Might be time for an upgrade? You might want to consider a new laptop. They’ve come a long way in the past few years and can do just about anything your desktop can, but they’re much more portable and easier on the eyes. And ours, unlike most of those other sites that will charge you through the nose to find recommendations for you, are totally free.
There are quite a few benefits to getting a new laptop that’s more than 17 inches. The display is large and the resolution is much higher, meaning you can have a nice amount of screen real estate.
You also get better graphics performance, which means your Windows desktop runs smoother and more efficiently. These days most laptops can easily handle playing games on the highest settings without a problem. They also tend to weigh less since they don’t have the massive parts of most tower-based computers. You lose some portability with larger laptops, but it’s still very possible to take them anywhere with you.
We reviewed some of for the best 17-inch laptops under $500 on the market today . While all of these prices are subject to change, here are the top 17 inch laptops that would make for a good upgrade to your current system.
How To Choose?
When we’re buying laptops we usually look for a few things when making a decision. These include:
Price:
How much is this laptop? We looked at several different laptops that cost anywhere from $200 to $500 or so, which should be a decent range for most people. You’ll obviously get better quality and performance for a higher price, but that also means you’re paying a lot more money.
Screen Quality:
We looked at the display resolutions, screen size, and got a good idea of what the picture quality is like on each laptop.
Performance:
Performance is important when it comes to laptops, especially if you plan on using it for gaming or video editing. We looked at the system specifications and tested basic games that were common to a lot of laptops. We also checked the frame rates of different games to get a good idea of how it performs in actual games. We tested different softwares for video editing and looked at the specs to get a good idea of how it does.
Ports:
Ports are important for pretty much all laptops, and we looked at what they have and how many there were. We particularly looked for different types of ports such as an HDMI port, USB type C, and others. The more the better, but you’re going to have to pay more for them.
Speed:
How fast does it run? A lot of these can be pretty fast with their processors and multi-core processing power, as well as having large amounts of memory to work with. They should be able to handle most everyday tasks with no problem at all.
Portability:
We looked at the weight of each laptop and the overall size to get an idea of how easy they are to use. You need to balance between portability and size, both of which you’ll be carrying around for quite a while with a laptop so you want them to be comfortable and not heavy.
Build Quality:
Is this laptop well made and will last a long time or will I need to fix it a lot? This was a big factor in our reviews as we looked at the overall build quality of each laptop, from its outer shell to the inside of it. We tried our best to avoid laptops that have any sort of major defects and break easily.
Additional Features:
We also looked at some of the additional features that some laptops offer such as the webcam quality and how thin they are. Are there enough ports? Can you upgrade it yourself? How easy is it to upgrade etc.
Reviews from other people who have bought the same product.
We had a look at what customers think about the laptops they’ve bought and tried to get an idea of what they think is good, bad, and everything in between. We looked at a few different sites that show their reviews about a product so you can get an idea of what other people have to say about the laptop you’re shopping for.
Best 17 Inch Laptop under $500
Asus Vivobook 17.3-Inch Premium Laptop
Asus is one of the most reputable manufacturers when it comes to providing exceptional value for money. The 2020 Asus Vivobook 17.3-Inch Premium Laptop is one of the examples. Although the moniker suggests “Premium,” the price is actually just under $500.
It’s a gorgeous laptop with a vintage transparent finish. In the context of its massive 17.3-inch size, it’s incredibly elegant, weighing around 2.3kg. Its narrow bezels also provide a bigger display for a better viewing experience.
Recently released Asus laptops incorporate ErgoLift-Hinge, which tilts the keyboard every time the laptop is opened. As a consequence, typing on their tactile keyboard is now more pleasurable. If you notice the touchpad, rest assured that it is extremely responsive and adaptable to your needs.
For compatibility, the Asus VivoBook 17.3 inch laptop has a USB Type-C 3.2 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 connector, a USB 2.0 port, as well as an HDML port. It also includes a security slot and a separate microSD card slot.
The features it has will astound you, and it’s all for less than $500. To begin with, it features a quad-core AMD Ryzen 7 3250U processor that boosts your productivity. It has 12GB DDR4 RAM that can be upgraded to meet your multitasking needs.
Although it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card slot, it does come with AMD Radeon Vega 3 graphics which are adequate for light-powered games.
