Both, in the end it's always up to the end user... at least to some degree. But going to a local IT shop, for someone who has said: may not be wise. It'd really pay to stick with a more reputable source IMHO. I'm only slightly surprised he's not happy with Dell since I'm not a huge fan either. I haven't seen any exceptional requirements though so I suspect a decent workstation/server from Dell/HP/Lenovo/etc will be just fine. In retrospect, I actually think getting a Lenovo type workstation might be smarter and easier than an HPE for @countryBoy641. I'm guessing a bunch of monitors will be attached to it; an enterprise style server will complicate matters a bit in that regard. In fact, he stated that here: Going to a boutique like Puget will incur a premium which can likely be avoided. Naturally, at then end of the day, it's obviously @countryBoy641's call. And, for what it's worth, it would probably pay to get a little extra I.T. training so that problems could be more easily fixed without constantly calling someone or buying a new machine. But often there isn't a need to deliberate things much, something like this looks just fine; ymmv.
Here's one, ready to go. You would need to get the proper miniDisplay Port connectors for your monitors however.... $296 with free shipping. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2558587014...3fytRHZxCzZyYGg==|tkp:Bk9SR_LK4922YQ&LH_BIN=1