We generally research on laptops at Instant Discount Guru to find the best laptops from a lot and suggest to our audience, but this time we did something different. We tried to find out what is the most common budget among the people when they are looking for a new laptop. To do so, we checked thousands of expert advice requests that we receive every month through this Get Expert Advice page on our website. To our surprise, we found that $500 is the most common budget among the people, and for that price people wanted the laptops that can perform all the everyday tasks and also some light gaming. Some of them were also concerned about a good display while some of them wanted a lightweight laptop with full-day battery life and a good keyboard, all under 500 dollars.
Finding such laptops is a challenging task because sub-$500 laptops are still considered to be the budget category laptops (i.e., low-performance laptops), and there are tons of laptops in the market to easily puzzle the person.
We took this into account and worked accordingly, we tested a lot of laptops from different manufacturers in 500 dollars price range and finally here’s the outcome of it — A list of best laptops under $500 of 2020. We picked all the best all-purpose laptops in $500 price range which we think are the best laptops to suit the vast array of requirements of people.
So let’s have a look at all the best budget all-purpose laptops one by one.
NOTE: Most laptops in this guide are ranging from between $400 to $500. If you are looking for even cheaper laptops, then you can check out our budget laptop buying guides where you will find laptops priced under $400 and lesser price ranges than that.
Best Laptops Under 500 Dollars – Top Picks
Dell Inspiron 3593 (Newest Model)
Leading the way from the front is the Dell Inspiron 3593 laptop which packs all the latest sets of hardware inside. The design of the new Inspiron series of laptops has been tweaked slightly to make it look fresh, but it still looks mostly the same and reminds of older chunky looking Dell laptops. The whole laptop is finished in a black color which gives it a professional look and feel. The keyboard on this laptop is also great with ergonomic key placements, but it is not backlit enabled which might stop a few of you from buying this laptop.
Apart from that, the Dell Inspiron 3593 is a very feature-rich laptop. It provides all sorts of ports and slots that you will need to connect different peripheral devices. As far as the performance of this laptop is concerned, the laptop runs Windows 10 out of the box, and it runs buttery smooth on this laptop, all thanks to newest 10th Gen Intel Core i5 Ice Lake processor and its 8GB of RAM. For storage, this laptop has 1TB of HDD which provides a decent amount of space to store all your data on this laptop.
Overall, this is one of the best laptops under $500 to buy right now with newest and powerful hardware, professional-looking design, and up to 5 hours of battery backup.
| Hardware Specifications of Dell Inspiron 3593 Laptop | |
| Processor | 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad-Core Processor (Turbo up to 3.6GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 2666 MHz RAM |
| Storage | 1TB HDD |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Display | 15.6-inch Full HD Anti Glare LED-backlit display |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home 64-bit OS |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 hours |
| Weight | 4.8 lbs |
Acer Aspire 5 Value for Money
Acer Aspire series of laptops, as always are focused on providing better all-around performance. Following the above maxim, the Acer Aspire 5 is yet another entry-level laptop under $500 which excels in almost all the segments. The laptop sports a 15.6-inch full HD LED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Now, it is pretty clear that the laptop will provide cutting-edge visuals along with bright, vivid, and a decent gamut of color reproduction. Moreover, it has a full backlit keyboard, which makes it hard to believe that it costs under $500.
It is powered by an AMD Ryzen 3 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM for multitasking. The storage department of the laptop is managed by a 128GB solid-state drive which is small but it helps to boot the laptop and open apps more quickly. Besides that, this laptop also sports an integrated AMD Radeon Vega graphics. Although the laptop comes with an all-plastic polycarbonate chassis, the laptop still manages to look premium by its standards.
All in all, the Acer Aspire 5 is one of the best all-around performing budget laptops you can buy right now. It offers sturdy chassis, full HD display, a backlit keyboard, and current generation hardware for the price that’s actually less than $400 which makes it an excellent option for budget buyers.
