I need help assembling the cheapest computer possible

[aryayush]

Hello!

We need around thirty odd computers for our call centre and basically anything will do. So we're looking to assemble exact same machines and want to do it for as little money as possible.

So, for a budget of around Rs. 10,000 per computer, what sort of configuration should we be aiming for? The monitor has to be TFT or LCD or whatever, not CRT.

We need to place the order by tomorrow, so a prompt response or two would be very appreciated.

Thank you!

[iMav]

for starters:

Creating an extremely low cost Value PC

[desiibond]

athlon 64X2 4000+ : rs. 2.5k (AMD sempron 1100 AM2 rs. 1300)
ASUS M2N - MX SE : Rs. 2.3k
512mb DDR2 667: Rs.600
80gig sata2 hdd: Rs.1500
cabinet: 1k
sony dvd writer : 1.2k
MS k/b and mouse : 700 rupees

[gcbeldar]

I think it very hard to fit, bcoz, tft itself min. Rs. 6500.

Only possiblity used systems

[desiibond]

yes. impossible to get TFT monitor with computer for 10k, unless you get used one

[FilledVoid]

So, for a budget of around Rs. 10,000 per computer, what sort of configuration should we be aiming for? The monitor has to be TFT or LCD or whatever, not CRT.

I seriously doubt thats going to happen. Unless of course you resort to getting refurbished material. Or you might want to check out how cheap Acer series are. They usually have quite budget conscious stuff.

[gxsaurav]

Extend Budget to 18k per PC & u can buy the config I wrote. iMav has given the link already.

or buy 2nd hand PCs.

why not buy Mac minis? or is it that Mac's r to costly & unsuitable for business?

come on arya, steve jobs said Macs r good for business & u being a macboy should go for an All mac call center. Macs r cool even if they don't fit your very own business

[iMav]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Extend Budget to 18k per PC & u can buy the config I wrote. iMav has given the link already.

or buy 2nd hand PCs.

why not buy Mac minis? or is it that Mac's r to costly & unsuitable for business?

come on arya, steve jobs said Macs r good for business & u being a macboy should go for an All mac call center. Macs r cool even if they don't fit your very own business

that would make a great USP for American investors an all Mac call center

[nish_higher]

why not buy old p3/4 computers in bulk from delhi and new tft's?would cost below 10k i think.

[dhanusaud]

u can get PIII around 12k with 17" smgsng tft....

[nish_higher]

yea but by heavy bargaining u can get better costs..my frnd got 20 pcs for college and i think they were pretty cheap

[aryayush]

Thanks to everyone for the replies!

We're only going to buy new computers. Second hand stuff isn't an option. Macs are also not an option because there's one very expensive software product that our entire call centre will run on and it is exclusive to Windows. Also, since the cheapest Mac will cost us about Rs. 35,000, it's not feasible for a small company like ours to spend that kind of dough. We're going to have a 24-inch iMac installed in my office though.

Now, is there any specific configuration I should aim for? What about desiibond's suggestion? I'm already being offered a PC at about Rs. 12,000 that meets our needs. Should I just go for that?

[Cool Buddy]

Originally Posted by desiibond

athlon 64X2 4000+ : rs. 2.5k (AMD sempron 1100 AM2 rs. 1300)
ASUS M2N - MX SE : Rs. 2.3k
512mb DDR2 667: Rs.600
80gig sata2 hdd: Rs.1500
cabinet: 1k
sony dvd writer : 1.2k
MS k/b and mouse : 700 rupees

get rid of the writer & it should almost fit your budget

[dOm1naTOr]

AMD Sempron : 1.1k or X2 4000+ : 2.5k
MSI K9MV : 1.5k
512 DDR2 667: 0.6k
80Gb sata2 : 1.5k
Zebronics kb ms combo: 0.5k
Zeb cabby w 400w: 1k
15 LCD: 6.5k or VS 17" TFT : 7.5k
-------------------------
12.7k min [with sempron and 15" LCD].
I think not all PCs need optial drives. U can share ODDS over lan easily nd u need to get only 3~4 DVDRWs. only. Sony DVDRW OEM comes for 1k.
I suggest u to opt for some 10~15 CRT and rest opt VS 17" TFTs. HCL 15" CRT with 3yrs onsite warranty wont cost ore than 3k or VS 17" CRT comes for 3.8k which has gud vfm.
U can buy more TFTs later when their prices comes down further.

[gxsaurav]

What is the configuration of that 12k PC?

Arya, one advice which you might not wanna follow is to switch to thin clients. Trust me, that will solve lots of problems & hassle for u as you don't know anything about Windows.

The configuration I have mentioned will cost you 18k. To make it more simple here is a configuration customized for your needs.

Intel Pentium Dual Core E2140 = Rs 2,500.

Intel 945GCPE motherboard = Rs 2,750 or Biostar GF7050V-M7 = Rs 2,200 if available.

