5 Best Laptops Under $600 – Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

When the laptop was first introduced, it was considered a luxury even though it wasn’t as powerful nor as functional as a desktop PC. A laptop was mainly used for browsing the internet and checking emails. But owing to its portability, which was missing in the desktops binding us to just one spot, laptops soon became popular.

However, as time passed, our demands changed and increased considerably. We expect a lot more from laptops now. We want them to be the center of our entertainment – to save us when the boredom strikes. In fact, many people don’t prefer buying a separate gaming console to cater to their gaming needs.

Although the desktop still remains supreme among many PC gamers, sometimes you just need something a bit more portable. Obviously, our first choice would be to pick a high-end laptop so that it meets all our functional requirements. But we would instantly withhold because we know it would cost us a fortune.

Luckily, that doesn’t have to be your case. There are high-performing gaming laptops that you can get without burning a hole in your wallet. And if you ask us, we believe that spending too much on technology that changes rapidly and becomes obsolete within a year is a sheer waste. There are dozens of gaming laptops under $600 with decent and efficient features that will meet your gaming as well as other functional requirements.

In this article, we will introduce to you the five best laptops under $600. They range from business laptops packed with powerful hardware to laptops specifically designed for gaming.

We know how choosing the right laptop can be difficult, especially for those who are not familiar with the laptop-related terms and technical specifications. But worry not, we have prepared a guide for you to help you buy the best laptop under $600. Let us take a look at them.

The Most Important Features You Want in a Laptop

It’s understandable that, when we are looking for the best laptops under $600, we will be making a few compromises with the specifications. However, there are certain good features that you should look for in a budget-friendly high performing laptop.

Graphics Card

For a better gaming experience, it’s important to have a good graphics card. Even though some games use the CPU, the majority of the games are GPU-bound. That’s why you should always pay attention to the graphics processing unit before buying.

You can’t upgrade GPU in your laptop, and a good GPU will let you play games at high settings for a few years. Nvidia GeForce GTX or RTX GPUs should always be your first choices, but they often come in laptops which cost more than $600.

CPU

Just like GPU, CPU isn’t upgradeable either so you will be making that choice only once. Even though most games are GPU-bound, you can’t ignore a good CPU. It plays an important role in speeding up the overall performance of the laptop.

Of course, the type of CPU you choose will depend on your budget. It’s better to choose the latest Intel Core processor – you can get the 8th generation and above the i7 series. However, most games benefit more from a good GPU than a CPU so you can easily manage with a Core i5 processor.

RAM

Gaming can be RAM intensive, and that’s why you should always opt for more RAM. For any productivity tasks, 8GB should be sufficient. However, you’ll need more than that if you want a smooth gaming experience. If you can, you should go for 16GB on a gaming laptop. But it’s obvious that with a budget of $600, we are not going to get the desired RAM.

If you can’t get that high RAM now, you can always upgrade it later on.

Better Storage

We are always confused between solid state drive (SSD) and a hard drive. Well, if you are looking for faster game loading and shorter installation time, you should go for SSD. It’s not that hard drive isn’t required for gaming purposes, but SSD makes things faster.

Getting SSD for your laptop can increase your budget. That’s why it’s better to have a mixture of both HDD and small SSD. Much like memory, HDD is also often upgradable in laptops.

Battery Life

If you are playing games on your laptop, you will need to keep it plugged in to get the full performance out of your GPU. Otherwise, a gaming laptop doesn’t usually last for more than an hour without being plugged in.

If you need a laptop to last for eight hours while you work, it won’t be a gaming notebook. Well, some do last long, but that’s often at the expense of the display. And we are pretty sure you don’t want to play your games on a dark and dim screen.

Other Specifications

There are a few other specifications such as keyboards, display, and brands that you should consider when buying a laptop. Displays are often overlooked but they are hugely important.

If you want to play entry-level and mid-range games, then opt for 5 to 17-inch display with at least 1920×1080 resolution. For keyboard, it should have around 1.5mm to 2mm key travel with 65 to 70 grams actuation. And whether you want a backlighting feature or not should be your personal preference.

Now that we know what to look for in a laptop, let us check out the list of some of the best laptops under $600 to select from. These laptops have the necessary features like latest CPU, smooth keyboard, high RAM, spacious HDD, and much more.

Top 5 Best Laptops Under $600

1 – New HP Pavilion X360 – Full HD Plus Touchscreen

HP is well-known for its range of top specification laptops for all budgets. And the new HP Pavilion X360 laptop is no exception. Its exceptional price/performance ratio makes this laptop a great all-rounder under the list of the best laptops under $600. It uses the Core i3-8130U dual-core chip, which offers great processing power for an average laptop.

