i need help choosing parts for my grandpas pc

[Legolessed]

so my grandpa has been having problems with his current pc and so asked me to build him one. His requests were that it would be fast and have 16 gb of ram. mostly he just web browses on his computer but never plays games. Dont ask me why he needs 16 gb of ram. He said with his current 12 gb set up he keeps maxing out his ram. How many chrome tabs does he have open!!!!!! Anyways, i was hoping to build something that would be well under $500 but i honestly dont know where to start.

[shanmu54321]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($197.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($53.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($74.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($48.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.49 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Antec VSK4000E U3 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $495.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:21 EDT-0400

[JHY]

How much storage does he uses? I would get one 240gb ssd if possible.

[Legolessed]

Just now, shanmu54321 said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($197.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($53.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($74.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($48.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.49 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Antec VSK4000E U3 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $495.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:21 EDT-0400

thats pretty overkill for web browsing. I was thinking an amd apu  

[Mi26]

Pentium and an RX460 should be more than enough

[comicsansms]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: GeIL SUPER LUCE 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 460 2GB Red Dragon Video Card  ($89.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $509.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:26 EDT-0400

[shanmu54321]

4 minutes ago, Legolessed said:

thats pretty overkill for web browsing. I was thinking an amd apu  

Alright, then swap the cpu for an fx-6300 and another mobo

[shanmu54321]

1 minute ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: GeIL SUPER LUCE 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 460 2GB Red Dragon Video Card  ($89.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $509.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:26 EDT-0400

He wouldn't need a gpu. He doesn't play games. Just web browsing...

[Hulkbert]

Just now, shanmu54321 said:

Alright, then swap the cpu for an fx-6300 and another mobo

If you are going to do that, then wait until the sales from amd making space for the new chips.

[comicsansms]

Just now, shanmu54321 said:

He wouldn't need a gpu. He doesn't play games. Just web browsing...

A dGPU helps with everything. That is the whole concept about the AMD APU line.

[Mark77]

If you want to help him remotely, a "Q" chipset board would be something I'd suggest, and figure out how to get Intel AMT working, particularly the remote KVM feature which is embedded into it. 

 

Forget the HDD, go with a SSD, even a cheapie 128gb one.

 

16gb, fair enough.   Although SSD equipped machines tend to be far more graceful in dealing with lower RAM situations because of their sheer speed on swap.

 

What current machine does he have that he's stuffed 12gb into?  Perhaps look into SSD'ing that, and maybe upping the RAM instead. 

[Legolessed]

5 minutes ago, Mark77 said:

If you want to help him remotely, a "Q" chipset board would be something I'd suggest, and figure out how to get Intel AMT working, particularly the remote KVM feature which is embedded into it. 

 

Forget the HDD, go with a SSD, even a cheapie 128gb one.

 

16gb, fair enough.   Although SSD equipped machines tend to be far more graceful in dealing with lower RAM situations because of their sheer speed on swap.

 

6 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

A dGPU helps with everything. That is the whole concept about the AMD APU line.

 

6 minutes ago, Hulkbert said:

If you are going to do that, then wait until the sales from amd making space for the new chips.

 

7 minutes ago, shanmu54321 said:

He wouldn't need a gpu. He doesn't play games. Just web browsing...

 

8 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: GeIL SUPER LUCE 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 460 2GB Red Dragon Video Card  ($89.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $509.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:26 EDT-0400

 

9 minutes ago, Mi26 said:

Pentium and an RX460 should be more than enough

what about something kind of like this?

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/vjhtCy

[Hulkbert]

1 minute ago, Legolessed said:

 

 

 

 

 

what about something kind of like this?

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/vjhtCy

You are missing a case,psu,and I assume you have an os.

[Legolessed]

1 minute ago, Hulkbert said:

You are missing a case,psu,and I assume you have an os.

it was just the start. I wanted to know if those parts would be good for this build

[Aereldor]

21 minutes ago, Mi26 said:

Pentium and an RX460 should be more than enough

 

21 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: GeIL SUPER LUCE 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 460 2GB Red Dragon Video Card  ($89.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $509.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:26 EDT-0400

 

33 minutes ago, Legolessed said:

mostly he just web browses on his computer but never plays games.

 

21 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

A dGPU helps with everything. That is the whole concept about the AMD APU line.

Well, they're outperformed by the Iris Pro 6100, 6200 and newer 580 iGPUs. I can disable my GTX 960, roll with the HD 4400 iGPU, and not notice a difference until I fire up a game or an editing program. I think it's pretty safe to say that someone who doesn't play games or needs a computer for video/3d-based productivity doesn't need to spend $100 on graphics card.

[Blind X]

This one will be perfect for web browsing:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3250 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($72.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($71.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($62.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.49 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT WH ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $401.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:53 EDT-0400

[Hulkbert]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($114.99 @ NCIX US) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($55.38 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Patriot Extreme Performance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $448.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:52 EDT-0400

Might want to wait until people peer review the build above.

But, it should work.

