Parents in the U.K want to upgrade their laptop because it's webcam and one of its USB ports are kaput. (Seems unnecessary especially since they recently bought an external webcam but it's their choice.( To minimise the pain of setting up a laptop I've proposed taking their current SSD over which means it should power up and have the same Windows password and same files in the same place right? (I can swap a hard drive)

They use their computer for emails, maybe writing a letter in Word and Zoom. Nothing much more intense than that. We're looking for something that won't give them grief, preferably has a large monitor size since they are in their seventies and doesn't have a fancy hard drive since we won't use it. A high-end graphics card is of course superfluous.

They won't buy a refurb. Should I just look for something on Amazon that fits the bill or is there a smarter way to go about it? Will my parents' SSD which I think is a 2.5" (but will soon confirm) fit in any laptop going?

edit: thoughts on laptop one - technically refurbished but supposedly "as new" (parents almost certainly won't go for this but curious in your thoughts)

That's a pretty old third generation i3 (I3-3110M). I wouldn't take it. I would not buy anything today that isn't at least 8th gen (I3-8xxxx). But i3 seems the way to go, no need for i5, considering the user profile.

SSDs can be swapped very easily between laptops. They' all 2.5". You can put the SSD from the old laptop painlessly into the new, just make sure to update drivers. Windows might not do all of them, so my fav trick is to install Iobit Driver Booster, run it once and uninstall it again.

EDIT: oh, when you move the SSD over, make sure that you also manage to renew the Windows license, that supposedly comes with the new laptop.

edit: parents now want a new SSD on the new computer so ignore all that stuff. So the questions is what are the minimum specs you'd feel comfortable recommending that will last a few years for a low (but frequent) user.

Thanks. Would you briefly elucidate on why, given their user profile?

Thanks. They'll probably get something with an existing hard drive - but that's equally easy to swap, right?

Would you recommend a link on how to do this? I installed the SSD on their current laptop so I've definitely done this before but a reminder is useful!

Thanks again

Dean

My parents are looking at the four £399.99 laptops here:

https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/techn...pt/sort:price/

thoughts welcome, thank you!

You want a laptop that can run Windows comfortably for the next couple of yeas. I don't trust a gen3 i3 with that very much.

About porting the Windows License, if you buy a laptop with an OEM license, it might just go automatically. I have no experience with this though, maybe another techie can join in on this.

HD's are as easy to swap as the laptop allows. Some laptops force you to take out the entire back cover. Some have a minicover to swap HD+RAM.

Of the 4 laptops in your link, assuming you are not investing anything else (like extra RAM or an SSD), I would take the first one, which has 8GB of RAM and an SSD. All the others either have 4GB (lol) or a HD (lol)

I have no idea about velocity of the CPUs of these 4. Laptops seem expensive in the UK. I would be able to get something a lot better, even sh for that money

For the £400 in your UK budget, I would suggest getting the cheapest Dell Inspiron here: https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/lapt...ations_section

I think that the better processor will be more valuable for your use case, and will be able to do things like apply webcam backgrounds etc. more effectively than the Argos stuff.

Also, the current deals available at Dell UK seem better value than Argos: https://deals.dell.com/en-uk/category/laptop-deals

Now my dad is saying he's willing to get a desktop but not one with a tower - presumably that means he's open to an all-in-one computer? Thoughts on that? He's not looking to go much above £400 but could probably stretch to £500 if it was really worth it.

Is something like this worth considering?

https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/P...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

(first thing I found when googling, so there could be better fits out there)

at least that cpu looks to be painfully slow, about half the performance of the athlon in the inspiron linked above. i would guess the premium you pay for an all in one desktop is gonna price out most of the decent options.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/comput...13264-pdt.html

might be a decent option?

laptop:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-VivoBo...rd_i=429886031

14" tho, if that matters, rest of the specs seem maybe above par for the price

alright so for your parents' needs, a modern laptop will more than suffice and they have the option to take it with them in bed/ on the couch/ porch etc

as far as taking an ssd and hot swapping it into a different machine, that doesn't really work. see, you have drivers, licenses that are tied to your motherboard, there's bios to uefi, I won't bore you with details, it's just not feasible. moreover, the new thin and light laptops will not have space for a 2.5" drive, they use m.2 instead, which just plugs in the mobo. thicker laptops should still have the option for a 2.5".

cloning software might take care of your problems. Josem reported succesfully cloning an OS drive, he can give you the details. I've never done it, as it doesn't take long to re-install windows and the core apps you need if you know what you're doing. So that would be your safest bet, but cloning the drive could also work. To clone you need both drives plugged into the same system, so there's another logistical problem for you.

So laptop hardware; 8gb ram is a must these days, cpu preferably an 8th gen i3 or better or Ryzen 3 or better. A nice matte IPS Full HD screen is nice, easy to see in brightly lit rooms or direct sunlight if taken outside (would be hard to find tho on a 400 quid budget), your parents might want a 15.6" display rather than the smaller common 13.3 and 14", I know my parents do...

