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    Home Unlabelled Laptops Budget Laptops Guide: An opinionated post about value under $400

    Laptops Budget Laptops Guide: An opinionated post about value under $400

    October 03, 2019

    Laptops Budget Laptops Guide: An opinionated post about value under $400

    Budget Laptops Guide: An opinionated post about value under $400

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:39 AM PDT

    Step 1: Temper your expectations. Down at this price point, you don't really get to be picky beyond the specs of the machine. You aren't looking at screen quality, brightness, premium materials, or keyboard and track pad feel. You aren't expecting to play new AAA title games or high frame rate first-person-shooters. But that doesn't mean you can't do everything shy of 3D rendering just as well as everyone else can, and save a ton of money.

    Step 2: Understand the pitfalls of being too cheap, and accept $275 as your floor Hovering at the budget price point is A LOT of junk. Old processors, low memory, and crummy SATA HDD's abound. They're cleverly disguised with marketing, fake sales, terminology that looks exactly the same as other models but isn't. Understand that it costs money just to make the chassis, screen, and power supply; and that under a certain price point, they're just getting rid of old, worse components. $275 is as cheap is you probably ever want to go right now, and even then we're usually talking black-friday sales. If you can't wait for the real deals, a $300 floor is much more likely. Don't fall into the traps like chromebooks and budget processor systems, they aren't worth it.

    Step 3: Select the CPU for your needs. Don't worry, it's actually not that hard once you spend some time looking around, and I've saved you the time by locating the better options in newer generation processors. No celeron or pentium processors, no AMD A-series chips.

    • i3-8145U - there are other i3-8XXXU chips that are also very decent, but the 8th generation chips are what you can find easily at this budget price point, and will be your go-to option. It will handle workload tasks with ease like web browsing and office programs. You can even do light gaming with it, and it will handle things like minecraft, rocket league, and most mobas (and a huge number of games that need even less specs but are still popular).
    • Ryzen 3 3300U - if gaming similar to the i3 chip above is something you prioritize more heavily, there's considerations to be made for this chip as well, as it comes with better integrated graphics via Vega 8. The benefit will ultimately come in playing games with 3 or 4 of the available cores, though for single core tasks (productivity work), the i3-8145U will be a better chip.
    • Ryzen 5 3500U - these slip in and out of the sub $400 price point, and are better than the 3300U (though worth noting that the i3-8145U is still better at single core tasks like workplace productivity). The downside is that the rest of the system specs are usually worse than the 3300U, though you if you can find one and are willing to replace the memory and storage yourself later on, it can be a great find for gaming.
    • i5-8265U - These don't drop into our budget range often, but it does happen around $389 sometimes. Like the Ryzen 5, you may find it accompanied by lower memory and worse storage, but if you're willing to spend a bit later on to improve those yourself, it's a great deal. If you're not confident upgrading yourself or simply don't want to spend any more at any time on the machine, the i3-8145U will get you a better all around machine.

    Step 4: Use your browser to search for your chip. For instance, typing "i3-8145U laptops" into the broswer will bring up all kinds of laptops for sale ranging all kinds of different prices. Often, clicking on one link will lead you to other suggestions with the same chip, which will lead you to other suggestions. So don't be afraid to go down the rabbit hole and come back out.

    Step 5: Look for 8GB RAM and 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD. You won't always find it, and 128GB storage with an external HD added later if needed is just as good.

    8GB RAM is the sweet spot for the tasks you'll be doing with a budget machine. If the price is right and you're comfortable watching a youtube video on replacing RAM sticks, don't be afraid of grabbing something with 4GB RAM that you can upgrade later (especially if you gain something in the process like a better CPU or a larger SSD hard drive). We aren't going to notice any difference from 16GB memory at this price point, so don't overpay for it.

    As for storage, there are two considerations: speed and size. Your operating system will be noticeably faster running on an SSD than it will an SATA disk drive, though the slower drives will be larger than the faster alternatives.

