
My issues with the E5-573G mostly centered on its build and software. Next to most notebooks in this range, all of this should make for a powerhouse.

There’s 802.11ac WiFi support and a competent selection of ports on top of that. Hard drive, and a Nvidia GeForce 940M graphics chip (with 4GB of VRAM) that’ll allow for lighter gaming. įair warning: I haven’t extensively tested this specific model, but all signs point to it being a very iterative update to the Acer Aspire E5-573G, which was my favorite budget laptop in the latest update to that buying guide.Īnd like that device, its specs are just about ideal for something this cheap: You get a 15.6-inch 1080p display (whereas most alternatives are stuck at a grainier 1366x768), a new, 6th-gen Core i5 processor, a healthy 8GB of RAM, an equally healthy 1TB I think devices like the Lenovo Ideapad 100s and Toshiba Chromebook 2 are great for those who don’t need to stress their laptops too hard, but if you need a more complete experience on the cheap, have a look at the Acer Aspire E15 E5-574G-52QU.

You need to accept some serious compromises, sure, but if you know what to look for, it’s still possible to find a notebook that makes those compromises in the right places. That doesn’t mean you have settle for junk, though. There’s a noticeable drop-off in build quality and general performance once you dip into the budget side of the market - which we roughly define as $550 or lower - but if money’s tight, that’s just something you have to live with. In most cases, you have to pay at least $750 to get that, if not higher. It’s something you’re going to rely on, something you’ll use to both kill free time and get things done, so chances are you’ll want a device you’ll actually enjoy using.

It’s almost always worth it to pay the premium for a good laptop.
