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What is the best laptop under $500?
If you want a no-fuss laptop under $500 that just gets the job done, the Acer Aspire Go 15's got you covered. Solid everyday speed, a sharp 1080p screen, killer battery life (almost 12 hours!), and a comfy keyboard, all for under $300.
Ready to Buy the Best Laptop Under $500 for You?
You may be on a budget, but you're not out of luck—if you look, you'll find some very serviceable Chromebooks, Windows clamshells, and 2-in-1 laptops under $500. By knowing what you want and what your cash can buy you, you can still find a decent deal on a laptop that will do the job.
We've laid out our favorite frugal options here, but you'll still need to decide whether you want a Chromebook or a Windows machine, a laptop or a 2-in-1 design, and even whether you want features, like a touch screen, that may be rare in the very cheapest laptops. The specs for all of our top picks are listed in our spec comparison, along with links to the full reviews. And if $500 is too tight a filter for what you are looking for, also check out our roundup of the best budget laptops (which includes some slightly pricier machines) and our picks for the best laptops overall.
What connectivity options are common in the best laptops under $500?
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Im a nursing student ( i would need lockdown browser to take exams and some software for virtual clinicals )
who would do some gaming from time to time ( fortnite, cod etc.) not enough to get a gaming laptop BUT ITS NOT A DEALBREAKER
NEEDS WINDOWS 11 and ABLE TO LAST UNTIL 2026
I was going to get a macbook pro 2020 i5 but the reviews said the MacBook with i5 is terrible
I want something similar to a MacBook in terms of power, speed, backlit keyboard, and screen quality but under $500. the highest I could go is under $600
More specifically, under $544. I have been looking at laptops for a bit now, but I have no idea where to start. Do you guys have any tips?
EDIT: After multiple people said to add what I wanna use this laptop for, I shall do that.
I wanna use this laptop for some very low power games, such as Terraria, Roblox, but also some higher powered games, such as Monster Hunter Frontier Z, Minecraft, modded Terraria.
I also wish this computer to be able to have things like YT and Discord actually usable at a decent quality.
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Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: $550 USD
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Are you open to refurbs/used? No.
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How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? Any form factor, good build quality, great performance, at least 6 hrs of battery life.
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How important is weight and thinness to you? I prefer a thin and light workhorse, but I really don't care.
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Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. 14 in.+, my vision is bad.
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Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. Yes, light video editing (Microsoft Clipchamp, Capcut, etc.) and gaming (Civilization 6/7, Minecraft, etc.).
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If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? As stated above, I play games that need a potato to run, so fps isn't too important. However, I would like higher graphical settings (I'm not a huge PC gamer or laptop wizard, so I don't know exactly what to put here).
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Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? A fingerprint reader is preferred, as is a good keyboard. I would like a reliably built device, and the rest I have no opinions on.
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Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. I am a student who does lots of video editing and wants to do more gaming. Unless it's upgradable, I NEED 16 gigs of RAM at the LEAST. I also would like a graphics card, but if not then the integrated graphics need to be okay. I am coming off of a Chromebook w/ Intel i3 and 8 gigs of RAM, so I'll be impressed by anything. Current laptops I'm looking at are the Galaxy Book4 (Intel Core 7) for $549.99 and the Dell Inspiron 16 (Ryzen 7) for $549.99
Hi hi - looking for a laptop and would love some advice please!!
I'm looking for an everyday laptop for web browsing, TV streaming, video calls (Teams) and occasional need for Windows programmes including Word and Excel. No gaming or heavy software. I'd like something durable, reliable, and not too big (14 inch ish). Will mainly be used at home but sometimes for travel.
I have been browsing on the highstreet and online in the UK and found the 3 below, which have similar-ish specs. Does anyone have a recommendation on which would be best (or an alternative that would beat all 3!)
Option One £549
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lenovo-ideapad-slim-5-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-512-gb-ssd-cloud-grey-10258302.html
Option Two £599
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/acer-aspire-14-14-laptop-intel-core-5-512-gb-ssd-grey-10264861.html
Option Three £549
(same as option 2 I think but only 8GB of RAM vs 16 in option two)
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/acer-aspire-14-14-laptop-intel-core-5-512-gb-ssd-grey-10264764.html
I saw the Acer and Lenovo in person and the Lenovo seemed to have a brighter/crisper screen, but maybe a slightly flimsy hinge. Would love to hear any feedback from anyone who has used either...
Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase.
UK £500 - £600 ish
Are you open to refurbs/used? No
How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? Reliability, battery life, build quality
How important is weight and thinness to you? Would prefer lighter-weight but not essential
**Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.**14 inch ish
Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. None
If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? None
Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? Don't need anything super fancy, but would like a solid laptop that will handle everyday use (video calls, streaming, web browsing, windows 365)
THANK YOU