Cheap Laptops: Reviews

Updated June 2009

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Best cheap laptop

*Est. $600 Compare Prices

Whether you want a cheap laptop for home, school or business, reviews say that the Gateway MD7801u can deliver the goods thanks to its ample 15.6-inch display, a modern Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard… drive and a DVD burner. Complaints are relatively few, though some say it's on the heavy side for comfortable travel and that the case seems to attract fingerprints. Graphics and gaming performance aren't good, but that's expected given the lack of a discrete graphics card -- and typical of most laptops in its price class. The MD7801u features a black case, but it is also available in burgundy as the Gateway MD7818u.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Notebook Review.com: This anonymous NotebookReview.com editor puts the Gateway MD7818u (identical to the MD7801u except for color) through its paces ...

CNet.com: CNET tests nearly 24 retail laptops and names the Gateway MD7818u (and MD7801u) as its favorite in the budget category. Weak ...

Computer Shopper: Though the reviews here aren't the meatiest around, they are testing based and reasonably complete. The Gateway MD7801u scores ...

Laptop Magazine: The Gateway MD7801u earns a spot on Laptop Magazine's list of 10 recommended budget laptops and a four-star rating. This review ...

BestBuy.com: Although the identical (except for color) Gateway MD7801u didn't attract many user reports since our last visit, there are more ...

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Small and light budget laptop

Gateway UC7807u

*Est. $700 Compare Prices

Though it's chunkier and slightly heavier than those oh-so-sophisticated (and expensive) ultrathin ultraportable laptops, the 13.3-inch Gateway UC7807u is still a small and lightweight traveling companion, and it won't… take nearly as big a bite out of your wallet. In keeping with its upscale competition, styling is attractive, with a putty-colored industrial-flavored exterior. There's also plenty of horsepower under the hood thanks to a Core 2 Duo CPU, 3 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive. Extras include a webcam, 4-in-1 memory card reader, HDMI output, Wi-Fi and more.

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Laptop Magazine: Laptop Magazine awards the Gateway UC7807U a four-star rating and a spot on its list of 10 recommended budget laptops. Battery ...

PCMag.com: PCMag.com isn't quite as taken with the Gateway UC7807u as some other reviewers. Price and design are seen as pluses, but ...

Computer Shopper: ComputerShopper.com names the Gateway UC7807u as one of the top five budget laptops. Although the laptop isn't as light as some ...

PC World: The Gateway UC7807u scores solidly here. Styling and performance are both complimented, as is the price, which is called ...

CNet.com: Joshua Goldman calls the Gateway UC7807u "not quite thin, not quite light, but still plenty portable." Battery life and overall ...

Wired.com: Brian Gardiner finds some nits to pick. Battery, gaming performance and weight are the biggest negatives, though a shot is also ...

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No-frills laptop

HP G60-230US

*Est. $550 Compare Prices

Among the cheapest laptops, the HP G60-230US and very similar HP G60-235DX offer the best blend of value and performance. The Pentium dual-core processor is older technology, and a step down from the Core 2 Duo processors… found in more costly machines, but also a step up from the weaker processors more typically found in similarly priced laptops. The rest of the feature lineup is solid, and includes 3 GB of RAM, a 320 GB hard drive, a 16-inch display and a DVD burner. Some worthwhile extras -- such as an ExpressCard slot -- are missing, and battery life could be better, but experts and users say you'd be hard-pressed to find a better performer at the same price.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNet.com: CNET reviews nearly 24 retail laptops and names the HP G60-235DX as the best option among entry level laptops. Features and ...

About.com: About.com's guide to PC hardware looks at the HP G60-230US and comes away only modestly impressed. Mark Kyrnin decries some of ...

BestBuy.com: The HP G60-235DX racks up an impressive number of user reports here and an even more impressive level of owner satisfaction. ...

NewEgg.com: While Newegg.com doesn't host as many user-written reviews as Best Buy.com, owner satisfaction also seems high, with over 90 ...

Amazon.com: Amazon.com is another destination for user-written reports about the HP G60-230US. A few negative reports can be found, but ...

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J&R Music and Computer World

for $499.99

Toshiba Satellite A305-S6916 *Est. $750

2 picks by top review sites.

Toshiba Satellite A305-S6905 *Est. $600

2 picks by top review sites.

Toshiba Satellite A355-S6925 *Est. $730

2 picks by top review sites.

Dell Inspiron I15-157B *Est. $600

2 picks by top review sites.

HP Pavilion dv5-1235dx *Est. $700

2 picks by top review sites.

Gateway MD2601u/MD2614u *Est. $500

2 picks by top review sites.


	Toshiba Satellite A355-S6925 16.0-Inch Laptop from Amazon.com New: $649.99 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Dell Inspiron 15 (I15-157B) Notebook Laptop - Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 2.0GHz, 4GB DDR2 Memory, 320GB Serial ATA HD, 15.6" WXGA, Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive, Built-in webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium from Amazon.com Average Customer Review:


	Gateway MD2614u Laptop Notebook PC - AMD Turion X2 RM-72 dual-core 2.1GHz, 3GB DDR2 Memory, 250GB HD, 15.6" WXGA, Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW Drive, Built-in webcam with microphone, Windows Vista Home Premium from Amazon.com New: $569.95 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

Cheap Laptops: Reviews

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