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There is a general misconception that you can’t expect or use laptops under $800 for graphic-intensive software or games. I’m more impressed with the quality and performance of laptops under $800 as they are seriously getting better with every passing year.
$800 is a very decent amount of money and it is for this reason you won’t find many all-purpose laptops in this price range. What you’ll find are machines that are designed to excel in a particular aspect. All you have to do is to choose a laptop that suits your needs.
There are many laptops under $800 available on the market and it is for this reason that I’ve done extensive research and testing to bring you the very best laptops under $800 available today. Whether you are into gaming, video editing, website development, freelancing, or study purposes, you’ll always find a laptop that meets your needs on this list.
Below, you’ll find my honest thoughts on the laptops, their pros, and cons as well as a buying guide to help choose a laptop that best meets your needs.
The 7 Best Laptops Under 800 Dollars for 2024
HP 14” Laptop
2020 HP 14" HD Laptop Computer, 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 3-3250U Processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, AMD Radeon Graphics, HD Audio, Webcam, USB-C, HDMI, Bluetooth, Windows 10 S, Jet Black, 32GB SnowBell USB Card
This laptop is a complete powerhouse that excels at almost everything. A look at this laptop and you are captivated by the all-black finish. But what really stands out about this computer is the upgraded features it comes with. There is the 14″ HD display with a 1366 x768 resolution that provides impressive color and clarity. And the anti-glare feature projects your eyes on prolonged staring at the screen.
The RAM bandwidth of this laptop is simply mind-blowing at a staggering 32GB. And this means this laptop can take on anything you throw at it – gaming, video editing, graphics design, and so on. The 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 3-3250U processor is fast and powerful thereby completing all your tasks quickly and efficiently.
If you think all the above features are impressive, then hear this, this laptop has a storage capacity of 1 TB SSD. Yeah, you read that right. There is also the AMD Radeon Graphics with shared video memory that provides impressive image quality for video editing, gaming, internet use, movies, and so on.
The keyboard brings about a comfortable and enjoyable typing experience and the stereo speakers deliver breathtaking, three-dimensional audio that flows above and around you with depth and precision.
Quick Specifications
- Screen size: 14 inches
- Laptop size: 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.8 in / 32.5 x 22.6 x 2 cm
- Weight: 3.3 lbs / 1469 g
- Processor: 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 3-3250U
- RAM: 32GB (DDR4)
- Graphics card: AMD Radeon
- Hard disk: 1TB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery life: up to 8 hours depending on use
Pros
- Upgraded features make this laptop a complete beast.
- Portable and travel-friendly.
- High-quality display.
- Fast and powerful processor.
- Astonishing RAM bandwidth.
- Astonishing storage space.
- Good graphics card.
- Comfortable keyboard.
- Good audio.
Cons
- No major shortcomings.
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 15.6″ LaptopOur Top Pick
2020 Dell Inspiron 15 3000 15.6" HD Laptop Computer, AMD Athlon Silver 3050U Processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD, MaxxAudio Pro, HD Webcam, AMD Radeon Graphics, Win 10 S, Black, 32GB SnowBell USB Card
This is the Dell Inspiron 15 and also not the Dell Inspiron 15. What I mean by that is that this Dell Inspiron 15 has more upgraded features than what you’ll get from the typical Inspiron 15. The 15.6 narrow HD display comes with an impressive resolution of 1366 x 768 providing you with images of superior quality.
The AMD Athlon Silver 3050U processor provides two-way processing that brings about high-efficiency. This makes this laptop fast and very powerful. The RAM bandwidth has also been upgraded to give you 32GB DDR4 of RAM. This provided plenty of RAM bandwidth to rum multiple programs including games.
1TB SSD is not standard at this price range but that’s the storage capacity of this system. Not only are you getting more than enough space to save your files, but you’ll also enjoy the benefits of SSD storage tech which is faster and more efficient than the traditional HDD.
The AMD Radeon Graphics card brings about solid image use for different purposes – internet use, casual gaming, video editing, and so on. The keyboard is also one of the best on the market and the audio is of high quality.
Quick Specifications
- Screen size: 15.6 inches
- Laptop size: 14 x 10 x 0.8 in / 35.5 x 26 x 2 cm
- Weight: 4.04 lbs / 1832 g
- Processor: AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
- RAM: 32GB (DDR4)
- Graphics card: AMD Radeon
- Hard disk: 1TB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery life: up to 8 hours depending on use
Pros
- Lightweight and portable.
- High-resolution display.
- Stunning RAM bandwidth.