Main Features

For a mid-range laptop, the 2-in-1 HP Pavilion X360 has a lot to offer. It features a 15.6-inch touch-screen, which is anchored on a pair of 360-degree hinges. And the display exhibits full HD resolution with IPS BrightView micro-edge technology. Another interesting fact about it is its compatible HP Digital Pen which is included in the package itself. Besides a touchscreen, it also supports a digital pen input.

Inside, the HP Pavilion X360 – Full HD has 8th Intel Core i3-8130U processor with Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics, which is fantastic for the price range. Of course, with Core i5 and i7, you will be able to do more demanding computing tasks such as media production much efficiently. But for regular computing tasks, there is not much difference between i3 and i5 processor.

However, we think that HP compromised with RAM, since 4GB isn’t compatible with for heavier multitasking scenarios. It works fine only for a couple of browser tabs and apps running simultaneously. They could have given 8GB instead, which is a standard nowadays.

Moreover, the 1TB hard drive storage is supplemented with 16GB of Intel Optane memory to increase the speed of the HDD.
Other Specifications

HP Pavilion X360 15-CR0037WM provides a battery life of up to 7 hours. It also provides a quality backlit 15.6-inch HD WLED touchscreen, which is further enhanced with the dual speaker and B & O audio processing that gives studio-quality sound for the best gaming and multimedia experience.

In addition, the keyboard is well-built for effortless typing. You also get a separate numeric keypad for ease of access.

For connectivity, the HP Pavilion X360 comes with two USB ports and a headphone-out/microphone-in 3.5 mm jack. We would say it’s a great choice for the list of best laptops under $600 as it offers active pen support, great screen specs, and decent everyday performance.

PROS:

Improved case rigidity

Touchscreen with 1920×1080 resolution (Full HD)

8th Generation Intel Dual-Core i3-8130U

Impressive backlit keyboard

Good battery life

CONS:

RAM is a bit less

2 – Lenovo Built Business Laptop – Anti-Glare Technology & High-Definition Resolution

It’s no surprise that Lenovo IdeaPad 320 laptop is there on our list of the best laptops under $600.

The IdeaPad 320 laptop series is there to simplify your everyday life. It features a powerful processor and integrated Intel HD graphics which can handle any task smoothly and efficiently. And the best part is that the models are preloaded with Windows 10 Home, with which you get Cortana, a virtual assistant.

Main Features

As the name suggests, Lenovo Built Business Laptop is designed to help you with daily tasks such as writing and editing documents with ease and browsing the internet faster.

The 17.6-inch screen offers a brilliant HD+ resolution of 1600×900 with anti-glare technology so that you can enjoy clear and crisp HD movies and TV shows. Games will really come alive on this clear screen, and the extra screen space can be useful in more complicated RPGs.

In addition, Lenovo IdeaPad 320 comes with an HDMI port, which you can use for connecting the laptop to an external display for larger viewing and improved multitasking.

As for specs, the laptop features a 7th generation Intel Core i5-7200U processor with integrated Intel HD 620 graphics, which makes it suitable for high-end gaming. The only drawback is that you would need to play the games in low to medium resolutions.

Furthermore, Lenovo IdeaPad 320 pairs the faster processor with 8GB of DDR4 RAM for a better FPS rate. You can expect lightning fast and reliable performance even while playing games.
Other Specifications

For a 17-inch laptop, Lenovo IdeaPad 320 is really lightweight, which is one of its biggest selling points.

In terms of design, Lenovo IdeaPad 320 – with its sleek unibody chassis and uniquely playful platinum gray color – is quite appealing to our eyes. The body has a special protective polish to shield it from wear and tear. If that wasn’t enough, the laptop has rubber featured on the bottom to optimize ventilation and prolong the product’s longevity.

For a low-cost Lenovo laptop engineered for gaming, the Lenovo IdeaPad 320 is an excellent choice. It has the essential hardware power to keep up with modern games and comes with great durability.

The newer processor and integrated Intel graphics will make sure that the games look stunning on those extra two inches. Not to mention, the visual clarity that you will get to enjoy when watching movies or browsing the web on this screen.

In a nutshell, it is one of the best laptops under $600 that possesses incredible speed – 25 seconds Windows boot time – and mind-blowing performance with a stylish design.

