Hi Ben,
A very interesting question, over the years I've tested, used and supplied a
vast array of custom build units from suppliers ranging from the
multinational to the garden shed variety. From this I've seen both the
revolutionary and the revolting, the variance between manufactures is huge.
A few points worth considering (I'll separate this into two sections:
Servers and then PC's):
Servers:
Obviously with your server set up being the core of your network the key
word here is reliability and longevity- With the likes of Dell, HP, IBM and
Fujitsu offering fully customisable specifications with various expansion
options I tend not to stray too far from these major players. Why not
contemplate a cheaper "AN Other" branded unit and save a few hundred £ I
hear you ask? Simply because in 2 years' time Dell, HP etc will still be
operating, still be supporting warrantied product and still producing
compatible components, "AN Other" by this point could well be long gone,
plus the component and build quality of a "AN Other" unit- you are comparing
the buying power of multinational corporation with a small scale operation,
ask yourself this; how can the smaller firm use the same quality components
and parts, and still be offering a significant saving when their relative
overheads are significantly higher... In short with a server I would always
recommend an enterprise level vendor, that’s not to say that some small
vendors aren't producing great units, simply that you know where you stand
with an enterprise solution.
Desktops:
A slightly different mind-set is required, whilst reliability is still an
obvious necessity, should one desktops PSU fail it is unlikely to plunge the
whole organisation into the technological dark ages (unlike a server
failure). The best indicator is to see if the manufacturer (or your reseller
of choice) can provide a demo unit or independent reviews; not only does
this allow you to see the build quality, but also a refusal to provide a
demo or independent review of any kind would indicate a company lacking in
confidence on build quality and ring alarm bells as to the long term
viability of the vendor. In these financially strained times custom builds
can be worth investigating as the savings compared to the big boys are
significant (To give a real world comparison of two units I'm quoting on
currently- Intel Core i3 i3-2120 3.30 GHz - Small Form Factor - 2 GB RAM -
250 GB HDD - Windows 7 Professional, HP unit: £488.00, Zoostorm Unit same
spec (with an additional 2Gb RAM giving 4Gb Total) £390.00 ). Over the last
5 years, two brands have stuck out as offering the right mix of cost saving,
long term viability and excellent build quality and these are Zoostorm and
Very-PC. Very-PC in particular could well be of interest for PC's in
publically accessible areas; the units are rock solid, metal, anti-vandal
construction and very eco-friendly. Zoostorm certainly ticks the boxes for
high spec at affordable pricing making them very much suitable for office
usage.
If anyone would like to discuss further the pro's and con's of various
vendors, just drop me an email or a call and I'll gladly help
Mark Bartley
WiSE Guy and Senior Account Manager
Computer Products Ltd
Tel: 0845 249 1779
Email/ MSN: [log in to unmask]
Skype ID: markcpltd
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ben
Raithby
Sent: 17 May 2012 13:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Custom spec PCs/Servers suppliers
Hi everyone,
Just a quick question but who do you guys and gals use for custom build PCs
and servers?
After a few days of calling round we've found that there are a lot of people
that make bold claims on their website that they are clearly in no position
to deliver.
It seems logical to assume that a good reference is 100 times better than a
brash claim on a website.
Cheers,
Ben Raithby
Digital Media Developer
Royal Museums Greenwich
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