2X 512 MB DDR2 667 = Rs 950

iBall Baby 306 cabinet will cost you Rs 1,800 with a 400W SMPS included. Do not buy anything other then this cos not only this cabinet small but also enough for the hardware you want to buy. Physical space is always a problem in offices so the smaller the computer, the better. 400W SMPS will be enough for your needs.

Buy second hand 80 GB hard disks. They should suffice for the hard disk space requirement & you can get them easily for Rs 800 each. If you still want to go for new hard disks then go for 80 GB SATA hard disks which should cost about Rs 1,500.

No optical drive is required on the nodes.

Motherboard already has Onboard LAN, Audio & graphics.

Logitech Internet Pro Desktop = Rs 750

Since you will be taking calls then a good pair of headphone + mic is required on each node. Have a look at Microsoft LifeChat series. There LifeChat LX-2000 should suffice or look at Altec Lansing & Labtec internet chat products. Since employees will be on call most of the time so comfort is a big thing here.

For the monitor, just buy a 17" Analog LCD to be used with on board graphics of the above mentioned motherboard. Look for Samsung or LG, they cost about Rs 8k & should be enough. Personal preference is 19" LG 194WS for 9K

For electricity backup, install a unified invertar in the office & connect all computers. That is better then buying individual UPS.

Keep in mind these should run Windows XP SP3 so you might not be able to work on it due to unfamiliarity.

Since these computer will do only one thing 24/7, you just need to configure one PC, make a disk image of the partition & deploy on all the nodes. Obviously all teh computers will be connected to a central server so make sure all the backup & saving of data is through LAN & not on Local storage.

I still say, look for Thin Client options, ask the H.P or IBM office in your locality for the cost info.

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Arya, one advice which you might not wanna follow is to switch to thin clients. Trust me, that will solve lots of problems & hassle for u as you don't know anything about Windows.

I'm reading your whole post and I'm thankful for the detailed information, but you do realise that a thirty-seater call centre would have a dedicated team for the techie stuff, right? I'll pretty much sit in my air conditioned office in front of my Mac and write articles, learn Xcode and watch television shows. The last thing I need to do is go anywhere near Windows.

And yeah, there was a time when I would've retaliated that I don't “not know anything about Windows”, but not anymore. It's been around two years since I last used Windows and I realise that I really have forgotten most of it. And the best part is that I don't miss that knowledge at all. So go ahead, call me a Windows n00b—it makes my day.

--------------

@gx_saurav,
What you are suggesting is a very expensive option. We'll only need the computers for launching about two or three applications at any given time. There's no need for all those things you mentioned. There's certainly no need for a 19-inch monitor or a unified “invertar”, because 15-inch screens will suffice and we'll have a couple of generators installed.

And about this thin client thing—I'm not sure how it will work in a call centre setup. Each computer needs to have its own identity. The dialer will send calls to individual computers and all the statistics have to be individually tracked. Will a thin client setup be able to deliver this? Will it be cost effective?

Do let me know if I missed something.

---------------

So, basically, I should go for either desiibond or dOm1naTOr's suggested configuration…

Which is the better motherboard: ASUS M2N - MX SE or MSI K9MV?

[gxsaurav]

uote=aryayush;833489]but you do realise that a thirty-seater call centre would have a dedicated team for the techie stuff, right?[/quote]

Thin clients fit such call center's perfectly. The application runs on the main server & the client only "shows" on screen. Try inquiring about thin clients, that might suit your needs more then dedicated PCs.

There's certainly no need for a 19-inch monitor

Then go for 17" or 15" LCD, 19" is my personal preference

15-inch screens will suffice

Trust me, it won't.

we'll have a couple of generators installed.

Oh...k, then no inverter required.

And about this thin client thing—I'm not sure how it will work in a call centre setup. Each computer needs to have its own identity. The dialer will send calls to individual computers and all the statistics have to be individually tracked. Will a thin client setup be able to deliver this? Will it be cost effective?

Since you are a noob in this area, forget going the thin client way. Go with individual PCs

Which is the better motherboard: ASUS M2N - MX SE or MSI K9MV?

Asus M2N-MX.

[confused]

+1 to saurav's idea of thin clients...

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Since you are a noob in this area, forget going the thin client way. Go with individual PCs

Again, whatever setup we decide employ will be run by a bunch of techie guys who know their stuff, so rest assured that my personal n00bness (i.e. if not knowing about Windows can be termed as being a “n00b”, which it cannot) won't have any impact on the robustness of our setup.

[dOm1naTOr]

basically m2N MX is better as it has nvidia 6100 IGP. But i suppose u wont be needing a gud IGP. The via IGP of K9MMV wud suffice ur needs easily and that mobo also supports X2 dualcore proccys and comes for real cheap.

It wont make ny difference for doin general applications b/w M2N MX and K9MMV. Both has 3yrs warranty.

And BTW, if u order those config in bulk, then u can surelly get a discount of 1.5~2k for each PC.