PROS:

Suitable for multitasking and gaming

Fast speed processor

Stylish design

17-inch laptop; lightweight

CONS:

Play high-end games in low to medium resolution

3 – Acer Aspire E15 Laptop – Longer Battery Life

Acer Aspire E15 E5-576G-5762 is an entry-level gaming laptop which packs a significant amount of processing power for a relatively low price. You can multitask with ease and also play any game you want, as long as you keep the graphics settings on low. No wonder it made to the list of the best laptops under $600.

Main Features

Acer Aspire E 15 E5-576G-5762 features the NVIDIA Pascal GT 1030 graphics card with 2GB of dedicated video memory. Well, it isn’t called a GT 1030, but MX150 which is basically a mobile adaptation of the desktop GT 1030 2GB graphics card with same hardware under a different name. And it gives you a smooth gaming experience as well.

Although the MX150 is the lowest-end Pascal GPU, you wouldn’t find a single laptop on the market which costs less than 600 dollars and is equipped with an NVIDIA Pascal graphics card. It is the only laptop under $600 which has enough graphics horsepower to run modern AAA titles on low settings.

Furthermore, the laptop is equipped with Core i5 8250U CPU which offers four physical cores and eight threads, all while maintaining an average TDP of just 15 watts. The previous generation i.e., the 7th generation Core i5 7200U which can be found in many laptops, has two cores and four threads – half the cores and threads compared to the 8250U – but it consumes the exact same amount of power.

It means that for the exact amount of power consumed, you get twice the multitasking power in certain applications – certainly, a remarkable generational leap in processor technology.

Coming to its display, the Aspire E 15 model comes with a 15.6″ full HD screen with Acer ComfyView Technology and LED backlight. It weighs just 5.27 pounds (2.39 kg) with the battery installed and comes with the preinstalled Windows 10 Home operating system.

What’s more, the laptop has a decent-sized 8GB RAM and solid state drive data storage with a 256GB capacity. The backlit keyboard and embedded fingerprint scanner are worth mentioning too, especially for the gamers.

Other Specifications

The average battery life is around 11+ hours with moderate usage, which is a lot for a gaming laptop under $600. However, gaming on dedicated graphics may shorten battery life.

Other important aspects which make it the best laptop are: an SD memory card reader, built-in DVD burner, an HD web camera, stereo speakers, Ethernet LAN and Bluetooth connections, Wi-Fi 802.11AC wireless LAN, three USB ports, a combo mic/headphones jack, and a compact USB-C 3.1 connector.

If you have the money, you shouldn’t think twice before buying the Acer Aspire E15 model. You wouldn’t find any other company which would offer i5 8250U processor and NVIDIA MX150 2GB graphics for something as less as 600$. Acer Aspire 5 is definitely one of the best laptops under $600.

PROS:

Lightweight and easy to carry

Good battery life

Good connectivity with various types of ports

Play games smoothly

CONS:

No CD drive

Touchpad could have been smoother

4 – Dell Inspiron 15 FHD – Backlit Keyboard With Easy Bluetooth Connectivity

We must say Dell did a great job with Dell Inspiron 15 Full HD by creating a budget-friendly multimedia/student-oriented laptop. As we all know, Inspiron is considered the most promising series from the house of Dell, and it again delighted us by taking out another great Inspiron model with a competitive edge.

Main Features

It’s truly said that a good look never fails to create a solid first impression. And Dell has done a great job with its design and aesthetic. This silver-looking laptop with the embossed Dell logo at the center gives a neat appearance to the desktop replacement.

Manufacturers have done an amazing job by covering the underside of the base area in metal coating whereas the keyboard, wrist-rest, and screen bezel get a matte black finish to pump up its premium feel.

The laptop features the Intel’s latest 8th Generation Core processor series with running Windows 10 operating system, which can’t be ignored. Customers get the option to choose between the Intel Core i7-8550U and Intel Core i5-8250U. These quad-core chips offer great potential for those who do a lot of processing-intensive work like video file conversion or Adobe Photoshop edits. In short, they will make your laptop run smoothly.

Another interesting fact about the Dell Inspiron 5000 is that it wasn’t aimed at gamers at all. But the Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics lets you play games at high efficiency.

Depending on how many operations you plan to do simultaneously, you can select either 8, 12, or 16 GB of main system memory when buying the laptop. All the sizes are more than sufficient for day-to-day multitasking. The company gives you the option of choosing your storing requirements (1 or 2 TB) as well and solid state drive with 25 or 512 GB capacity.