[Legolessed]

5 minutes ago, Hulkbert said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($114.99 @ NCIX US) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($55.38 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Patriot Extreme Performance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $448.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:52 EDT-0400

Might want to wait until people peer review the build above.

But, it should work.

 

7 minutes ago, Blind-X said:

This one will be perfect for web browsing:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3250 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($72.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($71.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($62.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.49 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT WH ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $401.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 00:53 EDT-0400

 

8 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

 

 

 

Well, they're outperformed by the Iris Pro 6100, 6200 and newer 580 iGPUs. I can disable my GTX 960, roll with the HD 4400 iGPU, and not notice a difference until I fire up a game or an editing program. I think it's pretty safe to say that someone who doesn't play games or needs a computer for video/3d-based productivity doesn't need to spend $100 on graphics card.

 

31 minutes ago, Mark77 said:

If you want to help him remotely, a "Q" chipset board would be something I'd suggest, and figure out how to get Intel AMT working, particularly the remote KVM feature which is embedded into it. 

 

Forget the HDD, go with a SSD, even a cheapie 128gb one.

 

16gb, fair enough.   Although SSD equipped machines tend to be far more graceful in dealing with lower RAM situations because of their sheer speed on swap.

 

What current machine does he have that he's stuffed 12gb into?  Perhaps look into SSD'ing that, and maybe upping the RAM instead. 

 

32 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

A dGPU helps with everything. That is the whole concept about the AMD APU line.

 

33 minutes ago, shanmu54321 said:

He wouldn't need a gpu. He doesn't play games. Just web browsing...

 

35 minutes ago, Mi26 said:

Pentium and an RX460 should be more than enough

 

39 minutes ago, PCNoobie said:

How much storage does he uses? I would get one 240gb ssd if possible.

would this pc work? http://pcpartpicker.com/list/zrhtCy

[JHY]

Just now, Legolessed said:

would this pc work? http://pcpartpicker.com/list/zrhtCy

No you must get a better psu or it will fry the components.

[Hulkbert]

1 minute ago, Legolessed said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

would this pc work? http://pcpartpicker.com/list/zrhtCy

I would be concerned of his house burning down.

[Aereldor]

@Legolessed- I believe it might be justifiable for you go to 100% solid-state on this one. I've also made sure to pick out reliable components to lower the risk of failure- I'm assuming you don't want to work tech support for your grandfather too often. MSI and SeaSonic have a reputation for being extremely reliable manufacturers, and have great budget options too. 

I'd also recommend installing an automatic backup system, or if he can afford to spend another $100, two of those Sandisk SSDs in Raid 1, to effectively halve the risk of failure and subsequent data loss. Keep in mind that if you decide to go with RAID 1, you'll need a different motherboard, as this one does not have onboard RAID support.

 

I think a GPU would be a colossal waste of money. However, maxing out 12GB of RAM is no small feat. I've gone with a single 16GB stick, so you can go all the way to 32GB in the future. 

 

Furthermore, I think a mini-ITX form factor would be nice. Everyone enjoys having more space, and while I could be wrong, I don't think your grandfather is enough of a PC enthusiast to want a hulking full tower on his desk. The Elite 110 also has reasonable cooling options and front-panel USB 3.0.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI H110I Pro Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($110.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $436.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 01:02 EDT-0400

 

[Legolessed]

4 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

@Legolessed- I believe it might be justifiable for you go to 100% solid-state on this one. I've also made sure to pick out reliable components to lower the risk of failure- I'm assuming you don't want to work tech support for your grandfather too often. MSI and SeaSonic have a reputation for being extremely reliable manufacturers, and have great budget options too. 

I'd also recommend installing an automatic backup system, or if he can afford to spend another $100, two of those Sandisk SSDs in Raid 1, to effectively halve the risk of failure and subsequent data loss. Keep in mind that if you decide to go with RAID 1, you'll need a different motherboard, as this one does not have onboard RAID support.

 

I think a GPU would be a colossal waste of money. However, maxing out 12GB of RAM is no small feat. I've gone with a single 16GB stick, so you can go all the way to 32GB in the future. 

 

Furthermore, I think a mini-ITX form factor would be nice. Everyone enjoys having more space, and while I could be wrong, I don't think your grandfather is enough of a PC enthusiast to want a hulking full tower on his desk. The Elite 110 also has reasonable cooling options and front-panel USB 3.0.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI H110I Pro Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($110.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $436.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-09 01:02 EDT-0400

 

the thing is he just doesnt need a core i3. He could use an intel core 2 duo and probably be okay. He would complain about how slow it was but it would be fine. Im going to talk to him and see if he would be okay with an ssd rather than a hard drive since his storage space would be more limited. i have a 64 gb ssd and i havent even gotten close to maxing it out. as for the power supply, the evga 430 watt power supply is $5 more, should i go for that? The seasonic one is $15 more. I currently am using a 600 watt evga power supply and i have been happy with it. is it the same for the lower wattage ones?

