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Acer Predator 15 review: A gaming laptop that keeps its cool

Acer Predator 15 review: A gaming laptop that keeps its cool

"Why do all these gaming laptops look like sneakers?" That was the question my wife -- herself no stranger to gaming -- asked when I lifted the lid on the latest version of Acer's 15-inch Predator laptop. It may seem like an odd question for ask about a computer, but I immediately understood the point. Where most mainstream laptops go for understated minimalism, and indeed try their best to fade into the background, gaming laptops (and desktops) are invariably covered with accented bling.

There can be menacing red lights, textured interior surfaces that look like the bed of a pickup truck, plastic vents with shark-like fins. It's all part of a visual language that attempts to communicate the power and capability of the interior components, which are invisible to the naked eye. Even the Razer Blade line of laptops, arguably the least gaudy of gaming systems, have that company's neon green logo of conjoined snakes on the back, and a pulsing multicolor lightshow under the keyboard.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Yes, the Acer Predator 15 follows many of those gaming laptop tropes, but I actually liked some parts of its design. At the very least, it's gaudy in its own way, and doesn't directly copy the look of other gaming laptops too closely. I especially liked red keyshafts on the arrow keys and WASD keys (especially important keys for PC gaming). There's also a pleasingly consistent design sense from the red speakers on the front edge through to the red border around the giant air vent in on the rear edge.

Dorm-friendly design aside, the most notable thing about the Predator 15 is that this is a rare opportunity to get a high-end Nvidia 980M gaming graphics card in a smaller 15-inch laptop. Typically, we see the 970M and 980M cards in larger 17-inch laptops, while smaller 15-inch gaming laptops usually get stuck with the mainstream-level Nvidia 960M graphics card, which is no slouch, but isn't what serious game-players are looking for.

However, keep in mind that this laptop is on the larger side of the 15-inch spectrum. You can place it next to a 17-inch gaming laptop and the size difference is not going to be as dramatic as, for example, a slim 15-inch HP Omen versus a typical 17-inch gaming laptop. That Omen was 4.7 pounds (2.13kg), versus 8.0 pounds (3.6kg) for the Predator.

Sarah Tew/CNET

This configuration is the high-end of the 15-inch Predator line, with an Intel Core i7-6700HQ CPU, 32GB of RAM, a big 512GB SSD coupled with a 1TB HDD and the Nvidia 980M GPU, for a total of $2,499 in the US. Cutting the SSD to 256GB and the RAM to 16GB gets you down to a more reasonable $1,999, while keeping the high-end CPU/GPU combo. About the least you can spend on a mainstream gaming laptop with an Nvida 980M card today is about $1,700, which can snag a slightly older 17-inch Asus G751.

Different configurations are available in the UK and Australia, topping out in the UK at £1,499 for the same CPU/GPU combo, but with only 16GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, while configurations in Australia start at $AU2,999.

Acer Predator 15

Price as reviewed	$2,499
Display size/resolution	15.6- inch, 1,920 x 1,080 screen
PC CPU	2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ
PC memory	32GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,133MHz
Graphics	4GB Nvidia GTX 980M
Storage	512GB SSD + 1TB 7,200rpm HDD
Networking	802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

Packing an Nvidia 980M card into a smaller 15-inch body has the potential for causing heat issues, and Acer does a number of things to make sure the system can take full advantage of its components without overheating. First, the included optical drive can be swapped out for a fan module -- I ended up leaving the fan in, as I can't recall the last time I used a laptop optical drive. Acer also includes a feature it calls DustDefender, which alternates airflow direction on the internal fans to keep dust from building up. Some built-in Acer software can monitor CPU and system temperature, and also manually crank the fans up to maximum speed, which can get loud.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Acer Predator was a strong performer in both our application performance tests and gaming tests, as expected from this powerful combination of components. Among recent gaming laptops, it did especially well in games and 3D tests, in some cases behind only the Origin PC Eon17-SLX, which is an odd outlier of a system with desktop-level components inside.

Frankly, any of the systems we've seen with the current-gen Nvidia 970M or 980M mobile GPUs are more than powerful enough for newer games, from Fallout 4 to The Division, and not just at 1,920x1,080 resolution, but even up to 4K. One thing none of these laptops -- except for that desktop-like Eon17-SLX -- will do is work with the upcoming Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR headsets, because mobile GPUs are not supported.

