More than any other type of computer, your standard Windows 10 laptop runs the gamut of functionality, from being a simple word processor to a video game leviathan that doubles as an electric heater. P> SummaryBudget laptops:under $400HP Stream 11Acer Aspire E15Mid-range laptops:under $900Lenovo Ideapad 520SDell XPS 13 – 2017Asus FX504High-end laptops:under $1200Acer Predator Helios 300The sky's the limit:$1200+HP Omen XHuawei Matebook X ProDell XPS 15Conclusion
There are many laptops for many uses, so we've broken our list down into price brackets to help you find what you're looking for quickly.
It's very much the budget price range, so don't expect non-generic SSDs or graphics chips here. On the other hand, if you're looking for highly portable 11-inch laptops with long battery life that's perfect for basic work tasks, you need look no further.
A general advantage of lower-end laptops is that their undemanding hardware uses less power, so just because a laptop is low-end doesn't mean it will have poor battery life. P>
Acer always outdoes itself when it comes to value for money, and the Aspirer E15 is another example. It offers a Full HD 1920×1080 display, a 1TB hard drive, 6GB of DDR4 RAM and an Intel Core i3-8130U processor, which is decidedly budget-friendly but also offers all the benefits of 7th Gen Intel Kaby Lake processors. , such as hyperthreading (great for multitasking). And it has a DVD player – very retro-chic!
You should settle for nothing less than Full HD displays (try going for an IPS panel rather than TN) in this price bracket, while at the higher end you can find decent GPUs if you want to game. to modern games on acceptable (but not spectacular) levels.
The Lenovo Ideapad 520S is a 14-inch laptop with an Intel i7-8550U processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, and a vibrant Full HD IPS display. It's not as slim or sleek as other laptops, with a wide bezel and a 19.3mm thick body, but you might be too busy being transfixed by the IPS screen to notice. .
You can't go wrong with the 2017 version of the Dell XPS 13, with 8GB of RAM, a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-7200U processor, a 128GB M.2 SSD and an impressive 13-hour battery life. It's also probably the best-looking laptop in this price range, with a 13.3-inch Full HD Infinity Edge touchscreen and ultra-slim design. It's not very good for the game, however, as you can imagine.
At the top of this price bracket, you can find budget gaming laptops like the Asus FX504, which notably packs a GTX 1050 Ti GPU, 1TB hard drive, and 8th Gen Intel i5 8300H processor with 8 GB of RAM. Full HD has an impressive 120Hz refresh rate, but it's only a TN panel, so there's a tradeoff.
In this price range you're looking at low-end mid-tier SSDs and GPUs, or great CPUs and no-load performance, all the way to solid gaming rigs that should handle most of what today's gaming market offers them. Whether you need something slim, portable and powerful or a solid gaming laptop, you'll find it here.
Or you can go the other way and get something bulkier but more gaming-friendly. The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a powerful GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GPU, 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD. It all runs beautifully on a 2.8GHz Intel i7-7700HQ processor and looks great with its 1080P LED-lit IPS display.
The more money you spend on it, the more your laptop will stand the test of time, and anything in this price range will be a breeze to use. At the right price, you can even combine a sleek, slim design with decent gaming performance, if that's what you're looking for.
Touted as "HP's first overclockable laptop", the HP Omen X is the one that represents great value in the higher price range. It has an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, a 17-inch Full HD 120 Hz IPS display, a GTX 1070 GPU (8 GB of VRAM), 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD + 1 To HDD. This is guaranteed to easily run any game you throw at it, and at a price that shouldn't break the bank.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro, with its super slim build and 13.9-inch 3K display, is also worth checking out. Its other features include Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD.
For an unthinkable mix of slim design and gaming performance, check out the beautiful Dell XPS 15 which runs on 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel Core i5-83750H processor with GeForce GTX 1050Ti GPU. That means you get good quality gaming in a laptop that's thin enough to be a tablet. Excellent InfinityEdge4K touchscreen as well.
That should give you a pretty good idea of what laptop you can expect to buy and for what kind of money in 2018. There are dozens of other comparable laptops to choose from, but at least now you know what point you can do what the price.