If you prefer Intel hardware over AMD, then the Acer Aspire 5 is also available with the newest 10th Generation Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB RAM, and 128GB SSD. It is priced slightly higher than the AMD variant, but you get the same laptop with all the same features. So, overall the AMD variant is more value option, but again if you prefer the Intel hardware and don’t mind paying a little extra for it then you can get this model.
| Hardware Specifications of Acer Aspire 5 All-Purpose Laptop | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual-Core Processor (Turbo up to 3.5 GHz) |
| RAM | 4GB RAM |
| Storage | 128GB SSD |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Vega 3 Mobile Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD LED-backlit IPS display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 in S Mode |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 hours |
| Weight | 3.9 lbs |
HP 15t Laptop (Best Touchscreen Laptop)
Sporting a 15.6-inch HD touchscreen display, the HP 15t is an all-rounder laptop that comes with a stripped-down price tag. The laptop is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7-3700U processor which has max clock frequency up to 4.0GHz. It is the latest processor from AMD so it consumes very little power and is a low voltage chip so the core amount is well balanced. However, the CPU in the notebook is an able one and scores a very decent number of benchmark scores.
The multitasking on the laptop is backed by 12GB of RAM and it has 256GB of SSD for storage. The laptop provides lag-free performance, and does exceptionally well in terms of multitasking, and handling the apps.
Even in terms of battery life, the HP 15t comes preloaded with most of the energy-efficient components, and will surely last a little over 5 hours on a single charge. So, if you’re looking for the best touchscreen laptop under $500, then this HP 15t notebook is the one you should get.
| Hardware Specifications of HP 15t Laptop | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7-3700U Quad-Core Processor (Turbo up to 4.0GHz) |
| RAM | 12GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch HD Touchscreen WLED-backlit display with 1366 x 768 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home 64-bit OS |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 Hours |
| Weight | 3.7 lbs |
Dell Inspiron 5585 (15.6″ Laptop)
Dell is one of the most reputed laptop makers, on which we can rely upon. Moreover, the Inspiron series is already a well-renowned series of a laptop in Dell’s iteration of laptops. The Dell Inspiron 5585 laptop sport attractive eye-catchy elegant looks and comes finished in a platinum silver color.
This budget notebook, the Inspiron 5585 doesn’t look or feel cheap by any means and comes with a stylish smooth finish all over. It has a 15.6 inch full HD anti-glare display and a built-in HD webcam with mic making it perfect for Skype. Moreover, It comes with a full backlit keyboard which is a rare scene at this price range. Speaking about the internals of the laptop, it is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 quad-core processor with Radeon Vega 8 graphics. The laptop comes with 8GB of RAM and has speedy 256GB of SSD for storage.
Regarding performance, the laptop does provide satisfactory performance for all the daily tasks and can also handle gaming up to an extent. On a final note, this Dell Inspiron laptop is the best budget laptop with all the latest hardware and features that you can get for under $500.
| Hardware Specifications of Dell Inspiron 5585 Laptop | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 3500U 2.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor (Turbo up to 3.7GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM (Supports up to 16GB) |
| Storage | 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Vega 8 |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD LED-backlit Anti-Glare display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home 64-bit OS |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 Hours |
| Weight | 3.9 lbs |
Lenovo Ideapad S340 14″ (Best Business Laptop)
Lenovo Ideapad S340 is the best business laptop under $500 which sports a 14-inch full HD display with tiny bezels. The laptop mostly looks identical to the previous Ideapad series of laptops and is the new wine offered in the same old bottle. That said, although the laptop has a similar exterior, it comes with a bunch of advancements and upgrades in terms of the configuration.
The laptop is powered by the newest 10th Gen Intel Core i5 quad-core processor coupled with 8GB of RAM. It comes with a 256GB SSD which helps to quickly load the apps and transfer the files. The screen on the laptop is the only small drawback to the laptop, as it doesn’t get bright enough to use in direct sunlight, but its viewing angles are excellent and with its dual Dolby backed speakers it’s great for watching movies or tv shows with friends or family.
