Computer for 8 year old grandson.

[mzee]

I have an 8 year old grandson who wants a computer for his birthday. I have a HP Stream G3 11.6" notebook running W10 Pro which is surplus to requirements, and almost new, runs well. I can't help thinking that he is a bit young to handle Windows 10, and would be better off with a Chromebook. I got his 10 year old Sister a Chromebook and she loves it. I set it up with a personal account, and a School account. The Chromebook is ideal for kids, no virus or firewall problems, no moving parts, other than the keyboard. What do you think?

[Bryan]

My only thought is that as they get older they will want to explore more. I'm sure that the Chromebook is a great portal to computing but if can't do anything like a standard TV, do you not think that in a year or two they will want something with more bells and whistles? Maybe watching their DVDs on the device and play games off a DVD let alone load it onto the device. Peer pressure too. Just my thoughts.

[pctek]

I can't help thinking that he is a bit young to handle Windows 10, and would be better off with a Chromebook.

My granddaughter just turned 9.
She grew up with dads PC. Win 7.

By age 4 she knew exactly what she was doing with it.

She'd use mine, different icons, different browser, in fact no desktop icons for most things.
Took her 10 seconds to locate Chrome (I use FF mostly so didn't have an icon or toolbar icon for Chrome) and launch it, adjust it to full screen (she hates windowed, I hate full screen), and start book marking her favourite sites.

The only trouble she had then was spelling.........she'd have to ask us how to spell what ever she was looking for.

Now she has no issues at all.
She has a Chromebook now - part of school stationary.

She doesn't care what it is, PC, Chromebook, tablet, phone. She has no trouble with any of them.

She has saved music, movies, she plays games - online and off. Daddys and hers.
She searches Google, she loves youtube (she's into her music a lot).
Sometimes she even goes to a kids website.

Although daddy got annoyed with her messing with the phone and locking it so she's banned from playing with the security settings now.
I'm starting to teach her the back end, put adblock on her Chromebook the other day, explained all that stuff to her.

[Driftwood]

I'd go with the Chromebook too.
Young fella here a few weeks back had one.
Had a look at it.
Not much use offline, but ideal for schoolwork.
Told me it would go all day on the battery.

[mzee]

I'd go with the Chromebook too.
Young fella here a few weeks back had one.
Had a look at it.
Not much use offline, but ideal for schoolwork.
Told me it would go all day on the battery.

The HP Chromebook I got for the Grand daughter did up to 15 hours on a charge. There are thousands of apps and games available. You can work on documents offline, and as soon as it is connected to the Internet the file is backed up to Google drive. No backups needed, no anti virus, no malware, no debris left over from uninstalled apps, no heat, no noise, instant booting.

[Bryan]

Looks like you have sold yourself.

[mzee]

Looks like you have sold yourself.

Looks like I will be buying another Chromebook

[pctek]

Granddaughter is here. I asked her what she would choose. Chromebook or PC, she says PC.
She prefers dads gaming PC better because it's big, it's keyboard and mouse separate and the games.

So....perhaps you should ask the grandson.

Chromebook will be a bit crippled for gaming..........

[kahawai chaser]

Though Google have announced the Android App Store - including games - is coming to Chrome OS. But need to check which chrome books/version allow this, before buying...

Currently the App Store can be installed for certain Chromebooks, via the developer channel. See how from Android Authority.

[pctek]

No, no....real games. She plays dads games mostly.
And he sure can't run them on his laptop, never mind hers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had an adventure this morning.
haven't done much with the PC since we moved back..........

Did change a hard drive and the graphics card (used).

So this morning the screen was black. Oh no. Fiddle about and get streaky speckled patterns. Bugger.
Monitor (9 years approx) deceased.

So how do I look for a new one? Can't use PC. No spare.
Try granddaughters smartphone.

What a pita!!! The unhelpful thing likes to complete your google entry and persisted in autocompleting my search terms (and URLs) for me, taking me to places I didn't want to be.
Not to mention it's hideous keyboard thing, touch wrong letter, backspace, type next letter, type next letter, wrong one, backspace.
Faster getting her to do it. She takes control.

Anyway, off to the suppliers. Can't remember my login.....(their assigned login, not one I chose). Bugger.
OK, pricespy.
Nope, getting the take us to other websites business again. Can't afford it anyway.

I give up. I know. I'll go check the rubbish tip shop.
what time do they open? Can't look it up. (How did we exist without computers?)

Husband says ring them. Ring them? Ring them? Oh yeah...phones.

OK, whats the number? Can't look it up..........

Ring council. (Can remember that one)
After maneuvering through their choose 1 for this choose 2 for this and waiting on hold for years, the council woman helpfully tells me the hours for the tip.
No, I say, the shop. It's different hours. IT's on your website I tell her. Why don't I look it up she says?

She rings the shop instead.

OK, finally wander down to tip.
Granddaughter greatly excited about this.

Find a screen that looks ok, $20.
Now, testing.......
Rubbish shop woman gets out a laptop and as she is fumbling about, I connect it up and boot up.
Oh looky, Linux Ubuntu!

Opps...we have a CPU_PIPE_ERR.
Bugger.

well never mind, I can read that error message on the screen so I buy it.
meanwhile fetch granddaughter from back of shop where she has picked out a dress and a bottle of bubble bath.
Buy screen, dress and bubble bath.

Go home, hook up.
Screen looks weird. Fiddle about and realise it's not weird, it's perfect.
Bright, clear, no dead pixels. That's why it looks weird.

Husband says, oh god, what next?
Motherboard I tell him. Thats 7 years old. And it's motherboard, CPU and ram all at once when that goes.........

He goes out to the garage to fret.


Granddaughter abandons phone and jumps on my PC. (until now)