Battery life for the Predator 15 was surprisingly good for a gaming laptop, although there's plenty of room for large battery in that bulky chassis. It ran for 5:50 on our streaming video test, which is more than double the battery life of most other serious gaming laptops.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Conclusion

As gaming laptops typically share the same components and offer similar performance, picking one largely depends on your preference for screen size, design, and extra features, such as an optical drive, overclocking software or a fancy light-up keyboard.

There are a couple of reasons why the excellent Acer Predator 15 stands out from the crowd. It has excellent battery life; plenty of cooling options; and a design that, while still aggressively dorky, packs our favorite mobile GPU into a slightly smaller, more portable body than usual.

Multimedia Multitasking test 3.0

Origin Eon17-SLX 151 Asus G752VT 182 MSI GS60 6QE 185 Acer Predator 15 192 Asus G751J (G-Sync) 202 Dell Inspiron 15-7559 290

Note: Shorter bars indicate better performance (in seconds)

Geekbench 3 (Multi-Core)

Origin Eon17-SLX 18083 Asus G752VT 13468 Acer Predator 15 12999 MSI GS60 6QE 12754

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Streaming video playback battery drain test

Dell Inspiron 15-7559 373 Acer Predator 15 350 Asus G751J (G-Sync) 164 MSI GS60 6QE 156 Origin Eon17-SLX 149 Asus G752VT 145

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance (in minutes)

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

Origin Eon17-SLX 3374 Acer Predator 15 2271 Asus G752VT 1729 MSI GS60 6QE 1138

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Metro: Last Light gaming test

Origin Eon17-SLX 67 Acer Predator 15 46 Asus G751J (G-Sync) 30 Asus G752VT 29 MSI GS60 6QE 26 Dell Inspiron 15-7559 21

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

System Configurations

Acer Predator 15	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ; 32GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133MHz; 4GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 980M; 512GB SSD + 1TB 7200rpm HDD
Asus G752VT	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133MHz; 3GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 970M; 128GB SSD + 1TB 7200rpm HDD
MSI GS60 6QE	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133MHz; 3GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 970M; 128GB SSD + 1TB 7200rpm HDD
Dell Inspiron 15-7559	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6300HQ; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz; 4GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 960M; 1TB 5400rpm HDD
Asus G751J (G-Sync)	Micorosoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit); 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-4710HQ; 24GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz; 4GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 980M; 256GB SSD + 1TB 7200rpm HDD
Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240IC	Micorsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-6700T; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133MHz; 2GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 960M; 512GB SSD + 1TB 5400rpm HDD
Origin Eon17-SLX	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 4.5GHz Intel Core i7-6700K; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133MHz; 8GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 980; 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

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Acer Nitro 5 laptop for $680: Game on the go for 15 percent off

Acer Nitro 5 laptop for $680: Game on the go for 15 percent off

At this year's CES, Acer unveiled some "hearty updates" to the Nitro 5 laptop.

Today, I bring you a hearty discount: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop for $679.99 shipped (plus tax). Regular price: $800.

(For what it's worth, Ebates offers a 1-percent rebate on Best Buy purchases -- not a fortune, but last I checked, $6.79 was still $6.79.)

I can't say this is the sexiest laptop I've ever seen (the red keyboard backlight helps), but it definitely has the horsepower you need for high-end gaming. That starts with an 8th-gen Intel Core i5-8300H mobile processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive. Of particular importance, the Nitro 5 has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics processor with 4GB of dedicated video memory. (Note that there's also an AMD Radeon version of the Nitro 5.)

That's enough for both gaming and VR, should you decide to run an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. (Alas, it's just shy of the requirements for the Vive Pro.)

The Nitro 5 offers a 15.6-inch screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution. It doesn't have an optical drive, but does include a full-size HDMI port and four USB ports: one USB-C, one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0.

CNET's review of the Nitro 5 is in progress and due by the end of the week. Until then, note that it scored a 4.5-star average rating from around 60 Best Buy buyers. The key takeaway: It's a killer deal for budget-minded gamers. And that was based on the $800 price tag; at $680, it's even more killer!

