Affordable good laptops: The Best Budget Laptops for 2023 |

Acer Aspire 5 (2022, A515-57-56UV) Review

The Acer Aspire name has always been a bit of smart branding, since the series is positioned as a better-than-average pick among budget laptops—a notebook you can afford, but with the features and performance you aspire to. It hasn’t always hit the mark, but the company has managed to produce solid economy choices year after year. The latest Aspire 5 (starts at $369.99; $599.99 as tested) offers a 12th Generation Intel processor and reasonable RAM and storage. It delivers pretty good performance and battery life, though as you’d expect, some features are kept basic for the sake of affordability.

For 2022, the 15.6-inch Aspire 5 line starts at $369.99 with an 11th Gen Core i3 laptop processor and Windows 11 Home in S mode. Our $599.99 model A515-57-56UV features a Core i5-1235U chip (two Performance cores, eight Efficient cores, 12 threads) with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB solid-state drive, as well as a full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) non-touch display. It’s built to offer just-good-enough levels of quality in all but a few choice areas, and that’s reflected in the design, from the materials used to the connections and components inside.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Measuring 0.7 by 14.3 by 9.4 inches and weighing 3.9 pounds, the Acer is far from featherweight, but it’s not too bulky to throw in a laptop bag or backpack. The Asus VivoBook 15 is a little trimmer at 0.78 by 14.1 by 9.1 inches and 3.75 pounds. The Aspire’s construction combines metal and plastic, with a uniform finish that makes it hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. The lid is covered in aluminum, but the rest of the chassis is fairly sturdy plastic. The laptop is large enough for a full-size keyboard with numeric keypad, though the latter has half-width keys.

The Aspire 5 doesn’t skimp on connectivity, with plenty of ports that’ll free you from having to bring along a hub or adapter. On the laptop’s left side are three USB 3.2 ports (one Type-C and two Type-A), along with an HDMI video output and a compact Ethernet jack.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

On the right, you’ll find a third USB-A port and a 3. 5mm audio jack, plus a Kensington lock slot for physically securing the machine. Wi-Fi 6 handles your networking needs (assuming you don’t use the Ethernet port), and Bluetooth is available for wirelessly connecting headsets, keyboards, and mice.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

No Feast for the Eyes and Ears

The built-in webcam is a bit pedestrian, meaning it’s your typical generic cam with 720p resolution and no face recognition support for Windows Hello logins. Nor is there a fingerprint reader, so you’ll be typing passwords the old-fashioned way.

The 1080p IPS screen is a little underwhelming in an era when higher-resolution and even 4K displays are offered on many laptops, but they’re not common at this price point, and full HD at least beats some ultra-cheap notebooks’ 1,366 by 768. The 15.6-inch size is adequate for everyday tasks like schoolwork, web browsing, and streaming videos and movies, but in this segment you shouldn’t expect dazzling brightness or better-than-bland colors. Touch screens are scarce in this price range, too.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

The Aspire 5 is outfitted with a pair of downward-facing speakers. The clarity of the sound isn’t bad, but the speakers are surprisingly quiet. Watching YouTube videos online, I had to crank the volume to the maximum to get adequate audio.

Testing the 2022 Aspire 5: Performance in Line With Price

For this review, we compared the Aspire 5 to other budget-friendly systems, ranging from the affordable Asus VivoBook 15 to the AMD-powered Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 and Intel-based Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14, two of the best models in this price range that we’ve seen in the last year. We also included the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 and the Gateway 15.6-inch Ultra Slim, two rock-bottom budget machines with less-capable hardware and limited specs.

Our primary productivity test is UL’s PCMark 10, which simulates routine workloads with such everyday staples as word processing, spreadsheet analysis, web browsing, and videoconferencing. We also use PCMark 10’s Full System Drive test to assess the access time and throughput of the system’s boot drive. Geekbench 5 also simulates popular apps like PDF rendering and speech recognition, with a little more emphasis on processing power.

Two other CPU tests that stress all available cores and threads are Maxon’s Cinebench, which uses that company’s Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, and the open-source HandBrake, which we time as it encodes a 12-minute clip of 4K video (the Blender Foundation short film Tears of Steel) to 1080p resolution. Our final productivity test is workstation vendor Puget Systems’ PugetBench for Photoshop, which uses the Creative Cloud 22 version of Adobe’s popular image editor to measure a PC’s suitability for multimedia and digital content creation.

The Aspire 5’s up-to-date Intel Core i5 CPU is well suited to everyday applications, whether in the classroom, home, or office. Our test unit handily beat the bottom-feeding Inspiron and even topped the capable IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 in most tests.

We test PCs’ graphics capabilities with two game-like animations apiece from two benchmark suites. UL’s 3DMark provides the DirectX 12 tests Night Raid (less challenging, suited for laptops with integrated graphics) and Time Spy (more demanding, suited for gaming rigs with discrete GPUs). GFXBench is a cross-platform GPU performance test that uses both low-level routines like texturing and high-level image rendering. Its 1440p Aztec Ruins and 1080p Car Chase subtests are rendered off-screen to accommodate different display resolutions.

Because the Aspire 5 relies on integrated graphics instead of an AMD or Nvidia dedicated GPU, it’s naturally limited in graphics performance. It’s fine for office productivity, streaming media, and even light photo editing, but if you’re looking to play the latest games, you’ll have to look elsewhere. That said, its graphics are quicker than those of most economy models, often leading the pack in our tests.

Finally, we test laptops’ battery life by looping a locally stored 720p video at 50% screen brightness and 100% audio volume, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off, until the system quits. We also use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and software to measure the screen’s coverage of popular color gamuts or palettes and its brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).