[Aereldor]

20 minutes ago, Legolessed said:

the thing is he just doesnt need a core i3. He could use an intel core 2 duo and probably be okay. He would complain about how slow it was but it would be fine. Im going to talk to him and see if he would be okay with an ssd rather than a hard drive since his storage space would be more limited. i have a 64 gb ssd and i havent even gotten close to maxing it out. as for the power supply, the evga 430 watt power supply is $5 more, should i go for that? The seasonic one is $15 more. I currently am using a 600 watt evga power supply and i have been happy with it. is it the same for the lower wattage ones?

The SeaSonic power supply will probably never fail you. The EVGA 430 watt is a piece of junk. The Logisys built-in one is even worse and shouldn't be within a mile of any PC. I went with reliable yet affordable parts to minimize the risk of your grandfather's computer failing, and you want to burn his house down? Come on, man.

 

What's the use in telling him every little detail of every part you put in his PC? Will you explain to him exactly what an SSD is and what they're priced at compared to hard drives, and then show him read and write benchmarks? Explain the benefits to him and ask him how much he can spend. Or better still, ask him for a budget, and then ask us for build suggestions. My build is very well below the $500 you stated, but you don't seem satisfied with it. Perhaps it'd be better if you can get an exact quote from your grandfather.

 

Also, the Core i3 is going to be better at multitasking with its four threads. For instance, if he wants to open a bunch of chrome tabs, edit a few documents, go through music on his iTunes library, all while transferring files back and forth from his USB drive or downloading something on Netflix. My Core i3 is significantly less powerful (slower clock, older architecture), and it can still multitask like a champion.

 

You haven't gotten close to maxing your 64GB SSD, and you don't have a hard drive for mass storage? I find that a little hard to believe, especially because there's a 500GB hard drive in your system specs on your profile.

[Legolessed]

3 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

The SeaSonic power supply will probably never fail you. The EVGA 430 watt is a piece of junk. The Logisys built-in one is even worse and shouldn't be within a mile of any PC. I went with reliable yet affordable parts to minimize the risk of your grandfather's computer failing, and you want to burn his house down? Come on, man.

 

What's the use in telling him every little detail of every part you put in his PC? Will you explain to him exactly what an SSD is and what they're priced at compared to hard drives, and then show him read and write benchmarks? Explain the benefits to him and ask him how much he can spend. Or better still, ask him for a budget, and then ask us for build suggestions. My build is very well below the $500 you stated, but you don't seem satisfied with it. Perhaps it'd be better if you can get an exact quote from your grandfather.

 

Also, the Core i3 is going to be better at multitasking with its four threads. For instance, if he wants to open a bunch of chrome tabs, edit a few documents, go through music on his iTunes library, all while transferring files back and forth from his USB drive or downloading something on Netflix. My Core i3 is significantly less powerful (slower clock, older architecture), and it can still multitask like a champion.

 

You haven't gotten close to maxing your 64GB SSD, and you don't have a hard drive for mass storage? I find that a little hard to believe, especially because there's a 500GB hard drive in your system specs on your profile.

I'm not trying to make you angry. I just do t think he will ever need the core i3. I'll ask him for a budget and I'll update the power supply. Also I haven't updated my system specs since I had an iMac so they are pretty outdated. I need to update them.

[Aereldor]

50 minutes ago, Legolessed said:

I'm not trying to make you angry. I just do t think he will ever need the core i3. I'll ask him for a budget and I'll update the power supply. Also I haven't updated my system specs since I had an iMac so they are pretty outdated. I need to update them.

I'm not mad at all. I'm a little confused at why you're making your grandfather's decision more complicated. I also rationally explained why an i3 is a good choice for the best possible experience. At the cost of an extra $60 (compared to a Celeron G3900, the cheapest Skylake CPU), you're getting a chip that can take just about anything a low-level consumer can throw at it. Paired with 16GB of RAM, your grandfather can probably do just about anything he wants. If he wants a hundred Chrome tabs open in the future, another 16GB stick should be another $70, but I don't think that'll ever be an issue.

 

The 480GB SSD is a lot of space, but that makes it ideal for storing things like photos, music, or movies. I always say it's better to have extra storage than to have to make do without it for two reasons.

1. File sizes for just about everything increase every day. Bitrates for downloaded videos and movies, file sizes of pictures from cameras or even smartphones, and application data.
2. You never know when it might be necessary. For instance, if your grandfather wants a photo/video album from a family occasion and sees that he doesn't have any storage space left on his 120GB SSD, it'll be a problem.

I used to use a 500GB HDD in my 2009 MacBook Pro, and I was always running out of space, and always had to delete things I didn't really want to get rid of. This was the second time this had happened, as I had already upgraded from the 250GB HDD the laptop came with.

Then I invested in a 1TB external HDD, and that filled up over the course of a few years, and once again, I had to delete things I never wanted to. 1080p had also become the new standard, and I didn't want to compress my videos to 540 or 720p, especially because I was buying a 1080p monitor, and was getting into content creation. Instead, I put in the extra cash into a 1TB HDD when I built my PC (the one in my signature) and distributed the files over both drives. 

 

Now, your grandfather's case probably isn't going to be as extreme, but if you get the 480GB SSD, it's safe to say that he might never run out of storage space.