    • Avoid eMMC hard drives. They're slow, they're small, they're crap.
    • SATA HD's are large (1TB or more), but slow. If you need a lot of storage, you're better off having one as an external hard drive plugged into your laptop and letting your OS run off a smaller, faster internal SSD. *There is one exception: sometimes you'll find a laptop with "optane memory", which serves to speed up these older hard drives to a point where it's a decent option to have one in place of an SSD. These are few and far between at our price point however, and only serves to muddy the water unless you understand a lot about the boost optane provides.*
    • Standard SSD's are good, but not the best. They are considerations if they're 512GB size, but a bit slower than the best option.
    • NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD's are the fastest hard drives, and connect directly to the CPU with PCIe lanes. If I'm buying any laptop, this is what I'm looking for. You will find 128GB with ease, and if you do mostly browsing or suppliment with an external HD, it's often more than enough. If you look around, you can find 256GB versions on sale that will be better if you play games or save a lot of files (or simply do regular computing but don't want an external HD).

    Step 6: Make a list and watch some reviews, again remembering to temper your expectations. You're going to find from doing the above that there aren't a ton of brands to sift though. You'll be looking at slim Acer, Asus, and Lenovo options 90% of the time, with some thicker chassis options from Dell and HP. Again, almost all of them will be fine. It's important to remember that you get what you pay for, but that isn't always bad. Sure, our budget machine might average 2-3 solid years before becoming noticeably behind the curve. A machine at twice the price might last 4-6 years. But having the opportunity to upgrade twice as often means our specs will improve before the more expensive machine's will. You'll also find it easier to experiment without fear with a lesser investment, and I highly suggest looking into a ligher, Linux distro as an operating system to really take advantage of the machines.

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    Here's an example of a budget machine I'd be interested in for $329. I've seen it on sale for under $300, and tend to scoop one up for my kids/parents when I see it on sale. It works great with Linux, and I like it's aesthetics. But there's nothing wrong with the other brands either, and it's up to you to make the case for which budget system you like the best. Hope this guide helped anyone looking in the budget range who found the process daunting.

    submitted by /u/TearsOfTheProphets
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    Dell XPS 13 (2019) or Macbook pro (2019)?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 07:27 AM PDT

    I want a powerful laptop that can handle multiple tasks at once like photoshop, adobe premier, simulation; but also I want it to be light (around 2 lbs) so that I don't have any problem carrying it around. I have started my PhD and need a laptop which can go upto 5 years without having any problems, especially battery issues, ssd issues or wifi issues. Is there any laptop in the market that can gurantee its endurance for 5 long years? Please help! My budget is 1700$.

    submitted by /u/Rakesh_1996
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    Microsoft Launched Four New Laptop : Surface Neo, Laptop 3, Surface Pro X & Pro 7

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:18 AM PDT

    Is it possible to improve my dedicated video rAM?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:33 AM PDT

    Hi there!

    So I recently bought a new laptop mainly for University work, but I was also hoping to do some light gaming on it as well. I'm not expecting to run The Witcher 3 on Maximum Settings or anything but I was hoping to play a few games I've had in my Steam Library but have never been able to play such as Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen.

    I've checked out Can You Run It on System Requirements Lab and I've noticed something. I have enough RAM for most things(8gb) and enough processor speed(i7 1.80ghz Quad Core) but I'm mainly lacking in Dedicated Video RAM.

    According to System Requirements Lab I have 5gb of Video RAM but only 128mb of Dedicated Video RAM. Is it possible to increase my Dedicated Video RAM at all, either by messing with my laptop's settings or having the hardware modified? I've seen a few websites suggesting I change settings in my BIOS but I want to avoid putting my new laptop at potential risk if possible. Thanks in advance for any help!

    submitted by /u/Erikelelf
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    Looking for a lightweight laptop under $250. I'm okay with buying used

