Compare 2025 Laptops to Find the Best Value Under $500

There are a number of laptops available on the market today. These include the Dell Inspiron 15 5000, Acer Aspire 5 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i. All of these devices offer great value. If you are looking for a new laptop, it is important to compare them to find the best one.

Acer Aspire 5

If you’re looking for the best value laptop under $500, Acer’s Aspire 5 2025 is the way to go. It’s a full-featured Windows 11 laptop that’s a great choice for students and budget-conscious consumers.

The Aspire 5 is available in 14-inch, 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch models. It features an Intel Core i5 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX dedicated graphics chip and LPDDR5 memory.

The Aspire 5 has a 1920 x 1080 non-touch IPS display with good color reproduction and decent viewing angles. However, the screen only covers 53 per cent of the sRGB color gamut.

Battery life on the Aspire 5 is impressive. Despite its relatively light weight and compact size, the battery lasted for almost six hours in tests.

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i is one of the cheapest mid-range gaming laptops on the market. It also offers good power and enough connectivity for everyday computing tasks.

Designed to feel sporty and sleek, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i is a good entry-level choice for casual gamers. Though it may be a bit too lightweight for a dedicated graphics card, it offers enough power to run modern games.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Gaming 3i is powered by a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-10300H processor. The Intel chip has four multi-threaded cores and uses Comet Lake architecture.

It’s also equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with 4GB of memory. While it doesn’t have the same Ray-Tracing technology as the RTX 3060 Ti, it does offer fast frame rates and a smooth gameplay experience.

Asus ROG Swift 3 14

The Asus ROG Swift 3 14 (2020) is a good option for students and professionals. It’s lightweight, easy to use, and affordable. Plus, it has an impressive array of ports and features.

Most models in the Swift 3 series come with Intel processors. These aren’t as fast as Apple’s M1 or M1 SoCs. They are also not as powerful. However, they can still run the most demanding apps. Despite these shortcomings, the Swift 3 can still perform well.

If you’re looking for a laptop that’s easy to use, has an excellent display, and has great audio, then the Asus ROG Swift 3 is a solid choice. You can even choose an OLED model for a luxurious finish.

Dell Inspiron 15 5000

The Dell Inspiron 15 5000 is a solid laptop with good performance and decent specs. However, it has poor battery life, a lackluster screen, and a flimsy keyboard. It also doesn’t have the latest Intel processor, which means you’re not going to be able to perform high-end tasks.

The Dell Inspiron 14 is a better choice if you’re looking for a basic Windows laptop that can handle light video editing and spreadsheets. This model is powered by an 11th generation Intel Core i5 processor, which means you’ll be able to perform a variety of tasks.

The Acer Aspire 5 is a larger, more powerful, and heavier laptop than the Dell Inspiron 14. While it offers more power and a brighter screen, it also sacrifices some creature comforts, such as a touchscreen and microSD card slots.

Asus ZenBook UX305

The Asus ZenBook UX305 is a capable portable notebook. Powered by a low-power Intel Core M processor, the UX305 is a well-balanced subnotebook that is capable of handling most home and office tasks. At $699, the UX305 offers great value.

The Asus ZenBook UX305 features a full HD 1080 matte IPS display. It also comes with a spacious key layout, and a high-quality trackpad. This device isn’t the most powerful machine available, but it’s capable of handling older games, as well as high-end games.

The UX305 is one of the thinnest ultrabooks available, and it’s also one of the lightest. A 4.5-watt, 2 GHz Intel Core M CPU is the main engine in the UX305, but its performance isn’t on par with other top-tier Haswell machines.

Dell Latitude E6400

The Dell Latitude E6400 is an updated model of the D630. Its newer design provides a sleeker appearance, better energy efficiency, and a host of security features.

This laptop offers the option of upgrading to 8GB of RAM. You can also add an optional biometric fingerprint reader. Other features include Windows Live Small Business, Google Earth, and a CyberLink PowerDVD DX.

Aside from being one of the most powerful rugged laptops available, the Latitude E6400 also features a solid array of security features. Dell’s exclusive Ballistic Armor Protection System uses PR481 chassis material that is twice as hard as magnesium alloy.

Another major upgrade in the E6400 is the addition of Intel Core 2 Duo processors, which provide great performance and excellent battery life. In fact, the 9-cell battery in the Latitude E6400 lasted an impressive 5 hours and 17 minutes.