Hi, I’m looking for the best possible laptop under $300. I don’t really want HP, as I’ve had really bad experience with HP. Windows 7/8/8.1 (as long as I can upgrade to 10).
Screen size: 14"-16" Screen resolution: I don’t care
Preferably an SSD of 128 GB or more or a SSHD hybrid. RAM 4 GB minimum. It will be used primarily for portable PC tasks, web surfing, email, watching movies, light gaming, older games/emulation and a Steam streaming PC. Preferably AT LEAST 2 USB ports, 3 is optimal. Also I need HDMI out. Optical drive isn’t a must. Decent battery life (5 hours+) would be great as well. I don’t need a backlit keyboard. I don’t need a touchscreen. Thanks!
Refurbished thinkpad. I recon you can get a T430 or a T440 for 300 bucks. Make sure to get one with the 9-cell battery.
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You want one heck of a lot for $300 !
A high end laptop from around 5 years ago? Something with at least a sandybridge i5 CPU. The thing is laptops that old can run into issues. You are getting towards the end of battery life, other hardware problems are not too far into it’s future. Thinkpads are just about the only units that come to mind that are robust enough to still be useful plus modular enough to be able to repair without having to unglue seams and joints.
Not much choice in that price range new, if you want an atom/celeron, then maybe a lenovo v110 or an acer extensa might fit that price range.
It’s probably better to get some second hand ivy bridge laptop with an hdd and 4-8gb of ram, and then throw in your own SSD and ram.
I sometimes see ThinkPad Carbon X1’s for about $300, which in my opinion is pretty much the bees knees.
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For that price an off-lease/refurbished one is the best value.
Buy one that runs its POST successfully ($100-150) then buy whatever it is missing including a new battery/SSD ($~100).
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aha, thanks for your suggestions.
what do you think of Acer Aspire E15, which I have seen on this website https://pc4u.org/best-cheap-laptop-under-300-dollars-for-gaming-and-office, maybe it’s a good chioce.
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Most laptops under 300 suck. If it were under 500 you would be doing much better.
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Yeah dude stay the hell away from HP Pavilion please, those things run hotter than an oven and built like a toy, have a 60 Minute battery life (if that) and are LOUD. Terrible.
It is so bad that it makes me a bit scared of the Envy x360 I ordered, if I find that the HP Envy x360 with the R5 2500U is running extremely hot, built poorly, loud (and I mean LOUD) and terrible battery life, then I am shoving that laptop back in HP’s throats and taking my money back.
If I had to suggest, either an Acer Aspire E15/Thinkpad Carbon X1 if they can be found cheap ($350 or less) or you can look into refurbished/used laptops. Seems like the specs you want though that it is a bit tall of an order for $300 laptop although refurbished/used might have something.
A thinkpad.
Dell Latitude E7440. I love mine, and they are cheap now.
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This guy right here gets it.
http://boards.4chan.org/g/thread/63682693
All you need.
Thinkpad 4 lief
I recommend the T520 or X220 with an HDMI > Displayport adapter
Particularly this:
Recommended modern models:
X220 - 12", 768p, cheap and light
T420 - 14", 900p, widely available, socketed CPU, Ivy Bridge installable w/ Coreboot
W520 - 15", 1080p, Desktop Replacement, 32GB RAM on quadcore models, USB 3.0
T440p, T540p, W540 - last ThinkPads to have replaceable CPUs, IPS displays available, chiclet
P series - reminiscent to old build quality, top-of-the-line specs, better than most current mobile workstations, but very expensive
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No wonder why everyone falls in love with Thinkpads.
Thinkpads or Dell Latitudes. Sandy Bridge dual-core or better. You can get X220s for $100-200, no problem.
Last year I nailed this deal at amazon
in 12 months it has handled every game thrown at it.
Later I spotted a A9 for around $270 but hesitated, so I eneded up getting an A10 for under 300 from ASUS because A-9 deal disappeared so quickly.
Buying a good 300 dollar laptop is more about waiting for a good deal and acting quickly then picking the hardware.
Allot depends on what is “light gaming” for my wife it means “famville” so the A9(bristol ridge) would have been perfect but she loves the A10(kavari) and will never fully use the full gaming capabilities.
For my dau “light gaming” means "eve online, blade and soul and pubg"
Actually tests games on APU’s.
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Comparing an Acer to a ThinkPad is laughable.
I didn’t even click the link. Yeah, I’m that cocksure.
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Zumps nailed it a 2nd hand or ex company laptop if the best thing to hunt for.
Only thing is he’ll need a mini-DP to HDMI adaptor. Luckily any cheap one will do, like this one.
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