Laptops in the under-$500 price range, from Chromebooks to Windows laptops with 8 GB of memory, compared on the specs that matter most at this budget: memory, storage and screen.
We earn a commission from qualifying Amazon purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. This never affects our specs. How we make money.
71 models
Matching configuration: MediaTek Kompanio 520 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" HD TN
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Core 3 100U · Built-in · 8 GB · 512 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel N150 · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 14" Full HD+
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4500 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 14" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core i3-N305 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 14" Full HD+ IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel N150 · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 14" HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4000 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 14" HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel N100 · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 12.2" Full HD+ IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4500 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: AMD Ryzen 3 7320U · Built-in · 8 GB · 256 GB · 15.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek Kompanio 520 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 10.5" Full HD+
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N50 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4120 · Built-in · 16 GB · 128 GB · 14" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core Ultra 5 115U · Built-in · 8 GB · 256 GB · 14" Full HD+
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel N200 · Built-in · 8 GB · 64 GB · 15.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: AMD Ryzen 3 7320U · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 15.6" Full HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4020 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 15.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron 3965Y · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 12.2" Full HD+
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4020 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4500 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek MT8173C · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Pentium Silver N5030 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4020 · Built-in · 4 GB · 16 GB · 11.6" HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel N100 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" Full HD IPS
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4020 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core i5-1145G7 · Built-in · 16 GB · 256 GB · 14" Full HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 10.5" Full HD+
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4000 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Pentium Silver N5000 · Built-in · 4 GB · 256 GB · 11.6"
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N3450 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek MT8173C · Built-in · 4 GB · 16 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core i7-1265U · Built-in · 16 GB · 512 GB · 13.5" 2K
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core m3-8100Y · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 11.6" HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core i7-1265U · Built-in · 32 GB · 512 GB · 13.3" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4020 · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N3350 · Built-in · 4 GB · 16 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core i5-8365U · Built-in · 16 GB · 256 GB · 13.3" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4020 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 11.6" HD TN
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N3060 · Built-in · 4 GB · 16 GB · 11.6" HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Core i5-8365U · Built-in · 16 GB · 256 GB · 14" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: AMD Ryzen 5 7520U · Built-in · 16 GB · 1 TB · 15.6" Full HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core i7-1165G7 · Built-in · 16 GB · 512 GB · 14" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core 3 N355 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 15.6" Full HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4500 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel N100 · Built-in · 8 GB · 64 GB · 15.6" Full HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core 3 N355 · Built-in · 8 GB · 512 GB · 14" Full HD+ IPS
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Core i3-1315U · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 16" Full HD+ IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek Kompanio 520 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek Kompanio 540 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel N100 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4500 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N50 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core i3-1215U · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 14" Full HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: AMD Ryzen 3 7320U · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel N150 · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N2840 · Built-in · 4 GB · 16 GB · 11" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4020 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.99" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4500 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek MT8183 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4120 · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 14" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek Kompanio 540 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel N200 · Built-in · 4 GB · 128 GB · 14" HD IPS
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: AMD A4-9120C · Built-in · 4 GB · 16 GB · 14" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: AMD A4-9120C · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4120 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specsMatching configuration: MediaTek Kompanio 540 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 14" Full HD+ IPS
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: MediaTek Kompanio 540 · Built-in · 8 GB · 128 GB · 15.3" Full HD+ IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Core 3 N355 · Built-in · 8 GB · 256 GB · 15.3" Full HD+ IPS
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4500 · Built-in · 4 GB · 64 GB · 15.6" Full HD
Specs and configurationsMatching configuration: AMD Ryzen 5 7530U · Built-in · 16 GB · 256 GB · 14" Full HD IPS
Full specsMatching configuration: Intel Celeron N4000 · Built-in · 4 GB · 32 GB · 11.6" HD
Full specs$500 is the most searched laptop budget for a reason: it’s enough for a laptop that does everyday work well, and the gap between a smart buy and a frustrating one is widest here. The trick is to spend on the three specs that decide how the laptop feels after a year, and ignore the rest.
1. Memory. Most laptops under $500 are Chromebooks with 4 GB, which is fine for ChromeOS. The Windows laptops are split between 4 GB and 8 GB, and that difference matters more than any processor name: Windows 11 with 4 GB slows down as soon as you open a few tabs. If you want Windows, filter for 8 GB or more.
2. Storage. Chromebooks keep your files in the cloud, so 64 GB or 128 GB is plenty. Windows takes a big share of a small drive by itself, and updates need free space too, so look for 256 GB on a Windows laptop. An SSD is standard now; avoid anything that lists a spinning hard drive.
3. Screen. Full HD (1920 x 1080) on a 14 or 15.6-inch screen is the sweet spot. Some budget laptops still use 1366 x 768 panels, which look grainy and fit less on screen. The spec sheet tells you which is which.
What the processors mean. At this price you’ll mostly see Intel Celeron and N-series chips (N100, N150), MediaTek Kompanio chips in Chromebooks, and on the better Windows models, Intel Core 3 or AMD Ryzen 3 and 5. N-series and Celeron handle browsing, documents and streaming; Core and Ryzen chips are noticeably quicker with many tabs, bigger spreadsheets and video calls.
Who should look higher. Gamers, video editors and anyone who needs 16 GB for work should start with laptops under $1,000. Students who carry a laptop all day should also see cheap laptops for college students, which only lists light models with 8 GB or more.
We collected and analyzed the published specs for every laptop here, so you can compare memory, storage and screens side by side. Price ranges are approximate and prices change often, so check the price with the seller before you buy.
It depends on what you run. For browsing, streaming and Google Docs, a Chromebook with a 14-inch Full HD screen is the safest buy. If you need Windows programs, pick a Windows laptop with 8 GB of memory and an SSD of 256 GB or more; anything smaller feels cramped within a year.
On a Chromebook, yes for everyday use. On Windows 11, no: 4 GB leaves little room once the system, a browser and a video call are running. Treat 8 GB as the minimum for Windows and 16 GB as a bonus worth paying a little extra for.
Yes. The web versions of Office run on any laptop here, and Windows laptops with 8 GB of memory handle the desktop apps and video calls fine. Heavy spreadsheets, photo editing and gaming are where this budget runs out.
A renewed business laptop (ThinkPad, Latitude, EliteBook) can give you a better keyboard, more ports and a sturdier build than a new budget model. The trade-off is an older processor and a shorter remaining life, so compare the processor generation before you decide.
No. Laptops are grouped into approximate price ranges, and prices change often. Check the price with the seller before you buy.