Minimum Specs for Internet browsing

[Chrislw324]

I'm going to build my dad a computer. He's going to use it basically for nothing else but internet (youtube, facebook, paying bills)

Prefers a desktop computer, not a laptop or tablet.

 

Can anyone recommend a CPU and Ram? (cheap, old, doesn't matter as long as it does the job)

Or just recommend specs to look for? (cpu clock speed, core number, cache size) (Ram speed, which ddr2 or 3 etc)

 

I'll put linux ubuntu on it.

 

Appreciate it

[CyberFern0]

2 minutes ago, Chrislw324 said:

I'm going to build my dad a computer. He's going to use it basically for nothing else but internet (youtube, facebook, paying bills)

Prefers a desktop computer, not a laptop or tablet.

 

Can anyone recommend a CPU and Ram? (cheap, old, doesn't matter as long as it does the job)

Or just recommend specs to look for? (cpu clock speed, core number, cache size) (Ram speed, which ddr2 or 3 etc)

 

I'll put linux ubuntu on it.

 

Appreciate it

We're looking at 2.4 minimum and 4GB of RAM.

[FoxPro]

4 minutes ago, CyberFern0 said:

We're looking at 2.4 minimum and 4GB of RAM.

Depending on which generation of chip, 2.4GHz (what I presume you meant) could either be great for web browsing, or the worst. A lot more goes into choosing a CPU than just the clock speed.

 

10 minutes ago, Chrislw324 said:

I'm going to build my dad a computer. He's going to use it basically for nothing else but internet (youtube, facebook, paying bills)

Prefers a desktop computer, not a laptop or tablet.

 

Can anyone recommend a CPU and Ram? (cheap, old, doesn't matter as long as it does the job)

Or just recommend specs to look for? (cpu clock speed, core number, cache size) (Ram speed, which ddr2 or 3 etc)

 

I'll put linux ubuntu on it.

 

Appreciate it

You could probably get away with a Core 2 Duo or similar, with 4GB RAM (Though if possible go for like 6GB). It really depends on what deals you can find, maybe you could get a 1st or 2nd gen i3 for about the same as a Core 2 Duo, in that case go for that instead, that'll definitely contribute to the longevity of it being used for web browsing.

 

Also I'd heavily recommend something like Linux Mint, Lubuntu, or even straight Debian, normal desktop Ubuntu is resource heavy.

[Hiitchy]

For operating systems, I’d strongly suggest Lubuntu. I use it for a work VM, and it’s really snappy regardless of the specs. You get away with quite a lot.

[vanished]

Your title says minimum but your thread asks recommended, and in this case, those are very different things Something like an N3350 is perfectly sufficient - you can browse the web, scroll pages (once loaded) totally smoothly, and even play 4K60 youtube without a single hitch, but opening and switching tabs will take a second or two, and loading and navigating YouTube particularly is really extraordinarily poor.  It's a sufficient experience but not one I would want as a main rig for years on end.

 

I would imagine a sandy bridge i3 or anything better will do perfectly fine though for the general browsing experience (ie, "recommended").  Keep in mind that video playback often relies on certain hardware features though so you may want to go much newer (skylake or better) for that reason alone.

[SupaKomputa]

Quote

He's going to use it basically for nothing else but internet (youtube, facebook, paying bills)

for just browsing the internet an android stick / tv box will do.

get a quad core minimum android stick with at least 2gb of ram.

hook it up with a hdmi monitor + keyboard + mouse

and you'll get a cheap power efficient mini pc.

 

 

30 BUCKS PC!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/X96-Mini-TV-Box-Android-7-1-2-Amlogic-S905W-Quad-Core-WiFi-HD-2G-16G-4K-Player/112563688378?hash=item1a355193ba:m:mCsl8LNd2UcqwA0_DH9hyWw

 

 

[RyzenDoctor]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Your title says minimum but your thread asks recommended, and in this case, those are very different things Something like an N3350 is perfectly sufficient - you can browse the web, scroll pages (once loaded) totally smoothly, and even play 4K60 youtube without a single hitch, but opening and switching tabs will take a second or two, and loading and navigating YouTube particularly is really extraordinarily poor.  It's a sufficient experience but not one I would want as a main rig for years on end.

 

I would imagine a sandy bridge i3 or anything better will do perfectly fine though for the general browsing experience (ie, "recommended").  Keep in mind that video playback often relies on certain hardware features though so you may want to go much newer (skylake or better) for that reason alone.

I browse on my Raspberry Pi3 just fine, and it runs YouTube... plus it costs next to nothing

 

If you want a PC, it depends on what kind of budget you have in mind. The one attached would be around $400 and would be quite snappy

[vanished]

Just now, RyzenDoctor said:

I browse on my Raspberry Pi3 just fine, and it runs YouTube... plus it costs next to nothing

I've done that and youtube really doesn't work all that well.  Despite it being able to play local 1080p60 files just fine, running in the webpage limits it to 720p30, with stutters and lag kicking in at anything higher than that.

[RyzenDoctor]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I've done that and youtube really doesn't work all that well.  Despite it being able to play local 1080p60 files just fine, running in the webpage limits it to 720p30, with stutters and lag kicking in at anything higher than that.

Yeah but its a raspberry Pi running at 720p.... Anyways it was meant to demonstrate a point. Internet browsing and youtube (unless you want to view 1080p or 4k content) don't need much horsepower.

 

A NUC from intel would also be a good option. I'm personally am handing my father a 2014 Mac mini to use that has been collecting dust in my home office (Apple is still selling them for $850 nonetheless). There's just so many ways of going about this.  

[SupaKomputa]

4 minutes ago, RyzenDoctor said:

I browse on my Raspberry Pi3 just fine, and it runs YouTube... plus it costs next to nothing

Yeah but you still need to "build" it, extra cost.

Android tv box is up and running out of the box.

Plus is android, already optimize for media consumption.

Is really all you need, why bother building a pc for the purpose.

[kelvinhall05]

Some cheap Pentium or even Celeron based system would be fine for him, maybe even a used system with a Core 2 Quad.

[RyzenDoctor]

We forgot the compute stick variants... they have windows on them

 

For the price of the best intel compute stick (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883800010) you could buy a used pc, but its a thought