Reluctant to recommend servers that aren't new?
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller how old of refurb PCs are you buying? or are they all factory defects that have been repaired, so not technically new, but no real age either?
We normally buy "off lease" so about three years old.
How much longer do you run them? We did this about 4 years ago, much to my surprise most of them are still in service. They all came with XP. All of them are slated to be replaced ASAP.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller how old of refurb PCs are you buying? or are they all factory defects that have been repaired, so not technically new, but no real age either?
We normally buy "off lease" so about three years old.
How much longer do you run them? We did this about 4 years ago, much to my surprise most of them are still in service. They all came with XP. All of them are slated to be replaced ASAP.
Six or more years. Desktops don't age like they used to.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Six or more years. Desktops don't age like they used to.
You run them for 6 additional years? When did you start that? Other than failure, what do you use as a measure to replace them?
Though I can't say much - we had desktops purchased in 1999 (Windows 98) that were upgraded to XP and the last ones were replaced in 2010.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Six or more years. Desktops don't age like they used to.
You run them for 6 additional years? When did you start that? Other than failure, what do you use as a measure to replace them?
Though I can't say much - we had desktops purchased in 1999 (Windows 98) that were upgraded to XP and the last ones were replaced in 2010.
Really don't see failure. We replace the spinning rust with SSD and they run great. I'm on one of the oldest desktops in the company, maybe the oldest, and no issues at all. Runs Windows 8.1 very fast. We add memory and good graphics cards and that really makes them scream. It's not a new gaming rig or anything, but I can do pretty much anything without the slightest issues. We would only be replacing them for performance concerns and we aren't running into those yet. My desktop isn't nine years old yet but will easily be when it gets replaced.
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Until recently I was a 6 year old Q6600 with 8 gig RAM. I was/am surprised how snappy it still was (yeah I too had an SSD and did have to replace a failed video card and power supply) I still have that machine and plan to use it as a lab box - now I need more space on my desk for another monitor.
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I run dual 27" off of my old system.
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@Nara said:
@ryan-from-xbyte said:
Our biggest hurdle is customers who have their servers hosted at a datacenter. The extra step of having to go to another facility makes a non-onsite warranty difficult to use.
But since the equipment's in a datacenter, the power's generally cleaner, and the environment's favorable on the servers. Wouldn't that generally result in lower failure rates? Most datacenters I've been to have workbenches to do hardware work and space for customers or remote hands to get work done while they wait for a tech.
The issue is not the space to do the work, but having to travel to the datacenter to do the work. We offer a next business day warranty which is great for those with inhouse servers or local access to the servers, but when it can be challenging if they have to travel an hour to get to the datacenter. Some datacenters will offer remote hands, but it may be an extra charge that they have to factor in when comparing their options.
We are starting to work out deals with more datacenters to include remote hands with hosting if we bring them customers. These partnerships will eliminate that issue.
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@scottalanmiller 9 years out of a desktop is amazing.
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@ryan-from-xbyte said:
@scottalanmiller 9 years out of a desktop is amazing.
Not so much these days. Most people upgrade their desktops for weird reasons. I've not seen many replacements for business or performance reason, at least with IT staff. Seems to be gaming driving most updates and not work.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@ryan-from-xbyte said:
@scottalanmiller 9 years out of a desktop is amazing.
Not so much these days. Most people upgrade their desktops for weird reasons. I've not seen many replacements for business or performance reason, at least with IT staff. Seems to be gaming driving most updates and not work.
In the past, wouldn't the new operating systems push the need for new desktops?
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In the far past, yes. But Vista was the last Windows release with that problem and Linux never had that issues.
Since Vista, every Windows release is lighter and faster than the one before. So the hardware requirements actually decrease with updates. Our boxes run better today than when purchased!
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Same goes for servers. What was acceptable for Server 2008 64bit is quite a bit better for Server 2012 R2 Core.
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We've had quite a few people asking about new over here at the Monkey. On-site and Pro-Support warranties aside, after full burn-in testing most of the issues come from Hard-Drives or faulty raid memory that I've seen. A couple of R710's with new hard drives is nothing to shake a (reliability) stick at. Of course the 1-3 year warranty comes into play.
Personally, I'm an IT/Procurement guy so actual cost savings and figures is something I'd have to find a sales guy to chime in on.
People have quotes, ideas, and problems; sometimes we can make it work, and sometimes you just need new haha. I mean, with today's life-cycles in SMB buying IT equipment is almost like buying a car honesty.
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In huge server estates, RAID memory has been effectively a non-issue but system memory was pretty big.
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I would not recommend Used or Refurb gear to my company. I just don't see the value in it. Hardware is so cheap these days.
Most Small to Medium businesses only need a few Servers to host their virtual environment of 50-100 servers.
