Cpu for workstation.

[ztwood]

If I'm trying to build a workstation that doesn't run any demanding programs,  would it be better to have more slower cores or faster fewer cores?

[Tosa]

If you're not running anything demanding on it, I don't believe it matters too much.

[hearthofsin]

what programs are you using? because the workload is so different and you might be better of spending more money on ram or gpu and less on cpu or vice versa.
i mostly use solidworks forexample which is single core workload so i have 4790k because it stock has a high single core performance. if i was using my computer for video editing (or any rendering program in general) i would go for a cpu with good multi core performance. 
knowing this info you can now go to cpuboss and compare cpu's to see what will suit you better.
also what is the budget and do you need ecc support? makes it a lot easier to help you out  

[highly_unlikely1]

This would depend on what programs you will be running on the workstation.

[ztwood]

It's really just a basic computer for my mother. She doesn't really run anything more than word. She has a program that she uses to work from home but it's not a rendering program or anything so it's not a demanding workload at all. 

[Milosonator1]

Faster fewer cores is definitely better in that case.

[hearthofsin]

i3 will do just fine then

[Coaxialgamer]

4 hours ago, ztwood said:

It's really just a basic computer for my mother. She doesn't really run anything more than word. She has a program that she uses to work from home but it's not a rendering program or anything so it's not a demanding workload at all. 

i3 or 860k would be fine. An ssd is really important however to improve system responsivness. Take it from me, my parents keep complaining about how the PC is "slow" because of the HDD inside.

You'll find that more often than not , the cpu isn't the bottlenneck , and adding an ssd will make parents complain a whole lot less