Great minds etc

I would never consider an all-in one. Really hard to service. If space is problem you can get some slim design case with CPU w/integrated graphics - Ryzen 3200g for example.

Cloning a drive is a useful tool for replacing the hard drive in an existing PC. It's not a good way to move a hard drive from one PC to another, because the data on the two drives is going to be different (software licenses, drivers, etc.).

You're probably better off using the new hard disk, and copying the documents, etc, over from the old drive to the new drive.

I concur. If the "all-in-one" form factor is important to you, you could probably get a better deal combining a monitor/keyboard with a mini desktop PC like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-ProDesk-...ag=michjose-21

You could probably hide the mini desktop pc on the back of the monitor or under the desk or similar.

I think it will be much less work to clone. The new drivers will be installed by WIndows itself or you can help with that using a driver update tool like Iobit.

There will be some MB of data of old drivers that you no longer use, small price to pay imo

(btw I would always do a fresh install. Any excuse I can find to start over with a fresh system I grab with both hands. I don't mind spending an evening to have a clean system).

Thanks Josem, didn't think it was possible either

the way I see the laptop vs desktops vs AIO debate in your case, op

desktops
pros: cheapest, better performance/$ when spending the same, easy to maintain/service/upgrade thus more longevity
cons: fixed in place, need to buy monitor if you don't own one

laptops
pros: enough performance for your needs, mobility
cons: no way to upgrade, premium tax for the mobile package but not too bad these days, battery might need replacing in 3-4 years if it's used unplugged but you can also move it to places close to a socket and it still retains mobility indoors. harder, more expensive to service.

AIO
pros: easy solution for people who just want a quick out of the box experience, similar to how laptops offer you an all in one package
cons: everything I've mentioned above. also most expensive/ worse bang/$. these are basically laptops you can't carry around but they give you a monitor instead.

but at the end of the day it depends on your use case and price/availability

My parents don't move their laptop. Not ever. Their last two computers have been laptops, probably over about 8-10 years and they've never used it unplugged. They have a second home and insist on having a laptop in each location because "they already take enough luggage as it is". It doesn't make sense but they're incredibly obstinate, they'll adopt a precept for a random reason and then it's unshakeable.

The mini desktop looks like a good idea. What do y'all think of something like this?

Larger list here.

does it have to be a mini pc?
these might even be worse value than all in ones
you can literally buy the same laptop with the money

anyway, check banggood.com and geekbuying.com for better deals than Amazon. they also have local warehouses and ship from EU. Techtablets on youtube has comprehensive reviews on some models.

It could be a laptop. My parents literally always use the laptop in the exact same place - i.e never take it to another room or other building, the mini pc allows them to get a bigger monitor, a nicer keyboard etc.

edit: now dad is insisting computer must have built in webcam. Sigh.

I say laptop in that budget
they can hook it up to a larger screen or the tv, plug in a mouse and keyboard if used on a desk
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-VivoBo...+intel&sr=8-10
https://www.amazon.co.uk/15-6-inch-L...219291&sr=8-13
2nd one is bigger

I would get a laptop for this use case. I would also start again with the clean install of Windows, then set it up with the same password that they had before etc, and then copy across documents etc. No sense putting an ageing SSD and bloated Windows installation into the new machine - you'll just get an immediate performance hit.

If budget was higher it might be better value to get a desktop PC but not for £400 (unless they have an existing monitor etc). Don't get an all in one.

What about something like

mini pc

monitor

keyboard and mouse

i think that would be painfully slow

Ah yes - didn't check out the processor.

How about something like this, this or this? Keep in mind they're unlikely to do anything more intensive than Zoom so as long as it's able to run Windows and Zoom in 2025 it's good to go.

Thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingdel%C2%...puters&sr=1-10

how about this?

I don't get mini pcs outside of diy projects like making one fit into a wooden box you hand made or some feng shui nonsense
they're essentially laptop hardware cramped into a small box and priced the same as laptops, only lacking everything that makes laptops great like portability, a battery, a screen, a keyboard & trackpad
actually I've seen one that was offering 3x HDMI 2.0 outputs out of a Ryzen 5 2400g, which you won't get on a laptop, but that's a very niche use case.

so get a freaking laptop. cheaper one if you must.
https://www.gearbest.com/ultrabooks/...ml?wid=2000001
there you go, a cheap laptop that's not completely ass. ships from Germany.
or buy refurbished
https://www.refurbishedlaptops.co.uk...thinkpad-t470/

My parents don't need a laptop. They have *never* moved their current one, used it unplugged etc - they don't have room for a tower (I think they do but gl changing their mind). Maybe they should still get a laptop, but issues of portability etc. are irrelevant. I'm finding you can get better bang for your buck from a mini pc, a 24 inch monitor rather than 17 and better CPU. You'd get better still from a normal desktop but not sure that's happening. Again, maybe they should get a laptop - easier to set up, one phone number to ring if something goes wrong, takes up less space etc. but my parents aren't taking the laptop into the living room, they're not taking it to the coffee shop - they just don't do these things, so "but portability" isn't valid in this case.