[Byrese]

I know there was another similar thread but it wasn't helpful for "my" mom's needs.

She currently uses an old desktop PC. She wants a new laptop to do simple tasks like paying bills and web searching (on occasion) she really doesn't do or need much else. And she's not tech savvy AT ALL.

However, being her son, I want her to get something that will last for a while. I'm way more familiar with phones then laptops hence the question.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[Zachary Boddy]

What's your budget? Windows Central has a lot of laptop buying guides for almost any budget or use case scenario. I imagine a Surface would be simultaneously too complicated and too expensive, and it seems she's looking more for a traditional clamshell than any hybrid. There's always the HP Stream 11 if you want simple and effective. If you want nice but not wallet breaking the Dell XPS 13 with the non-touch display starts pretty low. Give me your budget I'll give you a list of what I personally think is a good collection of laptops.

[SL2]

If you want something that lasts, buy a laptop with an Intel CPU model that doesn't start with N, as in Celeron N or Pentium N.
Other Celerons and Pentiums are usually fine if they're not too old, while the Core models are better. AMD CPU's are also good, but there are exceptions.

4 GB RAM is alright for basic tasks, but 8 GB is better in the long run. My mothers laptop has only 2 GB so I guess 4 GB will be just fine. :)

An SSD is what will make it snappy and reliable though, 120 GB is enough if she doesn't store a lot of files on it.

The SSD and the extra RAM may sound overkill, but the thing is that it doesn't cost much extra these days. SSD + 2 GB RAM is way better than HDD + 8 GB for someone who's using only one browser tab and nothing else.

Now I'm not telling you to go comparing specs for loads of different models, it's just a very simple checklist before buying.