With an unplugged runtime of 11 and a half hours, the Acer shows pretty good stamina for the price. Its screen, however, didn’t wow us—it’s a typical economy panel with limited color reproduction and barely adequate brightness, falling just short of the 300 nits we consider a baseline, let alone the 400 nits we prefer. To be honest, however, you won’t find much better in this class.

Verdict: A Budget Compromise, But Not a Bad One

Made to tread the line between budget and midrange laptops, the Acer Aspire 5 has a tightrope to walk, balancing an affordable price and capable features. The latest version handles that balance fairly well, though there are some rough spots that are hard to ignore, like the lackluster display and missing biometric and touch-screen features. But on the whole, it delivers what the Aspire line has always promised, a better-than-bare-bones laptop for consumers on tight budgets.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Whether you’re looking for performance that edges out other economy laptops or a port selection that lets you leave the hubs and dongles at home, the 2022 Aspire 5 hits those marks. It’s a strong option for a solid laptop that won’t cost you a fortune.

Acer Aspire 5 (2022, A515-57-56UV)

Pros

Solid everyday performance
Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
More than 11 hours of battery life

Cons

Weak speakers
Non-touch, not-too-bright 1080p display
Half-width numeric keypad feels cramped

The Bottom Line

You won’t get loads of creature comforts with Acer’s Aspire 5, but you’ll get solid performance for daily use—and the battery life to back it up.

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The Best Laptop Under $500 for 2023

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Electronics
Computers

Photo: Rozette Rago

FYI

We’ve tested two new models and added them to the Competition section.

July 2023

Lots of laptops cost less than $500, but it’s hard to find a cheap one that doesn’t totally suck. We’ve researched and tested hundreds of cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks over the years to find decent models, and we also have advice to help you shop smart when prices change and our picks go out of stock.

Choosing a budget laptop is tricky because you can find dozens—even hundreds—of options at a given time. Their prices fluctuate constantly, too, and companies release and discontinue models with no warning. We have picks for Chromebooks and Windows laptops under $500, and some other good options if those picks are unavailable. If you can’t find our picks anywhere, check out our tips on how to shop for a budget laptop, or consider a used laptop instead.

The research

Choosing a cheap Chromebook vs. a cheap Windows laptop
Best Windows laptops under $500
Best Chromebooks under $500
What about an iPad?
Other good laptops under $500
How to shop for a cheap laptop
How we picked
How we tested
The competition
Sources

Choosing a cheap Chromebook vs.

a cheap Windows laptop

Our picks are for anyone who doesn’t want to or can’t spend more than $500 on a laptop. These models are good for anyone who just wants to browse the web, students who don’t need special software, and people who work at home only occasionally. If you need a more powerful laptop, take a look at our guide to the best laptops.

At this price, Chromebooks are better than Windows laptops because they’re faster at the things most people use a laptop for. They also tend to have better build quality, longer battery life, and superior screens, keyboards, and trackpads. Chromebooks don’t need antivirus software and don’t come with bloatware (unnecessary, manufacturer-loaded software that clutters the computer and slows it down). If you spend your computing time in a browser—checking email, using Google Docs, watching Netflix, or making Zoom calls—Chrome OS is all you need. But if you need specialized software for work or school, if you want to play Windows-specific games, or if you need to be able to work offline, you’re better off with Windows.

A great Windows laptop under $500 can handle web browsing, video calls, and media consumption, but they’re rare—many cheap Windows laptops buckle under the load of running more than a couple apps at a time. And buying a bad laptop may cost you more in the long term: Compared with a $700 laptop, it will feel worse in everyday use in two years, and you’ll need to replace it sooner. Even $550, if you can swing it, will more reliably buy you a faster computer that will last longer.

If you don’t need Windows, if you prefer Apple’s platforms, or if you mostly watch videos and play games, consider an iPad with a keyboard. Compared with a cheap Windows laptop, this combo is snappier when you’re banging out emails, watching movies, or taking notes, and whereas a Chromebook forces you to rely on web apps and Android apps designed for phones, you can find thousands of iPad-optimized apps and games. But an iPad-and-keyboard combo is not a complete replacement for a laptop.

Best Windows laptops under $500

Our pick

Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 (A3SP14-31PT)

Unlike most cheap Windows laptops, the Aspire 3 Spin 14 is fast, compact, and light, and it has a decent 1080p touchscreen and good battery life.

Recommended configuration

Processor:	Intel Core i3-N305	Screen:	14-inch 1920×1200 touch
Memory:	8 GB	Weight:	3.3 pounds
Storage:	128 GB or 256 GB SSD	Tested battery life:	8.5 hours

Why we like this one: If you need to run Windows apps or games, or if you prefer to work offline, we recommend the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 (A3SP14-31PT) in any of the following configurations: 37NV, 38YA, or 32M6. The Aspire 3 Spin 14 is fast enough to meet most people’s computing needs for years to come. Many cheap Windows laptops have less memory or terrible processors that limit them to running only a couple apps and a handful of browser tabs at a time.

The Aspire 3 Spin 14 is one of the more portable cheap Windows laptops we’ve tested. It’s more compact than common Windows devices in this price range, and its battery life lasted 8 hours and 30 minutes in our tests—long enough to make it through a full day of work or classes. Unlike cheap laptops with unpleasant keyboards and trackpads that flex and rattle, the Aspire 3 Spin 14’s keyboard and trackpad are accurate and reliable.

Our pick’s 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen has a tall aspect ratio that feels spacious and is particularly convenient for web browsing. The glossy touchscreen is reflective, but it’s much better than many laptop displays in this price range—most have lower-resolution screens that look pixelated, or horrendous TN panels that look blown out and have poor viewing angles. Our pick also has a 360-degree hinge that allows you to flip the display all the way around to use the device as a tablet (or in any intermediate position), though it’s a bit heavy to do so easily.

