so i finally decided to stop using my old laptop that literally sounds like a vacuum cleaner every time i open an excel sheet. it is seriously so loud my cat wont even sit near me anymore when im working. my cousin told me i should just build my own pc and said it is super easy like lego for adults but honestly looking at all these parts lists is making my brain melt a little bit. im really excited to actually have a real desk setup but i have no idea where to even start with the brain of the computer... the cpu thingy.

i basically just do office work from my house in cleveland and i use a lot of chrome tabs like maybe 30 at once and some big spreadsheets and i might want to edit some photos of my dog but nothing crazy. i have a micro center near me and my budget for the whole computer is like 500 or 600 dollars total so i really need to find a cheap but good intel chip. my cousin said i should stick to intel because they are reliable for work stuff but there are so many numbers. i see i3 and i5 and then long numbers like 12100 or 13400 and some have letters at the end like k or f? i am so lost lol.

sorry if this is a really dumb question but is an i3 actually good enough for a grown up office job or will it be super slow? i dont want to spend extra money on an i7 if i dont need it but i also dont want to be frustrated in six months because it cant handle my multitasking. what is the best budget intel cpu right now that wont break the bank but still feels fast? i really want to get all the parts by next weekend so i can try to build it on my day off...