I want to ask opinion.

I running a small business with 3 employee. We are using a software for our business on a HP desktop computer All-in-One 120d model and 2 client PC lenovo all-in-one c240.
The problem is in the past 4 years the HP computer mother burn 2 times but I claim warranty. The lenovo hard disk failure 2 times claim warranty. Now no warranty the lenovo mother board and hard disk gone. both lenovo is down. running on HP which gives blue screen 1st time today.

I want to get your opinion what PC that is easy to repair by me should I buy. Should I buy server or good desktop PC. Does the expensive desktop PC run longer without failure than the cheap one. My software provider put minimum requirement like win 7, 1Ghz processor, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD for the software. All my PC had more than the minimum requirement. We seldom use PC for internet unless our client need us to send email. We don't use any other program and no media player.

I just want to get some opinion before spending on the computers again.

Thank you

if you diy, any custom pc is easier to maintain than aio. no, expensive desktop pc doesn't mean it will run without failure compared to cheap ones. in general if you use computers within their limits, it will help minimizing failure rates, and they will last longer. (minimize, not eliminate)

what's more important for you to consider is a good data backup practice. the cheaper way is to make sure work data is safer is to back them up regularly (preferably multiple copies in different physical disks). it's a simple task to do and it helps to save you a lot of troubles later.

the required server spec is not high. you can get a capable desktop pc with a ups to serve its purpose.

Small biz on a tight budget and no IT staff? I recommend something Biz class that you can get extended warranty, like the Dell Optiplex. Pay more for good support that will come to your office to repair.

And since you seem to have a lot of hardware failure, get a UPS with surge protection and make sure the place you put the PC has adequate cooling.

Or....depending on what software you are running, why not just find a cloud solution?

Thank you.

Can UPS Like this one serve the purpose?

I have decided to buy two laptops for clients use and one desktop for server use.

What is the purposes of the server ? File sharing ? If its was just a file sharing then it will be best to just buy a NAS, recommended to get Synology NAS. A 2 bay model running on RAID 1 (mirror) will save you a lot of headaches.

Maintaining a server doesn't seems to fit in your environment as you still need to maintain the server, what if the server also encounter hardware failure ? I'm not sure the term "server" means to you, but my terms of "server" means at least an entry level kind of model (eg. HP ProLiant ML10v2 or similar).

Getting all clients to run notebooks is a good idea but have you consider extending the warranty ? HP & Dell offers an extended warranty from 1 year to 3 years with onsite services also. Please do consider this.

Last but not least, all still depends on your budget.

Shouldnt be a problem to run 24x7 with a "normal" PC as server. If there are no power surge, means the cooling is insufficient.

imo the ups in your link should be sufficient for the desktop to run for at least 5 to 8 minutes uninterrupted. 5 minutes should be enough for you to shut the desktop down normally. (this is my wild guess based on a typical intel-based desktop computer, with built-in gpu)

don't run the desktop computer 24/7. just turn it on when needed (eg. during working hours).

laptops do not need ups and their built-in battery serve the same purpose.

Thank you guys.

the server just to run a database which collect and save various business data like customer detail, sale details and so on. the vendor also said a desktop pc enough for the server. I am thinking dell or hp with extended warranty also.

I don't believe that desktops will die easily if you go run it 24/7. I believe it dies much faster when you forcefully turn it on and off repeatedly due to power trips/surge. Heat is also another enemy. Therefore I always believe that a proper ventilated desktop will always last much longer than a laptop because all laptop has limited space for cooling .

My company has a bunch of desktops running as enterprise software license servers in a data center for at least 6~7 years 24/7, never turned off and they are still alive. Core2Duo E6300, 3GB RAM running on Windows Server 2003. Never even changed a motherboard or hard disk. All of them are running RAID-1 as an "insurance policy" though. Company is stingy and refuse to buy proper rack servers because it's under utilize and a lot of software need to plug in usb license dongle which cannot support Virtual Machine .

TS , my advice is, if you want something to last very long time . Avoid a laptop. Not only it is difficult to get spare parts compare to desktops, it has more maintenance cost to cover. Most of the time, battery and the AC adaptor will fail after 1 year which your warranty has ended. Then comes your motherboard and the lcd screen. These are common problems with laptops.

Only if you must have the portability of the laptop, then by all means go buy it. Even so, getting at least 3 years warranty is a must.

Sorry for the confusions. I suggested that because ups can only operate for a short time, not because pc cannot run 24/7. To miniminze potential stress due to abrupt shutdown, it's better to just turn it off. No one is there to use it anyway.

Yes a custom pc can do 24/7 if it operates in an optimal environment. Recently i just helped retire a number of old desktops that acted as server. They served for almost 9 years 24/7 in that company. All their cmos battery died; only one of them needed a replacement psu a few years ago. (The whole bunch were operating in a well-maintained air-conditioned room, with good air ventilation)

As for laptops, with proper use and handling, it can work nicely for a long time too. If the laptop is always plugged in, put it on a notebook cooler (or just put something under laptop to lift it up a little for better air intake), and enable desktop mode in the power settings. (The battery will be discharged once in a while automatically by the system to keep it in good shape) Believe it or not, The battery of my aw18 is still at 0% wear level after 3 years.

what type of programs you running TS?
pretty odd you got multiple problems with pc components when all you do is normal office stuffs
i agree with k!nex maybe problem sudden shutdown or power interruption may cause failure

i'm using CRM and accounting software.

I am closing this topic because the question has been answered.

Summary

put the computer in no so hot place.
make sure there is steady power supply.
expensive computer not equal to longer computer life.

Thank you all for helping me.