What generation i5/i7 processor is TOO old?

Thanks for reading:

Need to buy some dekstops for my company and looking to pick up reburbs on ebay.

Looking at the Dell Micros and I have the option of buying 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gen i5s and/or i7s.

We dont do any gaming or any programming, just typical web usage and a variety of biz software.

How far back is too far back when considering what Generation processor to buy?

How long am I good for on say a 7th or 8th gen?

 

Do you plan on 11?

IIRC 8th is the minimum.

 

I do, eventually.
Good to know-thanks.

 

https://www.pcworld.com/article/394793/what-cpus-can-run-windows-11.html

Of course there's always the option of not being "compatible" and not getting support from MSFT if you need it.

I don't think W10 will be phased out for a few years though looking back at W7/W8 and how long it took for them to kill support / updates. Gong cheaper in this instance might not hurt too much in the long run depending on the durability of the PC's in your environment. Of course the trade off is if it's slightly faster and you get more done in less time waiting for things to process it saves on the bottom line for OPEX.

 

I wouldn't get anything older than 8th-gen at this point, especially if you're looking at systems with U-Series processors.

 

As others mentioned, 8th gen is the minimum for business spec considering Win 11 requirements. If your company requires new hardware to have a warranty, you may have trouble even finding 8th gen parts outside of used or refurb market. Most vendors we use do have some 9th/10th gen though.

I would avoid the U series altogether for business unless you (and users) are aware of what you're buying and expectations are set low. U-series is frequently featured in "my computer is so slow"-type complaints to helpdesk. I guess the exception would be new tiger lake models, but at that point you're already spending as much as a "normal" power consumption mobile CPU.

 

In less demanding business, we draw the line at 4th gen i5 / i7 and 8th gen i3 for desktops.

For most folks, the speed, performance and power of these processors is more then sufficient, and they are software supported in Win10 (but obviously not Windows 10, but you shouldn't plan on getting 4 years out of an already 5 year old refurb).

From your selection, I would recommend 8th or 9th gen. Core count, clock speed, and software (Windows 11) support is fantastic.

And as @SamuelL421 recommended, steer clear of U series across the board (laptops, exclusively) if performance is a consideration.

 

If I'm using something older than an Intel 7th Gen i5 there is usually this vein popping out of my forehead and I'm swearing a lot under my breathe.