PC Product Blog from Hardsoft Computers

HP have unveiled a brand new All-in-One Graphics Workstation, set to rival the Apple iMac 27″. Many creative professionals seeking a very fast all –in –one PC have been using the i7-3.4GHz  iMac and installing Windows 7. Until now there is has been no serious PC alternative …… The HP Z1 is the world first PC All-in-One Graphics Workstation. AND, it is available on flexible lease with HardSoft Computers.

You know the deal with HP workstations such as the Z201 or Z800; they are generally highly powered machines but come in a big, dark, grey and boring chassis. The HP Z1 is the complete opposite; an All-in-One machine that has a 27” LED-backlit IPS display. Such a high quality display is down to the fact that the Z1 comes with NVIDIA Quadro 4000 Graphics- which is far superior  than either the iMac or Mac Pro offers as standard..

Inside the HP Z1 packs next generation E3 and E5 Intel Xeon processors, a Solid State Drive, up to 32GB RAM, Blu-Ray and more such as a height adjustable stand. Unlike any other all-in-one computer ,a tool less flexible chassis  allows you to snap the machine open without using any tools whatsoever. The end user can now add a second hard drive, upgrade the memory or access the graphics card by simply a few simple steps!

It’s not cheap though but given a Quadro 4000 graphics card is £500 to buy anyway then the overall spec offers good value for money. It is expected early April with an estimated lease cost of £16 per week plus VAT over 3 years, including on site warranty.  As an idea the Apple 27” iMac with i7-3.4GHz, 16Gb Ram , AMD 6970M graphics running Windows 7 is  £18 per week on a three year lease.

As a HP Preferred Partner, HardSoft Computers can offer all the HP Graphics Workstations from the entry level Z201 to the Dual CPU Z800. All available to lease and hire. Please contact a member of our sales team for more information on 01279 718 693 or email sales@hardsoft.co.uk.

In 2010 there was a 29% increase in leasing according to the Finance & Leasing Association- with the strongest rate of growth reported in business equipment finance, which increased by 37% year-on-year.  25% of companies already use leasing options because of the advantages of…

Improved cashflow- By making equal monthly payments over the duration of the lease  finance agreement, you can spread payments over the useful life of their equipment, rather than having to find the capital up front. This way, they can generate instant ROI.

Tax savings- With lease finance at HardSoft , monthly payments can qualify as a trading expense and are therefore tax deductible – making finance an even more cost effective option.

Increased flexibility- By leasing or financing IT, you can expand or upgrade their systems as the need arises, often without an increase in monthly payments.

Access to a wider range of technology – Our solutions enable the leasing of software, intangibles and services, as well as hardware.

Unaffected bank lines- Our finance solutions have no effect on other borrowing options

More available budget to benefit other areas of the business- Instead of spending lump sums on rapidly depreciating assets, you can allocate resources to help business where it is needed most.

No need for security – Unless you are a new start up company then HardSoft do not require a pledge on personal or company assets… the equipment itself is its own source of security.

A straightforward solution- IT finance is easy. Once a proposal is submitted, we aim to respond within 24 hours. All we need  you to do is sign one contract and we take it from there.

HardSoft Computers are that ‘one stop shop’ that takes the mystery and pain out of leasing PC and Apple Mac computers. HardSoft are both the arranger of the lease finance and are an Approved IT Reseller for such brands as Apple and HP and have a team of support engineers to back it all up. If you need us to demystify leasing then contact HardSoft.

The BVE Expo 2012  is underway at Londons Earl Courts. Join thousands of broadcast & production professionals reviewing  the wide array of new product and equipment launches on show from over 300 exhibitors.

HardSoft are exhibiting at BVE and we look forward to seeing you there and with some great products like the JVC Professional GY-HM150E Pro Hand Held Camcorder, available for only £20.45 a week plus VAT on a three year lease. This model is the choice of industry professionals with Native Support for Apple Final Cut and features dual SDHC/SDHX card slots. Use a HardSoft lease and you can then upgrade it in 2 years time as well.

The shoulder mount JVC GY-HM750E is the only PRO AV HD camera recording straight into Apple Quicktime(MOV) format. The JVC GY-HM750E is the industry flagship delivering 1920×1080 quality and recording upto 1080p and 1080i. It has a 4.3 inch flip out LCD monitor and has a modular upgrade system with a 68 pin chassis connector to directly link to satellite uplink or microwave transmitter. HardSoft can deliver the JVC GY-HM750E for only £ 47.80 a week on a tax efficient 3 year Flexi Lease.