Other Specifications

One of the reasons why it got included in the list of the best laptops under $600 was its battery life. Dell claims that its 3-cell 42 WHr battery will make sure that you don’t run out of charge while in the middle of a game tournament, in spite of a power cut. And given the fact that it weighs at 4.85lb (2.2 kg), the Inspiron 5000 is quite easy to carry too.

Furthermore, you get a multi-touch screen with 1920×1080-pixel full HD. The 15.6″ size screen exhibits decent picture sharpness. It is further equipped with IPS technology for wide viewing angles, which enhances the image quality.

Moving on, the spacious keyboard features backlight keys and a separate numeric keypad for the ease of access. And the 104×81 mm touchpad further allows effortless navigation.

Other features included are a 720p web camera, stereo speakers, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11AC wireless network interface, combo mic/headphones audio jack, HDMI external display connector, two USB 3.1 ports and a USB 2.0, and a microSD memory card reader.

PROS:

Quad-core chips for better efficiency

Stylish look

Lightweight and easy to carry

CONS:

Shorter warranty (Consider getting an extended warranty – but it cost a few more bucks)

5 – ASUS VivoBook F510UA – Keyboard With Fingerprint Sensor Technology

Here is the final masterpiece on our list of best laptops under $600 – ASUS VivoBook F510UA. ASUS has manufactured the model with the latest and most advanced technology. Let’s discuss it in details.

Main Features

The Asus VivoBook F510UA-AH51 is a stunningly looking and fast, yet inexpensive, laptop which features an 8th Generation chipset with the new fast core Intel i5 processor with the turbo boost up to 3.41GHZ.

The 15.6″ screen comes with extra clear HD and the NanoEdge narrow bezel display, which gives you more screen space for better viewing. The innovation is brought up by a superb 80 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Furthermore, the installed IPS wide viewing angles enhance the image quality and deliver smooth and clear visualizations. Running at a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, this is one of the clearest screens we have seen under the $600-budget laptops.

In addition, the laptop is embedded with Intel UHD 620 graphics chip, which lets you have a good gaming experience. It even has visual optimization technology for better-looking graphics. And the best part is that there are several viewing modes, which mean you get to choose whatever works best for you.

And to top it all off, the ASUS VivoBook F510UA-AH51 comes with an anti-glare matte display, which results in accurate and vivid visuals regardless of where you are gaming. You can easily play games while out in the sun in full swing.

Other Specifications

If you talk about its effectiveness, the complete connectivity options with 1TB storage ensure high-end performance. With the latest technology and Intel graphics, this laptop – with its thinner and the smart gaming machine – will meet all your gaming requirements. It comes with the latest Windows 10 version and has an ergonomic chiclet keyboard with a fingerprint sensor.

And the good thing is it only weighs 3.7 pounds so you can easily carry it around wherever you go. This is one of the many reasons why it made to the list of best laptops under $600.

Overall, with a 1TB hard drive and 8GB of RAM which come as standard, the ASUS Vivobook laptop is hard to miss. The ultra-thin laptop has all the connectivity you would expect including the latest USB 3.1 with Type C ports, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, and lightning fast 802.11AC Wi-Fi.

Purchasing an ASUS product is definitely worth the money and effort because of its durability and reliability.

PROS:

Portable device; lightweight

Powerful anti-glare display with zero light bleed and full HD

Latest 8th generation Intel Core i5-8250U 1.6GHz processor

Smooth gaming experience

CONS:

No SSD

Our Final Thoughts

So that was our complete list of five best laptops under $600. We hope that these reviews were informative, and you can now easily pick the one for you.

Gaming on a budget can be tough. Not everyone can spend $1000 on a gaming laptop and thus, we get stuck with only a handful of choices that don’t seem to be the right fit for our budget. That’s why most of us even end up buying a laptop that is good only for the work but not for our gaming needs.

We have tried our best to provide you with a list of the best laptops under $600 which are equipped with the latest features and good reviews from Amazon. Of course, you will have to let go of some of the features if you are looking for a budget-friendly laptop. But it can always be made easier if you purchase the right hardware as it can be upgraded later.

While buying a budget-friendly laptop, we would suggest trying not to compare the above-mentioned laptops with high-end gaming laptops or gaming PCs that cost you somewhere above $1000. You really can’t expect a budget gaming laptop to compete with high-end models available on the market.

Lastly, while taking your pick, don’t forget to zero on the laptop which you can use with ease for the next five years. Technological advancements and new software launches are constantly flooding the market.