Photo: Acer

Where it falls short: The Aspire 3 Spin 14 ships with Windows 11 S mode, which only allows apps from the Microsoft Store and limits you to Microsoft Edge for web browsing. But you can switch it to Windows 11 Home for free to install any program you need.

Like many inexpensive Windows laptops, our pick comes with a ton of unnecessary bloatware that takes up space and slows down performance. Follow these steps to remove those programs and make your laptop feel faster and be more secure.

The Aspire 3 Spin 14 also lacks a fingerprint reader, has a mediocre webcam, and it can’t be opened with a single hand.

Also great

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (82X7001VUS)

If you want a 15-inch screen, the best option is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3. This model is fast, plus it has a 1080p touchscreen and a fingerprint reader.

Buying Options

Recommended configuration

Processor:	Intel Core i3-1315U	Screen:	15-inch 1920×1080 touch
Memory:	8 GB	Weight:	3. 6 pounds
Storage:	256 GB SSD	Tested battery life:	7 hours

Why we like this one: If you want a Windows laptop with a large 15-inch screen, we recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3. With our recommended specs, it’ll be fast enough for most people’s computing needs for years to come.

The IdeaPad Slim 3’s 15-inch 1920×1080 display is bright, and the matte touchscreen is convenient and not overly reflective. (The 82X7001VUS configuration we recommend has a touchscreen; the 82X70005US is largely identical, but lacks touch.) Its colors look a bit cool and washed out compared to more expensive Windows laptops, but the Slim 3’s IPS display is leagues better than the horrendous TN panel in its sibling, the IdeaPad 1.

The backlit keyboard feels snappy and the large trackpad is reliable and accurate. The IdeaPad Slim 3 also has a reliable fingerprint reader on the power button and a handy webcam cover. It’s possible to partially open the laptop with one hand, though it’s difficult to fully open the lid without additional leverage.

Photo: Lenovo

Where it falls short: The IdeaPad Slim 3 lasted about 7 hours in our battery test—not quite long enough for a full day of work or classes, but about average for this category. And like most inexpensive Windows laptops, this model is bulky and heavy, and its webcam is mediocre. We also recommend following these instructions when you get the laptop to remove unnecessary preinstalled programs.

Best Chromebooks under $500

Budget pick

Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook (13″)

The cheaper Flex 5i is a serviceable Chromebook, but its battery won’t last a full day, and it will stop receiving OS updates one year sooner than our top pick.

Buying Options

$385* from Amazon

*At the time of publishing, the price was $374.

Recommended configuration

Processor:	Intel Core i3-1115G4	Screen:	13.3-inch 1920×1080 touch
Memory:	8 GB	Weight:	2.97 pounds
Storage:	64 GB eMMC or 128 GB SSD	Tested battery life:	6.5 hours

Why we like this one: The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook (13″) is a great Chromebook for its budget price. It’s fast, it has an excellent keyboard and trackpad, it’s compact and light, and it has a 1080p touchscreen. This Chromebook is faster than Windows laptops at the tasks most people use laptops for, including browsing the web (even with a ton of tabs open), making video calls, working in documents and spreadsheets, and watching movies. The Flex 5i is much more portable than cheap Windows options, too, and it’s free of the bloatware that slows them down.

Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Where it falls short: In addition to the limitations of ChromeOS outlined above, the Flex 5i has disappointing battery life; this model likely won’t make it through a full day of work or classes without needing to be plugged in. Compared with the display on the more expensive Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (CP513-2H-K62Y), our top Chromebook pick, the Flex 5i’s screen doesn’t get as bright, and this Chromebook will cease receiving OS updates one year sooner. I also needed two hands to open the Flex 5i.

Also great

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″ (82V80009UX)

This model has a spacious 16-inch screen with a high refresh rate and an RGB keyboard with a built-in number pad, but it’s too bulky to travel with frequently.

Buying Options

$429* from Walmart

*At the time of publishing, the price was $430.

Recommended configuration

Processor:	Intel Core i3-1215U	Screen:	16-inch 2560×1600 non-touch, 120 Hz
Memory:	8 GB	Weight:	4.01 pounds
Storage:	128 GB eMMC	Tested battery life:	9.5 hours*

*We tested the Core i5 model; we expect the Core i3 model to have slightly better battery life.

Why we like this one: If you want a larger screen and a number pad, we recommend the fast, inexpensive Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″. Its 16-inch display provides more room to get work done or to enjoy media; its colors are vibrant, the matte display doesn’t throw distracting reflections, and the 120 Hz high refresh rate makes scrolling and other actions look extra smooth. The RGB-backlit keyboard also has a number pad, which can be useful if you do a lot of data entry. But even though this model will last a long time away from an outlet, it’s too large and heavy to carry around.

Photo: Michael Hession

Where it falls short: The 16-inch display makes this Lenovo model heavier and bulkier, so it’s much less portable than our other Chromebook picks—we don’t recommend it if you need a laptop to take to work, to class, or even to a coffee shop. I also consistently needed both hands to open this laptop.

What about an iPad?

Also great

Apple iPad (9th generation)

If you favor portability over screen size, the iPad works for browsing the web and doing light note taking or writing. It’s not good for more complicated tasks, though.

Why we like it: Depending on how you use a computer, you might not need a laptop at all. An Apple iPad (9th generation) with a Bluetooth keyboard or a keyboard case makes for a lighter and more portable system than any of our picks. If you primarily browse the web, make video calls, write, and take notes, an iPad provides a smoother, less painful experience than the Windows options in this price category.