Ace Teah

Bonus deal: Pools, beaches, kayaks, canoes -- all fun, all potential hazards for your phone. That's why it's a no-brainer to pack waterproof pouches for all your summertime activities.

Like these: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Ace Teah's waterproof phone pouch 2-pack is $6.99 with promo code M2VR2U4Q. You get one blue and one green.

Two things I like about these: The lanyard that lets you wear them around your neck (or tie them to, say, your kayak) and the clear plastic that lets you interact with the phone -- and even take pictures -- while it's in the pouch.

Just take note that if you have a particularly large phone (like a "Plus"-size iPhone) and it's in a bulky case, it may not fit inside the pouch. Read the full product description for compatibility details.

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CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!

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Acer Predator Triton 300 SE review: A special edition that feels ordinary

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE review: A special edition that feels ordinary

Intel heralded the arrival of the "ultraportable gaming laptop" at CES 2021, rolling out a trio of low-power 11th-gen H series processors intended for systems prioritizing portability and battery life above raw performance, promising workday-long battery life and thin, businesslike designs. 

The $1,400 Acer Predator Triton 300 SE uses the Intel Core i7-11375H, a "special edition" -- "SE," get it? -- of its 35-watt i7-11370H sibling. It supports Intel Turbo Boost 3.0, which potentially allows the CPU to attain a peak single-core frequency of 5GHz compared to 4.8GHz for the not-so-special part. That's all great on paper, but ultimately, while it's a solid Triton gaming laptop with nicer looks than the rest of its family, you don't gain any noticeable advantages from the special CPU.

While it definitely has a sleeker, more businesslike design than the more powerful models, it's not nearly as bizzy as, say, the 13-inch Asus ROG Flow X13 two-in-one or Razer Blade Stealth 13. It's not nearly as "ultraportable" either -- while the performance of the smaller models lags the Triton, they will more than likely also get upgraded to 11th-gen CPUs and the new GeForce RTX 3050 that was just announced, so it's just a matter of time. 

Like

• Relatively light
• Can open 180 degrees
• Some nice design touches

Don't Like

• Doesn't use Nvidia Advanced Optimus
• Single-channel memory
• Can't change performance modes unless there's at least 40% battery and it's plugged in

The Predator Triton line sits in the enthusiast middle of Acer's gaming laptops, between the entry-level Nitro series and the more aggressively game-focused Helios models. So it makes sense that the Triton line would be Acer's choice for the quad-core, low-power CPU.

Acer's offering only a single model of the $1,400 Triton 300 SE (approximately £1,290 or AU$2,340 if you convert from euros). It comes with 16GB RAM (upgradeable to 24GB), a GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q graphics processor, a 512GB SSD and a 144Hz 14-inch 1080p display with a 100% Adobe RGB color gamut. It includes many of the 11th-gen perks, including a USB-C and Thunderbolt 4 connector and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. There's also a full-size HDMI 2.1 connection. But it's missing some features as well, such as Wi-Fi 6E. 

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Price as reviewed	$1,400, £1,290 (approx.)
Display size/resolution	14-inch 1,920x1,080 pixels, 144Hz 100% Adobe RGB
PC CPU	Intel Core i7-11375H
PC Memory	16GB 3,200MHz DDR4
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q, Intel Iris Xe (96 execution units)
Storage	512GB SSD
Ports	1x USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, audio combo jack
Networking	Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1
Operating system	Microsoft Windows Home (2H20)
Weight	3.8lbs (1.7kg)

The configuration is pretty much the only one it could offer. Strip it down more and it makes less sense, bump it up and it probably wouldn't fit into the power or thermal requirements of the design. To me, the SE model seems like a trial balloon to see if there's a market for a laptop built around the i7-11375H and other low-core-count 35w CPUs.

The newest non-SE Triton 300 models slated to ship in July don't have the SE's pretty silver finish. They have the same 15-inch black chassis as the models from earlier this year, with much better gaming specs that include up to the new eight-core 11th-gen i7 CPUs, GeForce RTX 3070 and 32GB RAM, with 360Hz 1080p or 165Hz QHD displays. Those start at $1,699. There's also a new 17-inch model coming in July.

