Looking for a cheap laptop: Buying Guide with tips

Currently, in the market, you have at your disposal many computers with all kinds of configurations and prices, making choosing and buying a cheap laptop difficult. Besides, if your budget is quite limited, the thing gets even more complicated since matching specific characteristics with an adjusted price.

Before we start with our guide, we must first make it clear what we mean by cheap laptop since it is a relative concept that not everyone interprets in the same way. Many users confuse the idea of a low-cost laptop with that of a weak computer. And that is the beginning of many problems since they encounter a machine. While it is true that it is of low cost, it does not meet any of the expectations that have been put into it.

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Therefore, before buying a laptop, you must be clear about what you will use it for and the features you need. Then, adjust your budget realistically and buy the cheapest laptop within your requirements. A 250 Euro laptop is not helpful, nor does everyone need a 1000 Euro laptop.

The notebook market is correctly categorized, and finding laptops ranging from 250 euros to 2,500 euros is not the result of chance. One of the first tips we offer in this guide to buying a cheap laptop is that you are very clear about the use you will give the equipment.

A laptop of 250 euros meets the minimum requirements for browsing and editing documents but will not give the size to run demanding programs. If that’s everyday use, you won’t need more.

This laptop costs only 190 Euros

If you want to use the laptop in a more versatile way, for example, to carry out more intensive browsing or watch multimedia content, you need a device between 400 and 600 euros.

On the other hand, if the user that is going to give is a little more demanding and is related to the occasional edition of video or photo or playing some challenging games sporadically, the price range rises between 600 and 900 euros.

We have specialized laptops. For example, gaming laptops, in which we have been obtaining maximum performance in games & graphic applications. Or ultrabooks and convertible laptops 2 in 1. Created specifically to be lightweight and with a large mobility capacity and autonomy. In this case, prices soar above 1,000 euros.

With clarity about your laptop requirements, it will be easy to find models with below-average prices. Getting the best laptop at a reasonable price.

Generally, the best time to buy a product is just when your replacement has just been presented. But its price will be reduced considerably. Apart from the presentations of the new models, the market trend indicates that, statistically, the months of July and August experienced a generalized price drop. The characteristics you should look at

What operating system do you need?

Most laptops include their factory-installed operating system, which is usually Windows 10, except for Apple laptops.

However, if you use a GNU / Linux distro, you can save a few hundred euros from the operating system license. Why pay for it if you are not going to use it later? When buying the laptop, note that the manufacturer indicates that it does not include the operating system. Or, failing that, it demonstrates that it has FreeDos installed. The free version of the Microsoft MSDOS system with which you can use your laptop from the command window.

Choose the screen size well

Manufacturing costs have a decisive impact on the final price of the product. For this reason, when a new technology begins to arrive at the devices, its price is high. While its use extends and its production is optimized, prices gradually decrease. That is something to be clear when buying a cheap laptop.

The 15.6-inch screens with HD resolution are the ones that have been on the market for the longest time. And that is reflected in their final price, making it a decisive factor in finding the cheapest laptop. Currently, the same size Full HD screens have also dropped considerably. And affordable laptops are already beginning to see that screen configuration.

If you can avoid it, forget about the screens of 12, 13, 14, or 17 inches. Since those sizes are usually somewhat more expensive because they have lower production.

Attentive to the Processor

The processor is probably one of the most decisive elements in purchasing a laptop since it determines the performance that will obtain from it.

In this sense, some brands and distributors use the cores and their frequency to play the mistake with the user. Not indicating what type of processor mounts the laptop. Not all processors use the bases the same way, nor is the frequency always so decisive in their choice.

Many laptops, especially those belonging to the categories of convertibles 2 in 1 with a touch screen. Use components initially designed for tablets and mobile phones so that their performance is. Despite being very remarkable, it is not up to Traditional laptop processors. An example of these processors is the Intel Atom or Core M series.

These processors are exciting if you want to achieve significant autonomy of use and mobility. But they are not designed to perform demanding tasks.

If you can, save the Graphics card

The dedicated graphics card is one of the components. You may do this without choosing your laptop, saving you some euros on the final bill if you use the computer screen and do not plan to play or edit video. You will not need it since the processor already integrates a GPU. That potentially matches some of those that were installed as dedicated.
Even if the laptop has a dedicated GPU, it will usually only use the GPU built into the processor to save battery power. The dedicated graphics card of the computer is only used when the application needs extra power. At that time, the graphics processor is activated and responsible for automatically managing the graphics.

If the laptop is not going to run these types of programs, why pay for a component that you will not use? Different manufacturers offer the same laptop models, which have similar configurations, regardless of the dedicated graphics card. Undoubtedly a piece of beneficial advice to buy a cheap laptop.

Differences in RAM

RAM is another piece of information that does not always specify everything. That should clearly state in the specification sheets of laptops. Knowing data such as the number of memory sockets it has or the type of RAM. And its frequency will help you weigh future memory extensions.
That is, if you do not need more than 4 GB at the time of buying the laptop. But you may need more in the future. You will have the option to expand its performance quickly. And without having to pay more than the bill for something. That you may not need.

Unlike desktop computers, not all RAMs that laptops mount are the same. In addition to standard DDR3 / 4, laptops can also attach DDR3L / 4L and LPDD3 / 4 memories.

Knowing the characteristics of the RAM will help you to know if the laptop you are going to buy is cheap for the features it promises. Or its low price is due to lower performance.

Watch the type of storage

You will find eMMC, HDD, or SSD acronyms on the specification sheet. After these acronyms, very different storage speeds hidden with the laptop’s experience will be very different.

The cheapest 2-in-1 convertible laptops usually mount eMMC storage. Which are memory chips similar to those we would find on memory cards and pen drives? So you can imagine that its reading and writing speed is quite limited. Despite that, it may be enough for someone looking for a basic laptop to navigate or perform basic office tasks.
The HDD and the SSD (both in their versions with M.2 format and in 2.5-inch format) are the most common options. Economically, a laptop with an HDD will always be much more affordable than the same model with an SSD.

The amount of storage is also something decisive when buying a cheap laptop. One of the best tips for buying a cheap laptop we can give you is to dismiss the idea forever. That the more storage you have on the computer. The better since it can become a fatal mistake for your economy.

It may compensate you for choosing a model with a 500 GB HDD or a 128 GB SSD. If you buy an external hard drive, opt for a laptop with more storage capacity. This option also leaves you open the door to a future update. You can change the original disk for a better one if necessary.