- Astonishing storage space – 1 TB SSD!
- Good graphics card.
- Comfortable keyboard.
- High-quality audio.
Cons
- No major shortcoming.
Asus TUF 15.6″ Laptop
2020 ASUS TUF 15.6" FHD LCD Gaming Laptop Computer, AMD Ryzen 5-3550H, Backlit Keyboard, GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics, DTS Audio, Webcam, Win 10, Black, Parent (8GB RAM | 256GB SSD)
Asus has a reputation for producing a number of quality laptops and this laptop is no exception. I particularly like the overall solid build quality of the Asus TUF as well as the lightweight design that makes it comfortable and easy to carry about.
You get a wide display as this laptop comes with a 15.6″ FHD LCD display that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. So you can be sure of getting high-quality images from this laptop. I also like the anti-glare design as it allows users to stare at the screen for a long time without straining their eyes.
Thanks to the AMD Ryzen 5-3550H processor, this laptop comes with a fast and powerful CPU. You also get 8GB RAM which can multitask without lagging. However, the 256GB SSD storage may be a bit small for some users.
But on the bright side, this laptop has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU with 4GB memory capacity. This makes the laptop capable of handling GPU-intensive tasks like gaming and software in Adobe Creative Cloud.
The keyboard is designed to bring about a comfortable typing experience and the backlit features allow you to type comfortably in dark or dim conditions.
Quick Specifications
- Screen size: 15.6 inches
- Laptop size: 14 x 10 x 1 in / 35.5 x 26 x 2.54 cm
- Weight: 4.85 lbs / 2199 g
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5-3550H
- RAM: 8GB (DDR4)
- Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU
- Hard disk: 256GB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery life: up to 6-8 hours depending on use
Pros
- Portable.
- Wide display with impressive resolution.
- Fast and powerful processor.
- Good RAM bandwidth.
- Powerful graphics card.
- Comfortable and backlit keyboard.
Cons
- The 256GB SSD storage may disappoint some users.
HP Pavilion x360 14″ Convertible Laptop
HP Pavilion x360 14 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop, 14” Full HD Touchscreen Display, Intel Core i5, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 512 GB SSD Storage, Windows 10 Home, Backlit Keyboard (14-dh2011nr, 2020 Model)
HP is one of the best laptop manufacturers in the world and the HP Pavilion x360 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can get in this price range. The Pavilion x360 is a convertible laptop that can rotate 360º allowing you to use the laptop in four positions. You can just flip this laptop over and use it in a tablet mode. There is also the tent mode, entertainment mode, and obviously, the laptop mode.
This laptop comes with an Intel Core i5 process which has the capacity to provide the laptop with a turbo boost up to 3.6GHz. Simply put, the processor is fast and powerful. There is also the touchscreen feature which is always handy in any mode.
The Pavilion x360 comes with an 8GB RAM bandwidth which can multitask easily. However, the RAM is not upgradeable so this may be a bummer for people that may intend to upgrade the RAM in the future. On the bright side, you get a 512GB SSD storage space that’s fast and efficient.
I must also talk about how compact and portable this laptop is and the battery life is great providing you with up to 9 hours of backup power after a full charge.
Quick Specifications
- Screen size: 14 inches
- Laptop size: 12.76 x 8.78 x 0.81 in / 32.4 x 22.29 x 2.05 cm
- Weight: 3.5 lbs / 1587 g
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- RAM: 8GB (DDR4)
- Graphics card: Integrated Intel HD Graphics Card
- Hard disk: 512GB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery life: up to 9 hours depending on use
Pros
- Compact and portable.
- 2-in-1 laptop with multiple modes.
- Fast and powerful processor.
- Good RAM bandwidth.
- High storage capacity.
- Touchscreen feature.
- Great battery life.
Cons
- Non-upgradeable RAM may be disappointing to some users.
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15.6″ Laptop
2020 Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15.6" FHD Touchscreen Laptop Computer_ 10th Gen Intel Quard-Core i7 1065G7 up to 3.9GHz_ 12GB DDR4 RAM_ 512GB PCIe SSD_ Online Class Ready_ Windows 10_ BROAGE 64GB Flash Stylus
It won’t take you long to realize why the Lenovo Ideapad 5 is one of the best laptops under $800 available on the market. Lenovo is a laptop manufacturer that requires no introduction and the Ideapad 5 is one of their best budget laptops. I like the sleek body of this laptop which is made from quality metal and the lightweight design makes this laptop travel-friendly.