Also at BVE Expo at Earls Court 2 HardSoft will have on display the Apple iMac 27” with Intel Core i5 2.7ghz for only £ 12.50 a week and the Lacie 5big Office an essential network storage device for only £ 4.20 per week. Ryan and Michael our Apple Sales Product Professionals are at BVE to discuss the full Apple Mac range with the Apple Mac Mini Server from £ 7.50 a week, the Macbook Pro 15” Quad Core i7 2.2ghz at only £ 13.70 a week on a lease deal.

Adobe will also be displaying their full range of software and HardSoft can offer software on our Flexi Lease scheme. We find the most popular products are the Adobe CS 5.5 Design Premium, available at £ 9.50 a week and the full package of Adobe CS5.5 Master Collection for only £ 13.50 a week. All products come on a HardSoft Flexi Lease with full 3 year warranty and unlimited telephone and remote dial up support.       BLOGGER – MIKE BAILEY

Nvidia Maximus powered PC Graphics Workstations solve the challenges of speed .By combining a NVIDIA Quadro graphics card and the new computing power of  new NVIDIA Tesla GPUs. (Essentislly a second graphics card in a PC designed just to process the graphics.) Tesla co-processors  perform the heavy lifting of rendering or CAE/CAD computations, freeing the Quadro to do what they do best-enabling rich interactive graphics.The total solution is called Nvidia Maximus..and its now available to lease with HP Graphics Workstations from HardSoft.

NVIDIA Maximus desktop workstation configurations start with the pairing of the NVIDIA Quadro 600 +  NVIDIA Tesla C2070 at £18 per week plus VAT on a three year lease …. there is a also choice of a C2050 and a C2075 model  for Desktops and two options for Servers (rendering farms ?).  Essentially you chose your Quadro graphics card the match it to your choice of Tesla card to match your software application. If you let HardSoft know your speed problem and your application we can recommend a solution.

If you use Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 ; rendering times have been proven to reduce from 10 minutes to 30 seconds ! Rendering a movie which is an overnight job is now estimated at 30 minutes.esla companion processors bring the power of high performance computing to the PC workstation. With 448 application-acceleration cores per board, Tesla processors offload parallel computations from the CPU to dramatically accelerate the floating point calculation performance.

The Nvidia Maximus solution of Tesla Processor and Quadro graphics card is available to lease with all the HP graphics PC’s the entry level i5,i7;  Z210, the Z600 with Dual Xeon CPU’s and the ultimate HP Z800. HardSoft are a HP Preferred Partner and established for over 25 years – offering high end Apple Mac and PC solutions. Come and chat with us at the Broadcast Vido Expro 2012 this week …

As a HP Preferred Partner, HardSoft specialise in the HP Proliant range of Servers from Tower to Rack with a range of options to suit your needs andbudget- and all is available to lease !

The HP Proliant ML310 is suitable for the smaller 5-10 user company. Our standard 5 user package uses a mirror of hard drives to protect each other and is complimented with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2011, AVG Network Anti-Virus protection (or Sophos) and a Draytek 2830 Wireless Router PLUS Five HP 3400 PC’s. This is available from £43 per week on a three year lease. Our SILVER support options that includes Installation and daily off site data back up is at £49 per week plus VAT. Structured Cabling can be added into the monthly lease costs.

For larger users we offer the more powerful HP Proliant ML350 with a compliment of 3 X Raid 5 Hard Drives for complete redundancy in case of failure to keep your business running. Dual Processors and fast SAS drives can be included on the lease. Ten PC’s, the ML350 Server and all the necessary extras .

All networks are available from HardSoft  are offered on a Flexi Lease scheme meaning its both 100% tax efficient and can includes full on-site maintenance. Our Microsoft Certified Professional and Apple trained engineers means we offer a full installation and configuration service.  We are happy to work with your existing PC’s or Apple Mac’s and just add a new HP Proliant Server.

All the Proliant Servers we offer include Microsoft Small Business Server 2011 which provides many software benefits:

• All in one Microsoft solution for email, file and print sharing and support for mobile devices.
• Allows collaboration of both Apple Mac and Windows platforms.
• Supports Business Growth – easily add new applications and upto 50 new users.
• Centralise Files and Updates- keep all documents centrally located on your HP Proliant Server and although Windows and AVG Anti Virus updates to be done by the server.
• Remote Working- full access from any remote site of files, documents and emails by any users
• Security- SBS 2011 allows different security levels ensuring you can determine which user  can access the appropriate data.