Photo: Sarah Kobos

Where it falls short: An iPad can’t run traditional desktop apps and offers only limited multitasking support, so it’s not a direct replacement for a laptop. If you need to run more than two apps at once, work with specialty software, or want a large screen, an iPad won’t work for you.

You can read more about the iPad in our guide to the best tablets.

Other good laptops under $500

If our top pick is unavailable: The next best option is the Acer Aspire 3 A314-23P-R3QA and A314-36P-360X. Compared with the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 model we recommend, these models have duller-looking non-touch displays with a shorter aspect ratio that isn’t as convenient for browsing the web. But both models have fast-enough performance, reliable keyboards and trackpads, and the R3QA model we tested had long battery life, at 12 hours and 11 minutes in our tests.

If our 15-inch pick is unavailable: We recommend the 15-inch Acer Aspire 3 instead. These ones are available with a lot of different model numbers: A315-24P-R7VH, A315-24P-R2SC, A315-24PT-R08Z, A315-24PT-R90Z, and A315-510P-3905. Compared with our 15-inch pick, the R7VH model we tested had a dim, washed-out, non-touch display and a large trackpad with poor palm rejection. It’s also quite heavy, at around 4 pounds, and its battery lasted for 7 hours and 31 minutes.

The models with “24PT” in the name have touchscreens that we haven’t tested, and the model with “510P” has an Intel processor instead of an AMD one. And some models come with Windows 11 in S mode while others are already upgraded to Windows 11 Home. Otherwise, all of these models are identical—they’re all passable laptops that are fast enough for everyday tasks.

If you can spend a little more for the best Chromebook: Our top Chromebook pick, the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (CP513-2H-K62Y), is slim, light, and blessed with long battery life, and it has a tall, vivid touchscreen. It typically costs around $550, but it has gone on sale for less than $500.

If you can spend around $700: Our budget ultrabook pick, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UM3402YA-WS51T)—or the UM3402YA-WS74T version with more memory—costs a few hundred dollars more, but it has the build quality to last at least five years and the battery life to run all day. Its predecessor was frequently on sale for $550; if you see this model on sale for that price, it’s an unbeatable value.

If you want a tablet with a bigger screen: The iPad is plenty powerful for most people, but if you want a bigger screen on your tablet for multitasking and a faster processor, consider the iPad Air. But it starts at $600, and you have to spend more on a keyboard and a case to go with it.

How to shop for a cheap laptop

For laptops under $500, inconsistent pricing, disappearing inventory, and retailer-exclusive deals make shopping difficult. But even if you aren’t familiar with computer specifications, you can still find a decent Windows laptop by looking for these features:

Processor: We recommend an 11th, 12th, or 13th-generation Intel Core i3 or i5 processor or a 7000-series AMD Ryzen 3 or 5 processor. Avoid AMD processors such as the dual-core A9, as well as Intel Pentium or Celeron processors.
Storage: Choose a 128 GB or larger solid-state drive (SSD) and avoid hard drives (abbreviated as “HDD” on some product pages).
Memory: Get 8 GB of memory (which can also be listed as “RAM”). In a pinch, 4 GB will do, but with that smaller amount you won’t be able to run many programs at the same time.
Screen: Look for a display with 1080p resolution, listed as 1920×1080 or “FHD” by many sellers. A computer that hits the other requirements but has a standard HD display (1366×768) will do for basic tasks.

(Chromebooks have different requirements to run well—they run better than Windows laptops with 4 GB of memory and can get away with certain slower processors. You can learn more in our guide to Chromebooks.)

When shopping for a cheap laptop, stick to major retailers with good return policies, such as Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, or the manufacturer itself. Avoid sites with deals too good to be true, like BuyDig. Buying a refurbished model is another excellent way to save money. When you’re shopping for a refurbished laptop, buy from the original manufacturer or an authorized dealer and avoid seller-refurbished models from places like Amazon.

As soon as your laptop arrives, open the box carefully, keep all the parts and accessories, and give the computer a thorough test drive. Check for a clunky trackpad, mushy and unresponsive keys, or a dim, washed-out screen, and if you spot anything you don’t like, return the laptop as soon as possible. Wait too long, and you’ll be stuck with it—some manufacturers give you only a two-week return window.

If you don’t need a laptop right this second, you can find a great deal on a good laptop with some patience—prices fluctuate, and a $700 laptop can temporarily dive below $500. Wirecutter Deals editor Nathan Burrow told us that the best deals on laptops come around the holiday season, starting in November and running through Christmas.

How we picked

You can’t get a perfect laptop for less than $500—if it were perfect, it wouldn’t be cheap. At this price you make serious trade-offs, so it’s worth knowing how the system’s components affect your experience:

