That's not going to matter much for someone with hardly any Factorio experience. (But computer-savvy enough to install v1.1, which I would assume a HNer to be.)
I wouldn't recommend IR3 to a new player. It's significantly more difficult than the base game - there are a lot more intermediate products involved in making almost everything, the steam phase is a wacky layout puzzle, and it's got some mechanics like ore washing which require circuit controls.
It's a neat mod which I enjoyed playing (and I wish it were playable in 2.0!), but it's aimed at experienced players. Someone with only a few hours in the game will hit a wall pretty quickly.
https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-320
(There's also now a saturation slider in the graphics settings.)
And maybe again with 2.0, including some more colorful new planets in the Space Age expansion.
P.S.: The Industrial Revolution overhaul mod might also be to your liking ?
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/IndustrialRevolution3