Thin, yes, but not ultrathin.

Lori Grunin/CNET

Though it doesn't look much like a Razer at first glance, the Triton 300 SE has the same thick, uniform, slab-like shape of one, albeit with far more detailing, such as extensive vents and surface colors and textures. Those include a brushed silver lid and accents that switch between blue and red depending upon the viewing angle and lighting. 

I like the way the bottom screen bezel turns the reflection of the keyboard backlight into an abstract rainbow. The screen can tilt back flat; even if you never plan to use it at such an oblique angle, it still means it can tilt back far enough to accommodate most situations, such as (ahem) lying in bed with the laptop perched against your bent knees.

The Triton has a decent set of connections for a 14-inch laptop: a full-size HDMI, two USB-A, one USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 and a combo audio jack.

Lori Grunin/CNET

The keyboard is decent for both typing and gaming, with good travel and a mechanical-sounding click. There are dedicated Turbo and PredatorSense buttons, with media keys down the right side, and a touchpad disable function key for gaming. It lacks per-key RGB lighting, but has three zones to configure and the backlight shines brightly through the keycaps.

Nothing about the 720p webcam stands out -- it's the usual ho-hum camera you find on so many midrange laptops -- and it lacks an IR camera for use with Windows Hello login. There is a fingerprint reader on the smallish touchpad, though.

It's hard to capture the laptop's attractive shade of warm silver and textured finish. One of the notable touches is the highlight color on the hinge, which switches between blue and red depending upon the angle.

Lori Grunin/CNET

Does the low-power CPU matter?

The laptop has four performance modes: quiet, default, extreme and turbo. Turbo cranks it up to the most power, overclocking both the CPU and GPU and spinning the fans up to a jet engine. But it doesn't seem to push performance significantly beyond the standard mode, which automatically adjusts (within a cap) clock frequencies and power consumption. 

Generally, the laptop's performance is solid. Given the positioning of the CPU, you'd expect it to be all about battery life, but at 7 to 8 hours on default balanced settings, it's hardly outstanding. You can extend it to 9 or 10 hours by dialing back the settings to maximize battery life, and it can certainly handle a full workday, but that's not atypical for mainstream gaming laptops anymore. 

The CPU has only four cores compared with eight in the 11th-gen H series i7 and even the six-core i5 -- Intel had to drop some cores to fit the chip into a smaller space. There's always some tradeoff for laptop shrinkage. The Turbo Boost-enabled 5GHz single-core speed isn't much of a selling point either. I couldn't get a single core to hit more than 4.3GHz. I think the system's performance is hampered by limitations like the single-channel memory. It's just not worth sacrificing the cores from a six-core, 35-watt part like a Core i5.

It's decent for unplugged gaming, another selling point, provided it's not something that needs to push the system to the max for good frame rates. For instance, Hades repeatedly slaughtered me at more than 100 frames per second (and frequently more than 140fps) both on and off battery, and without draining it too quickly. You'll generally be able to get better than 60fps in 1080p on GPU-intensive games out of the RTX 3060.

The Triton's hinge allows it to open 180 degrees, a rarity among gaming laptops.

Lori Grunin/CNET

Unfortunately, the system doesn't use Nvidia's Advanced Optimus, which lets you force a switch between the discrete GPU and integrated CPU for the display. You can use Windows' graphics settings to assign specific applications to use the discrete GPU, but there's no wholesale way to force it.

Another drawback is you can't change modes while on battery or if the battery level is less than 40%. Not being able to drop down to quiet after sitting down in a meeting, for example, is especially annoying, though you can go into the custom settings and set the fans to slower speeds. And it might be a bug, but the laptop ignored Windows' setting for "do nothing" on closing the lid, which may be an issue for some people.

I have no serious complaints about the Predator Triton 300 SE. It's a good, well-designed intermediate-size laptop for the money to balance your working and gaming lives. But much of what Acer did here could be applied to the standard Triton 300 models; despite the new CPU, the SE just isn't as special as it seems.