In terms of the processing power, its ability to switch between the apps, and transition effects the laptop does reasonably well and has thus paved the way for itself on our list. The laptop comes preloaded with Windows 10 operating system, and also packs in a bunch of useful business applications and licenses for free.
| Hardware Specifications of Lenovo Ideapad S340 – Best Business Laptop Under $500 | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad-Core Processor (Turbo up to 3.6GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Graphics | Intel UHD 620 Graphics |
| Display | 14-Inch Full HD LED display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home 64-bit |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 Hours |
| Weight | 3.5 lbs |
DEAL ALERT: Lenovo IdeaPad S340 13″ with Intel Core i5-10210U, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD is available for $500+. However, it doesn’t have a webcam inbuilt, so if you are fine with using an external webcam, then this is the best-specced notebook you can buy for the price right now.
HP Pavilion x360 14″ (Best Convertible Laptop)
The HP Pavilion x360 is an excellent looking convertible laptop with all-metal chassis, 14-inch HD display, and powerful specs that can handle everyday multitasking and also light gaming.
This laptop is an ideal choice for everyone including students, households, business people, and more. Thanks to its fluid touchscreen response, this 2-in-1 laptop is also great to use as a tablet and play touch-based games. Moreover, its display comes with an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is ideal for photographers and photo editing enthusiasts as well.
Speaking about the specifications of the device, the laptop is powered by a 2.1 GHz Intel Core i3 dual-core processor paired with an 8GB of DDR4 RAM. Speaking about the graphics performance of the laptop, this laptop cannot run all the latest titles as it comes with integrated Intel graphics, but it will be good enough for playing old less demanding games. That said, the laptop can handle graphics-intensive software like Photoshop with ease and is certainly a very good performer overall.
| Hardware Specifications of HP Pavilion x360 14-inch Laptop | |
| Processor | Intel Core i3-10110U Dual Core 2.1 GHz Processor (Turbo up to 4.1 GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 128GB SSD |
| Graphics | Intel UHD integrated Graphics |
| Display | 14 Inch HD WLED-backlit Touchscreen display with 1366 x 768 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 Hours |
| Weight | 3.5 lbs |
ASUS Chromebook Flip (Best for College Students)
For the people who are looking for a convertible laptop under $500, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is one of the best ones you can get right now. It is a 14-inch convertible laptop with a Full HD touchscreen display which can be turned over to use this Chromebook as a tablet. The hinges of this laptop are durable and also smooth at the same time to easily convert and use this laptop in different modes.
Inside, this laptop packs an adequately powerful and energy-efficient Intel Core m3 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. This set of hardware specifications manages to handle all the essential productivity tasks such as checking emails, browsing the web, and writing papers smoothly and it can deliver up to 10-hours of battery backup. In case, if you’re worried about its less storage, the ASUS Chromebook Flip comes with an SD card slot that supports memory cards of up to 256GB memory! It is also equipped with fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 which ensures fast internet access all the time.
On an overall note, this convertible laptop is the best mixture of work and play, and indeed, it is currently our one of the most recommended convertible laptops in the $500 price segment.
| Hardware Specifications of ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 | |
| Processor | Intel Core M3-8100Y Processor (Turbo up to 3.4GHz) |
| RAM | 4GB LPDDR3 RAM |
| Storage | 64GB eMMC (Memory expandable via SD Card Slot up to 256GB) |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 615 |
| Display | 14-Inch Full HD NanoEdge Touchscreen Display (1920 x 1080 Resolution) |
| Operating System | Chrome OS |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 Hours |
| Weight | 3.3 lbs |
Dell Inspiron 3000 17 Inch Laptop
Dell has various laptops with compelling specifications in almost all the price segments. This 17.3-inch model falls under $500 category and offers very attractive specifications. Speaking about the exteriors and build quality, the laptop is made entirely of plastic but still feels sturdy and robust. This notebook sports a 17.3-inch display which is primarily an IPS panel so it offers good viewing angles and color reproduction. The notebook comes with a full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) which is unique for a large 17.3-inch screen size as most laptops in the segment come with 1600 x 900 resolution display.