Storage: Some cheap Windows laptops still have spinning hard drives or hybrid drives that feel unbearably slow—booting the laptop, launching apps, and browsing files take so long that you have time to sip coffee and stretch before you can do anything. We found that having flash storage (ideally an SSD, but an eMMC or UFS drive will do in a pinch) instead of a traditional hard drive dramatically improved everyday performance, even more than a faster processor or more memory. But avoid Windows laptops with less than 64 GB of flash storage—you can’t even run Windows updates on them without an external drive.
Processor: We recommend an 11th, 12th, or 13th generation Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processor or a 7000-series AMD Ryzen 3 or Ryzen 5 processor. The Core i3 and Ryzen 3 processors are fine for casual use and basic schoolwork but aren’t the best for multitasking; the Core i5 and Ryzen 5 are faster and better at multitasking but rare in this price range. Avoid AMD processors like the dual-core A9 and steer clear of Intel Pentium and Celeron processors like the N4200 and N5000. We found these processors to be unusable with more than a single open app.
Memory: For less than $500, it’s uncommon (but possible) to find more than 4 GB of memory without sacrificing other important specs. But 8 GB will allow you to more smoothly run multiple programs and browser tabs, and is a much better choice for a computer you’ll be using years from now.
Screen: Models with a 1080p display (a resolution of 1920×1080) offer a clear image and more screen real estate than cheap 1366×768 screens. We recommend IPS (in-plane switching) screens because they have more accurate color and better viewing angles than TN (twisted nematic) panels.
Keyboard and trackpad: The keyboard and trackpad should be tolerable and responsive, and neither input device should annoy you so much that you seek out an external keyboard and mouse. Backlit keyboards are a bonus but rare in this price range.
Build quality: No budget laptop is a paragon of industrial design, but a computer shouldn’t feel like it’s going to break. Many laptops in this price range are massive 15-inch beasts with cheap plastic cases, loose keys, and rattly trackpads. A decent laptop should be sturdy, shouldn’t flex beneath your fingers when you type, and shouldn’t creak every time you click the trackpad or tap the spacebar.
Bloatware: Cheap Windows laptops come with a ton of bloatware, and it’s especially problematic on these laptops with slower processors, less memory, and limited storage. We recommend getting rid of useless applications by following these steps as soon as you unpack the laptop to speed up boot time, sew up potential security holes, and eliminate annoying notifications. We experienced mild performance bumps after removing bloatware.

For $500, you don’t get much control over features we consider when evaluating more expensive laptops, such as size, battery life, or ports, so although such details are nice to know, they didn’t make or break any of our picks. In this category, we just wanted to find usable laptops.

How we tested

We tested the Windows laptops and Chromebooks that met our criteria by using each for at least a day of ordinary work and video calls to get a feel for their performance, screens, keyboards, and trackpads. For Chromebooks, we had at least 20 browser tabs open, including Google Docs, Google Sheets, streaming music, Slack, and a variety of other sites. For Windows, we had five to 10 tabs open at a time, as well as the Spotify and Slack applications. We also tested the laptops by opening large Excel spreadsheets, 100-page Word documents, and 200-page PDF files.

The competition

Most Windows laptops under $500 are horrendous, and very few with our recommended specs even exist—we combed through hundreds of models on manufacturer and retailer websites and found only a handful of promising options. (And if you’re curious about the Chromebook competition, head over to our Chromebook guide.)

The Asus VivoBook 15 (F515EA-Ah44) was one of our previous picks, thanks to its fast-enough specs, decent screen, backlit keyboard, reliable trackpad, and handy fingerprint reader. But it has short battery life, it’s large and heavy, and we recommend removing the included bloatware. Our current picks have newer, faster processors for a similar price.

The Acer Aspire 5 (A515-45-R74Z) was another of our previous picks thanks to its fast-enough performance, vivid and bright display, and long battery life. But it’s also large and heavy, and it comes with a ton of unnecessary bloatware. It also lacks a fingerprint reader, and its keyboard is mediocre.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (82VG00BJUS) is very similar to our 15-inch pick, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (82X7001VUS), but this model has a horrendous TN display with terrible viewing angles and an unseemly blue cast.

The Gateway 14.1″ Ultra Slim Notebook (GWTN141) has only 4 GB of memory, which means it struggles with more than a couple of apps open, and it won’t perform as well for as many years as our picks. It also has poor build quality and terrible speakers.

Sources

Brian Westover, How much RAM do I need?, Laptop Mag, June 22, 2018
Avram Piltch, Help Me, LAPTOP! Will an SSD Improve My Budget Laptop?, Laptop Mag, May 21, 2017
Cale Hunt, eMMC vs. SSD storage: What’s the difference?, Windows Central, February 26, 2019

Meet your guide

Kimber Streams

Kimber Streams is a senior staff writer and has been covering laptops, gaming gear, keyboards, storage, and more for Wirecutter since 2014. In that time they’ve tested hundreds of laptops and thousands of peripherals, and built way too many mechanical keyboards for their personal collection.

6 best laptops for working with graphics

Updated: 07/13/2022 04:25:18 PM

Expert: Bogdan Shevchuk

*Overview of the best according to expertology. ru. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Graphics processing, especially when it comes to 3D or high-definition video, puts forward increased demands on computer hardware. Until relatively recently, portable computers could not cope with such tasks by definition. Now there are high-performance laptops that are practically in no way inferior to top-end desktop graphics stations. The Expertology editors have prepared for you a mini-review of the most worthy, according to our experts, laptop models for graphics work in 2019year.

Best laptops for graphics

Nomination	place	product name	price
The best laptops for graphics at the best price	1	Lenovo Ideapad 330	15 972 ₽
	2	DELL G3 17 3779	55 000 ₽
	3	ASUS ZenBook 15 UX533FD	76 900 ₽
The best premium laptops for graphics	1	Apple MacBook Pro 15 with Retina Display Mid 2019	142 390 ₽
	2	MSI GT75 Titan 9SG	236 485 ₽
	3	Dell XPS 15 7590	101 220 ₽

The rating material is based on the results of the analysis of a sample of laptops by the portal https://rankquality. com/laptops/.

The best graphics laptops at the best price

In the first mini-selection, we will pay attention to those models that cope with a certain range of graphic tasks, and at the same time cost relatively acceptable money. Of course, the presented models are much more expensive than any truly budget laptop, but the minimum performance requirements set their own rules here.

Read also: 16 best laptops
Rating: 4.9

Let’s first look at the most affordable graphics laptop option from the “trendsetter” in the low-cost electronics segment – Lenovo. To be precise, the Ideapad 330 is not the only modification. By the number of possible configuration combinations, this is one of the most flexible solutions, as it implies the choice of anything, up to the screen size.

