I have a friend at work who is looking to buy a PC in the next month or so.  He was looking at all-in-ones because he has limited desk space in the lounge and wants something non-portable so that his young kids can't take the computer off to their rooms.  After looking at the all-in-ones available in his budget $1000-$1500 I suggested he might look at a NUC as providing better value as well as a measure of upgradability down the track.

I don't know much about NUCs, other than what I've read online and in magazines.  I've been on Pricespy and played around with a few configurations, and I think it's definitely feasible within his budget (though that budget also needs to include a monitor (about 23") and keyboard/mouse).  His use-needs are pretty modest - web browsing, some basic photo management/viewing (not editing), and simple games (for 6-7 year olds).  He's also looking for something that is familiar (i.e. Windows-based) and reasonably low-maintenance.

Does anyone want to suggest a NUC configuration that they think would meet these requirements and come in under budget?  I'm allowing about $350-$400 for a standard monitor and simple keyboard/mouse combo, so the NUC budget would be about $1100.

Alternatively, does anyone want to suggest a different approach?  I did suggest looking at a mini-ITX build, and there are some nice compact cases, but I suspect that the budget might be stretched a little bit without making some compromises, without offering significant benefits.  While I'm happy to tinker, he isn't particularly interested in ongoing maintenance or upgrading so the expandability of a mini-ITX system isn't much of a plus to him.  But being able to boost RAM or SSD in a NUC means he may be able to keep it going for a few more years beyond the equivalent AIO.