When it comes to battery capacity, this laptop has a 2-cell Lithium-polymer battery that may last for up to 3 hours. Despite its power consumption, it has such a fantastic configuration at such a low price that it is overlooked.
Pros
- Slender bezels
- Large display
- Incorporates fingerprint sensors
Cons
- Inadequate battery life
Lenovo 17.3 IdeaPad 3 Laptop
We’re back with another terrific 17-inch laptop that falls below your $500 budget. And it’s none other than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Laptop, which measures 17.3 inches diagonally.
Let’s commence with the display among its plethora of amazing features. This laptop has a larger 17.3-inch Full HD+ display, so you won’t be missing any of the finer details in the pictures or films. Its thin bezels ensure that the huge screen is complemented by a higher screen-to-body ratio. As a result, you may comfortably watch movies with a bunch of friends on this laptop.
You’ll also receive a Dolby Audio audio system embedded into the laptop, which will add to the excitement. Hence, you’ll be able to fully enjoy media with lush, powerful audio.
This sleek yet beautiful-looking laptop also incorporates a webcam for video conferencing. When not in use, its webcam has a shutter technology that assures optimum privacy—definitely it’s a “shutter” for those watchful eyes! Apart from this sophisticated tech, it also incorporates a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button, ensuring that your laptop does not start up without your authorization.
We’ve finally arrived at the point you’ve all been longing for: the CPU specifications. This laptop will assist you in increasing the efficiency of your essential computing chores. A 2.1 GHz Intel Core i3-10110U dual-core strong processor assists it, and the 8GB DDR4 RAM facilitates easy multitasking.
Even though the storage capacity may be insufficient for some consumers, this 256GB SSD can always be upgraded by installing a 2.5″ HDD or SSD. Furthermore, external systems can be integrated through two 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports or a 2.0 USB port. A stronger internet connection is also ensured by the presence of Wi-Fi 5 functionality with Dual-Band support.
Pros
- Sturdy construction
- Pleasant typing sensation
- Reasonable price
Cons
- The screen isn’t very brilliant
Dell Inspiron 17.3 Inch FHD Laptop
Until the advent of the 17.3-inch Dell Inspiron 17.3 inch FHD laptop, the interaction was never pleasant. This laptop is designed to meet all of your needs on a $500 budget. Despite its size, this laptop is relatively thin.
In terms of performance, it comes with a powerful 7th Generation Intel Dual-Core i3-7020U processor that exceeds the minimum specifications. It’s also combined with 2.30 GHz Base Frequencies if you’re thinking about efficient multitasking on a laptop.
This laptop has 8GB DDR4 SDRAM, and a 1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive to meet your storage demands, which not only saves energy but also guarantees that it runs smoothly when working with large files.
This laptop has an exceptional graphics card that no other laptop on this list has. It has an Intel HD Graphics 620 with shared graphics memory, which improves your video and movie viewing experiences. The icing on the cake is that it has many ports that allow you to connect to numerous screens at once.
The non-touch with anti-glare LED-backlit makes viewing more pleasurable. It also has a lighter weight, making it easier to transport. It also has two USB 3.1 Gen1 connections, as well as one USB 2.0, SD card reader, a headset jack, and HDMI connectors.
You can connect the DVDRW drive with an SD card slot and a USB 2.0 port, so you won’t need an adapter extension if you’d like to play a disk. Furthermore, its Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth capabilities improve and speed up connections.
Overall, it has an optical drive and a 17.3-inch full HD display, as well as adequate performance for regular apps. And as a plus-size desktop replacement, it will undoubtedly perform admirably.
Pros
- Extremely portable, making it much easier to transport
- Top-of-the-line LED widescreen display
- Equipped with quick processors
Cons
- Heats up occasionally
Conclusion
If you are in the market for a 17 inch laptop, keep in mind that size is an important factor. You have to make sure it’s not too heavy or bulky for where you plan on using it. You also want to make sure that your 17 inch laptop will last as long as possible. We looked only at laptops that were built well and could handle everyday use with ease.
The battery life is another important consideration, especially if you want to be able to use it for more than a few hours at a time. We also looked at all of the different ports and features that each laptop has because they are important to most people.
These are the best laptops for under $500 according to our research, and we would recommend any of them to anyone looking for a new laptop. Feel free to check them out and have fun shopping!