In the context of working with graphics, between the available modifications with 15 and 17-inch screens, it would be logical to choose the second one. However, this moment is desirable, but not decisive. If compactness is critical, 15 inches diagonal for many tasks will also be enough. Much more important is the resolution of the matrix, and there can be no compromises here. The maximum available resolution for this model is FullHD 1920×1080, which is worth choosing.

The second key point that determines the choice of a laptop for graphics is a bunch of processor + video card. Here the manufacturer also gives a wide field for combinations. The optimal ratio for the minimum final cost is Core i5 8250u with an NVIDIA GeForce MX150 video card. Anything below is at your own peril and risk, clearly aware of the acceptable performance loss. Everything above is if the budget allows, as a significant rise in price is inevitable.

Another important parameter for working with graphics is RAM. Here we are talking more about the speed of work, and not about the fundamental capabilities of the laptop. The system supports a fairly fast DDR4 memory with a frequency of 2133 to 2400 MHz. The maximum volume is 16GB.

When working with heavy graphics, even quite a decent amount of RAM may not be enough, and then a hard drive is connected to the case. The Ideapad 330 has an M.2 slot for NVMe SSD storage. It is this order of the hard drive that you need to complete the laptop for installing the operating system. You can use a mechanical HDD for storage. Available SSD capacity options are from 128 to 256GB, HDD – up to 2TB.

When selecting a specific configuration of the Ideapad 330, you can even “adjust” the battery capacity. The manufacturer offers two options – with a capacity of 30 or 45Wh, which provide autonomy up to 6 or 8 hours, respectively.

Notebook dimensions in a configuration with a screen diagonal of 17.3 inches are 418×292.6×24.9mm, net weight – from 2.8kg, depending on the selected configuration.

Advantages

big screen;

a wide range of modifications;

wide range of brightness;

quiet cooling;

affordable price.

Drawbacks

no obvious flaws and systematic complaints were found.

DELL G3 17 3779

Rating: 4.8

Another option for a relatively inexpensive graphics laptop is the 17-inch G3 3779.manufactured by DELL. This model also allows for almost two dozen modifications, but we will focus on a narrow range, where the most worthy performance indicators are observed, so that the result is a car that is a level higher than the previous one.

So, Expertology recommends a 17.3 large-screen configuration for graphics work. The dimensions of the laptop in this case will be equal to 415.4×279.2x25mm. Net weight – 3.27kg. Despite the fact that the case is quite massive, the designers have successfully coped with the task of “masking” the thickness, and the laptop looks thin and elegant. Maximum matrix resolution – FullHD 1920×1080. The screen finish is preferably matte, but can also be glossy.

In the minimum configuration for design and graphics, this model can be equipped with a Core i5 8300H processor, but our experts still recommend a 6-core Core i7 8750H with a frequency of up to 2. 3GHz. The standard amount of RAM is also offered in two versions – 8 and 16GB, and the upper possible upgrade limit is 32GB. Memory type – DDR4 with a frequency of 2666 MHz, two slots. A discrete video card (we don’t seriously consider the built-in one) is offered here by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti or 1060 with memory from 4 to 6GB GDDR5.

With data storage subsystems, the situation here is exactly the same as in the above model. You can initially choose a configuration with an SSD for the operating system and a mechanical HDD for the drive. This is what you should do, because one SSD will be catastrophically small for working with serious graphics. Saving on SSD, getting by with one HDD, is also categorically not worth it.

Frankly, the weak point of this laptop is autonomy. The computer is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 3500mAh / 56Wh, and with this power consumption, a full charge will last no more than 4 hours. This is doubly strange, since the model is positioned by the manufacturer as a gaming one. In the future, it makes sense to consider replacing the battery with a more capacious one, if such an alternative takes place on the market.

Advantages

power and performance;

big screen;

many configuration options;

slim elegant design that masks the massiveness of the case.

Drawbacks

weak stock battery.

ASUS ZenBook 15 UX533FD

Rating: 4.7

The third and final mini-selection of the best-priced laptops for graphics according to Expertology is one of the most successful projects from ASUS – the UX533FD model of the ZenBook family. Actually, this is a universal solution suitable for almost any task, including graphics. By all indications, this model can even be attributed to the premium class, but within the framework of our topic, premium laptops for graphics are still much more expensive.

The screen size here is at the lower acceptable limit for the outlined range of tasks – 15. 6 inches, the maximum matrix resolution is 1920×1080. Notebook dimensions – 354x220x18mm, weight – 1.59kg. The body is metal. Protective case included. The screen, by the way, can also be touch-sensitive – some modifications provide for such an option.

In the optimal configuration for graphics, a Core i7 8565U processor with a frequency of 1.8 GHz (4 Whiskey Lake cores) is recommended. The standard equipment with RAM is 8GB, the highest possible frequency is highly desirable, and in this case it is 2400MHz. Recommended graphics card is discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 only.

With a hard drive, the developers acted very radically – the only option for a 512GB solid-state SSD on the M.2 interface is offered. When working with large volumes of graphics, especially with high mobility, it is advisable to take care of the availability of external media in advance – flash drives or a portable hard drive.

Unlike the previous model, battery life is already in order here. The standard lithium-ion (lithium-polymer as an option) battery with a capacity of 4800mAh / 73Wh ensures continuous operation without recharging for 13 hours.

This laptop can be recommended for work with graphics of medium complexity and capacity. In this model, the emphasis is on the minimum dimensions and weight to ensure maximum comfort in any, even very cramped conditions.

