Entry level hardware that will last a few years?

Question

So I believe that my girlfriend's mothers' computer is dying a slow and horrible death. It is more than ten years old and she doesn't want to get a new one, because this one still works (sometimes).

I am going to buy her a new computer, but before I do that, what hardware specs would you recommend for a computer that will be basically playing solitaire, surfing the web and sending emails that will last a good couple of years for this purpose?

Thank you for your input in advance.

Answer 1

The cheapest thing you can get your hands on.
Nowadays, in terms of hardware power, any old x86 box will be powerful enough to be a web browsing / simple game playing machine for many years to come. Web pages can only consume so many cpu cycles...

In terms of hardware reliability, the pre-built vendors - HP, Dell, etc - are probably a better bet as they should have a warranty that covers the whole machine. If you built a machine up from bits and pieces, the warranty would only cover that single bit. However you will be paying a premium for buying a pre-built.