Someone Who Just Inherited an Heirloom Laptop

In the olden days, when your desktop PC got too old, it was either upgraded or cannibalised. They never really hung around. But in this era of laptop domination, when a computer outlives its usefulness, you can just palm it off!

Your little brother, your college-bound sister, your grandparents who just want to talk to you on the internets, they’ll all be grateful for your crummy old laptop. Especially when it lets you get away with giving them Christmas presents like these.

The Lifehacker Pack Mac, Windows)

https://lifehacker.com/lifehacker-pack-for-mac-2011-our-list-of-the-best-free-5826449

Sounds cheap, but this gift is actually indispensable for someone picking up an old computer from somebody else. It doesn’t matter if it’s been formatted or is bloated with ten years of crap, the software in these packs is everything they’ll need to get the best from an old laptop. They’ll thank you more for this than they will 100x useless gift cards.

($0!)

Lucasarts Adventure Pack

Let’s face it, if it’s an old laptop, it won’t be playing many of the latest and greatest games. What it can play, though, are some of the oldest and greatest games, and there are none older, greater (or as affordable, you cheapskate) as the Lucasarts Adventure Pack. Seriously, these are four of the best games ever made. If they don’t enjoy this, you should take back that old laptop, and never speak to them again.

($10)

Standivarius Aero

Even modern laptops can still run hot and sit awkwardly in your lap, so a good stand is essential. And while there are bigger and fancier stands than the Aero, none are as convenient for people like students, as it weighs less than 150g and folds into a 2.5mm thin slab. Pop it open, though, and you get all the functionality and ventilation of a “proper” stand.

($56)

Timbuk2 Superbad Backpack

They’re not the classiest, the most practical or the most durable bags on the market, but let’s face it, the person inheriting this laptop is most likely a student, which means they need something that sort of does all that. Timbuk2’s Superbad backpack is thus perfect. It’s laptop storage, it’s a proper backpack, it’s going to be well-made and it’s reasonably priced. Perfect.

($40)

Clevo X7200

Let’s say you give someone your old laptop. They get a taste for the good life, can run a few games, but then it dies, or just gets too old. They need a new one. And crummy old hand-me-downs be damned, they want the biggest and the best. The X7200 is the biggest and the best, at least as far as gaming laptops go. OK, so it’s basically a desktop PC with a monitor attached, but it folds down and you can move it, so it counts as a laptop.

($2000-$5000, depending on configuration.)

(Top photo by Robert Gaal | Flickr)

You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.