There are tons of laptops beneath $500 on the market, however lots of them aren’t well worth the value. That’s why it’s necessary to buy sensible if you’re searching for a funds laptop computer. For one, don’t accept laptop computer with a decision under 1080p. Second, at all times spring for not less than 8GB of RAM. Though you could encounter a few trade-offs right here and there, it’s solely doable to attain a sub-$500 machine with zippy normal productiveness efficiency and respectable battery life. Under you’ll discover a rigorously curated record of our prime picks.

Why you need to belief us: It’s in our identify! PCWorld prides itself on laptop computer expertise and experience. We’ve been masking PCs since 1983, and we now evaluate greater than 70 laptops yearly. All the picks under have been personally examined and vetted by our consultants, who’ve utilized not solely efficiency benchmarks however rigorous usability requirements. We’re additionally dedicated to reviewing PC laptops at each value level that will help you discover a machine that matches your funds.

In case you can handle to stretch your funds a bit bit additional, take a look at our greatest laptops roundup for much more strategies.

Up to date August 22, 2024: We up to date our record of current laptop computer opinions, so remember to test these out close to the underside of the web page!

One of the best laptops beneath $500

Current laptop computer opinions

We’ve reviewed a number of new laptops just lately, although many value greater than $500.

• Asus Zenbook S 16: The Asus Zenbook S 16 is a sexy laptop computer, however the Ryzen AI 9 delivers mediocre efficiency and exterior temperatures peak at 130 levels beneath load.
• HP Omnibook X: The HP Omnibook X is an efficient laptop computer and makes respectable use of its Snapdragon processor to run for hours on finish, nevertheless it’s not setting itself dramatically aside and skimps in different areas sufficient that it simply doesn’t stand out.
• HP Pavilion Laptop computer 16: The HP Pavilion Laptop computer 16 is a jack of all trades with a giant show and comfy spacious keyboard full of choices. It additionally has an extended battery life and sufficient energy to comfortably deal with most leisure and workplace purposes.
• Framework Laptop computer 13: The Framework Laptop computer 13 is predicated on a compelling imaginative and prescient of a doable future, and a few PC fanatics will love constructing, upgrading, and repairing their very own laptop computer. However this isn’t the fitting machine for the common PC purchaser.
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5: The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 is a serviceable enterprise laptop computer with strong battery life, a vibrant show, and respectable repairability.

How we examined

The PCWorld crew places every Home windows laptop computer by a collection of benchmarks that take a look at GPU and CPU efficiency, battery life, and so forth. The concept is to push the laptop computer to its limits after which examine it in opposition to others we’ve examined.

Chromebooks, however, undergo a collection of web-based exams. It wouldn’t be truthful or doable to run the identical sorts of exams on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines. Under, you’ll discover a breakdown of every take a look at and the the reason why we run them. For a a lot deeper have a look at our evaluate methodology, take a look at how PCWorld exams laptops.

Home windows laptops

• PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we decide how nicely the laptop computer handles lighter duties like internet shopping, phrase processing, spreadsheets, and so forth.
• HandBrake: HandBrake is extra intensive than PCMark 10. It mainly measures how lengthy a laptop computer’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
• Cinebench: Cinebench is a short stress take a look at of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a brief time period.
• 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D efficiency stays constant over time by operating graphic-intensive clips.
• Video rundown take a look at: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video utilizing Home windows 10’s Motion pictures & TV app till the laptop computer dies.

Chromebooks

• CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark exams a Chromebook’s battery life.
• Speedometer 2.0: This take a look at determines a Chromebook’s internet browser efficiency. It simulates this by including, finishing, and eradicating a to-do record.
• Basemark Internet 3.0: This benchmark gauges how nicely a Chromebook can deal with web-based purposes.
• Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript efficiency benchmark.
• Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a mix of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This can be a technique to gauge how nicely a Chromebook runs superior workloads.

What sort of laptop computer do you have to get?