What really caught my attention about this laptop is the Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor which is a big deal at this price range. The Core i7 processor makes this system extremely fast and powerful. There is also the Intel Iris Plus Graphics which can provide solid image quality for video editing, gaming, and so on.
The 12GB DDR4 RAM makes multitasking easy and allows you to run multiple programs simultaneously. And the 512GB SSD storage provides you with enough space to save your files.
You’ll also like the display as the 15.6″ FHD has a resolution of 1920 x 1080p thereby providing you with high-quality images. And the fingerprint reader brings more increased security and convenience.
Quick Specifications
- Screen size: 15.6 inches
- Laptop size: 14 x 9 x 0.8 in / 34.4 x 22.8 x 2.05 cm
- Weight: 4.03 lbs / 1827 g
- Processor: Intel Core i7-1065G7
- RAM: 12GB (DDR4)
- Graphics card: Intel Iris Plus Graphics
- Hard disk: 512GB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery life: up to 10 hours depending on use
Pros
- Sleek and travel-friendly.
- Powerful processor – Intel core i7!
- Good graphic card.
- High RAM bandwidth.
- High storage capacity.
- High-resolution display.
- Fingerprint reader.
- Good battery life.
Cons
- No major shortcomings.
Lenovo ThinkPad E595 15.6″ Laptop
Lenovo ThinkPad E595 15.6" Full HD Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-Core, Up to 3.70 GHz, 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro
Weighing a mere 3 pounds, the Lenovo Thinkpad E595 is a very compact and lightweight laptop that’s easy to carry about. The design also looks very modern and stylish. Moving on from the appearance, this laptop has a 15.6″ full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p.
The AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-Core processor results in a very high CPU performance and the integrated Vega 8 graphics is one of the strongest GPUs available on the market. This makes the Thinkpad E595 capable of running graphics-intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, and so on.
Thanks to the 8GB DDR4 RAM, multitasking comes easy to the Thinkpad E595. You can easily run multiple programs including your games on this laptop without any lag. The 256GB SSD storage space is okay but may disappoint some users.
However, you can upgrade the storage space as this laptop comes with two slots for SSDs. Best to take the system to a technician for the upgrade but you can do it yourself if you are experienced enough.
Quick Specifications
- Screen size: 15.6 inches
- Laptop size: 14.5 x 10 x 0.8 in / 36.8 x 25.4 x 2.05 cm
- Weight: 3 lbs / 1360 g
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-Core
- RAM: 8GB (DDR4)
- Graphics card: AMD Vega 8
- Hard disk: 256GB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery life: up to 10 hours depending on use
Pros
- Very compact and portable.
- Stylish and modern appearance.
- Strong and fast processor.
- Good graphics card.
- Good RAM bandwidth.
- Good storage capacity.
- Durable.
Cons
- The 256GB SSD may disappoint some users. But you can easily upgrade the storage albeit at an extra cost.
Microsoft Surface 13.5″ Laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" Touch-Screen – Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) – Platinum with Alcantara
10 used from $259.95
This laptop belongs to Microsoft’s Surface line of laptops. And as you’d expect from a big and reputable brand like Microsoft, their laptops belonging to this series are of high-quality. This laptop is ultra-thin and light and weighs just a mere 2.79 pounds allowing you to take this laptop wherever you are going with ease.
Microsoft really did a superb job with the design of this laptop. The classic grey color is aesthetically pleasing and there are four other color options if you are not a fan of grey.
The 13.5″ display has one of the best resolutions you’ll see at this price range. There’s also the touchscreen feature with pen input. You get improved performance and speed for the Microsoft Surface 3 thanks to the Intel Core i5 processor. With a RAM bandwidth of 8GB, you can easily multitask and run multiple programs with this laptop.
Storage space is good as the Surface 3 has a capacity of 256GB SSD. And battery life is downright amazing as you can get up to 11.5 hours battery life depending on use.
Quick Specifications
- Screen size: 13.5 inches
- Laptop size: 12.13 x 8.78 x 0.57 in / 30 x 22 x 1.4 cm
- Weight: 2.79 lbs / 1265 g
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- RAM: 8GB (DDR4)
- Graphics card: Intel Iris Plus
- Hard disk: 256GB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Battery life: up to 11.5 hours
Pros
- Elegant and clean design.
- Ultra-thin and lightweight.
- Top-notch display.
- Fast and powerful processor.
- Good RAM bandwidth.
- Good storage capacity.
- Amazing battery life.
Cons
- 256GB SSD storage may disappoint some people.