Advantages

premium level of the series;

power and performance;

touch screen in separate modifications;

elegant design;

metal case;

long battery life;

thin and light.

Drawbacks

no systematic problems were identified.

Best Premium Graphics Laptops

In the second group of devices, we will consider the most powerful laptops “stuffed” with powerful hardware, they are also the most expensive in the review. These portable solutions easily cope with advanced graphics tasks.

Apple MacBook Pro 15 with Retina display Mid 2019

Rating: 4.9

We will immediately pay attention to the admirer of “apple” technology, especially since Apple computers were focused on professional work with graphics almost from the very beginning. For a long time, the lion’s share of printed publications in the world were mounted on the Mac, and most of the standards, formats and fonts were to one degree or another associated with this particular platform. It was only relatively recently that the PC as a graphics platform “caught up” with Apple computers. Now the Apple MacBook Pro is widely used to work with raster and vector graphics, as well as for video editing of almost any complexity.

The screen size of the laptop is 15.4 inches diagonally, and the resolution of the matrix is customary and non-standard, typical for the MacBook – 2880×1800. Retina display with a high pixel density here “works out to the fullest” all its advantages – the image is juicy, bright, contrasting, the colors are realistic, the pixels are indistinguishable. The screen cover is glossy. The overall dimensions of the laptop – 349.3×240.7×15.5mm, weight – 1.83kg. The body is made of metal with a minimalist design characteristic of the entire series.

The computing center of the entire system is a powerful Intel Core i7 processor on six Coffee Lake cores with a frequency of 2.6 GHz. Regular RAM – DDR4 with a frequency of 2.4 GHz in the amount of 16 GB. Video subsystem options: AMD Radeon Pro 555X or Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655. The amount of video memory of a discrete card is 4GB. The hard drive is a 256GB SSD.

In terms of communication, this model only supports wireless connections via Wi-Fi standards 802.11ac or 802.11b, as well as Bluetooth versions 4.1 or 5.0. Lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 83.6Wh ensures battery life of the laptop up to 10 hours.

With all the obvious advantages of this laptop, it has a feature that is worth warning about. The cooling of the system works with a bias towards the maximum acoustic comfort of the user. Accordingly, its active part does not turn on “until the last”, which means that the laptop can noticeably heat up. In this case, this is not a drawback, but a delicate calculation, and high heating does not pose any danger.

A detailed analysis of the technical characteristics can be found here.

Advantages

brand.

Retina display – flawless image;

exceptional quality of materials and workmanship;

performance;

autonomy;

all the advantages of Apple in terms of ergonomics;

Apple-specific sophisticated design.

Disadvantages

Minimalism of interfaces characteristic of Apple.

MSI GT75 Titan 9SG

Rating: 4.8

The review continues with a heavy-duty solution from the Taiwanese company MSI. Titan 9SG is positioned as a game, and it has exactly this bias in everything. And all the gaming advantages directly echo the requirements for comfortable work with graphics of any complexity.

Let’s immediately dwell on almost the only obvious, albeit inevitable, drawback of this model – dimensions and weight. The laptop measures 428x314x58mm and weighs 4.56kg without packaging. But for operational work with the most complex and voluminous graphics in the “field” conditions, any worthy alternative will generally have similar dimensions.

Other characteristics of the laptop in the configuration recommended by our experts are already impressive in a good way. The 17.3-inch screen is equipped with a high-quality IPS-matrix with a resolution of 4K 3840×2160. In combination with a powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 video card with 8GB of memory, this bundle allows you to fully work with the most complex three-dimensional graphics, including dynamics, working through the smallest details. There are modifications with a TN-matrix and a lower resolution, but Expertology does not recommend this configuration for the intended tasks.

The top-of-the-line Intel Core i9 8950HK CPU with six Coffee Lake cores at 2. 9GHz ensures not only lightning-fast overall performance, but also fast rendering during video editing – one of the most painful problems in any post-production. The RAM here is also organized at the highest level – the standard installation provides 32GB DDR4, expandable up to 64GB using four working slots.

The impressive dimensions of the laptop in this case have a secondary benefit – the developers equipped this model with an impressive set of interfaces: five USB 3.1 Type A ports, one each Mini DisplayPort and HDMI, audio inputs and outputs, Thunderbolt3 and S / PDIF interfaces. Connection to networks is carried out both by wire – through a gigabit network card, and wirelessly through a Wi-Fi radio module of the 802.11ac standard. Wireless connection of peripherals – via Bluetooth 5.0.

Given the high power consumption, it is obvious that there will be increased demands on the laptop battery. The model developers foresaw this moment and equipped the laptop with a high-capacity 90Wh battery.

Advantages

big screen;

4K resolution;

exceptional power and performance;

relatively high autonomy;

all the aesthetic benefits of a gaming laptop;

Drawbacks

bulky and heavy.

See also: 8 best laptop backpacks

DELL XPS 15 7590

Rating: 4.7

Completing the review of the best laptops for graphics according to Expertology is another successful development of DELL Corporation. This model has a smaller screen than the previous one, but disproportionately smaller dimensions with similar performance characteristics.

The dimensions of the laptop are 357x235x17mm. Screen diagonal – 15.6. There are different options for equipping the matrix here. IPS-matrix – two resolution options – FullHD 1920×1080 or 4K 3840×2160. But the most interesting thing here is that the developers have foreseen a possible modification with a matrix of the latest OLED technology. Such a matrix is much more expensive than IPS, not to mention TN, but in the premium segment, the price of a laptop is not in the first place in terms of importance.

