What is the kind of specification that I should be looking for in an office PC these days? I will want an Office 365 package that includes Outlook, as the current email storage that I have with Outlook Web is a pathetic 1GB. I would prefer to have something like 50GB, so I do not need to worry about it! With respect to the PC specification itself, I assume that 8GB is probably the sensible minimum for RAM when using Windows 10? What about graphics? Do I need a dedicated card, or is that onboard rubbish good enough for office use (including online video footage)? What about the processor? I guess that a quad core i3 will be fine, but which one is the best value for money? I see that some PCs come with a 256MB SSD as the main storage device, but is that enough for Windows 10 and office documents and stuff? How much free storage space will I have after Windows 10 has been installed on it? Other office PCs come with a 1TB HDD, which is more in line with what I am familiar with.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

55 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

What is the kind of specification that I should be looking for in an office PC these days? I will want an Office 365 package that includes Outlook, as the current email storage that I have with Outlook Web is a pathetic 1GB. I would prefer to have something like 50GB, so I do not need to worry about it! With respect to the PC specification itself, I assume that 8GB is probably the sensible minimum for RAM when using Windows 10? What about graphics? Do I need a dedicated card, or is that onboard rubbish good enough for office use (including online video footage)? What about the processor? I guess that a quad core i3 will be fine, but which one is the best value for money? I see that some PCs come with a 256MB SSD as the main storage device, but is that enough for Windows 10 and office documents and stuff? How much free storage space will I have after Windows 10 has been installed on it? Other office PCs come with a 1TB HDD, which is more in line with what I am familiar with.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

That is a lot of questions for just an office PC.  Are you planning to use it for simulation as well?

The vintage 2015 system I used up until April of 2020 was based on a i7 4790 with an nVidia GTX 970 TI 4 gb graphics card and based on a 512 gb SSD.  It's pulse rate so to speak did not even change when running Office.  As far as Office software, there are several levels of Office (home, student, professional, etc.) and only some of them include Outlook.  So just select the version with Outlook that best meets your other needs.  ex. do you need Powerpoint or Publisher?

Is there any reason you need a desktop vs a laptop?

I would prefer a desktop, as that is what I am used to. I am not planning to use it for anything other than office work and internet surfing. It's just that the only PCs that I have ever purchased before have been for gaming, so I am not familiar with the power requirements for an office PC. The one that I use at the moment is an old gaming PC that is thirteen years old and has Windows Vista installed on it! I guess that maybe I have answered my own question there, but I want to be certain that I have covered all bases.

Edited September 5, 20214 yr by Christopher Low

If all you're doing is generic correspondence, the onboard GPU in any modern CPU is more than sufficient.  If "office" work includes things like graphics design/editing or video rendering, a discrete GPU might work better.  That said, you can get the PC without a discrete GPU and evaluate how the onboard GPU serves its purpose, and, if needed, add a GPU later (possibly much later, with the current chip shortages).

Non-volatile storage (SSD, HDD) is really cheap these days.  Again, for just basic correspondence, web access, spreadsheets etc, 512GB - 1TB is a lot of storage.  Get into graphics and video, and then the requirements go up.

If you've never used it before, Apache OpenOffice is open-source and free.  It does most of what Office365 does--word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation and will work with documents in MS Office formats.  I ditched Office when they went to the subscription model, and OpenOffice has more than sufficed for my needs.

Hi Christopher, have you given any consideration to a nice pen and a piece of paper?

We no longer need participate in an instant response society. When you write on paper, whatever time the post office takes to deliver that response should be good enough for anyone.

Most people have forgotten how to write cursive, you will be keeping a lost craft going.

Storage is only limited by the size of your basement or spare room.  If you are seeking a more advanced storage option, filing cabinets can be found cheap.  I found a two drawer cabinet that someone actually was tossing in the bin.

If you are adamant about a PC option I suggest the Colonel's advice above, albeit no substitute for a nice quill pen.

Warm Regards,

Gary😀

I guess that my ideal solution might be a quill and parchment that could be then sent and received at the speed of an e mail.
My brain is quite good at spelling but my typing fingers often do not listen.
Of course, the downside of a pen and paper, apart from the waste, is that in the UK, to send a letter costs at least 66 pence and if first class, 85 pence.
I also use Open Office and for my e mail client, Thunderbird which is the same price as Open Office and allows the management of pretty much as many e mail addresses as anyone is likely to have.

Edited September 6, 20214 yr by Reader