Budget Notebooks

Laptop Buying Guide

Looking for the perfect notebook PC to suit your needs? With LAPTOP's Laptop Buying Guide, we’ve made selecting the best machine for your needs easy. Here you’ll find tips, advice, and all the information you need to make the smartest buying decision.

Budget Notebooks

These days, being on a budget doesn't mean settling for a subpar notebook. You can still find plenty of power and features—including dual-core CPUs and 15.4-inch widescreens — you just won't pay a lot.

What Are Budget Notebooks?

As the name implies, budget notebooks are models aimed at price-conscious buyers who need a basic computer at an affordable price. For our definition, we look for a price of $999 or less, but you can find very good deals in the $799 to $899 range.

Who Are They For?

A budget notebook is appropriate for most any user who has fundamental computing needs: Web surfing, e-mail, productivity apps, and basic multimedia. A budget model could work for a family (especially as a second PC), a student (as long as their multimedia desires are modest), and even a business person (who doesn't have advanced durability or security needs).

What Can You Expect From a Budget Notebook?

• Dual-core CPU: At the low end of the price continuum, look for Intel Celeron M, Pentium M, or AMD Turion 64 X2 as the processor. If you have more to spend, look for the faster Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo CPUs.
  
  
• 1GB RAM: Many budget models will come with 1GB of RAM, which is adequate for Windows XP or Vista Home Basic (and just barely so for Vista Home Premium).
  
  
• 14.1- or 15.4-inch Widescreen: A bright panel with a 1280x800 resolution is now standard issue, even for budget models.
  
  
• 60GB to 100GB Hard Drive: This is plenty of room for typical data documents, and even decent-sized music and photo collections.
  
  
• Optical Burner: At the low end of the spectrum, you'll have to settle for a CD burner that can read DVDs. Spend a little more and you can step up to a full DVD burner

Buying Tips for Budget Notebooks

• Plenty of RAM: If the budget will allow it, select a model with 2GB of RAM—especially for a Vista Home Premium machine. If a laptop comes with only 512MB of RAM—usually the $399 specials you see in circulars—make sure it can be upgraded (and budget accordingly).
  
  
• Solid Brands: In this price range, you'll be tempted by off-brand notebooks (especially if you are prone to impulse purchases at warehouse clubs). They may be fine, but there's likely spotty tech support backing them up in case they aren't. You can find $499 entries from the names you know—Dell, Gateway, HP, and so on.
  
  
• 802.11n Wi-Fi: Even budget notebooks come with built-in Wi-Fi, usually 801.11b/g. But if you can step up to 802.11n, you'll future-proof your purchase, as your next router will likely be this faster variety, and it's becoming the standard for next-gen consumer electronics.