Work Computers for parents buisness please help

Without knowing what they are using the PC's for I would say go look at Dell and see what they have. HP stuff is usually very expensive for what you get.

Actually the 6300 is about the price of i3's so they are definitely better price/performance. If you are getting pre-built I suggest an i3 cause I honestly doubt they need an i5 for excel and web browsing.

HOLD IT. Is this Pinnacle VIDEO EDITING software? Or Pinnacle BANK they access? Or something else?
Cloud means that the processing the 'tech' is all hidden from view, like YouTube or NetFlix does, you don't see how they get movies to 'stream' to your PC all you know it does it when you go to their 'cloud' to access the videos.

As for just 'accessing' Websites and doing Excel, time is MONEY, so going cheap on a bunch of PCs will cost MORE money in productivity. I don't know why your MOM thinks she has to second guess the 'IT' guy by asking her son whom doesn't know what they use at work (in my opening question the difference is between a $2000+ Workstation and a simple $250 Tablet that can get to websites).

The IT Guy gets paid to do his job, his job was asking what to replace the old PCs with. If he does his job then hey looked and provided the best options, also considering there is a VOLUME discount for so many PCs. If the IT Guy isn't doing his job either hire a Consultant to review and do the same 'choice' for her one time fee or FIRE the IT guy and get someone whom does know the job.

Hardware knowledge of the difference between a FX-4300 as compared to a i3-3xxx for 'threads' because you know something about that and gaming is NOT even close to Warranty issues, Contract costs, Licensing of OS Costs per seat, Bulk Purchase discounts, etc. that are all BUSINESS concerns.

Actually companies 'Other than Dell' seem to be doing something right, as DELL is behind HP for US sales and THIRD place behind Lenovo AND HP worldwide. That is significant as there is something more that HP offers to make them worth MORE to buy from Dell. This can be more then just simple hardware costs, it can be licensing fees, better bulk purchase discounts, longer warranty or extended coverage, etc. etc. etc. There is MORE to a business decision then what CONSUMERS just look at (that cost $150 more for the same hardware).

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-8-windows-9-upgrade-dell-windows-xp,25843.html
In a recent report from the IDC, Lenovo was the worldwide leader in the fourth quarter, owning 18.6 percent of the PC market. Hewlett Packard came in second with a 16.8 percent market share, down 8.5 percent from the same quarter in 2012. Dell ranked as third with a 12.2 percent market share, Acer in fourth with 6.7 percent and Asus with 6.1 percent.

Here in the United States, Hewlett Packard was in the lead with 24.6 percent of the local market share, down 12.3 percent from the same quarter in 2012. Dell came in second with 21.7 percent, and saw a 6.6 percent growth year over year.

And yet I wouldn't purchase a PC from any of them. Their proprietary junk is a waste of money but we weren't talking about me, we were talking bulk purchases for a company.

Something your not considering, when you toss around numbers and monetary amounts, there is a big difference between CONSUMER view / information and Business. For example, a consumer CAN NOT normally sign 10 people to a single phone contract, they limit then to 4. Further the payment if identified as a business source immediate REVOKES the contract because they only give that low 'introductory' price to consumers, not business, but instead encourage business through bulk purchases with guaranteed lines of credit and a specified (contractual) pay scale for that business per X amount of lines sold tier system.

'Slow computer' is a euphemism by uneducated or ignorant workers whom really don't have a clue one about a computer other then it has a 'on switch'. I seen it mean the computer is slow (because they accidentally pour coffee on it), to a email they expected wasn't 'sent' yet which is "impossible because He/She HAS to send it to me to meet the deadline", to bringing up the ABC website gets slowed down due to the Glasgow Football playoff being so close (everyone is watching on their PC the match), to the mouse is all filled with 'junk' in the ball (yes before they all went optical) so it doesn't move the mouse icon as fast, to any number of other things. Each of which is a separate and different issue.

As for a 'Clued up Forum...better idea', your second guessing your employee your paying for, you do not have trust (based also on your response) in the performance or reliability of the IT person. This can come from many reasons, but ultimately, as a Manager, the issue is a COST to the bottom line (which is what your doing now), with divergent interests seeking alternative solutions then to rely on the person you HIRED TO DO THAT JOB.

Plainly put, either FIRE the IT guy because really you don't trust him, HIRE a Consultant (aka outsource) the position to someone you trust will meet your interest, or shut up and try trusting the person with all the certificates, college, and background that was hired for his/her ability to do the job IS doing the job but may not be exactly as you wanted - so agree to disagree.

No FORUM can present YOUR business with a 'all in one' solution that not only meets your 'demands' but as well takes into consideration WHAT DO THEY DO at the company, what applications / software would be effected by the change (maybe the software isn't compatible with Windows 8, there is more cost to 'upgrade' now), what would best work for the employees (actually Bertha daily does a 256 line by 500 row spreadsheet everyday, and that requires a heartier system then Mikey whom just answers corporate email and faxes stuff all day).

To mitigate risk, you need a proper analysis of the sytems, software, positions, and people involved. That your asking a bunch of strangers on a better idea to JUSTIFY your assertion is HIGH BUSINESS RISK, which is HIGH COST for FAILED/Incoherent decisions.