies
  9. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • Can buy from USA if price difference is good, so something with international warranty will be great.
  10. If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • No
  11. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
  12. No idea here
  13. Are you looking to overclock?
    • No
  14. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows
  15. Bought a LG 29 Inch monitor today. Want to buy a CPU. Can wait a month if needed. I don't game and don't have graphic heavy needs. Use multiple browsers, emails and movies.
 
For that kind of usage, why do you need a 40k budget for the CPU or is it for the whole computer? You should be able to get the whole compuer for that money.

As far as CPU goes, something entry level like Core i3 8100 should do fine. Alternatively Ryzen 3 2200G
 
For that kind of usage, why do you need a 40k budget for the CPU or is it for the whole computer? You should be able to get the whole compuer for that money.

As far as CPU goes, something entry level like Core i3 8100 should do fine. Alternatively Ryzen 3 2200G

CPU = entire computer in Indian slang.

40K only a core i5 8250U laptop is possible in that budget. Forget about assembling your own pc.
 
Thank you.

When I say CPU I mean desktop sans monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Will a entry level like i3 or ryzen 3 2200g comfortably support a dual monitor setup . I am going for a new one after 7 years, have a firstgen corei7 based system now.

Will inanle to use the SSD I have, it's practically new.

If I need not spend 40k for this , then it's great news for me. I don't want to overspec.

Is buying from US advisable these days? I googled and found like 20% price difference or less for components.[DOUBLEPOST=1537059313][/DOUBLEPOST]
CPU = entire computer in Indian slang.

40K only a core i5 8250U laptop is possible in that budget. Forget about assembling your own pc.

can you suggest a build please. I need computer sans monitor, keyboard and mouse.
 
If buying from America - Intel NUC Mini PC kit NUC7i5BNH Core i5, Tall Version along with Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DR x8 SODIMM 260-Pin Memory - CT2K8G4SFD824A

If you want to upgrade your memory to 32GB in future get a single 16GB memory. The nuc has only 2 memory slots.

Total Cost - US $ 342.99 + 156.52 = $ 499.51
Its well within your budget of USD 555. (40k @ 72INR)

You already have an ssd. You can buy the NUC and memory from USA , install the memory inside and get it here. The NUC is palm sized so you can fit it in your carry bag too.

Indian prices for the same config:
NUC = 29,145.00,
16GB memory = 13,200
Total = 42345 ~ USD 588.
 
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If buying from America - Intel NUC Mini PC kit NUC7i5BNH Core i5, Tall Version along with Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DR x8 SODIMM 260-Pin Memory - CT2K8G4SFD824A

If you want to upgrade your memory to 32GB in future get a single 16GB memory. The nuc has only 2 memory slots.

Total Cost - US $ 342.99 + 156.52 = $ 499.51
Its well within your budget of USD 555. (40k @ 72INR)

You already have an ssd. You can buy the NUC and memory from USA , install the memory inside and get it here. The NUC is palm sized so you can fit it in your carry bag too.

Indian prices for the same config:
NUC = 29,145.00,
16GB memory = 13,200
Total = 42345 ~ USD 588.

1. What's the advantage of this mini PC except size? Any disadvantages like expensive spares?

2. Will prefer to buy in India if difference is less for warranty concerns

3. For my use is this configuration overkill?
 
Advantage are:
- it runs off an 90W ac adapter and requires very little power (around 20W) to operate. Desktop requires 400W psu which may or may not work when you buy it.
- because of its small footprint, you can attach this at the back of your monitor with the given bracket to even hide it from view. You cannot attach a desktop to your monitor.
- There are no spares in this. Its just one single board with cpu soldered on it. Desktop consists of multiple items like motherboard, psu, cpu, and memory. More items to worry about when buying and doing rma if anything goes wrong.

- Only thing required for it to run is memory and ssd or 2.5 hdd and an hdmi cable to connect this to the monitor.


I think Intel gives international warranty for 3 years. So if it does not work, you can just send it to Intel India (after removing the ssd and memory) and they will replace it with new one.

The ram you can check in USA itself. If it is bad it wont work out of the box. You can take your ssd to usa and install it in the NUC along with ram to see if windows runs on it. Another reason I selected this was its ease of bringing in carry bag. If you thought of bringing desktop cpu, motherboard etc in luggage, it would take up a lot of volume space in luggage. Probably even attract customs duty.
If you still prefer to buy from India, go ahead.

