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Need advice on new build for light use

Last response: in Systems
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I'm planning a new build for a neighbor who until now only used her computer for email and Facebook. She presently has my daughter's old Dell laptop which was a piece of crap when it was new ~ 8 years ago. Since my neighbor's internet access is dialup I didn't think a new computer would have done her much good. However now she wants to print some mailing labels and I can no longer blame the sluggish performance on her web connection. I'm very happy with the system I built last year around the Intel I5-2500K. Would this kind of power be wasted on a system for light use? The biggest problem with the computer my neighbor is using now is the long boot followed by ~another 5 minutes to load simple applications like web browser or Word. I would probably include an SSD in the new build even if I went with a lower end CPU.

More about : advice build light

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OK, Ill fill out the form,

Approximate Purchase Date: 10/1/12
Budget Range: $200 - $1500 After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Web browsing, email, MS Office, HD video

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Parts to Upgrade: everything

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:Amazon, Newegg

Location: Santa Cruz Mountains (I won't shop at Frys if I can avoid it)

Parts Preferences: I used to build with AMD, but now I think Intel offers more bang for buck. I'm partial to Asus MB's, but will consider other brands.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: no

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: No gaming intended (Am I in the wrong place?)

Meganano said:
I'm planning a new build for a neighbor who until now only used her computer for email and Facebook. She presently has my daughter's old Dell laptop which was a piece of crap when it was new ~ 8 years ago. Since my neighbor's internet access is dialup I didn't think a new computer would have done her much good. However now she wants to print some mailing labels and I can no longer blame the sluggish performance on her web connection. I'm very happy with the system I built last year around the Intel I5-2500K. Would this kind of power be wasted on a system for light use? The biggest problem with the computer my neighbor is using now is the long boot followed by ~another 5 minutes to load simple applications like web browser or Word. I would probably include an SSD in the new build even if I went with a lower end CPU.

For stated requirements, certainly doesn't NEED i5. i3 would be more than adequate. The money you save would, more or less, cover an SSD. In UK, best quality buy would be 128GB Samsung 830. Don't know if that's the same, where you are. I take it you mean SSD for OS, and main software, and conventional hard drive, for data.
Love your budget range, did you mean that!

malbluff said:
For stated requirements, certainly doesn't NEED i5. i3 would be more than adequate. The money you save would, more or less, cover an SSD. In UK, best quality buy would be 128GB Samsung 830. Don't know if that's the same, where you are. I take it you mean SSD for OS, and main software, and conventional hard drive, for data.
Love your budget range, did you mean that!

The 128 GB SSD will be enough for her storage as well as OS and programs for a while anyway. I love my Crucial M4. As far as the budget range I owe these folks big time for help on home repairs, but no sense spending on stuff they won't use.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($22.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($57.08 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($91.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $544.00
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-22 18:11 EDT-0400)
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