Note our new gaming PCs have a graphics card, contrary to the brand ones reviewed below.
Surprisingly, AMD is slower by 3D performance for the same price or more expensive for the same speed. But popular mid range AMD Radeon graphics are faster in G2D performance like 900 vs 650 benchmark. 2D performance is more important in Office applications.
Refurbished PC review
Consider pre-owned computers if you're willing to compromise on performance and reliability. Here are a few online second-hand PCs offering better cost-to-performance ratios than their brand-new counterparts. However, dated hardware may pose security risks and challenges when updating to Windows 11.
refurbished computers
model
CPU speed
disk
memory
price
Dell Wyse 5060
1748
8GB flash drive
4GB
9
Dell OptiPlex 790 SFF
3849
128GB SSD
4GB
149
Dell 9020
7031
1TB SSD
16GB
800
New PC reviews
Here are a few new desktop computers sold in Sydney shops. For the comparison, similar configurations were selected. Speeds are by PassMark benchmarks software. It seems HP offers better deals at the moment.
model
CPU speed
disk
memory
price
Lenovo Idea Centre 3 Tower Athlon
3151
512 GB SSD
8GB
597
Lenovo Idea Centre 3 Core i5
12377
825
HP Pavilion TP01-2005a Core i7
21135
16GB
1300
Lenovo V50s customised
17230
1700
Acer Aspire TC-1660
17508
8GB
830
MSI Cubi 5 10M-035BAU Core i5
6750
897
HP Slim S01-aF0134z
4119
256 GB SSD
600
Dell Inspiron Compact
17508
1249
You can save on a performance or gaming PC from a local computer guy or assemble a PC yourself. The price of the brand PCs with a faster i7 CPU exceeds the cost of OEM parts up to $500. For example, the i7 CPU as a part is only $230 more expensive than a i5, but a popular brand PC based on i7 is $800 more expensive than i5 of the same brand. Why? Gaming PCs are not the best seller. Brands need to assemble the PC as you order. Hence extra costs.
New Laptops review
The following table is a comparison of some popular laptops below $1000 sold in Sydney shops.
new laptops sold in Sydney shops
screen size
resolution
CPU speed
Disk
memory
price
Lenovo Idea Pad Flex
2-in-1
11.6
Full HD
1593
64GB SSD
4GB
399
HP Pavilion X360
2-in-1
14
HD
5425
128GB SSD
8GB
679
Lenovo Idea Pad Flex 5i
2-in-1
14
Full HD
5425
4GB
799
HP 14" HD Laptop
14
HD
1593
423
Acer Aspire 3 A315-56-3061
15.6
Full HD
5256
799
Asus Vivo Book F512
15.6
5256
8GB
898
ASUS 15.6" Notebook Ryzen 5
15.6
7935
256GB SSD
797
Acer Swift 3 SF314
14
8070
997
Lenovo Idea Pad Slim 3i 15ITL6
15.6
10086
512GB SSD
897
Acer Aspire 5 Core i7
15.6
10663
996
Lenovo Idea Pad 5 AMD Ryzen 5
15.6
13343
897
The most critical features affecting the price is the screen size and resolution. Laptops with screens 15.6 inches start from $800. All large screen laptops have Full HD 1920x1080 resolution, the same as your TV.
CPU speed is often overlooked but is essential for performance. Extra $200 will get you a twice faster laptop. To show the difference, I specified not CPU names but a benchmark speed from Passmark - one of the many popular benchmarking software.
Most office tasks need under 128GB storage, while 500GB may be required for large image collections.
If you are editing movies on a laptop, you may need a more expensive one. Although performance increase for office work is marginal. I omitted differences in design, battery and connections, such as USB or USB-C ports, as it is not substantial across models in the same price range.
refurbished Laptops for sale
Here are a few laptops we bundle with IT services.
