Five Laptop PCs Available For $500 Or Less

The $500 PC Purchase Project of Investigation

Owning a dependable laptop PC is an absolute necessity for students today. However, finding a reliable PC on a budget can be a quite tedious and difficult process. I recognized this challenge right away, after experiencing the aggressive nature of one too many salesmen and being bombarded with numbers I had very little understanding of at the time. I had a strict five hundred dollar budget and a critical situation to resolve.

The PC Purchase Project of Investigation followed. I put to the test myself a selection of well reviewed laptop PCs that hovered around my budget of five hundred dollars. The final results of this investigation genuinely surprised me, and hopefully if you are in a similar situation they will provide some assistance. Here is a quick look at some of the PCs I included in the investigation.

Top Five PC Laptops Currently Selling For $500 Dollars Or Less: 

ACER Aspire AS4315-2535 Notebook

Facts and Findings:  If you are a student seeking superior graphic display and multimedia application functionality, the ACER Aspire Notebook is a great choice.  CrystalBrite, the trademark Acer LCD display, makes this notebook among the best quality of graphic display available in this price range.  With an Intel Celeron 1.86 GHz processor and Graphics Media Accelerator, this is also one of the few notebooks that can handle multitasking with multimedia on a large scale, presented on a 14.1” widescreen display.

Flaws and Fall-backs:  A few drawbacks are that the battery life can be quite limited and the machine can quickly get a bit heated. Be certain that you have a way to charge up your machine if you plan to be using it consistently throughout the day.

Financial Impact: $409.99  (as advertised on geeks.com)  

TOSHIBA Satellite C655D-S5087 Notebook

Facts and Findings:  This full size, 5.5 lb Notebook by Toshiba has a long list of positives. Running on a 2.3 GHz AMD V Series Processor, a 3 GB RAM and 320 GB Hard Drive, the Toshiba Satellite makes an excellent choice for high-quality PC with a full size keyboard and 15.6”  LCD Display.  

Flaws and Fall-backs:  The Toshiba Notebook does not come equipped with a web-cam or microphone. These are certainly optional extras, but of great value to some PC users.  

Financial Impact:  $499.99  (as advertised on NewEgg.com)   

Compaq Matte Black 15.6" Presario CQ62-219WM Laptop

Facts and Findings: The Compaq has all the basic requirements and lots of fun extras, while remaining more than affordable. This PC delivers excellent performance with an Intel Celeron 2.2 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 250 GB Hard Drive.  The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator and the double layer super-multi DVD Drive were impressive extras.  This 15.6” LED Display laptop also comes with a free carrying case, complements of Wal-Mart.

Flaws and Fall-backs: Some find the design too basic and reported lacking build quality.  It did seem that the build quality of the physical machine may be a bit questionable in regard to long term durability.

Financial Impact: $398.00  (as advertised on WalMart.com)   

MSI CR500-438US Notebook

Facts and Findings:  This MSI Notebook comes standard with an Intel Pentium 2.3 GHz Processor, 4 GB of RAM and a 250 GB Hard Drive. They have included INVIDIA GeForce Graphics, powerful integrated sound and an impressive HDMI Interface.  

Flaws and Fall-backs: A lot of trouble with Wi-Fi, which can be a huge problem if your are working online without auto-saving in an offline location.  Additionally, the 15’6” LED was impressive at first, but became quickly discolored.  Other users reported similar problems with the screen.

Financial Impact:   $499.99  (as advertised on newegg.com)   

LENOVO G555 Notebook

Facts and Findings: With an AMD Athlon Dual-Core 2.1GHz Processor, standard 3GB of RAM (capability of 4GB), and 160GB Hard Drive, the physical memory and performance quality of this machine presents an impressive cost/benefit ratio. The build quality of this full size laptop is excellent and the Lenovo G555 Notebook also comes with an ATI Radeon HD 4200 Video Card for quality graphics. A 6 cell lithium battery allows for up to 4 hours of use, the PC runs smoothly and stays cool, has a quick start up and can handle multiple applications simultaneously without slowing down or heating up.

Flaws and Fall-backs: The touch pad can be a little bit sticky and does not allow for personal configuration. There are a few pieces of unnecessary trial software that are pre-installed on the Lenovo G555 Notebook, but are easy to permanently remove.

Financial Impact: $449.99 (as advertised on NewEgg.com)

Five Laptop PCs Available For $500 Or Less