Laptop for Grandpa - Low Budget

penismightier

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Nov 30, 2011
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My in-laws want to get their father a laptop for Christmas and as the resident tech "expert" they've asked me to do research on what they should get him. The budget is low ($350 max) but all the old guy needs it for is Skype (lots of relatives in Italy, very important) and e-mail.

Is there any laptop worth recommending in this price range, or should I steer them towards a chromebook or something like that? Everything I've looked at is basically garbage except for this one: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-E5-575-33BM-15-6-Inch-Notebook-Generation/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 , which still isn't the greatest. Looking to outsource my problems to you guys :)

Thanks in advance!

 
Solution
If you are ok with a factory refurbished unit, this is an EXTREMELY capable system with a 6th gen i3 and Intel HD 520 graphics.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834266684


If you prefer it to be new, then you'll need to increase the budget to around 400 bucks if you want something more capable than a Celeron dual core processor which I highly advise avoiding if you want to skype. Celeron mobile CPUs are not particularly strong.




If you are ok with a factory refurbished unit, this is an EXTREMELY capable system with a 6th gen i3 and Intel HD 520 graphics.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834266684


If you prefer it to be new, then you'll need to increase the budget to around 400 bucks if you want something more capable than a Celeron dual core processor which I highly advise avoiding if you want to skype. Celeron mobile CPUs are not particularly strong.




 
Solution


That is basically the best new laptop you can get with your budget and it would have been my recommended laptop if you had not already found it.

Below the $350 threshold will result in a laptop with a far less powerful CPU compared to the i3-7100u. Stepping up to a new laptop with a Core i5 CPU like the i5-7200u means you would need to increase your budget to about $500.
 
Although, Dell DOES give you a three year warranty on their laptops versus only a one year warranty on the Acer. That alone might be worth considering the Dell even if it is a 6th gen CPU model rather than a 7th gen. The performance difference between the two i3's is fairly marginal.