Laptop for a schoolboy - any advice?

[Nin]

Yes I know, it's a fair swap, does he clean chimneys etc etc.

My lad is 11 yrs old and ready for his own laptop.

He'll mostly use it to play Minecraft and do his homework on it, and occasional internet use but heavily supervised and filtered - but I think I can handle that through the software.

What I'm after are your recommendations for a tough, probably re-furbed, laptop with enough processing power to run Minecraft well and that will survive a couple of drops. Budget between 200- 300 max including software.

I've been looking at Lenovo X220 - welcome your thoughts on that - or if anyone has a used laptop that's suitable, drop me a PM.

Many thanks and cheers aye

Nin

 

[Gonzo]

Lenovos are tough but possibly over-engineered for this purpose. My work X200 took 5 years of abuse before a hardware, erm, "accident".

Our house is full of Dells and they're great. They just seem to work. The last one we got a year or so ago was under £400 IIRC so maybe be above your budget but a good used option. We bought on price and have been pleasantly surprised. They seem to keep the teenagers happy with video, games, skype etc.