If you’re looking for an affordable Windows machine under $500 , a blazing fast gaming beast for those intense matches, or a portable 2-in-1 for school or work, you’ve got plenty of great choices right now. Want to see even more? Take a peek at PCWorld’s list of the top laptops you can get right now. Why you should trust us: It’s in our name! PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 80 laptops every year. We’re also committed to reviewing PC laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget. Best budget laptop deals under $500 Dell Our top pick: Dell Inspiron 15, $437.99 ($132 off at Best Buy) Need an affordable laptop for the basic stuff? the Dell Inspiron 15 is a good pick and I’ll tell you why. The Intel Core i5‑1334U handles day-to-day activities—browsing, streaming, a ton of tabs—without slowing down too much. 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD are also enough for most workloads, and the 15.6-inch 1080p touchscreen actually makes it feel a bit fancier. View Deal Amazon Acer Aspire Go 15 , AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, $299.99 ($30 off at Amazon) Acer Aspire 3 , AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/12GB RAM/256GB SSD, $369.99 ($60 off at Amazon) Best Buy Asus Vivobook 14 , Intel Core i3-1315U processor/14-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, $274.98 ($175.01 off at Best Buy) Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i , Intel Core i3-N305 processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/128GB UFS storage, $319.99 ($130 off at Best Buy) Dell Inspiron 15 , Intel Core i5-1334U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $437.99 ($132 off at Best Buy) Adorama Asus Vivobook 14 , Intel Core 5 120U processor/14-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $499.99 ($150 off at Adorama) Newegg Asus Vivobook 15 Laptop , AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $449.99 ($150 off at Newegg) Best mid-range laptop deals ($500-$900) HP Our top pick: HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 , $879.99 ($200 off at Best Buy) The HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 offers a solid set of features for a sub-$1,000 laptop. It comes with a nice 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen, an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. And, because it’s a 2-in-1, you can flip it around into tablet mode if that’s the vibe you’re going for. View Deal Amazon Acer Aspire 16 AI , Snapdragon X processor/16-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549.99 ($150 off at Amazon) Microsoft Surface Laptop (2025) , Snapdragon X Plus processor/13-inch 1920×1280 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $849.99 ($50 off at Amazon) Best Buy Samsung Galaxy Book4 , Intel Core 7 Series 1 150U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549.99 ($350 off at Best Buy) Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 , Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $793.95 ($256.04 off at Best Buy) HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 , Intel Core Ultra 7 processor/14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $879.99 ($200 off at Best Buy) Adorama Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 , Intel Core i3-N305 processor/14-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $514.99 ($35 off at Adorama) HP OmniBook 3, AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $549.99 ($350 off at Adorama) HP OmniBook X , Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $775 ($574 off at Adorama) HP OmniBook 7 Flip , Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $799.99 ($210 off at Adorama) Newegg Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 , AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549.99 ($200 off at Newegg) HP OmniBook 7 , Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $669.99 ($530 off at Newegg) Acer Aspire Go , AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $699.99 ($200 off at Newegg) Best gaming laptop deals HP Our top pick: HP Omen 16, $1,199.99 ($550 off at Best Buy) Want a gaming laptop that’s not crazy expensive but still beastly? The HP Omen 16 is the one to spring for. It’s got a Ryzen 9 processor and RTX 5060 graphics tucked inside, so it should be smooth sailing as far as games are concerned. The 16-inch 1920×1200 144Hz screen also looks awesome, and 32GB of RAM plus a 1TB SSD keeps everything running fast with some extra headroom for all your stuff. View Deal Amazon Acer Nitro V , Intel Core i5-13420H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $649.99 ($100 off at Amazon) Acer Nitro V 16S AI , AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 ($100 off at Amazon) Lenovo Legion 5i , Intel Core i7-14700HX processor/RTX 5070 graphics/15.1-inch 2560×1600 OLED display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,558.22 ($111.77 off at Amazon) Best Buy Lenovo LOQ , AMD Ryzen 5 220 processor/RTX 5050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $899.99 ($120 off at Best Buy) Lenovo LOQ , Intel Core i5-13450HX processor/RTX 5050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,029 ($145.99 off at Best Buy) HP Omen 16 , AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 ($550 off at Best Buy) Adorama HP Victus , Intel Core i5-13420H processor/RTX 2050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $899.99 ($228.76 off at Adorama) HP Omen , Intel Core i7-14650HX processor/RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,149.99 ($350 off at Adorama) Newegg MSI Stealth 14 AI , Intel Core Ultra7-155H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,069 ($730 off at Newegg) Dell Alienware 16 Aurora , Intel Core 7 240H processor/RTX 5050 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,079.99 ($170 off at Newegg) Lenovo Legion 5i , Intel Core i7-14700HX processor/RTX 5060 graphics/15.1-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,299.99 ($100 off at Newegg) Acer Predator Helios Neo , Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX processor/RTX 5070 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 ($350 off at Newegg) Best premium laptop deals ($950+) HP Our top pick: HP OmniBook Ultra Flip $1,029.99 ($600 off at Best Buy) Looking for a high-end 2-in-1 for a good price? The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip’s got it all. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor keeps things nice and zippy, while the 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen is a lovely treat for the eyes. With 16GB of RAM, multitasking is easy, and the 1TB SSD gives you plenty of space for all of your precious files. View Deal Amazon Dell Pro 16 , Intel Core Ultra 7 265U processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $993.95 ($406.04 off at Amazon) Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 , Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor/16-inch 2880×1800 AMOLED display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,490.09 ($209.09 off at Amazon) Microsoft Surface Laptop , Snapdragon X Elite processor/13.8-inch 2304×1536 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,658.68 ($341.31 off at Amazon) Best Buy HP OmniBook Ultra Flip , Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor/14-inch 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,029.99 ($600 off at Best Buy) Asus Zenbook 14 , Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 2 285H processor/14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,248 ($51.99 off at Best Buy) Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i , Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor/14-inch 3840×2400 OLED touchscreen display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 ($500 off at Best Buy) Adorama Lenovo Slim 7 , Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor/14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,049.99 ($250 off at Adorama) LG Gram 14 , Intel Core i5-1350P processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $1,149.99 ($199.01 off at Adorama) Asus Vivobook V16 , Intel Core 7-240H processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 ($199.01 off at Adorama) Newegg MSI Venture 16 AI , Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $999.99 ($200 off at Newegg) HP OmniBook X , Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,099.99 ($600 off at Newegg) MSI Prestige 14 AI+ , Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,149.99 ($150 off at Newegg) FAQ 1. How much RAM will I need in my laptop? You’ll want at least 8GB, though 16GB is preferable, especially if you play games. Don’t buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook or a budget Windows machine, this configuration is acceptable. Check out our article on how much RAM does a laptop need for more in-depth info. 2. What’s the difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop? The one big difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop is the operating system. Chromebooks run ChromeOS and Windows run, well, Microsoft Windows. Chromebooks make good everyday machines because they’re designed for browsing the web, checking e-mail, and so on. They use less resources and are generally more affordable than the Windows variety. They also don’t need antivirus protection. A Windows laptop is a lot more versatile in what it can do, and not just in terms of running local programs. You can really pump a Windows laptop up with a ton of RAM, storage, and so on. 3. When should I look for a laptop deal? You’ll likely find the best laptop deals during Prime Day (mid-July), Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), and back-to-school season (June-August). Sure, you’ll find good laptop deals throughout the year, but if you really want to save big, we’d recommend scoping out your favorite online retailers during those times. 4. Which retailers offer the best deals? You can find all kinds of deals across a wide range of online retailers such as Newegg , Walmart , Best Buy , Amazon , and so on. However, we’d recommend checking out deals from laptop manufacturers like Lenovo , HP , and Dell . You’ll usually find many different configurations on sale and the discounts can be pretty darn steep. For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.