If your looking for best laptops under $500 then you have come to the right place. Find out more details and information on the latest popular brands and models.
The great thing about laptops and computers in general is that they are coming down in price and this is excellent news for consumers. This means that you can pick up a decent machine that has a level of performance and features that can more than handle your day to day computing needs.
Before purchasing your new laptop your need to give some thought to what you are going to use it for. A laptop that cost less than $500 is not going to have the processing power and a graphic card that can handle the latest computer games and display the latest graphics. Therefore, your need to be realistic about what you want. It you require a solid gaming machine expect to pay more than $500. Laptop computers that cost below 500 will fulfill your needs if you want to browse the internet, use word processing software and watching your favorite movies.
To help you with your search we have a provided a short list of some of the best mid range laptops for sale under $500:
Top 7 Laptops Under $500 of 2018/2019
Sometimes the great idea is to go for the cheapest laptop. One small flight through the air could destroy an expensive laptop, leaving you flat broke. It could leave you walking everywhere without enough money to put gas in your car, or even put minutes on your mobile phone. Here are our suggestions.
Good Sub $500 Laptops
| Product | Image | Display | Processor | RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo B50 |  | 15.6 inches | 1.4 GHZ | 4GB | 320GB |
| Dell Inspiron 15.6 Inch |  | 15.6 inches | Core i5-6200U | 8GB | 1TB |
| Asus F555LA-AB31 |  | 15.6 inches | 2.1 GHZ | 4GB | 500GB |
| HP Stream 11.6” | 11.6 inches | 2.16 GHZ | 2GB | 32GB | |
| HP Pavilion 15-r030wm |  | 15.6 inches | pentium | 4GB | 500GB |
| HP Chromebook 14 |  | 14 inches | 1.4 GHz | 2GB | 16GB |
| HP Pavilion X360 |  | 13.3 inches | 2.3-GHz Core i5 | 8GB | 128 GB |
Laptop Comparison by Features and Specs
Lenovo B56 15” Business Laptop
A mid range laptop that’s perfect for college. With 320GB of disk space and a dual-core processor, it has everything you need to be in a position to get work done. It’s sure to do the job well.
Dell Inspiron 15.6”
It’s jam-packed with all of your wireless needs, so you’re always connected to the web and your other devices. With a stellar 1TB of memory, which is all you could possibly need. It also has a fully-functional touchscreen, making it easy to switch between your school work and your digital projects. It’s a little on the pricey side, though.
School can be very demanding, especially when you have multiple essays to write. The importance of a laptop like this is its amazing capabilities. .
Asus F555LA-AB31
This laptop comes with Windows 10 for free. A lot of other laptops might also have 500GB of disk space and a dual-core processor and might come at a lower price. But it might cost a lot of money to upgrade if you needed a better operating system.
HP Stream 11-r010nr 11.6 Inch
This is one of the great options. It’s not the fastest computer and has a dismal 32GB of disk space, but it has its advantages. Don’t worry, it’s not the color. However, it comes with a one-year full-access bonus to Office 365, which costs hundreds of dollars. It’s definitely better than a tablet offering better support to a student’s needs than a calculator.
HP Pavilion 15-r030wm – Best Laptop for College Students Under 500
For a student, this would rock. It has a large yet portable screen, is fast and has a lot of memory. It’s twice the price as the previous example, but it’s still very affordable. Definitely one of the best college laptops .
HP Stream Laptop PC 14-ax010nr
This isn’t the greatest mid range laptop of the bunch. But it’s easy to replace, runs well, and may even work long enough to hand down to a younger sibling. Here’s the point.
Cheap implies less convenience. It may take longer than a 15 years old car to start up, but it has its advantages. You can afford to pick up a monthly subscription to the Wall Street Journal or Forbes Magazine. Maybe you’d rather pay for music than illegally download them. This is your chance to save.
HP Pavilion X360
Our top choice is both powerful and practical. The reason we’ve selected the HP Pavilion X360 is that it’s more than just a laptop. It’s also a tablet. This laptop is an awesome example of getting both more use and more mileage out of technology. But it does have its pitfalls.
For starters, it’s brand new. This means that it won’t have a lot of support for it quite yet, but it’s built to last and it works effectively.
Being a new model, it’s got the advantage of having the most up-to-date versions of previous HP Pavilions, which means you’re really not risking a lot on this aspect.
It’s also perfect for recreation.
Read Also:
Laptop Under $400 and Under $600
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Tips For Finding The Best Laptop Costing Below $500
- You can come across the best value laptop anywhere on the web if you know what you are searching for. Your warranty is something also to be looked at beyond the attractive price. It may be priced nicely but it should also have a nice coverage. The better products come with longer warranties and wider coverage due to the manufacturer willingness to stand by the quality of their product. This is what sets it apart from an inferior one.