Best Laptops Under $800 – The Guide
There are several things you need to put into consideration before buying a laptop in order to choose a laptop that’ll meet your needs. Laptops aren’t things you buy everyday so it’s important you get it right when buying one. Below are things you need to consider before buying a laptop under $800.
What Can You Expect From a $800 Laptop?
If you are anything like me, you’d want to know what to expect after setting a budget for an item. And this is why I’ll be talking about what you can expect from an $800 laptop.
There are several lightweight and stylish laptops in this price range. Portability varies with manufacturers and you could get a laptop that’s under 3 pounds depending on the model/brand you go for. But rest assured, you will easily get travel-friendly laptops at this price range.
The least RAM bandwidth you can get at this price range is 8GB DDR4 which is very good. You can get more RAM bandwidth by going for models with higher RAM bandwidths or by buying upgraded laptops.
The HP 14″ and Dell Inspiron 15 above are upgraded from their base features and both have a whopping 32GB RAM bandwidth. But you won’t need this much RAM bandwidth if you are not into some serious gaming, video editing, or running RAM-intensive software like Adobe photoshop. Check out the RAM section of the buying guide below for more information.
CPU at this price range is impressive and you can expect at least an Intel Core i5 processor if your system has an Intel processor. Don’t be surprised if you come across a Core i7 processor (like the Lenovo Ideapad 5 above) but don’t bank on it. There are also several models that come with fast and powerful AMD Ryzen processors.
I’m impressed with the display of laptops under $800 and you can expect to get high-resolution images with high clarity and color. It’s not uncommon to see laptops at this price range having touchscreen features, an anti-glare feature, and a fingerprint sensor.
Keyboards are also comfortable at this price range and usually have backlit features. Battery life will depend on the model/brand you are buying but there are laptops with stunning battery life at this price range.
How To Choose Your Laptop
Processor
The processor is the brain of your laptop sending and receiving signals to attached devices to keep the system running. The better the quality of the processor in a laptop, the better the speed and performance. I’m happy to tell you that you’ll get fast and powerful processors at this price range. After all, you are paying $800 which is not a small amount of money.
RAM
It’s always nice to open multiple programs simultaneously on a laptop, right? You have the RAM to thank for that. Your laptop’s RAM is responsible for multitasking and the better the RAM, the easier the laptop will be able to multitask without lagging.
As per general requirements, you’ll need a laptop with a minimum RAM bandwidth of 8GB. Anything after that is incredibly good. A higher RAM bandwidth will be especially beneficial to gamers, video editors, programmers, and other people running CPU-intensive software.
Size
Portability is one of the things most people want in a laptop and with good reasons too. You’ll most likely want to take your laptop with you to the office, college, coffee shop, on your travels, and so on.
The good news is that there are many portable laptops in this price range. 11 to 12-inches laptops usually weigh between 2.5 to 3.5 pounds while 13 to 15 inches are usually under 4 pounds or a bit above 4 pounds. Any of these options are portable and can be easily carried about.
Graphics Card
Graphics cards are pieces of hardware that are installed in a computer and their function is to improve the quality of the image on your screen. People with a pressing need for good graphics cards are gamers and video editors to produce the high-quality images these tasks require.
Screen Quality
Paying around $800 for a laptop means you can expect a high-definition screen that is bright and renders color accurately. You will still get good colors even at vivid angles. I don’t expect any laptop in this price range to have a resolution less than HD (1920 x 1080). So at this price, be sure you are not buying a laptop below HD resolution.
Battery Life
Battery life is important especially if you want a laptop that can take you through the day. Battery life depends on model/brand but you should be able to get between 8-12 hours of battery life at this price range.
Keyboard & Touchpad
It’s not uncommon for budget laptops to have mushy, uncomfortable keyboards or unresponsive touchpads. But you can say goodbye to this issue at this price range. What you’ll get is a comfortable and well-spaced keyboard with a backlit feature. And you can be sure of getting a responsive touchpad.
Storage Capacity
This depends on your files but it doesn’t hurt to have extra storage. Several storage options are available at this price range ranging from 256GB SSD to 512GB SSD, and 1TB SSD in upgraded laptops. You can also upgrade the storage capacity of your laptop at an extra cost.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, the very best laptops under $800 in the market. If your budget is lower, you can check out my reviews of laptops under $600 and under $700.
However, paying extra by going for laptops under $800 means that you get more speed, performance, and durability. Use the buying guide to choose a laptop that will meet your needs. And you can always contact me through the comment section if you need my thoughts on any of the laptops. Happy shopping!
