Laptop or desktop recommendation please.

[neilrr]

Could use a little help from those of you who keep up to speed with this stuff.

A 75 y.o. friend who has never used a computer wants to get one. I guess a laptop would be most convenient but a desktop pc would also be OK. I think anything with a smaller screen would present problems.

He'll use it for emails, online banking & share dealing & general surfing to read the news etc.

Doubt he'll watch films, he will never play games, just very basic use.

What would you recommend that is secure, easy to use & not too expensive to buy?

TIA.

 

[moonloops]

Could use a little help from those of you who keep up to speed with this stuff.

A 75 y.o. friend who has never used a computer wants to get one. I guess a laptop would be most convenient but a desktop pc would also be OK. I think anything with a smaller screen would present problems.

He'll use it for emails, online banking & share dealing & general surfing to read the news etc.

Doubt he'll watch films, he will never play games, just very basic use.

What would you recommend that is secure, easy to use & not too expensive to buy?

TIA.

You spec it, he buys it and you a responsible for it, until he or you dies

Any boggo desktop would work, or a laptop with a 17" screen seen as he's not lugging it around.

Just ensure it has 8GB ram, and intel I3 as minimum processor and it will be fine.

 

[400ixl]

Unless there is a real need (for eye sight reasons) I wouldn't go for a laptop with a screen larger than 15". 17" laptops become heavy cumbersome and expensive.

As mentioned and Intel i3 processor will be fine, 8gb RAM good, but 4Gb would also suffice if its a budget concern.

 

[AMGeed]

Whatever he gets, do him a favour and get a good anti virus loaded on it before he sails off doing online banking. Something like Kaspersky or Avast Free AV if cash is tight.
And warn him of the banking scams...he'll thank you for it.

 

[developer]

Desktops are cheap these days, allowing a larger monitor - a 24" monitor will give him plenty to see - they are only c£100 these days too.

Ebuyer is where I buy from:

http://www.ebuyer.com/

 

[grober]

Lenovo offer a reasonable choice.

 

[markjay]

For elderly people I would recommend a 17" laptop.

Laptops are generally easier to manage as there are less 'bits' and less wires.

 

[ioweddie]

Del

 

[Alex225]

Has he ever used a computer before? I was going I say in terms of OS you could look into a refurbished/used iMac as they're all in one, 21 or 27" as well if he's not used to Windows anyway I mean.

If not, you can't go wrong with most brands. Dell/HP/Lenovo etc all offer a decent model in the range.

You'll get more for your money with a desktop but as said a laptop will be neater and less wires etc

 

[neilrr]

No, he's a computer virgin.

He won't be worried about wires & setting the thing up, he's the most 'handy' person I've ever known.

Are they're any security issues with buying a used machine from somewhere like ebay?

 

[grober]

If you were to put a new hard drive and operating system into it---no. But since that's going to add a couple of hundred to the price and the rest of the hardware - display keyboard memory processor is going to be outdated its simply not worth it IMHO. Things move on in the computing world so rapidly that buying stuff more than 2/3 years old means its outdated. The other thing he must think about is which ISP he is going to go with and what wireless router to get. Virgin cable is the fastest - everything else is reliant on BT open reach telephone line for any final connection no matter which ISP he is with. Best to ask locally as to who seems to provide the best service from his local exchange

 

[MD5]

The only thing I would say is if going the laptop route, make sure it has a numeric keypad.

 

[Red C220]

Got my 80 year old Mum a Dell laptop for circa £350.

Does everything she could possibly want.

 

[John]

Once upon a time I might have recommended a Mac for novices, and indeed have, but Windows 10 has come a long way.

Any user doesn't really have to "use" the operating system if they don't want to. Most things are automatic so you only need to know to turn it on, start the browser and turn it off.

Since my dad had to take over doing the stuff my mum used to do, I have to say for someone who wasn't particularly technical, he has got on well with Windows 10.

If all the guy needs to do is use a web browser, find a good Dell Laptop or Asus PC, install Google Chrome and pin it to the taskbar / setup a shortcut on the desktop and that will be the end of it.

I just upgraded my dad's old machine, which was failing, to one of these:

E510-B0231 | Asus EBOX SFF - INTEL CORE i5-4460T 4GB 500GB INTEGRATED GRAPHICS NO-ODD Windows 7 PRO - Laptops Direct

Upgrade it to Windows 10 and stick on Avira free antivirus.

My dad is very happy with it and of course you can buy a nice Iiyama 25" screen, Logitech keyboard and mouse to go with it - you are not limited by a laptop screen and he won't get neck ache either look down all the time.

With regard to eBay, I doubt you'd have security issues. Normally, those are for sellers who don't wipe their data properly.

On the other hand, if I ever bought of eBay I would wipe the operating system and start again but I don't think you save anything.

I quick chat about scam emails as said and what to watch out for and he'll be on his way in no time.

 

[Alex225]

Looking at the first post again, would a tablet not fit the bill?

iPad or Surface?

 

[grober]

Looking at the first post again, would a tablet not fit the bill?

iPad or Surface?

I would suggest no. Ipads are best but expensive but their main disadvantage is that they rely a lot on what I call intuitive operation. With laptops to perform any operation there are many visual signposts icons , menus etc presented on screen. With tablets these signposts are not presented to the operator with many actions relying on the operatives intuition and memory---- In this aspect they are similar to smart phones---for a complete computer novice i think they would find getting to grips with all the many hidden aspects of the operating system a long and frustrating process.
ps that and a lack of local storage space and a full numeric keyboard as mentioned.

 

[Codger49]

^^^^ +1

Quite agree with Grober's view.

I would recommend a standard Dell 15 or 17 inch laptop with i5, 8GB and 500-1GB storage under Win10. I provided a similar setup for my sister who is in her mid-seventies.

I do find it handy though to carry out a quick review of it every 6 months or so, just to check all updates are OK, run an extra Malwarebytes full scan and to clear out crud with CC Cleaner. (I run CC Cleaner daily just before shutting down.)