- The laptop weight is one factor that sometimes overlooked. This is something that is important especially if you expect to be carrying it around with you quite often. Always include the overall weight plus the weight of peripherals to compute how much stress your shoulder and arms will be subjected to when lugging it around.
- The materials and the durability that the laptop is made out of should also be considered. Most laptops are weak around the screen area edges and this tend to crack easily on minor impacts. Mentally gauge the strength of your chosen unit, and if possible do a tactile inspection.
- How fast the unit boots up and warms up prior to you being able to use it is a great concern. You will not want a computer that takes forever to boot up. DO not even consider buying it if it takes longer than 5 minutes on average to get it started up. Look at the unit components that affect good boot times such as RAM, hard drive size and processor. The kind of operating system that it has may also be a factor in booting speeds. Remember to check this also.
- When you do have time go over previous testimonials and reviews of the product you have in mind. Plenty of laptop review sites exist on the internet for technology related equipment and gadgets, but do not only go the popular ones. Go also to lesser known sites for more objective opinions and comments. Forums likewise also hold a lot of topics on certain products as well as problems encountered as well as problem resolutions. Go through all the possible topics but never forgetting ones which include value for money, dependability and overall user ratings.
What to expect from Cheap Laptops That Cost Less Than 500
Sub $500 laptops are approaching the price range that gets you a decent screen size and some of the newest technology in laptops. They can come with the newest processors, come in a 64 bit configuration, and have screens in the 13 to 17 range. If your budget is only $500 you aren’t going to have to sacrifice much to get a machine that you will love.
You can also buy a refurbished laptop, however many of these are older computer that just don’t seem to compete with the newer computers out there in this price range.
- Brand. This is one area where if you have a brand you like you can pretty much find a laptop in this price range that they make. With the only exception being Apple, if you want one of those, you are going to have to pay double the price, $999 for the lowest on the low end models, while getting almost the same hardware as the laptops that will be cover here which are all under $500. But if you really want your Macbook you will have to shop the refurbished laptop websites and you might find one sneaking in for $500. There are also many older Apple laptops like iBooks and G4s that are below $500 too.
- Operating System. In every new laptop PC you buy these days you are going to get Windows 10, the only question is what version and is it 32-bit or 64-bit. But if you are getting a netbook you probably don’t want all the extra animations slowing down the processor. If you are buying a new laptop, screen size larger than 11 inches you should expect to get Windows 10 64-bit. The 64-bit means that the information highway between the processor and the rest of the computer is wider, which allows for more traffic. It also lifts the restriction on the maximum capacity of RAM from 4 GB to 16 GB in Windows 10.
- Processor. Processors in a mid range laptop can be anything from a low end Intel Atom processor to a new i3 mobile, or maybe even an i5 processor if you can catch a good sale. The current best processor that is in the price range that doesnt need a special sale to get, the i3, is a very good processor which can have a clock speed of up to 2.4 GHz and has a dual core, but it is hyper threaded so it can act almost like a standard unhyperthreaded quad core. If you prefer to get an AMD processor there are plenty of those in this price range, so don’t feel like you are stuck with just Intel.
- Screen Size. The screen size of laptops in this price range can be just about any size manufacturers make laptops in. Of course if you buy a laptop with a 17 inch screen you are likely going to have to sacrifice processing power to stay under your budget. Resolution on these screens, even the netbooks and their 10 inch screens is going to be up to 720p HD standards. Though its unlikely you are going to find one that is 1080p capable.
- Video Card. Almost all of the video cards in sub $500 laptops and netbooks are going to be integrated into the motherboards and share RAM with the processor. This is done largely so that the computer uses less power, so its battery can last longer. But as stated earlier, even the integrated video cards can support 720p HD. So there really isnt a need to get a high power video card in your laptop. Now if you are a gamer and are looking for a budget computer with a powerful graphics card you are almost certainly going to need to shop around for a used laptop that meets you specifications.
- RAM. Your laptop should come with more RAM than most people will need. 3 or 4 gigabytes is a standard among most newer laptops.
- Hard Drive. Optical Drive (Blu-Ray, DVD, or CD)
- Wireless
- Battery
- Webcam
- Other Features
Cheap Gaming Laptop for Under 500
Even though laptops are becoming cheaper you will struggle to find a gaming computer that costs less than $500. With a gaming you need the processing power and graphic cards that can handles today’s machines. If your want a decent gaming laptop you will need to raise your budget to a minimum of $700. The only way that you can buy a gaming laptop under 500 is to either buy them refurbished or second hand.
