Laptops under £500
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Windows Laptops below 500 Pounds
The hardware of a laptop for less than 500 pounds is difficult to summarize, as many models in this price range are still being offered by shops years after their initial release. You should therefore prioritise a newer processor, as Intel and AMD have developed significantly in this area. With Intel, instead of an Intel Pentium or Intel Celeron, you want to at least choose an Intel Core i3 or Intel Core i5 processor for more performance. In addition to the new APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit), AMD has also introduced more powerful chips from the Ryzen series in this price range.
Popular Windows Laptop below 500 Pounds
Instead of a dedicated graphics card (GPU), the corresponding graphics chip is often already integrated in the processor. However, even this is now sufficient for a minimum of casual or browser games. A SSD (Solid State Disk) in a small memory version, which has enough space for private files and the most necessary programmes, is now standard. You should also make sure you have eight gigabytes of RAM so that your laptop doesn't slow down quickly if you have too many browser tabs open at the same time. Luckily, less than eight gigabyte of RAM have become somewhat of an excemption by now.
Incidentally, the size of your new laptop is not limited by your budget: even 17-inch laptops are available in this price segment. Instead, you should think about what purpose it should fulfil: Are you looking for an inexpensive second device for long train journeys or boring waiting rooms? Then the advantages of a 13-inch laptop may be the most important for you (smaller, lighter, longer battery life). Or do you value a large screen because you want to watch films on it, especially in bed? Then you should make sure the screen has a high resolution (Full HD). With 15-inch laptops you will find the largest selection on the market, often with extensive connections (USB, HDMI, etc.).
Laptops without an Operating System
While Windows has established itself as the standard with a significantly larger market share than Apple macOS, the costs that manufacturers have to pay to Microsoft for every laptop sold are easily reflected in the price. If you are looking for a particularly cheap laptop and want to spend 500 pounds or less, you will quickly come across devices without an operating system that cost less than their counterparts with Windows. Under keywords such as Ubuntu, Debian, Elementary OS or Linux, you will find numerous free alternatives that sometimes are a little more complex, but have other advantages such as more data protection or tools for developers. Or you may even get a free Windows licence from your employer, university or school – in which case you don't necessarily have to buy a lapotop with a pre-installed operating system.
Popular Laptop without Operating System below 500 Pounds
Chromebooks under 500 Pounds
Apart from Windows and macOS, Google now also has a say in the laptop business. Chrome OS and the Chromebooks do not require a lot of hardware resources and therefore start at unbeatable prices. Nevertheless, the affordable Chromebooks fulfil their purpose perfectly as Internet surfing machines with long battery life and fast SSD storage. Thanks to office suites in the cloud, even collaborative editing of documents or presentations is no problem, making them particularly popular in the educational sector. Although there are hardly any limits to the Chromebook with the vastness of the Internet, the possibilities are still somewhat limited compared to a laptop with Windows – which also makes it the perfect and inexpensive introduction for particularly young laptop users under the watchful eye of a parent or guardian. Unlike the competition, Acer and HP are represented with a good selection of devices.
Popular Chromebook under 500 Pounds