[acewin]

well saurav has already said it all, a intel based setup is good, for more cost cutting to save little more truly suggested is trying getting 2nd hand stuffs, besides motherboard procy, keyboard mouse and monitors and RAM(they would be really needed new).

which means get in bulk 2nd hand cabinets and HDDs, 40 or 80 GB would be good enough, because you majorly need to run OS and the application.

For cost cutting you should really try getting 2nd hand cabbys and HDD.

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by dOm1naTOr

basically m2N MX is better as it has nvidia 6100 IGP. But i suppose u wont be needing a gud IGP. The via IGP of K9MMV wud suffice ur needs easily and that mobo also supports X2 dualcore proccys and comes for real cheap.

It wont make ny difference for doin general applications b/w M2N MX and K9MMV. Both has 3yrs warranty.

And BTW, if u order those config in bulk, then u can surelly get a discount of 1.5~2k for each PC.

For a call center, I do think that the realtek HD audio on M2N MX is much much better than VIA's.

[gxsaurav]

Yeah, HD Audio is better due to simultaneous 2 streams of audio capturing & playing.

[MetalheadGautham]

Well, you can get branded desktops(from no name companies) for under 10k.

a company called eSys offers them, and they are called Fighter Desktops.
http://www.esys.in/eSysPC.asp
see the specs there.

another company called Big Apple(what coincidence) sells these really aged hardware PCs which have 10GB HDD, 64 mb SD RAM, Intel 810 mobos and Celeron 300 processors, 14" monitor, keyboard with touchpad and a phone. Its supposed to be a mini iMac, with everything being built into the monitor. I have seen it in action in a store in bangalore(the guy was using it for billing) and its Rs. 3,500 + 140 tax. Quite good really, if you want just basic word processing and run billing programs.

Anyway, I think you should go for 30 Macs instead. Isn't apple inexpensive ?

[desiibond]

damn. If you need more downtime than uptime, go for esys PC's.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by desiibond

damn. If you need more downtime than uptime, go for esys PC's.

lolz. but that 3.5k machine I told about is pretty good really. The guy at the billing counter of a store I bought some Pants in told me that its been running for quite some time but its still running great.

Anyway, for a cheap solution assembled,

1. AMD Sempron - you get a few models under 1.25k
2. VIA chipset Mobo - I remember seeing a via mobo for 1.5k in priceguru. I think its MSI
3. Keyboard + Mouse - 0.5k(I remember many models at 0.5k. but expect no multimedia keys)
4. PSU - 400W-600W - 0.6k - zeberonics or any other local desi brand will do
5. Optical Drive - Samsung 16x DVD RW drive - 1.15k
6. HDD - WD 160 GB HDD - 1.6k
7. Cabinet - iBall baby - 0.6k
8. RAM - transcend 512 mb ddr2 667 - 0.5k
9. Monitor - 3.5k for an average 15" CRT

total: 11.2k

I think by going for 80GB HDD and lower end optical drive and rechecking mobo/cpu price(I forgot the current ones. I quoted 6 months old prices) you may find that its below 10k.

But here is the best system ever:

1. Windows Vista Ultimate - 9.999k
2. Paper cut out of alienware computer picture - 0.001k

Total - 10k

[aryayush]

Thanks for all the help, guys! I'm overwhelmed by the outpour of responses. My heart has swelled to twice its size with gratitude. I'm indebted to all of you for life.

Thanks, in short.


We decided to go for an Intex PC. It will cost us about Rs. 12,000 each and comes with a three-year-warranty for the whole computer, so it's the best solution for us.

[Pathik]

Whats the config of that? Make sure you get a pc that consumes low power. The power savings (x30) will matter a lot in the long run.

[dOm1naTOr]

+1
if its sempron, or athlon 64, then do remember to enable cool and quiet which bring down the CPu clocks to almost one third consuming very less power nd remains cool. Enabling Q-fan will bring down the cpu fan speed to much lower according to the cpu temps and problems related to dust and noise can be minimised.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Thanks for all the help, guys! I'm overwhelmed by the outpour of responses. My heart has swelled to twice its size with gratitude. I'm indebted to all of you for life.

Thanks, in short.


We decided to go for an Intex PC. It will cost us about Rs. 12,000 each and comes with a three-year-warranty for the whole computer, so it's the best solution for us.

please state the config.
and did you concider the PC I told you ? Its 3,640 including taxes(price in indian rupees)

Its good for call center use, and can run windows xp(but Vector Linux or Win2k recomended)

No games, runs Microsoft Visual Studio Visual Basic 6 apps(used to make call centre and billing programs, etc) confortably.

Looks like an old generation iMac when it had CRT monitor, but only much much better.

And one more thing: if you order for a customised easy to use thin client setup from companies like IBM and HP, you can both save a lot of money and get good industry scale installation/technical support.

PS: not knowing windows is NOT n00bness. Its eliteness.