For your use its not overkill. This is a 7th gen Intel laptop processor. Usually if you were to run any linux OS on it like Ubuntu, you could get by with 4-8GB of memory. Not with Windows 10. You'll need minimum 8 GB for windows 10 for a desktop processor. Since this processor is weaker than a desktop processor, I advised 16GB memory since you plan to use this for another few years. This can even play 4K movies with ease. Does what a desktop can do in less power.

If you're still not satisfied, you can ask other members to chime in with another desktop config. No worries. :)
 
Advantage are:
- it runs off an 90W ac adapter and requires very little power (around 20W) to operate. Desktop requires 400W psu which may or may not work when you buy it.
- because of its small footprint, you can attach this at the back of your monitor with the given bracket to even hide it from view. You cannot attach a desktop to your monitor.
- There are no spares in this. Its just one single board with cpu soldered on it. Desktop consists of multiple items like motherboard, psu, cpu, and memory. More items to worry about when buying and doing rma if anything goes wrong.

- Only thing required for it to run is memory and ssd or 2.5 hdd and an hdmi cable to connect this to the monitor.


I think Intel gives international warranty for 3 years. So if it does not work, you can just send it to Intel India (after removing the ssd and memory) and they will replace it with new one.

The ram you can check in USA itself. If it is bad it wont work out of the box. You can take your ssd to usa and install it in the NUC along with ram to see if windows runs on it. Another reason I selected this was its ease of bringing in carry bag. If you thought of bringing desktop cpu, motherboard etc in luggage, it would take up a lot of volume space in luggage. Probably even attract customs duty.
If you still prefer to buy from India, go ahead.

For your use its not overkill. This is a 7th gen Intel laptop processor. Usually if you were to run any linux OS on it like Ubuntu, you could get by with 4-8GB of memory. Not with Windows 10. You'll need minimum 8 GB for windows 10 for a desktop processor. Since this processor is weaker than a desktop processor, I advised 16GB memory since you plan to use this for another few years. This can even play 4K movies with ease. Does what a desktop can do in less power.

If you're still not satisfied, you can ask other members to chime in with another desktop config. No worries. :)

Thank you so much for a comprehensive reply, greatly appreciated.

Helped me understand a lot. Always wondered about the working of mini pc+monitor combo I see, never took the pain to learn about it. You gave a very clear explanation.

I was looking at a desktop because I believe desktop will.be more robust than a laptop(am I right here?) since this NUC has laptop processor I think the purpose is defeated somewhat. I believe memory is also laptop memory?[DOUBLEPOST=1537212212][/DOUBLEPOST]Also the SSD I bought was for macbook pro? Can I use it for my current need?
 
I was looking at a desktop because I believe desktop will.be more robust than a laptop(am I right here?) since this NUC has laptop processor I think the purpose is defeated somewhat. I believe memory is also laptop memory?[DOUBLEPOST=1537212212][/DOUBLEPOST]Also the SSD I bought was for macbook pro? Can I use it for my current need?

desktop is made for higher processing tasks. it would be over kill for your usage purposes. yes memory is laptop memory. laptop processor and memory are quite fast now and you'll be surprised by it.

If your'e worried about performance, I'm using old generation NUC from past year. Nothing has failed in it and its working like new even now. I'm only using it to browse internet and watch movies. Watching movies is a pain because of the Celeron processor it has and just 4GB memory. Its okay for day to day tasks like word processing etc.

macbook pro is a laptop right? if you can use the ssd in that it can be used in this too provided you format it properly into ntfs file system if you want to install windows. If you're using this ssd with your macbook and don't want to use it, then buy a new ssd and install windows on the new ssd.
 
Would suggest getting the Lenovo Quad core Ryzen 2500U laptop for your purpose. It retails for about 35K, and you should get it for 33 during any Flipkart sale day. Comes with 8GB RAM and a 1TB HDD. I believe you can add an SSD to it too.

The Acer Swift 2500U Ryzen is also very competitive at a slightly higher price point - metal build, backlit keyboard and HD IPS screen for about 42K.

If you can go to the 60K mark, there are laptops with a Ci5, Geforce 1050Ti and SSD. You can purchase them from the US for cheaper, of course.

And finally, if you're assembling your own desktop, the costs would be about
13500 for the processor (Ryzen 2400G), 8000 - board, 6500 - 8GB DDR4 memory, 4K for a good-ish case, 4K for the PSU. Figuring in a Ryzen to avoid the extra cost of a graphics card, OR you can get a 1050TI for ~13K.
 
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