Talk to Hardsoft today about leasing a new HP Proliant server for your business, available on a 3 year Flexi Lease scheme it will only cost one months rental to get the latest Microsoft SBS 2011 software fully functional in your company.

Firstly its easy at HardSoft – We have taken a unique approach by being the Authorised Supplier of the PC or Laptop as well as the Licensed Credit broker. WE ARE A ONE STOP SOLUTION. By being in control of both the equipment supply and the lease finance we can offer tailored solutions and support. It also makes us far cheaper- we only take one bit of the cherry !

‘Flexi-Lease’ by HardSoft is the fusion of this and over 25 years experience  and is the unique alternative to the purchasing of your IT.

-       We include 3 years warranty and support and have our own team of engineers.

-       Guaranteed ownership at the end  for just £1.

-       The option to Upgrade and keep the old kit ! without paying anymore per month. We call it our ‘Two For One’ option and is exclusive to our lease schemes.

PC’s and Laptops are available to lease from Lenovo, Toshiba,  HP, Fujitsu and Sony. We are Authorised Resellers for these and many other PC manufacturers. Our Network solutions include HP Proliant Servers and all are installed and supported by our own team of certified engineers.  HardSoft  flexibility means we can offer leases from 1 to 4 years, monthly, quarterly or annual payments, by invoice or direct debit. We can defer payments, or can accept a deposit to reduce the future rental payments. Software and licensing can also be leased. Almost infinite options on the way you wish to structure the finance and payments and a choice of over 250 laptops or 35 All In Ones or 55 PC’s PLUS Apple Macs as well !

Finance is available to Start Ups and those with difficult credit scenarios. If you want a confidential chat for a frank view on whether leasing is available to you call us.

HardSoft have a wide range of PC’s and All-in-One machines available on a three year lease for business users that also includes warranty andoptional insurance . With brands such as HP, Lenovo, Fujitsu, and Sony we can find a PC to fit your needs. Being a HP 2012 Preferred Partner, HardSoft Computers are particularly fond of HP PC’s. The HP Pro 3400 Mini Tower comes with Core i3 or Core i5 processors and can allow up to 8GB RAM, which makes them powerful enough to handle your day to day workplace computing. Starting at only £3.95 per week on a business lease including three years warranty. These are your perfect office PC , plus this month they come with FREE Microsoft Office 2010.

A more powerful option is the HP Elite 7300 Mini Tower… The HP 7300 boasts a Quad Core i7 processor with a 1TB Hard Drive and up to 32GB RAM. If you are in the design or CAD industry, we also have machines to suit you!

The Lenovo Thinkstation E30 Mini Tower for example, comes with the brand new 2nd Generation Xeon processor and up to 32GB RAM- with a choice of graphics cards. The range of HP Graphics Workstations that also feature the Nvidia Maximus graphics can be leased.

All, plus Apple Macs, are available on a Lease from HardSoft Computers;  with our unique 18 month upgrade option, whereby you can upgrade your equipment to brand new equipment, halfway through your lease whilst keeping your existing machines!  You can retain your equipment at the expiry of your lease for a fixed fee of £1. Leasing from HardSoft is essentially an all inclusive option that is great for cash flow but also tax efficient.

If you are after something a bit more sleek and stylish, All-in-Ones seem to be the ideal alternative to the seperate PC and Mini Tower option.

The Sony Vaio L22Z1E is a favourite to lease  at HardSoft; with a 24” Full HD LED Touchscreen display and wireless keyboard and mouse. However, as it boasts so much in design, you may ask the question “does it lose performance?” Well the answer to that is, no it doesn’t. With a 1TB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray and 1GB Graphics Card, the Sony Vaio L22Z1E offers amazing design AND i7 performance. At £13.50 per week on a Flexi-Lease from HardSoft Computers, it would be rude not to!

An alternative and a cheaper All In One option would be the Lenovo All-in-One machines, M71Z (20″ screen) and M90Z (23″ Touch screen). Starting at £5.25 per week on a three year lease these are either Core i3 and Core i5 processors and 4GB Ram as a minimum, these are more of your ‘office’ type All-in-One machines with Windows 7 professional. Beware cheaper All in Ones do NOT feature a Touch screen.