Geekbench 5 (multicore)

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Cinebench R20 CPU (multicore)

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Cinebench R20 CPU (single core)

Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Streaming video playback battery drain test (minutes)

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Far Cry 5 (1080p)

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Note:

NOTE: Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

Shadow of the Tomb Raider gaming test (1080p)

Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

3DMark Time Spy

Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile

Note:

NOTE: Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Port Royal (RTX)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Configurations

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (2H20); 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-11375H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q; 512GB SSD
Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (2004); 3.3GHz AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS; 6GB DDR4 SDRAM 4,266MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 (16GB GeForce RTX 3080 mobile in XG Mobile)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA401IV)	Microsoft WIndows 10 Home (1909); 3.0GHz AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz, 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design, 1TB SSD
Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (1909); 1.6GHz AMD Ryzen 7 4800H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 6GB AMD Radeon RX 5600M; 512GB SSD
Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (2009); 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-10875H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Max-Q; 1TB SSD

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Best Budget Laptop Under $500 for 2022

Best Budget Laptop Under $500 for 2022

Shopping for a new laptop can be a little intimidating with the vast range of models out there. You can't tell the difference between an expensive and an affordable laptop by looks alone, and their performance and functionality can vary greatly. However, such a huge market also means that you can find plenty of high-quality laptops at an affordable price, with plenty of great models starting at less than $500. In fact, it might even be worth it to grab one for yourself as an extra device for work or for games.

If you're searching for a laptop under $500, here are the best budget laptops you can buy right now. If you're not sure what to look for in a good budget laptop -- other than price -- jump to our buying advice right below our recommendations. This advice is based on our years of testing and review experience to figure out what to expect from a laptop priced under $500. It will also let you know what to look for if you want to continue your budget laptop hunt on your own. 

Use these picks to sort through the competition. Because there are a lot of cheap laptops that aren't worth it, try not to make rash decisions when buying. 

Josh Goldman/CNET

Gateway was best known for low-cost desktops and laptops back in the '90s. In 2020, the brand was revived for a new lineup of laptops and tablets sold exclusively through Walmart. Those models were recently updated with 11th-gen Intel processors and we tested both 15.6- and 14.1-inch models. The latter gets our vote as an inexpensive option for getting school work done while still being light enough to carry around campus for the day. 

The attention-grabber is the Intel Core i5 processor that provides reliable performance, despite being paired with cheaper components. The keyboard is comfortable, but not backlit, and the touchpad isn't the most precise. Also, the built-in fingerprint reader is hit-or-miss. Still, it has lots of ports so connecting a mouse or an external display isn't an issue and the full-HD display is decent too, all things considered. Plus, the battery lasted a couple minutes shy of 10 hours on our streaming video test.

Sarah Tew/CNET

This Lenovo Chromebook IdeaPad Duet is essentially a Chrome version of the first Microsoft Surface Go. Like the Go, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a 10-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard and touchpad-- making it a compact touch screen laptop. Unlike Microsoft, though, Lenovo includes the keyboard. The Lenovo Duet is essentially a smaller, albeit less powerful, Pixel Slate that makes more sense for more people with a cheap laptop price that's more in line with what people expect a Chromebook to cost.

The Chromebook Duet screen is small, however, so if you're regularly using it at a desk, we recommend attaching an external monitor to its USB-C port. You'll probably want to connect a wireless keyboard and mouse, too. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Acer Aspire 5 15-inch clamshell continues to be one of the best laptop deals available. This sub-4-pound Windows laptop includes an AMD Ryzen 3 3350U processor, 4GB of memory and a speedy 128GB SSD. This budget laptop also features a USB 3.2 Gen 1 USB-C port, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, Ethernet and an HDMI port. 

The Acer Aspire even has a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader for quick sign-ins -- rarities at this price. The 4GB RAM and 128GB solid-state drive storage don't allow you to have many programs or lots of browser tabs open simultaneously but you can add more of both down the road. 

Asus

Amazon currently offers an older Core i3 8GB model for under $450, a reasonable price for a Windows laptop with an Intel Core processor. You'll also see listings with 4GB RAM, but that's way too little memory for Windows, which barely gets by on 8GB. Don't confuse it with the thinner, lighter, more expensive Asus VivoBook S15.

