Best Laptops Under $500
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on a laptop. Thanks to cheaper chips, more efficient software, and the fact that an increased amount of our computing is done online (meaning your computer doesn't need to be as powerful), plenty of notebooks can be had for less than $500 (in fact, Intel is developing new technology that will help push powerful PCs to the under-$250 price point). We scoured the tech landscape and found five laptops that will do all your basic computing needs, and then some, but still keep your budget balanced. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any Mac-based laptops – even in the used/refurbished bins – but you'll have to take that up with Steve Jobs. In the meantime, check out our picks for best bargain-basement laptops.
The Windows One: Acer Aspire 5315
Acer's full-fledged Vista-enabled mainstream laptop may not be the fastest, sturdiest, or prettiest, but it'll certainly do when you absolutely, positively have to have Windows for less than $500.
Who it's for: Students on a budget who still need Windows-compatible software (such as PowerPoint and Word for class preparation); parents and grandparents who don't want to do much more than word-process, balance the checkbook, or surf the Web.
What we like: The huge 15.4-inch LCD screen is great for movie-watching and slideshows, and the built-in stereo speakers are surprisingly powerful (considering they're made of plastic!). Sure, it's 6.2-pounds -- more than twice as heavy as the MacBook Air -- but that's not as heavy as we expected at this price point. It has three USB ports, which is generous. The keyboard is spacious and comfortable to type on, and includes a one-touch key for wireless and battery management, and a Wi-Fi on/off button. Most other laptops in this price category don't have a DVD/CD-RW drive, so music rippers and DVD watchers will be pleased that the Acer Aspire does have one.
What we don't: With no dual-core processor (just a Celeron 450) and 1-gigabyte of DDR2, this baby can be slow to start and a bit lethargic when running several programs at once. Battery life – at just over two hours – can leave you stranded at the Internet café if you're not near a power outlet. Plus, the plastic casing feels a bit cheap.
Verdict: It does the trick for $500, but if you have an extra couple of Benjamins, go for the Aspire 4710, or any laptop with a dual-core processor.
Cost: $500 (the version we tested out was available exclusively at Wal-Mart for $470, but you can search around online for similar deals).
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Marilyn @ Feb 19th 2008 5:01PM
I was given an Aspire 5520 as a gift for Christmas and I can tell you that it runs circles around my Gateway Desktop hands down. It took me awhile to get used to the angle of the keyboard,, but man,, this little sucker has it all, including a web cam,, and with its AMD 64 x 2 Dual Core Processor,,, is a fast little bunny. I am technologically challenged,,, only cuz in part I am a 63 yr old "gamaw", but I would not trade my little Acer for any of the other higher end laptops........
Haley @ Feb 19th 2008 5:26PM
umm the acer may be a good buy but it breaks REALLY easy and they are Really bad so DO NOT BUY THEM they get a bad internet connection we tried everything on our acer to get it runing NOTHING worked
Haley @ Feb 19th 2008 5:27PM
hey cathy mine does the same thing its really wierd
Cathy @ Feb 19th 2008 5:56PM
Haley,
Where did you buy your Acer? What do you plan to do about it? Ours is from Best Buy - where I'll never buy a computer again - and I'm trying to get them to give me a new computer!
Dani @ Feb 19th 2008 6:03PM
I recieved my ACER for a Christmas gift. I'm really happy with it. I am just learning my way around it, but i love it. i guess it's not the best way to judge a computer, but my favorite thing about mine is there were samples of music, most of which were on my list to buy, and some other stuff that I really love. I don't know how they did that.
Debra Ognian @ Feb 19th 2008 6:11PM
I have had an Acer laptop for a couple of years.Right from the beginning when I bought it, the screen goes blank after typing in email. When the screen reappears a few seconds later, the letters are switched around. Acer sent me a new keyboard. It still never fixed the problem. I will never by another Acer again. As far as I am concerned,Acer is junk. I will spend the extra money for something more reliable.
jerry @ Feb 19th 2008 6:22PM
cathy-my HP F1905e has the same problem with the screen going black after startup. a pc geek(Tom) that lives near me says in a problem with the windows program. since your acer & my HP have no other relationship other than windows-i now think maybe Tom was right. I've had this problem for 18 mos with no other problems other than its bothersome while i'm playing a timed game.
Amanda @ Feb 19th 2008 6:45PM
CAthy... My Acer Aspire 3100 has serious screen problems. I have to "jiggle" the screen to make it better. Sometimes I have to hold the screen with one hand and typr with the other to make it work. VERY FRUSTRATING!!!!
KDRDIBFT @ Feb 19th 2008 6:46PM
ACERS R MADE BY FERRIE SPORTS CAR CORP.
John J Jacobs @ Feb 19th 2008 6:47PM
you get what you pay for,so the cliche goes.
Vivi @ Feb 19th 2008 6:51PM
I have an Acer, but it is a desk model. I have not had any problems with it other than my stupidity. I am 85 years old and use it every day.
DER @ Feb 19th 2008 7:00PM
I have the Aspire 5315... in the first 20 days it crashed so badly that I could not boot it up at all. I had to send it back to the company at my expense - $30+. They sent it back in a couple of weeks and it then could be booted up but any time I try to download anything - including the standard Windows updates - it crashes again, although I can get re-booted now.
Mark @ Feb 19th 2008 7:08PM
Sweetpee,
Contact consumer affairs in your area. My wife and I got great results, and fast, going through them.
Devon @ Feb 19th 2008 7:20PM
they are not made to run two prgrams at once you need to upgrade to a bigger memory.
PAULINE NEW BORN @ Feb 19th 2008 7:20PM
i have both a desktop and 5315 laptop by acer and whenever i have problems i send technical an email ad they are good about resolving the problems.
Charles @ Feb 19th 2008 7:32PM
My friend just bought a toshiba for $ 600 - proven quality - why would anybody buy an ACer of very questionable reliability when they get a Toshiba for $ 100 more?
j @ Feb 19th 2008 7:37PM
i paid $348 at walmart...........beats the windows ME unit i bought used off ebay for $200. The days of expensive computers and having the latest and greatest crap is over for me.
magicprincess707 @ Feb 19th 2008 7:49PM
I'd say that this little laptop is fine if you are doing nothing more then surfing the web or typing reports, but for college students... it will hardly do the job. I spent $1500 on my current laptop (and you don't even want to know how much I spent on my main desktop computer, including all the upgrades I constantly have to do) and being a computer grpahics major at school, there is no way the little Acer laptop can do half on what I need from a computer. For the casual computer users or those who mainly do word processing, the Acer is a good choice. Why spend thousands of bucks on a computer when all you need is something that you can type on?
Ken @ Feb 19th 2008 8:09PM
I don't know if this will help but you might try going into you power settings and configuring it for best performance. I had similar probs with a laptop and the extra power helped with crashing programs. It will eat up battery power faster but at least it seemed to help.
Good luck
Keni
Paul @ Feb 19th 2008 8:13PM
I bought a Acer 5520 from QVC. I love it. The only thing I can't find is my serial number. I have it on AOL which my main computer is also on. I have not had any problems with my laptop. Love the large screen.