The best cheap laptops you can buy in 2024

It might not do all it could to dispel the usual caveats that come with gaming laptops (and cheap ones in particular), but if you’re after something that will let you jump into PC gaming without breaking the bank, then thew HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop delivers a ton of bang for your buck. 

If you've not heard of HP's latest gaming sub-brand, I wouldn't blame you. To date, the Victus hasn't quite had the kind of cut-through that rivals like Lenovo's Legion or Acer's Predator have. Still, that apparent lack of take-up has led to the range being a lot cheaper than its rivals sooner rather than later. You might not be getting the absolute latest in Intel silicon, but with 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, 144Hz refresh rate and an NVIDIA RTX 3050 GPU you've got plenty to work with here.

The HP Victus 15.6-inch won’t let you crank up the in-game settings up in the way that something twice its price will, but if you’re looking to do a modest amount of gaming on the go, it’s our pick for the best way to go about it.       

While there are plenty of options available for those who want to go even cheaper, Microsoft’s own Surface Laptop Go 2 is hard to beat as far as budget-friendly options go. It’s not difficult to find the limits, but there’s plenty to like about the simple aesthetics, humble specs and decent battery life found in the company’s entry-level house-brand laptop.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 brings together a tighter 12.4-inch PixelSense display, an 11th-generation Intel Core processor and up to 256 GB of SSD storage. It’s probably not going to cut it was the last laptop you'll ever need to buy, but if you want something that can reliably handle the basics at an affordable price, it may be exactly what you’re after. 

The emphasis here is less on flair and more on functionality, with nary a pixel of bloatware to be seen. That being said, there aren’t that many ports and some might come away irked by the size and brightness of the display.

If you’re a penny-pinching student looking for an affordable laptop that nails the basics and delivers plenty of bang for your buck, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is well worth investigating in the interim.

If you’re going to spend $500 on a Windows-based laptop, you’re going to have to accept a few major compromises. You won’t really be able to play any games or run intensive software, and the hardware involved is probably going to struggle to deliver anything beyond basic tasks like emails and browsing the web.

On the other hand, Chrome OS is built to deliver a snappy and smooth user experience even when paired with modest or underpowered specs. If ditching Windows is a step you’re willing to take for a better overall experience, then the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook might be the best bet you can find for under $500.

Even if it doesn't run on Windows, you can still get a lot of work done on this thing. It even supports Android apps, which increases the scope of what you can do on it compared to older Chromebooks or low-spec Windows machines.

If you’re trying to buy a laptop at a budget this small, then some sacrifices are going to be necessary. However, if you’re willing to make Windows itself one of those trade-offs, Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 3 gives you plenty of value in return.