Update 2011 Dell Vostro 230 or buy new?

[Willy22]

We bought my dad a Dell Vostro in 2011. As it's running a little slow lately and probably showing it's age, I have been tasked with choosing/buying a replacement computer for him for Christmas. As he just uses it for web and work software, I started to think that maybe I should just refresh his current computer.
What say you all?
- Should I reformat and upgrade the RAM (max it can take is 4 GB) and/or go with an SSD (he does not store much on his computer)?
- Or should I go ahead and buy him a new computer in the $400-$500 range?

If you think upgrade his current computer, what suggestions would you make?

The specs of his computer:
- Intel Pentium Dual Core E5700, 3.0 GHZ
- DDR3 2GBs of ram
- 350 GB 7200 RPM (Hitachi, not sure of model)

 

[BadActor]

I run a 2007 Dell. I upgraded the RAM and added an SSD and it made it into a totally different machine. A good upgrade and a lot less than a new one would cost.

 

[CRITICALThinker]

you could probably get a system with an i3 6XXX series processor for a decent price. otherwise you would be looking at a http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced?s=t&FamilyText=Legacy%20Intel%C2%AE%20Core%E2%84%A22%20Processor&SocketsSupported=LGA775&CoreCountMin=4&InstructionSet=64-bit&LithographyValueMax=45&MaxTDPMin=45&MaxTDPMax=77 and 8gb of ram, a ~240gb ssd, and if it doesn't have 64-bit windows, that.