Best Budget Laptop PCs

There are a fair number of laptops that can be found for under $500 but most use older technology. The Lenovo Essential G570 uses a new Intel Pentium B940 dual core processor that uses the same technology as the second generation Intel Core i3 processors. It may not be as fast but for most people, they don't need the speed for web browsing, media watching or productivity software. The rest of the features are nearly identical to laptops costing almost $100 more. It comes with 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB hard drive, dual layer DVD burner, 15.6-inch display, 802.11b/g/n wireless and Windows 7 Home premium. If you want a bit more performance and features for only a little more cash, the Acer Aspire AS5560G is priced around $520 and comes with a quad core AMD A8 processor.

At first glance, the Dell Inspiron 15R doesn't seem like it would merit the honor of best overall budget laptop. After all, its features are pretty much typical of just about every laptop priced around $600. It comes with a Core i3-2310M processor, 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB hard drive, dual layer DVD burner, 15.6-inch display and 802.11b/g/n wireless. What really makes the Inspiron 15R stand out is the external expansion capabilities. The system includes two USB 3.0 and an eSATA port that allow for a wide range of high speed external peripherals. This means that it has life beyond most budget laptops. In addition, it is possible to find offers from Dell that can get upgraded storage, processors or memory at no cost. If the external peripheral ports aren't an issue but you want some better graphics, than the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 is a suitable alternative at $600 if you happen to find one available.

15-inch laptops still tend to dominate the budget categories but there are a number of more compact options. The HP Pavilion g4-1226nr features much of the same features as its 15-inch competitors but weighs under 5 pounds and is more compact thanks to the 14-inch display. Features are pretty typical including an Intel Core i3-2330M dual core processor, 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB hard drive, dual layer DVD burner and 802.11b/g/n wireless. The system does offer Bluetooth which is still fairly uncommon in budget systems and the keyboard is quite nice for a compact system. Prices range from $530 to $580. If you don't mind not having an optical drive and want an even more compact system, then the Acer Aspire AS3830T can be found for around $600 and offers much of the same performance.

Laptops with dedicated graphics are very uncommon in budget oriented laptops. Acer is one of a few companies that actually offer such a feature. In the case of the Aspire AS5560G-SB485, it is an AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics processor that can allow it to processor HD video better and even handle casual 3D gaming. Performance users will also be pleased with the AMD A8-3500M quad core processor that is beneficial for those looking to multitask or do desktop video. The rest of the features are pretty typical with a 500GB hard drive, 15.6-inch display with 1366x768 resolution and 802.11b/g/n wireless. One warning though is that Acer installs a large amount of trialware on their systems. Priced between $520 and $600. An alternative with NVIDIA graphics and an Intel processor is the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 with pricing just under $600.