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:18 AM PDT

    So, my current laptop has an AMD A10 processor and 8gb of RAM. Performance is actually great for my needs. My only issue with this laptop is that it weighs 5 pounds and that's a bit too heavy for me because I have medical issues that make even trivial weights like that too much for me. I just need to find a laptop with the same performance as my current laptop. I'm okay with buying used and refurbished. My only requirement is that it be light weight and have 8gb of RAM or at least be upgradeable to 8gb. I tried looking for a used/refurbished Surface Go because it performs almost the same as my laptop so it'd be perfect for me but I can't find one within my budget. Does anyone have any suggestions? I won't buy an HP laptop but any other brand is fine with me. It has to have Windows as the OS because I play games like Skyrim and MTG Arena, otherwise I'd be looking for a Chromebook.

    submitted by /u/electricnick260
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    Looking for a college laptop

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 01:12 PM PDT

    One that can take notes just fine, but I also want to be able to play Hearthstone. Havent seen any posts about that and i've scoped a couple out on Amazon, but I want to hear some opinions on here

    submitted by /u/puga292
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    Can any Windows laptops compete with the Macbook trackpads?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 12:24 PM PDT

    Which Windows laptops have the best trackpads? Can any compete with the Macbook's?

    submitted by /u/humanbeing21
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    Yo laptop Gurus, out if the two which one you reckon would be best? Mainly looking for a laptop for Uni that will last. Have a discount for one on left to go down to £400 so is the £20 worth it to go for it?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 12:08 PM PDT

    i would really appreciate any feedback on my decision on a laptop . thank you in advance .

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:55 AM PDT

    hi everyone , you look soooo beautiful today !

    now that i buttered you up can you tell me if this laptop is good for me please ?

    i will mostly use it for web browsing , reading , word processing (microsoft office word or similar) watching movies and mabye low spec games (minecraft ) . obviously i run on a very low budget . i was thinking of getting a used one with higher spec but i dont (cant afford) want to risk it .

    hp nb 250 g7

    intel celeron n4000

    500 gb hdd

    4 gb ram ddr4

    intel uhd graphics 620

    for 260 dollars

    i have read reviews about this model and they say display is not that good (no IFS options whatever that means)

    i am not really a tech suave person , thank you for any help .

    submitted by /u/myheadfullofcacti
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    Which laptop should I get?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:35 AM PDT

    Huawei matebook pro x or dell xps 15? I intend to use it for school and light gaming.

    If there are other recommendations as well, I'd be happy to hear them out.

    submitted by /u/Available_thing
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    LG Gram 15'' 2018 normal temperature?

    Posted: 02 Oct 2019 10:38 PM PDT

    Just bought a LG gram model 15z980 (i7 15,6'')

    I was wondering, is it normal to have cpu temperature around 50-55 c with normal usage?

    The laptop gets warm very easily.

    Anyone who have this model can confirm the cpu temperature?

    submitted by /u/R2019abc
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    Display problem!!!!

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 11:06 AM PDT

    What USB Dock (not hub) would you recommend or are happy with?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 10:49 AM PDT

    About the new Surface Pro X...

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 12:57 AM PDT

    It uses the new SQ1 which is an ARM based processor developed by Qualcomm. Microsoft talked a lot about how powerful it is and how it reduces power consumption substantially. Does that mean it could be left on all the time like current smartphones and tablets? just locking it and ready to go for unlocking soon after. Unlike current laptops which have to be turned of and on all the time.

    submitted by /u/nnegretealvarado
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    Which one's a better buy?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 06:51 AM PDT

    Which one's better? They have the same specs for the most part and they're the same price, so it is going to come to subtle differences and technical details, with the exception of one big difference, which is that one has a bigger SSD but a slower processor.

    Lenovo Flex 5

    Lenovo Ideapad S340

    submitted by /u/nulavo
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    Dell Inspiron 5593

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 10:13 AM PDT

    Hi! I bought a new Dell Inspiron 15 5000 (5593) for 650€. I would use it at university for programming and for basic office use. I have some doubts about the new Ice Lake CPU and about the reliability of the Dell Inspiron. Can you help me? Here the specs of the PC:

    CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-1035G1 GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® MX230 RAM: 8GB DDR4 2666MHz SSD: 512GB NVme M.2

    submitted by /u/Elix_29
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    Do skins cause overheating?