Lenovo

The Windows version of the Flex two-in-one has the beefed up specs (at least over a Chromebook) necessary to run Windows, though probably not very fast -- the dual-core Intel Core i3 processor and 4GB of RAM are the reasons the price is low. But it has a bigger full HD screen than the Chromebook model.

Are laptops under $500 any good?

As a rule of thumb, resist buying out of desperation -- don't spend $500 because you can't find a cheaper laptop deal available, for example. Buying a need-it-now laptop can be like shopping for food while hungry. Even for a laptop, $500 can be a lot of money, and you'll likely be holding onto it for at least three years, if the statistics Intel and PC manufacturers hurl at us are correct.

You can also try to make your current laptop last a little longer. If you need something to tide you over for a few months, dig into possible places to buy refurbished machines and explore nonprofit or educational discounts if you're eligible. Also, if there's something you really want in a laptop, like a touchscreen, a backlit keyboard, DDR4 RAM, an HD webcam, Intel UHD Graphics, AMD Radeon Vega Graphics or an HDMI port, check the manufacturer's specs closely to make sure it has it. You'll regret it if you don't.

If you suspect you'll be holding onto your new laptop for a while, see if you can stretch your budget to buy a slightly more expensive laptop to accommodate more than 8GB of RAM or a processor with more cores than you were otherwise considering. If you haven't thought about it, look at AMD Ryzen processors as alternatives to Intel Core for Windows laptops or alternatives to Intel Celeron and Pentium for Chromebooks.

Even better, if you're comfortable with it, think about an affordable laptop with a replaceable battery (if you can find one), upgradable memory, graphics card and storage, or all of the above. Furthermore, while you might be working remotely now, you won't be stuck at home forever. Remember to consider whether having a lighter, thinner laptop or a touchscreen laptop with a good battery life will be important to you in the future. 

Read more: Best Monitors Under $200 You Can Get Right Now

You can always add an external drive or two (or five, if you're me) at some point down the road. But if your internal storage is the type of slow-spinning hard drive that comes in a lot of cheap laptop models, fast external storage is unlikely to help speed up loading Windows or applications. You can frequently set a system to boot from an external solid-state drive if necessary.

You may see references to Intel Optane in conjunction with slow (5,400rpm) spinning hard drives; Optane is fast solid-state memory that acts as a temporary storage space for frequently accessed files on the hard drive to speed things up. It helps, but not as much as an SSD drive. 

And finally, if you're replacing an old Windows laptop that's not up to running Windows anymore, consider turning it into a Chromebook.

What are the trade-offs on laptops under $500?

As long as you manage your expectations when it comes to options and specs, you can still get quite a bit from a budget laptop model, including good battery life and a reasonably lightweight laptop body. 

A bright spot is you don't have to settle for a traditional clamshell laptop with a fixed display and keyboard. You can also get a convertible laptop (aka a two-in-one), which has a screen that flips around to turn the screen into a tablet, to position it for comfortable streaming or to do a presentation. Keep in mind that all convertibles work as both laptops and tablets. A touchscreen is a prerequisite for tablet operation, and many support styluses (aka pens) for handwritten and sketched input. Don't assume a stylus is included, though.

One thing you won't find at these cheap laptop prices: a MacBook or any other Apple laptop. An iPad will run you more than $500 once you buy the optional keyboard (though it might work out to less if you look for sales on the tablet or keyboard), which is above our budget here. A base-model iPad with an inexpensive Bluetooth keyboard and cheap stand for the iPad might suffice.

You'll see a lot of cheap laptops listed as coming with Windows 10 S, a stripped-down and locked-down version of the operating system intended for use by schools -- it only allows you to install applications from the Windows Store, forces you to use Microsoft's Edge browser and includes a subset of the administrative tools in Windows 10 Pro. You can upgrade to the full version for free, though.

It doesn't feel like there's much to make the new Windows 11 a must-have upgrade, but if it's going to be important to you for some reason, be careful about checking that the laptop will meet the requirements. These inexpensive models can be especially at risk of not making the cut.

