Suggestions on best site to get BI computer?

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reb214

n3wb
Dec 26, 2017
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New to BI, and to the site. I've read the post that is referenced for what specs to look for in a BI computer, but I'm having a hard time finding anything remotely close to the prices listed in several of the posts when I do a search. For example, I've been searching eBay today, and the cheapest refurbished i5 or i7 6th gen that I can find is $500, with most over $600.

I was able to find some 3rd generation workstations for around $350, but I thought I must be looking in the wrong spots or using the wrong search terms since some folks on here seem to be finding deals for $200-300. Any advice on sites or links to recent deals you found?

By the way, if older generations are fine, I'm open to them too, I was just trying to follow the recommended specs. I'll not have a large system ( 4 x 2mp and 2 x 4mp all Dahua). I currently have them all run back to and powered from a Netgear 8 Port Gigabit PoE Smart Switch. I just need to add in the BI machine, and didn't want to buy something inadequate just to save a few bucks.

Thanks for the help in advance.
 
@reb214 I bought an Optiplex 5050 i7-7700 during Black Friday from Dell Outlet Refurbished Laptops, Desktops & Servers .

If you ring their sales team via chat window, ask if they still do 10 or 15% discount on top of the webpage price.

The benefit from buying from Dell is the 3-yr warranty.

Personally, I had an i7 3rd generation previously. It felt underpowered. You should think about getting a generation that has h265 support, if you decide to store your recordings in h265 in the near future.
 
actran said:
@reb214 I bought an Optiplex 5050 i7-7700 during Black Friday from Dell Outlet Refurbished Laptops, Desktops & Servers .

If you ring their sales team via chat window, ask if they still do 10 or 15% discount on top of the webpage price.

The benefit from buying from Dell is the 3-yr warranty.

Personally, I had an i7 3rd generation previously. It felt underpowered. You should think about getting a generation that has h265 support, if you decide to store your recordings in h265 in the near future.
Click to expand...

Any idea what wattage you are drawing with BI in use?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
reb214 said:
New to BI, and to the site. I've read the post that is referenced for what specs to look for in a BI computer, but I'm having a hard time finding anything remotely close to the prices listed in several of the posts when I do a search. For example, I've been searching eBay today, and the cheapest refurbished i5 or i7 6th gen that I can find is $500, with most over $600.

I was able to find some 3rd generation workstations for around $350, but I thought I must be looking in the wrong spots or using the wrong search terms since some folks on here seem to be finding deals for $200-300. Any advice on sites or links to recent deals you found?

By the way, if older generations are fine, I'm open to them too, I was just trying to follow the recommended specs. I'll not have a large system ( 4 x 2mp and 2 x 4mp all Dahua). I currently have them all run back to and powered from a Netgear 8 Port Gigabit PoE Smart Switch. I just need to add in the BI machine, and didn't want to buy something inadequate just to save a few bucks.

Thanks for the help in advance.
Click to expand...
Prices fluctuate.

Right now on dell outlet you can get an:
Inspiron 3668 i5-7400 for $400 after 15% off coupon.
Inspiron 3668 i7-7700 for $650 after 15% off coupon w/ windows 10 pro.
Inspiron 3650 i7-6700 for $500 after 15% off coupon.
OptiPlex 7050 i5-6500 for $526 after 12% off coupon.
OptiPlex 7050 i7-7700 for $588 after 12% off coupon.
...

I'd expect some better deals at dell outlet in the next 3-4 weeks.
 
4th gen i5's and i7's are getting a little long in the tooth. I'd try to stick to 6th or 7th gen if you can, a 4th gen should have enough processing power but newer would be better.
 
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I'm running a 4th gen i7 with 6 cameras and having no problems. CPU usage runs about 16%. However if I was buying today I'd definitely buy a later generation CPU.
 
Revlus said:
Any idea what wattage you are drawing with BI in use?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

@Revlus Sorry for the delay.

I had to put a wattage meter on my Optiplex. Reading varies between 65 to 72 watts. This PC is dedicated to running BI on a 2.5" SSD + 1 Purple WD for 8 cameras.
 
actran said:
@Revlus Sorry for the delay.

I had to put a wattage meter on my Optiplex. Reading varies between 65 to 72 watts. This PC is dedicated to running BI on a 2.5" SSD + 1 Purple WD for 8 cameras.
Click to expand...

Thanks actran! I appreciate you taking the time to do that. That's quite low... ~$75/year'ish at 12c per watt.
 
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