Great Laptops Under $500: Lenovo Essential G Series and HP G4 Pavillion

Lenovo, Asus and HP all make great laptops under $500, and depending on what kind of configuration you're looking for, they can be even cheaper. We're basing these rankings on the fact most have Intel i3 processors that will support users who don't have any super-heavy lifting to do with their machines. They'll multitask fairly well, but not at a high speed. Gamers and video editors will likely not find much here to like, but if you are on a budget or if you are looking for something specific, these laptops might be the right choice.

Besides a fancy graphics card and tons of memory, these discount laptops may sacrifice some build-quality. Not only in the screen but also in the keyboard and trackpad. That doesn't mean the machines we're recommending are junk, but it does mean there are several trade-offs to be made to get under $500. These examples tend to be able to pull it off. Start our slideshow of excellent under $500 laptops. Let us know what you do on your laptop and if any of these machines would word for you.