The laptop is powered by the 10th generation Intel Core i3 processor coupled with 8GB of RAM. On the storage front, it sports 1TB of mechanical hard disk, and in terms of graphics, the device is provided with the integrated Intel UHD graphics. The laptop comes with rounded edges and is offered in a black color variant. All in all, this 17-inch laptop is one of the best laptops for light video editing or photo editing because of its beautiful large display and decently powerful hardware specifications.
| Hardware Specifications of Dell Inspiron 3000 High-Performance 17-Inch Budget Laptop | |
| Processor | Intel Core i3-1005G1 Dual-Core Processor (Turbo up to 3.4 GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 1TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Display | 17.3-Inch Full HD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home 64-bit OS |
| Battery Life | Up to 5 Hours |
| Weight | 6.1 lbs |
HP 17-by1053dx 17-Inch Laptop
Yet another 17.3-inch notebook makes its way to the list, but this one is slightly above $500, and so it has better and more powerful hardware. The laptop is housed in a beautifully crafted black-colored chassis, which gives it an appealing look and a decent grip to carry around—the laptop sports a huge 17.3-inch HD display with a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. Moreover, the display is enabled with HP’s BrightView technology for increased brightness and crisp visuals.
The laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor paired with 8GB of RAM. The laptop comes with high-performance 256GB of SSD for storage and packs in all the essential ports and connectivity options you expect in this price range. The laptop’s processor is clocked at 1.6 GHz, which can reach a Max Turbo Speed of 3.9 GHz, making it an efficient performer and a decent all-around machine.
The laptop is a perfect choice for people seeking a laptop, which can deliver bigger entertainment with reliable productivity.
| Hardware Specifications of HP 17-by1053dx – best 17-inch laptop under 500 dollars | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-8265U Quad-Core 1.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (Max Turbo up to 3.9 GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 SDRAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Graphics | Intel UHD 620 Graphics |
| Display | 17.3 Inch HD+ WLED backlit display with 1600 x 900 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home 64-bit OS |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 Hours |
| Weight | 5.5 lbs |
HP 15t (High-Performance Laptop With 10th Gen Intel Processor)
HP 15t is the best laptop for gaming under $500 because it has powerful integrated Intel UHD graphics of the latest 10th Gen Intel CPU which is capable enough to run even some of the new titles at low graphics settings. It doesn’t look like a gaming laptop but because of its powerful internals, it can surely be used to enjoy games. It’s built from scratch-resistant material that is strong enough to resist everyday wear and tears. Apart from the tough exterior, this laptop has got many other things to appreciate like a full-sized keyboard with Numpad and a smooth, spacious touchpad.
The laptop is big enough to use multiple apps side by side and work simultaneously. With that said, the laptop features a 15.6 inch full HD display which isn’t the best you can get at this price point but it’s serviceable considering its powerful specs. It runs Windows 10 out of the box which makes this laptop compatible with all the apps and software, and it also comes pre-loaded with some of the useful apps such as Skype and other utility software.
On the hardware front, the HP 15t bolsters the newest 10th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, which is a quad-core processor, and it outputs enough performance to handle everything with ease. The 12GB of RAM is plenty for mediocre users, but if you require more, then this laptop supports maximum RAM up to 16GB. Overall, the HP 15t offers powerful and newest hardware fitted inside the durable outfit which makes it our top choice for gaming in the $500 price segment.
| Hardware Specifications of HP 15t High-Performance Laptop | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1035G1 1.0 GHz Quad-Core Processor (Turbo up to 3.6GHz) |
| RAM | 12GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Display | 15.6 Inch Full HD Anti-Glare WLED-backlit display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 Hours |
| Weight | 3.8 lbs |
These are the best laptops under 500 dollars to help you buy the best all-purpose laptop in your budget. All the laptops here are in the bottom-neck with each other and are the best available options for the asking price. However, one might not blindly go with the list in the order of priority. The list here is a medium to check all your basic requirements and choose the laptop, which ticks most of the boxes right.
We hope this laptop buying guide help you in buying the best laptop under 500 dollars for yourself. Comment below, if you have any questions on the aforementioned laptops.
Visit back to get an updated yet more comprehensive listings on the laptops. Have a nice day ahead!