CPU for Internet, email and other basic functions??

[tdubb21]

I am building my dad a computer. He just plays around on the Internet (eBay, YouTube, email, etc.).

I have some parts laying around. (Video card, power supply, ddr3 ram)

What would be a good Cpu for his needs? Would like it to be decently fast for him, as he has only had slow computers.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Just about anything Budget? Intel G3258.

 

[cdabc123]

honestly a 5$ core 2 would work just fine for what he wants

 

[laviniuc]

he needs an ssd for the windows on the pc, not really a great cpu.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

All you need is a power supply and case.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($112.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX200 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $255.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-21 19:03 EDT-0400

Just did a very similar build for my uncle who also just uses it for basic browsing and email. I was impressed at how fast it was.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

As I said, Budget?

 

[tdubb21]

I am looking to spend around $100-$150 for the motherboard and processor if possible.

 

[Ecky]

i3 is overkill, my vote is for a Skylake Pentium + H110 motherboard, or possibly even Haswell +H81 to save a few dollars.

 

[lindsay24]

i3 is overkill, my vote is for a Skylake Pentium + H110 motherboard, or possibly even Haswell +H81 to save a few dollars.

I'll second that too. Make sure to get an SSD boot drive. It makes the computer seem so much more snappy.

You could probably even get away with a cheap AMD processor if you want. A cheap $40 CPU with an SSD will be much better for his needs, rather than a $80 Intel CPU and a hard drive.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

You have to make a decision for the future. If this is a 'fire and forget' computer that will soldier on as is, until it is retired, then I think a budget AMD solution would be best, using a medium grade APU. If you plan future upgrades, then I'd go with an Intel Haswell chip. The G3258 I mentioned is more powerful than you need, but can be overclocked and replaced with something substantially better.

Here's what we are talking about.

AMD APU. Very cheap, but perfectly adequate for an office system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($39.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $89.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-22 05:47 EDT-0400

Similar, but spending all your money for something a bit more powerful that will play simple games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A8-7650K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M PRO3+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.38 @ Newegg)
Total: $146.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-22 05:50 EDT-0400

Cheap Intel, you could use a Celeron, but I'm not going to.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($52.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $92.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-22 05:53 EDT-0400

Again, upgrading to spend your money

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $149.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-22 05:54 EDT-0400

The Intel systems are more powerful for computation, the AMD systems have better graphics processing, but either is completely fine for an office system.

Inexpensive, complete system. You may need WiFi, ODD and you will need an OS if you lack one.

Cheaper plan B Buy a going concern refurbished Office system three years old off lease. It is MUCH cheaper than anything you can build. Howe wrong can this be?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883159972&cm_re=refurbished_desktop-_-83-159-972-_-Product

 

[tdubb21]

Thanks for all the great advice, I really appreciate it fellas!