Laptop for Dad

Infidelus · 29 Dec 2022 at 11:46

I'm not much of a fan of laptops (screens too small, keyboard layout all wrong and buttons too fiddly to name a few things

) but Dad asked me yesterday to recommend a cheap laptop for him. He's on a tight budget (£300 - £400 probably max, though I can probably give him a few quid if necessary to help out if it's slightly over). He's not much of a gamer though he does like playing football manager and golf games, so something that he can play them on would be nice (and I'd play golf online with him - no interest in football whatsoever). Other than that he just wants it for the usual browsing/watching videos and he wants to write a novel!

Any recommendations for something that would suit in that price range would be gratefully received

mickyflinn · 29 Dec 2022 at 12:18

Take a look at the Lenovo G15 gen 2 with I5 and read some reviews.

No idea in gaming performance.

Infidelus · 4 Jan 2023 at 10:28

Thanks for the reply, though not sure how I missed it. I can't find much on a Lenovo G15, though there are a bunch with other letters. Is it the ThinkBook you're referring to?

mickyflinn · 4 Jan 2023 at 10:45

Infidelus said:
Thanks for the reply, though not sure how I missed it. I can't find much on a Lenovo G15, though there are a bunch with other letters. Is it the ThinkBook you're referring to?

Lenovo V15 Gen 2 Intel Core i5-1135G7, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 15.6" Full HD, Windows 11 Home Laptop

Mfr part code: 82KB00N6UK

Chris5626 · 4 Jan 2023 at 11:19

Are the games he likes available on Android? I know Football Manager is. If so I'd consider a Chromebook.

You can pick them up nice and cheap and they tend to run rings around most comparably priced Windows laptops. They are easy to use and as a general rule nothing ever goes wrong with them.

Infidelus · 4 Jan 2023 at 14:02

I hadn't considered a Chromebook, but that's also not a bad idea. Anything that keeps him off Windows has to be a bonus. I shall have to investigate more. Thanks both

Chris5626 · 5 Jan 2023 at 10:15

Infidelus said:
I hadn't considered a Chromebook, but that's also not a bad idea. Anything that keeps him off Windows has to be a bonus. I shall have to investigate more. Thanks both

I'm a Football Manager fan myself and the Android version isn't the same as the PC version but sometimes I actually prefer that. A little less of the micromanaging out of matches and more focus on the matches themselves. If however he likes ALL the detail then it might not be such a good substitute but I'd say worth considering.

I've got a really nice Windows laptop myself but honestly it's my Chromebook I'm always reaching for when I want something portable.

Infidelus · 5 Jan 2023 at 13:36

Unfortunately he doesn't have the budget for a 'really nice' laptop but I will certainly float the Chromebook idea to him as an alternative. I don't do a lot of mobile gaming (almost none at all infact) so I'm not sure how good gaming on Android is these days, and I get the impression on the odd occasion I do end up on the play store that a large percentage of mobile games are designed with micro-transactions in mind which I don't have any interest in (and neither would Dad).