Nowadays laptops are extremely popular and have become an important device to have for almost everyone. Well, according to me $500 is a lot for an average laptop because there are many great notebooks you can get these days even for around $300 and $400, so what I am trying to say is $500 is good enough budget to acquire a nice up-to-date laptop. But before buying it you need to decide the configuration you’ll need in your laptop like RAM, hard drive and processor. If your budget is around $500 then you can easily get a notebook with 4GB RAM, i3 processor and about 500 GB hard disk space.
In last few years price of Windows devices have dropped dramatically due to a lot of competition between top brands but some brands like HP and Lenovo have managed to keep their prices as they were and exactly as they should. Also there are many other brands like Acer, ASUS and Dell that offer their best laptops for around $400-500. These kinds of Windows notebooks are good for everyone whether it is a student, professional or gamer and they can handle many programs smoothly like HD movies, games, music or any other computer application. So I guess now you’re all set to check out best laptops that you can find in stores for under $500.
ASUS Q200 is an 11-inch touch screen laptop from Asus that comes with Windows 8 and yeah, that’s right you’re getting a brand new touch screen laptop for under $500 and that too from one of the most reputed brands, ASUS. Best thing about this touch screen notebook is that it is very much lightweight and is mostly praised for its responsive screen. Specs you’re getting in this device are 1.4 GHz i3 processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive and Intel HD 3000 graphics card. Besides all these specs, you’re getting 32 MB video memory, 3.0 USB port, HDMI and also SD card reader. Most of people who are spending their $500 on a computer wouldn’t settle for an 11-inch laptop but if you can do that then you’re getting the best and most affordable laptop.
If you have the exact budget of $500 then this new model from Acer Aspire series can be the perfect device for you. It is another laptop in this list that comes with Windows 8 and can deliver pretty strong performance. Acer has always been known for its comfortable keyboard and this one is no exception. It features 6GB RAM, 750 GB hard drive and 512 MB graphics card. Besides these configurations it also includes 1.9 GHz AMD Quad Core processor which is the best you can get right now. I have personally seen this laptop at one of my colleagues and his been really happy with it but only hassle sometimes he faces is its battery life which is below average for this kind of laptop. Other than that, it’s perfect in design and performance.
Toshiba Satellite C655 is an extremely affordable and lightweight 15-inch laptop that comes with large keyboard. Like other notebooks this one can’t really handle heavy tasks and I’d recommend this notebook for only those who want to use it for basic tasks like browsing, music and other less heavy tasks. According to few expert reviews Toshiba Satellite is a pretty good deal but I’d say you have better choices with this kind of budget. Anyways, let’s see its specs: 3 GB DDR3 RAM, 320 GB hard drive and 1.6 GHz Celeron processor. The only thing this notebook lacks is 3.0 USB ports which would have made this laptop a lot better and also there are few complaints about its performance on internet.
Acer Aspire V5-571-6891 is certainly the best you can get for $500. Best and exclusive thing in this notebook is its full size keyboard which is very rare these days in laptop. You’re getting this brand new laptop from Acer Aspire series with 6GB RAM, 1.8 GHz processor, Windows 8, 500 GB hard drive, 1x 3.0 USB port and DVD RW. Well, what else do you want for $500? I think it has everything you’ll ever need in a laptop. So if you’re in hurry you can go with this notebook or wait until Acer releases the upgraded version of this notebook which will have touch screen display.
Like I always say, Acer and ASUS are the best laptop brands when we’re talking about affordable laptops. Yeah, they certainly deliver their best netbooks for extremely decent price and that too with full customer support and warranty. Anyways, this new device from ASUS comes with i3 processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive and DVD RW. Besides decent configuration it also has a Bluetooth, 3.0 USB port, great audio quality and average battery life. So if you’re looking for some up-to-date laptop with Windows 8 then this one can be really ideal that comes for around $500.
HP Pavilion g6 is certainly one of the most popular laptops being used in US and I think that is because it is available in plenty of colors. Specs of this notebook are really impressive but for some reason it is not recommended by most of Tech experts. Let’s review its specs: 2.5 GHz i3 Intel Core processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB hard drive and genuine Windows 7. Other than nice specs its design is also stylish and somehow rare due to its round corners. Anyways, I haven’t seen many complaints about HP Pavilion notebooks so I guess this one shouldn’t have any issues either.
HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z comes in 2 different versions, one is 15-inch regular laptop and other one is touch screen laptop. In case you want to buy the touch screen version then you’ll need extra $100. Anyways, let’s talk about the regular one since that’s what you’re getting for under $500. Like all other HP Pavilion notebooks this one is also lightweight and ultra slim. Specs are really competitive since it comes with AMD Quad Core processor of 1.7 GHz, 4GB RAM and 500 GB hard drive. Current price of this notebook is around $480 which is certainly worth since it features everything one needs in laptop including genuine Windows 8.
Surprised to see a laptop from Lenovo IdeaPad series in the list of $500 laptops? Well, me too but for some reason Lenovo has dropped their price on this model and you can grab it for around $455. Like all notebooks from Lenovo this one too has an attractive design and comfortable keyboard. And yeah, it comes with Windows 8 so you won’t have any hassles running latest applications on it. It includes 1.8 GHz i3 processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive and Intel 4000 graphics card. According to top laptop blogs, performance of this laptop is solid but there are few complaints about its touchpad on internet.
I was just wondering when I’d get to write about Dell Inspiron notebook and here it is. Dell laptops can also be very much affordable like ASUS and Acer and can deliver solid performance too. Besides that, Dell is known for their best customer support and is one of the best laptop brands in the world. This laptop from Dell Inspiron series is currently priced at $499 and comes with all latest specs. Let’s see its specs: i5 processor, 6GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB hard drive and genuine copy of Windows 8. According to me, this is the best one can get for $500 and I certainly thought a lot about putting it on top spot, but sadly I am not the one who decides rankings.
Finally, here is the best laptop that you can get for under $500 and of course Acer Aspire series is the best when it comes to affordable and performance delivering laptops. This one also costs $499 but I am not sure if its specs can be compared with Dell Inspiron notebook. It comes with i3 processor of 2.2 GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM and 640 GB hard drive. According to many online reviews this notebook from Acer is the highest rated laptop that you can get for $500. Only thing I find out-dated in this notebook is Windows 7 and I really think it would have easily handled the latest version of Windows. Anyways, I guess you’ve seen all recommended laptops and are ready to choose one for yourself. Good Luck!