Top pick
Unlike most cheap Windows laptops, the Aspire 3 is fast, compact, and light, and it has long battery life and a 1080p display.
Recommended configuration
| Processor: | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | Screen: | 14-inch 1920×1080 non-touch |
| Memory: | 8 GB | Weight: | 3.1 pounds |
| Storage: | 512 GB SSD | Tested battery life: | 13.5 hours |
Who these are for: If you need a Windows laptop for home, work, or school—and you can’t afford to spend a lot—you can find a decent one for less than $500. These computers are ideal for grade-school and middle-school students, people on a strict budget, and those who use their computers mostly at home in the evenings for doing schoolwork, browsing the web, managing a budget, or watching Netflix. Cheaper, lighter laptops tend to be too slow for everyday tasks, while faster, sleeker ones usually cost too much.
Where they fall short: To get a laptop that doesn’t feel slow for a decent price, you have to make a lot of compromises. Most budget laptops that are fast enough tend to be bulky, heavy, and saddled with short battery life. They also tend to have low-resolution, low-quality screens that are unpleasant to look at. You have to be especially vigilant when shopping for a laptop in this price range to avoid slow or old processors, insufficient memory, and sluggish storage.
Why we like this one: The Acer Aspire 3 (A314-23P-R3QA) is fast enough to meet most people’s computing needs for years to come, and it has an accurate trackpad and a backlit keyboard. It’s also compact and portable, and its battery lasted 13 hours 38 minutes in our tests—long enough to get through a full day of work or classes.
The Aspire 3 has a 14-inch 1920×1080 display that lacks touch input and makes colors look dull and washed out in comparison with more expensive laptops. But many laptops in this price range have much worse screens with lower resolutions or TN panels. The Aspire 3 also comes with a ton of bloatware; we recommend following these steps to get rid of it.
Choosing a budget laptop is tricky because you can find hundreds of variations. Their prices fluctuate constantly, too, and companies release and discontinue models with no warning. If our pick isn’t available, check our full guide to budget laptops for other options, as well as advice on how to shop for a budget laptop that doesn’t suck.
For additional details, read our full guide to budget laptops.