It's easier to find inexpensive Chromebooks than Windows laptops, making them one of the most popular budget laptops on the market, though we're also seeing a lot more Chromebooks in the $500-to-$1,000 range. That's because Google's Chrome OS isn't nearly as power-hungry as Windows (check the specs), so you can get by with a lower-end processor, slower storage and less screen resolution or RAM -- just a few of the components that make a laptop expensive. 

But the flip side is Chrome and Google apps are more of a memory hog than you'd expect, and if you go too low with the processor or skimp on memory, the system will still feel slow. Chrome OS is also a much different experience than Windows; make sure the applications you need have a Chrome app, Android app or Linux app before making the leap.

Since Chromebooks are cloud-first devices, however, you don't need a lot of storage built-in. That also means if you spend most of your time roaming the web, writing, streaming video or playing Android games, they're a good fit. If you hope to play Android games, make sure you get a touchscreen Chromebook.

For a cheap gaming laptop, though, you'll still have to break the $500 ceiling to support most games. The least expensive budget laptops suitable for a solid gaming performance experience -- those with moderately powerful discrete graphics processors -- will run you closer to $700. Here are our recommendations if you're looking for the best gaming laptop under $1,000. 

Although, if you like to live on the bleeding edge, cloud gaming services such as Google Stadia and Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's Game Streaming will let you play games on laptops with specs that hit the under-$500 mark. 

What to look for in laptops under $500

While Chromebooks can run Chrome OS-specific and Android apps, some people need the full Windows OS to run heftier applications, such as video-editing suites. If you want a good video editing laptop, the HP Chromebook with Intel Celeron processors provides 5.4 times high-resolution video editing than the basic HP laptop. With that comes a need for a faster processor with more cores, more memory -- 8GB RAM is the bare minimum -- and more storage for applications and the operating system itself. A lot of these have 4GB or 6GB, which, in conjunction with a spinning hard disk, can make for a frustratingly slow Windows laptop experience. But demands on Chromebooks are growing, so if your Chrome needs to run beyond the basics you should think about paying more for more memory and a faster processor.

• A lot of Windows laptops in this range use AMD Athlon and lower-end A series or Intel Celeron and Pentium processors to hit the lower price. I don't really recommend going with an Athlon instead of a Ryzen or a Celeron/Pentium instead of a Core: Windows is too heavy for them, and in conjunction with the 4GB memory a lot of them have, you may find them abysmally slow at best.
• Because of their low prices, 11.6-inch Chromebooks are attractive. Samsung Chromebook has a fantastic screen and nearly 10 hours of battery life. But we don't recommend that size for any but the youngest students. And if you're both going to be looking at the screen frequently for remote learning, 11 inches can get really cramped.
• SSDs can make a big difference in how fast Windows performance feels compared with a spinning hard disk, but they also push the price up. So if your budget can stretch a little and you want more storage, you may want to consider stepping up from base storage options to a 128GB SSD. 
• In the budget price range, you have to watch out for screen terminology when it comes to specs: An "HD" screen may not always be a truly high-definition screen. HD, which has a resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, is called "Full HD" so marketers can refer to lesser-resolution displays (1,280x720 pixels) as HD. In Chromebooks, HD usually refers to a screen with a resolution of 1,366x768 pixels. On the upside, the boom in 14-inch laptops trickles down to this price range, which allows for more FHD options in the size. 
• A frequent complaint I see is about "washed-out" looking displays with poor viewing angles. Unfortunately, that's one of the trade-offs: A lot of these use TN (twisted nematic) screen technology, which is cheap but meh.
• Pay attention to networking. Inexpensive models with older chipsets may only support Wi-Fi 3 (or 802.11b/g/n). Wi-Fi 3 is limited to 2.4GHz channels; those are slower than more recent chipsets with Wi-Fi 4 (aka 802.11ac) that add a 5GHz channel as well. I haven't seen any laptops in this price range with Wi-Fi 6, the newest version; chances are you won't have any Wi-Fi 6 access points to connect to, though, so you likely won't miss it now. The specifications aren't always correct on the shopping sites, so if you see a model that doesn't seem to have Wi-Fi 4, double-check on the manufacturer's site before ruling it out. Remember, Chromebooks are designed to work predominantly over the internet, so Wi-Fi speed and stability are crucial. 

