My mom likes to play No Man's Sky and Valheim, but her Asus TUF started freezing on games. RMA found no problems and sent it back to her but it still happens. I ordered a Legion for her but now I see these posts about all Nvidia 40-series laptops freezing up. What's a gaming mom supposed to do?
It might also be worth looking at Steam Deck alternatives. GPD, AYA, ASUS, etc.
I only own a Steam Deck, but I've seen a couple videos on alternatives and they look pretty good. Since you were already planning on spending laptop money, an upgrade might be worth it so your mom can have that extra power. They might not be as user friendly as the Steam Deck though
i also recommend doing a factory install of your OS with a USB drive