As for electronics, everything in this model is on top, if we consider the top-end premium configuration. It’s a powerful Core i9 processor9980HK with 8 Coffee Lake cores at 2.6GHz. The stock RAM is 16GB, expandable up to 64GB on two slots. Responsible for the graphics discrete card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB of video memory. Crowning this stellar line-up of components is a high-speed 1TB SSD solid-state drive.

The autonomy indicator of this model is also on top – a lithium-ion battery with an exorbitant capacity of 8083 mAh ensures continuous operation on a single charge up to 9hours. The laptop itself can serve as a power source for peripherals – one of the two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports supports PowerShare technology, and the Thunderbolt 3 port supports Power Delivery.

Advantages

power and performance;

quite compact;

OLED matrix as an option;

4K resolution;

terabyte SSD drive;

metal case;

capacious battery.

Drawbacks

no obvious cons found.

Rate the article

Total votes: 2, rating: 3

Attention! This rating is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Notebook 2023 – how to choose a good laptop for different purposes

General characteristics

Classic

These laptops are available in a standard design, equipped with a conventional or touch screen, touchpad and keyboard. In such a case, there can be a very powerful “stuffing”.

Ultrabooks

Devices that combine the qualities of a classic laptop and a tablet. They have less weight and are able to take the form of an open book.

Transformer

Laptops that can change their geometry and take the form of an unfolded book or tablet. They are equipped with a touch screen with a mechanism that allows you to rotate the display to the desired angle.

Choosing a laptop by size

The size of the screen is as important as the hardware. If a person uses several programs during the working day, works with text, numbers, photos, then you should focus on devices with a screen diagonal of 14.1. The best option is 15″ or 17.3″ .

Notebooks from 10.1″ to 14.1″ are classified as travel devices. Their compact size allows you to take them with you even on a plane or put them in a small bag if you have a long trip. Such devices, as a rule, have a little less weight.

Choosing a laptop by weight

Don’t count on a lightweight laptop if you’re looking for a device for gaming, photo or video editing. The better the technical “stuffing”, the greater the weight. It can reach 4 kg or more if two hard drives, a powerful video card, large RAM, and a large screen size are installed.

The best option if you need to take your laptop with you every day to lectures, seminars, field briefings.

1 to 3 kg

This range offers the widest selection of laptops in various configurations. You can choose the operating system, any type of drive, up to 32 GB of RAM and “core” – all kinds of processors are available.

> 4 kg

This category contains top performance professional devices. True, their price is much higher due to the perfection of the models. These laptops are suitable for gamers and can replace a desktop PC.

Determine the number of cores

The number of cores affects the performance of the laptop. The more of them, the more physically complex the architecture of the “stuffing” and the more breakdown by task. Performance and response speed are increased due to the fact that the system divides all requests into several threads, and this allows you to work in multitasking conditions. Even if the user is just listening to music or typing text, the laptop performs several tasks at once: for example, antiviruses, archivers, encoders, defragmenters are launched.

2 cores

These laptops are quite suitable for home use. The device has enough strength and capabilities to ensure listening to music, playing videos, launching Skype, aimless “walks” on the Internet space.

4, 6, or 8 cores

These laptops don’t just share tasks, they provide and support system multithreading. There will definitely be no problems with launching video editors, games, powerful applications. It remains to make sure that there is enough RAM and hard drive resource.

What about a hard drive?

If we talk about drives, then SSD drives have unconditional advantages. Sometimes, due to financial constraints, buyers prefer HDDs, and rightly so. But as long as there are no higher expectations regarding the speed and performance of the laptop. HDD drives are quite capable of handling typical tasks, so only those who work with maximum memory consumption decide to upgrade the device.

Battery capacity

If the laptop is used exclusively in home or office environments, there is direct access to the socket near the table, in this case the battery capacity is not important. You can save by choosing a model with a capacity of up to 60 Wh.

If the user often works remotely in an open space, in a car, at outdoor events, if it is necessary to take a laptop on a business trip or to a meeting with a client, in this case, special attention should be paid to the capabilities of the battery. Savings in this case should not be a priority.

up to 60 Wh

Battery capacity up to 60 Wh – does not greatly affect the weight parameters of the laptop and allows you to work without connecting to the mains for 1-2 hours.

up to 80 Wh

Battery capacity from 60 Wh to 80 Wh allows you to do more when you’re offline. The best option, if you need to work on an airplane, car, is to present a company presentation on the road.

from 100 Wh

Battery capacity from 100 Wh. Such laptops, as a rule, weigh more than 2 kg and are more oriented towards stationary use. They are able to work more than 2 hours without recharging.

Additional Options

Above, we looked at the key parameters that you should pay attention to when buying a laptop. But that is not all. There are little things that greatly simplify the work with a laptop, make it more pleasant and convenient.

Notebook key backlight

Older models rarely had this option, but modern devices with a swivel screen and touch display in most cases have key backlight. The function greatly simplifies the use of a laptop, and this can be seen in poor lighting conditions, when watching a video in a dark room, when typing on the road.

Fingerprint Reader

A feature that allows user identification and access to software using a scanned fingerprint. To enter, there is no need to enter a password and specify a username – the system will automatically determine it and immediately launch the “desktop”.

IPS panel

Provides perfect white color and eye protection. There is no flicker, which means that you can forget about eye fatigue and weakening of visual functions.

Connectors

High-speed USB 3.0 ports are installed on the latest notebook models. But many manufacturers have gone further, and today you can already find devices with version 3.1 Type-C connectors. You should pay attention to this parameter if the user often uses remote storage, works with flash drives, auxiliary hard drives, and peripherals.

For the convenience of choosing laptop models, the CITILINK website provides an advanced filter.

You can choose a device by any parameter, by options and technical characteristics, as well as by price.