Ah, right here we’re on the billion greenback query. Do you spring for a primary Chromebook or go for a Home windows laptop computer with extra options? Nicely, it actually depends upon your life-style and your expectations of a sub-$500 machine. At this value level, you’re not going to discover a highly effective workhorse. Nevertheless, there are many inexpensive laptops on the market for many who want the fundamentals.

Chromebooks, for instance, are a fantastic low-cost possibility and supply phenomenal battery life. I take advantage of a Chromebook as my main work laptop computer, because it has every thing I would like for each modifying and writing. In case you journey for work, it’s most likely a good suggestion to put money into a laptop computer that weighs lower than three kilos. In case you’re nonetheless uncertain, don’t sweat it. I’ve put collectively a listing of fast shopping for suggestions under.

• Laptop computer kind: There are various totally different laptop computer varieties that fall within the sub-$500 class: clamshells, 2-in-1’s, Chromebooks, and way more. The shows on convertible laptops (aka 2-in-1’s), for instance, can swing round 360 levels. This lets you use the laptop computer like a pill. They can be propped up like a tent for viewing motion pictures or taking part in video calls. Chromebooks are available varied sizes and styles, and completely run Google’s web-focused Chrome OS. With a Chromebook, all you want is a Gmail account and, growth, you’re in.
• CPU: In terms of the sub-$500 Home windows laptops, you’ll be able to look forward to finding Intel Core i3 or i5 processors. An i5 processor clearly gives a bit extra oomph. That stated, primary workplace and internet work does simply superb on a Core i3. As for AMD choices, the Ryzen 3 is nice for primary productiveness and internet shopping, whereas Ryzen 5 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as strong all-arounders. For Chromebooks, Snapdragon and Pentium processors are extra highly effective than MediaTek chips.
• Graphics: At this value vary, you most likely received’t discover a laptop computer with a strong discrete graphics card. As a substitute, you’ll encounter laptops with built-in graphics, that are built-in with the CPU and use much less energy because of this. That is completely superb for on a regular basis duties, particularly for those who’re not doing something that’s graphics-intensive—like 3D gaming.
• RAM: At all times go for 8GB of RAM. That’s lots sufficient for firing up purposes and loading internet pages. Most Chromebooks are outfitted with 4GB of RAM, which is the naked minimal. You want an honest quantity of reminiscence on these machines, as they’re primarily web-based. If there’s an 8GB RAM possibility, I’d advocate springing for that.
• Show measurement: In case you’re a video editor or somebody who does quite a lot of multimedia work, you’ll desire a show that’s wherever from 15- to 17-inches (however these machines often value excess of $500). The candy spot for funds laptops is de facto wherever from 13- to 14-inches. The larger the show, the heavier your laptop computer goes to be. A 13- or 14-inch show is the perfect by way of portability and worth.
• Decision: I wouldn’t go for something lower than 1080p, as there’s nothing extra annoying than a barely fuzzy picture. 1080p produces an image that’s sharp sufficient for watching Netflix or working in Excel. At this value vary, you received’t actually discover many (if any) laptops with 1440p decision or larger.
• Battery life: In case you plan on taking your laptop computer wherever with you, goal for one thing that may final 10 to 12 hours on a single cost. That’s greater than a full work day, so it ought to theoretically get you thru lengthy flights or a day of lessons. Clearly, extra is at all times higher. Simply know that the larger the battery, the heavier the laptop computer.
• Worth: The worth actually depends upon your funds. In case you’re strapped for money (been there, belief me), go for a Chromebook or an entry-level enterprise laptop computer. These laptops are a sensible choice for college students or younger professionals. In case you store sensible, you’ll be able to even discover 2-in-1’s within the $500 vary.
• Ports: A big selection of ports is at all times a plus, because it eliminates the necessity for an adapter. I’d advocate a laptop computer that has each USB-C and USB-A. An HDMI port is nice, too. That is particularly helpful for hooking as much as an exterior monitor.