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 10:04 AM PDT

    I own a Acer predator helios 300 & I'm thinking about applying a skin but I've heard it causes overheating and hampers the overall gaming experience. Is it true? Do you guys recommend skins?

    submitted by /u/VenkaTech-savvy
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    Convertible / 2in1 laptop for college, taking notes, software development

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 09:43 AM PDT

    • Total budget and country of purchase: Under 1000 USD, Poland

    • Do you prefer a 2 in 1 form factor, good battery life or best specifications for the money? Pick or include any that apply. 2in1 or convertible form factor, good battery, touchscreen

    • How important is weight and thinness to you? As lightweight and thin as possible

    • Which OS do you require? Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, Linux. Windows or Linux, possibly dualboot

    • Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. N/A

    • Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. N/A

    • If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? N/A

    • Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? Touchscreen (for taking notes by hand) (some kind of stylus compatibility required)

    • Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. I'm looking for a lightweight and thin solution for taking notes during lectures (keyboard and stylus) and light software development on the go (no machine learning, CUDA, 3D stuff or anything like that, just some embedded C, webdev, simple Python, etc). The top prorities are small weight, small size, very good touch responsivness for writing using stylus/pencil (this one is very important). No gaming intended, no heavy stuff intended.

    submitted by /u/SP9DEV
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    Spectre x360 Users

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 05:10 AM PDT

    Hp pavilion cx0140tx.

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:51 AM PDT

    Dell g7 7590 1660ti

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:33 AM PDT

    Hi guys plan to buy dell g7 1660ti does anyone here have experience with it? Getting some feedbacks thanks

    submitted by /u/Bruce_batman2
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    Looking for a college/light gaming laptop

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:32 AM PDT

    I'm an IT student looking for a laptop. It's mostly going to be used for programming and light gaming. I play games like CSGO, Rocket league etc. And I want 144hz because I just can't go back to 60.

    Right now I'm looking at Helios 30(2019) for around 1000€ .

    Any other suggestions?

    Edit: My budget is around 1.2k€

    submitted by /u/davidlessiah
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    Hp Envy x360 - ticking noise under load (graphics only)

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 02:22 AM PDT

    Hello,

    Does anyone else have the HP Envy x360, and if so, can they advise whether they get an audible rhythmic ticking noise when the gpu is used?

    It only occurs when using a program placing load on the gfx. Otherwise there's no noise. I can sit for hours doing non graphically intense tasks and it's as quiet as a mouse.

    It remains even when the fan revs up under load, although the fan drowns it out.

    Don't get me wrong - it's not noticeable if there is ambient noise in the room, but is audible in quiet environments.

    Any ideas?

    submitted by /u/sporkeh01
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    Should I Switch From My Pc To my Laptop

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 12:49 AM PDT

    I do not know of this is a allowed post but here I go.

    1 Week ago i brought the MSI PS63 Modern 8RD 15.6" Laptop PS63-8RD-239AU $1300 which was $600 off which was insane value and the specs are much better then my Pc. Before this I have a Pc which has a core i5 2400 GT 1030 12gb of ddr3 ram and 2 monitors. That Pc could handle any game I wanted to play which was perfect (games like minecraft and rocket league.)

    After using the laptop for a week it is amazing, can play all my games a lot better then my pc and i'm at this point where i do not know if i should sell my Pc and 1 off the monitors (going to use the other as a second monitor for my laptop.) But I do not know because if the my laptop were to stop working I would be screwed (gaming wise.) So here I am Reddit seeing if I should sell my Pc and jut use my laptop for gaming.

    submitted by /u/Kyogre83
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    Mx250 version in Hp x360 14-dh1026tx.

    Posted: 03 Oct 2019 08:10 AM PDT

    Does anyone know the version(10W or 25W) in Hp x360 14-dh1026tx. From what I have read, the 10W device Id is 1D52 whereas 25W has 1D13. I am planning to buy a laptop and this is one of the finalists.

    submitted by /u/Dick__stele
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