Greetings all. First, thanks for any insight into the latest hardware trends that I may not be aware of. Technology is changing fast, and I certainly do not live on the cutting edge.
I am seeking solutions that are cost effective, while including the ability to last at least 5 years. I manage a small business which has 5 PC’s on a small network. Soon I will upgrade the router to support a 10 port 2.5g switch, and basic wifi for customers.
The PC’s need to support modern web browser functions, accommodate Microsoft Office/Outlook/365, and be highly available with uptime.
PDF Documents, printing low volumes, and consistent user experience is the most important. I have been looking at Lenovo thin clients, but also other small form factor machines such as the Intel NUC’s. Brand isn’t wholly important, I just personally like the aesthetics of Lenovo.
I got so fed up with the machines in the shop (Dell Intel Atom/Celeron) that I replaced it with my old Thinkpad x230, which runs circles around any machine in the whole store.
Heavy compute loads, data crunching, gaming, is not needed. Cost is definitely a major factor.
TL;DR Need a business class machine which will last at least 5 years with 24/7 uptime, and run modern web based heavy browser loads. (If my x230 can do it - current up time 62 days since last restart, I expect modern machines to also do it).
Thanks for any guidance you might offer. Cheers!