Considering all specs and options -- battery life, storage space, screen resolution, screen size, core processor performance, general machine and battery performance -- you'll find some of our top picks for 2022's best Windows laptops and Chromebooks under the $500 budget in the list above, along with their pros and cons.

How we test computers

The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer-like devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both those objective and subjective judgments. 

The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include: Primate Labs Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra. 

A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our How We Test Computers page. 

The best laptops in every category

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Best Chromebook Deals: 9 Picks for Students From Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo and Samsung

Best Chromebook Deals: 9 Picks for Students From Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo and Samsung

Chromebooks have become standard equipment in most US schools, with many school districts now providing them to students. But the district-provided Chromebooks are usually smaller, underpowered models with limited utility. There's only so much you can do on an 11.6-inch display powered by an outdated CPU. Larger Chromebooks with displays in the 12.2-inch to 15.6-inch range and more modern processors are still very affordable. Comparable Windows laptops and MacBooks come with a higher price. And Chromebooks are easy to use, designed with kids in mind and made to be ready to go from the minute it comes out of the box. The Chrome OS software comes preinstalled and is streamlined for user comfort. 

Read more: Best Chromebooks for 2022

With the 2022-23 school year getting underway as we reach mid-August, we've gone through and collected a list of the best deals on Chromebooks, with prices starting at $200. Many factors were considered in the compilation of this list, such as cloud storage, battery life, display size, keyboard quality, ease of web browsing, and whether it includes a headphone jack for music or lecture listening and classroom participation. If you want to snag a good deal on the best Chromebooks for the students in your life, look at our picks below. We regularly update this list, so check back for all your Chromebook needs.

Asus

This Asus model is on sale for only $200 right now and features a 14-inch display powered by an Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM. Those are average components for a budget Chromebook, but it adds a bit more storage than usual with 64GB. It has a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution display for a sharper picture and more workspace than you'd get with the 1,366x768-pixel resolution found on other low-end Chromebooks.

Sarah Tew/CNET

This Samsung Chromebook has a smaller display at 12.2 inches than the other models here, but the touchscreen can rotate 360 degrees into tablet mode so you can play Android games -- once homework is done, of course. The display boasts a sharp 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution and pen support for the included stylus. Inside, the system features an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

Read our Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 review.

Lenovo

This convertible Chromebook features a 15.6-inch touchscreen that can rotate into tablet mode, and is powered by an eighth-gen Intel Core i3 CPU. It's an older Core i3 than you get in the above Lenovo model, but more powerful than Intel Pentium and Celeron chips commonly found in Chromebooks. The C340 also offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of flash storage, both average for the price.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Acer's midrange convertible Chromebook, the 14-inch Spin 514, boasts a slim and durable all-metal body and features an AMD Ryzen 3 processor. It's a good middle ground between smaller, 11.6-inch models that might cramp your computing style and larger, 15.6-inch models that you might not want to lug across campus each day. This AMD-based model is on sale right now at Best Buy, but you should know that an Intel model is expected soon that will feature the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, better video-conferencing capabilities and a more compact enclosure. 

Read our Acer Chromebook Spin 514 review.

Lenovo

Did you know that you can get an OLED display on a Chromebook? Lenovo's two-in-one Chromebook Duet 5 is proof that such a thing is possible. It features a detachable, 13.5-inch OLED display with a full-HD resolution powered by an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon and 8GB of RAM. It also supplies a 128GB SSD, which is rather spacious for a Chromebook. It's on sale at Best Buy right now with a sizable $120 discount. 

Josh Goldman/CNET

This HP Chromebook x360 is a two-in-one convertible powered by a Core i3 chip and a generous 8GB of RAM. It also has a 128GB of eMMC storage, which is bigger than you get with most Chromebooks at this price. The 14-inch display is a widescreen, which means more scrolling through web pages and documents but better for watching movies and viewing two windows side by side. It's $330 off right now at Best Buy.

Josh Goldman/CNET

This Samsung two-in-one Chromebook features an all-metal chassis, which is a step up in both looks and durability from the usual plastic Chromebook fare. It boasts a 13.3-inch, AMOLED touchscreen powered by a 10th-gen Core i3 CPU and 8GB of RAM. It also supplies 128GB of solid-state storage.

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