I didn't realize how out of the loop I was with just standard, pre-built PCs. Friend is asking for advice on purchasing a new PC that will be used for a business. Mainly used for accounting (Quicken), some design work (photoshop, illustrator) and other basic work functions (Word, Excel, etc). 
 
I know the design piece will be the biggest hog of resources, so a nice chunk of RAM and an SSD will make Adobe software function more smoothly for sure. 
 
So who are the go-to manufacturers these days for a decently powerful, reliable PC out of the box??

That's the kind of feedback I need. I've simply upgraded my own build over the years, so I guess it would make sense to do the same for a friend. 
Those pre-built ones can be so bloated with software as well. It's always nice to start with a blank canvas, so to speak. 
 
Thanks for the feedback. 

Honestly a prebuilt is not the way to go for a bussiness machine, the warranty's get confusing, you have zero support because its not built by a single person.
 
For a go to bussiness machine look at an Optiplex 9020, rock solid, can be ordered with up to 32gb of ram, an i7 4790, and up to a 1tb SSD. Also you can order it with a Quadro Graphics card. With an Optiplex you get a 3 year warranty, with on-site hardware replacement by Dell at no extra cost.

So....I ended up going with 2x Optiplex 9020s. Specs include an i7 3.6GHz processor, 16GB RAM and I dropped a 256GB Samsung Pro SSD in after the fact and then restored using the Dell recovery disk, which surprisingly put a more barebones install on the box (not as much Dell-ware). I timed how long from pushing the power button to the desktop being available and it's just a little over 10 seconds! Compared to the WD Blue 7200rpm drive, which was just over 30 seconds. Not bad at all. 
 
These are computers that will not be pushed that much. Maybe a little with some Adobe software (Indesign/Photoshop). But the in-home/on-site 3 year Dell support was a nice selling point. 
 
Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to tinker and build a custom setup (which I would end up being the tech-support on for any failing parts). 
I'm happy with this plan though. Boxes are fairly simple, but really zero room for expansion, except for 2 more sticks of RAM to take it up to 32GB. 
 
The small-form factor is also a plus as these will be used in a business setting where space can be a premium. Anyways, thanks again for the advice. Feel free to ask any questions if anyone else is interested. After adding two wifi cards the total was around $2200 for the two boxes, all said and done. SSDs came out of my own pocket, but those are fairly cheap now as well. 

dfi_playah
How much were they shipped , they have deals all the time $400 off or 45%   the optiplex 9000 series.
 I've seen deals I couldn't build that cheap.

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