Snappy Office PC build

[neigenoire]

So, I'm building a home/office PC for my uncle. He doesn't play video games unless you can call the occasional browser game a video game. The only thing he's requesting is that the computer should be as snappy as possible, there should be no lag or hanging when browsing the web with multiple tabs open, watching videos or live streams, stuff like that. Price to performance matters.

So far I've come up with this:

CPU: A8-7600 + some low cost cooler
Mobo: Asrock FM2A68M-DG3+
PSU: 300 W BeQuiet!
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 8GB DDR3 1600 Mhz CL9 1.5V Kit of 2 (probably an overkill?)
Deepcool Tesseract BF mATX case

Roughly 260 EUR in total.

I've only built a PC a couple times before so any feedback or tips would be nice before we order the parts. Thanks!

Oh, and I'm from EU, so prices might differ for you.

 

[geofelt]

For a snappy desktop, the essential component is a ssd for your "C" drive.
I would suggest Samsung evo 240gb.

The A8-7600 would be OK. It sells because of the excellent integrated graphics which uncle does not need.
It is a two core cpu with hyperthreads.
It has a passmark rating of 5185 when all threads are in use, and 1531 when single threaded.
Most desktop use is single threaded.

At an equal price point, look at the Intel G4400. It is not as strong when heavily multitasking, (3707) but stronger in single thread operations(1869)
The included stock cooler works fine.
You can use any lga1151 motherboard.

The intel integrated graphics is fine for desktop work and will play HD movies.

If budget is not an issue, the I3-6100 (5000/2102) should be stronger.

 

[neigenoire]

Thank you for the reply! Yes, we do plan on using an SSD, we already have one actually - it's a 120gb Crucial, should be just fine I think.

The I3 does look more attractive in that light. One concern, though - from what I understand the Intel integrated graphics are not the greatest, is it possible that could ever in some way reflect on the overall performance of the system like when having multiple videos played back at the same time or trying to view lots of high resolution images quickly?

 

[lindsay24]

Thank you for the reply! Yes, we do plan on using an SSD, we already have one actually - it's a 120gb Crucial, should be just fine I think.

The I3 does look more attractive in that light. One concern, though - from what I understand the Intel integrated graphics are not the greatest, is it possible that could ever in some way reflect on the overall performance of the system like when having multiple videos played back at the same time or trying to view lots of high resolution images quickly?

9 times out of 10, your internet connection will get bogged down with videos before your integrated graphics start to break a sweat. Intel graphics have also made leaps and bounds over the last few years. Especially considering that it's the latest Skylake generation, it's hard to picture you running into problems. Honestly, I think you'd be fine with the G4400, the A8 or the i3, but I personally agree that the i3 is the best choice to get the most bang for your buck if you can afford it.

I also agree that SSD will do just fine, although you may want to consider a supplimentary hard drive for future storage. That 120GB fills up rather fast.

 

[neigenoire]

Cool! And do you think the 8 gigs of RAM is an overkill? It's not like it's expensive or anything but I'm having hard time imagining he'll ever need more than 4, or is that wrong? He's on Windows 7 I think.

 

[lindsay24]

Cool! And do you think the 8 gigs of RAM is an overkill? It's not like it's expensive or anything but I'm having hard time imagining he'll ever need more than 4, or is that wrong? He's on Windows 7 I think.

Chrome does chew up quite a bit of RAM, but he would be hard pressed to fill 4GB. If the 8GB is cheap where you're buying it, it certainly would never hurt, but I definitely think this build would be okay with 4.