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, $377.99 ($252 off at Best Buy)
If you just need a laptop that works and don’t want to spend a ton, the Dell Inspiron 15 is a good pick. The Intel Core i5‑1334U handles everyday stuff—browsing, streaming, a ton of tabs—without slowing down too much. 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD are enough for most workloads, and the 15.6-inch 1080p touchscreen actually makes it feel a bit fancier than it is.
Amazon
- Asus Vivobook Go, AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, $290 ($39.99 off at Amazon)
Best Buy
- Asus Vivobook 14, Intel Core i3-1315U processor/14-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, $259.99 ($190 off at Best Buy)
- Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i, Intel Core i3-N305 processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/128GB UFS storage, $299.99 ($150 off at Best Buy)
- Dell Inspiron 15, Intel Core i5-1334U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $377.99 ($252 off at Best Buy)
- Lenovo IdeaPad 1, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $449.99 ($130 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
- HP OmniBook 5, Snapdragon X processor/16-inch 1920×1200 OLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $479.99 ($470 off at Newegg)
- Asus Vivobook, Intel Core i5-1334U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $489.99 ($210 off at Newegg)
Best mid-range laptop deals ($500-$900)
HP
Our top pick: HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1, $870 ($209.99 off at Best Buy)
If you want a laptop that actually feels nicer than what you’re paying for, the HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 at Best Buy is a pretty easy choice. It’s going for $798 right now (that’s $251.99 off), and for that price you’re getting some decent hardware: a big 16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen, an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. And, since it’s a 2-in-1, you can flip it around into tablet mode if that’s how you feel like using it.
Amazon
- Acer Aspire 16 AI, Snapdragon X processor/16-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $575 ($124.99 off at Amazon)
- Microsoft Surface Laptop (2025), Snapdragon X Plus processor/13-inch 1920×1280 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $829 ($70.99 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, $761.09 ($288.90 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, $870 ($209.99 off at Best Buy)
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, $799 ($550 off at Adorama)
- HP OmniBook 7 Flip, Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $849.99 ($160 off at Adorama)
Newegg
- Acer Aspire Go 15, Intel Core i7-13620H processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $599.99 ($220 off at Newegg)
- Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $599.99 ($150 off at Newegg)
- Lenovo ThinkPad E14, AMD Ryzen 5 7535U processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $669 ($120 off at Newegg)
Best gaming laptop deals
HP
Our top pick: HP Omen 16, $1,489 ($90.99 off at Best Buy)
Want a gaming laptop that’s not crazy expensive but still beastly? The HP Omen 16’s got you. It’s got a Ryzen 9 processor and RTX 5060 graphics tucked inside, which means smooth gaming. The 16-inch 1920×1200 144Hz screen also looks awesome, and 32GB of RAM paired plus a 1TB SSD keeps everything running fast with room for all your stuff.
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)
- Asus TUF Gaming F16 (2025), Intel Core i5-13450HX processor/RTX 5050 graphics/16-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,117.99 ($182 off at Amazon)
- Acer Nitro V 16S, AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 ($100 off at Amazon)
Best Buy
- HP Victus, AMD Ryzen 7 7445H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $849.99 ($160 off at Best Buy)
- Lenovo LOQ, Intel Core i5-13450HX processor/RTX 5050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $989 ($110.99 off at Best Buy)
- HP Omen 16, AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,489 ($90.99 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 Cyborg, Intel Core i7-13620H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $929 ($70 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+)
Asus
Our top pick: Asus Vivobook S 16, $1,199.99 ($400 off at Newegg)
Need a laptop that can handle just about anything? The Asus Vivobook S 16 is solid. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor keeps things snappy, the 16-inch 2880×1800 OLED screen looks great, and 32GB RAM means you can run a bunch of stuff at once. The 1TB SSD also gives you lots of space for all your personal files.
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)
- Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024), Snapdragon X Elite 12-core processor/13.8-inch 2304×1536 display/16 GB RAM/1 TB SSD, $1,125.56 ($474.43 off at Amazon)
- Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor/16-inch 2880×1800 AMOLED display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,827.99 ($172 off at Amazon)
Best Buy
- Asus Zenbook 14, Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 2 285H processor/14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,249.99 ($50 off at Best Buy)
- Asus Zenbook S 14, Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 258V processor/14-inch 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,519.99 ($80 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, $1,079.99 ($269.01 off at Adorama)
- LG Gram 17, Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor/17-inch 2560×1600 touchscreen display/32GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,896.99 ($400 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)
- Microsoft Surface Pro, Snapdragon X Plus processor/13-inch 2880×1920 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,099 ($100.99 off at Newegg)
- Asus Vivobook S 16, Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor/16-inch 2880×1800 OLED display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 ($400 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.
