Laptop advice please!

[Twyle]

I need to buy DD a laptop for college, but that she can possibly play the Sims on. She isn't hugely into gaming otherwise - an hour of Sims a couple of times of week is about it.

I could do with spending under £300, which means I''m looking at Backmarket, as previously suggested on MN threads. However, the choice is overwhelming!

As it's a present, I'd really like to buy one in 'Excellent' condition. Can anyone help me narrow down my options to get the best thing? I honestly don't have much of a clue and I'm starting to feel frazzled!

I like Asus. Have always been reliable.

Ideally go for something with 16gb RAM and 512GB of storage so it will last a few years. Does she need any software for her course?

Thanks both. No, no special college requirements, juts the ability to research and do essays etc.

So...I'm looking at either an HP EliteBook 840 G6 14" or a Dell Latitude 7390 13-inch (2017) - Core i5-8350U - 16GB.

Can anyone shove me in either direction? They're both under £300, but the Dell is a bit cheaper. Are they both too old?

Windows 11 Requirements

As long as the laptop has 8 GiB of RAM or better (ideally 16), you should be good to go. I believe 8th generation Intel processors are the minimum supported.

For portability the 13” would be better, though I would get a 15” laptop if it were to stay on my desk. 15” ones seem to be better value, too.

Since you are buying second hand, don’t forget to reinstall Windows from a bootable USB stick. There’s no telling what kind of crap third parties might have installed on the laptop.

I would also suggest updating the BIOS, too, to iron out those security bugs.

Thanks so much. All the advice is really appreciated.

If anyone's got time, could you peek and see if this one looks alright to fit my spec/run Windows/play Sims etc?

Thank you thank you

That looks decent. I would pay £13 extra for 512GB.

I believe that Dell also has USB-C with DisplayPort Alt-mode (means you can run an external monitor with a USB cable if the monitor has the appropriate inputs).I do not know if this is useful or not.

Latitudes are business laptops so that one probably came off lease. It could have been sitting on a desk for five years, or it could have been bumped around, but I think it is a decent enough computer for a bit of light gaming and college work.