The ultimate AIO though is the Apple iMac and we can offer this with Windows 7 Professional. Many PC customers who need speed and style turn to the iMac running Windows 7 under Apple BootCamp or Parrallels Desktop. The Parallels 7 software with Windows 7 Professional and Intego Anti-Virus cover for both the Windows and Lion OS  is at £1.50 per week on a three year lease.

HardSoft also offer All in One PC’s from Samsung, Asus and the HP Pavilion. All are available on a Flexi-Lease from HardSoft computers, with our unique 18 month renewal and upgrade option, whereby you can upgrade your PC to a new PC, halfway through your lease whilst keeping your existing ! Leasing can make higher end computers more affordable, hence why our most popular units are generally the most expensive.

2012 looks to be the year of the Ultra Books. In the same vein as the lightweight Apple Macbook Air, all PC manufacturers have something new tooffer.   Apple alone have increased sales of their Macbook Air (UltraBook)  by some 40% in the last 3 months and the PC suppliers are looking to capitalise on this explosion of this new market sector.

Briefly a laptop can be qualified as an Ultrabook if it weighs less than 1.4Kgs has an SSD drive and uses the new lower power Intels CPUs that allow longer battery life…..

Whilst normally quite expensive using our Hardsoft Flexi lease you can obtain an Apple Macbook Air 11” with Core i5 1.6GHz CPU, 64GB SSD and 2GB Ram from only £ 7.70 a week and the Toshiba Portege Z830 13” with Core i5-2557M CPU, 128GB SSD, 4GB Ram for only £ 10.95 a week; the stunning looking Samsung Series 9 900X3A is a Core i5-2467M machine with a 13.3” LED and 4GB ram, weighing only XXXX  this is available on a Flexi Lease for £ 10.80 a week, and for the month of January all include FREE Microsoft Office on either Mac or PC.  Other Ultrabooks available to lease include the Lenovo Ideapad –with i7 CPU and the Asus Zenbook which was recently featured on ‘The Gadget Show’. Others from Sony and HP are Coming Soon..

If you don’t want something as small and light and need greater power and screen size then HardSoft can lease you various 14” and 15” laptops……….and even larger 17” laptops with greater power and full connectivity into your network.  In this market the best spec and price is from Hewlett Packard offering the Probook 4730s an Intel Core i5-2450M with 640GB HDD, 4GB Ram and 1GB ATi Radeon HD 6470m Graphics Card for only £ 6.30 a week.  HardSoft have larger screen laptops from Acer, Sony and Toshiba. The Apple Macbook Pro 17” Quad Core i7 2.4GHz is very popular with designers and starts at £ 17.90.

Hardsoft offer all levels of laptops to suit your needs from Apple, HP, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba; packaged on a tax efficient Flexi Lease scheme means you can get the machine of your choice for only one months outlay.

Leasing includes three years warranty and there are options for insurance against damage and theft. Call us now to explore which machine is best for you.

High interest rates on business overdrafts means leasing has become increasingly attractive… High interest rates on overdraft facilities have contributed to an 8% rise in lease  finance over the last year, according to recent figures. Figures from the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) for the twelve months to the end of September 2011 show £21bn in lease and asset finance was lent to businesses in the UK, up by 8% on the previous year.

The average interest rates being paid by businesses on their overdrafts was 3.46% in September 2011, the highest rate since Feb 2009, according to data from the Bank of England. The Euro crisis has sent average business overdraft rates shooting up to their highest level in nearly three years, despite stability in the central bank rates. Interest rates were especially difficult for small businesses which often have higher-than-average rates and can be hit with additional costs through arrangement and annual fees, as well as on-going management fees and potential penalty charges.

Banks are still failing to make other types of loan more widely available, making overdrafts the only form of business borrowing available from high street lenders which in turn has led to a greater uptake of leasing and asset finance. 40% of SMEs used leasing in 2010 while the 2011 figure is expected to reach 43%. In 2010, 16.7% of total SME investment was financed by leasing and it is expected to finish 2011 at nearly 19%. Unlike Bank borrowing;  leasing has only minor set up fees and the need for security is often non existant.

HardSoft Computers have over 25 years experience dedicated to leasing computers to small business and have seen an upturn in leasing during recessionary and difficult economic times. HardSoft are both the IT provider (Apple Authorised/HP Preferred) and the Licensed Credit Broker and as such are perfectly positioned to offer that alternative way of financing new Macs, PC’s or Servers..