A Fast Laptop

Best Windows Laptops Under $500

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Why we like this one: If the other options are unavailable or cost more than $500, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R9YK is another solid 15-inch Windows laptop. Its fast enough to handle most workloads, and its 15-inch 1920×1080 screen looks vivid and bright, which is an achievement compared with many Windows laptops in this price range. It has a decentbut not great, and not backlitkeyboard with a built-in number pad, a responsive trackpad, and one USB-C port. The Aspire 5 also has a few more hours of battery life than our other Windows picks it lasted 9 hours 41 minutes in our tests.

Where it falls short: The Aspire 5 is big and heavy, so despite its long battery life its not especially convenient to use on the go. And like most inexpensive Windows laptops, it comes with a ton of unnecessary bloatware that takes up space and slows down performance. We recommend running Microsofts Refresh Windows tool to remove those unnecessary programs and make your laptop feel faster, and to help it be more secure. It also lacks a fingerprint reader, and its keyboard isnt as satisfying as that of the Asus VivoBook models above.

Best Fastest & Most Powerful Laptops For Graphic Designers In 2021

When we started to look around at some of the most powerful laptops that you can purchase these days, we wanted to make sure that we provided you with a complete list of all the options that you have.

In our estimation, the list below has the most comprehensive collection of powerful laptops available this year. If youd like to see our review on each, please keep reading below.

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We break down laptops into three basic categories by weight, with some overlap: ultraportables , mid=”” weight=”” =”” and=”” desktop=”” replacements=”” .< =”” p=””>

Ultraportables used to mean expensive, full-featured, yet light laptops. But now, even Sony’s Vaio Z has disappeared from the market, leaving it to Intel’s ultrabooks and the MacBook Air. Occupying the 11- to 14-inch space, these laptops can now genuinely claim great portability with minimal performance sacrifice, thanks to SSDs and reasonably speedy dual-core CPUs. Going for between AU$799 and AU$2800, depending on build quality, aesthetics, screen quality and storage capacity, they usually come with good battery life. They’re generally not gaming or high performance machines, but should address most of your everyday tasks.

Mid-weight laptops are going through a transition. This has typically been dominated by 15.6-inch budget laptops under AU$1000, but you can get everything from your basic budget laptop up to a powerful gaming laptop. They’re usually bristling with ports and will have a DVD or Blu-ray drive built in. Unlike ultraportables, you’ll usually get a dedicated graphics card here , lots of ports and you should be able to get quad-core CPUs with little worry.

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Best On A Budget: Lenovo Flex 5 14

If youre tight for cash but still want a laptop appropriate for travel, there arent many good options. Machines tend to be big and heavy, with poor battery life and specifications, and are often made from cheap materials that dont stand up well to life on the road.

One of the few to buck the trend is the Lenovo Flex 5 14, a 2-in-1 device thats surprisingly affordable for what it offers. Because the screen folds backward to let you use it in stand or tablet mode, its a much better option for watching shows on long flights than a standard laptop.

The design of most budget laptops is usually an afterthought at best, but thats not the case here. The Flex 5 14 is an attractive device, that looks and feels far more expensive than it actually is.

Its specifications, too, are better than youd expect. While many budget machines skimp on things like RAM and storage, youll get an impressive 16GB/256GB thats better than what comes by default in many more expensive laptops.

The Vega 6 graphics card consumes some of that memory, but even so, this laptop is a solid performer thats easily capable of handling most tasks youll throw at it.

The Flex 5 14 isnt as thin as some of its more expensive competition, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. The extra depth means theres room for an inbuilt card reader, along with a USB-C and two USB-A ports for connecting other accessories. Oddly theres a round power socket on the side of the laptop, but it ships with a USB-C charger.

The Best Macbook Pro For Everyday Users

If youre looking to buy an M1 MacBook for heavier workloads, youll want to look at the late-2020 MacBook Pro. It starts at $1,299, which is $300 more than the late-2020 MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro has a slightly different design and look than the Air, as well as a few additional features like the Touch Bar. But the two have the same processor. The main difference is that the Pro includes a fan , which means it can sustain heavy workloads for a longer period of time without needing to throttle its performance. But you wont notice much of a performance difference between the two MacBooks unless youre routinely pushing heavy tasks for long periods of time.

If thats you, though, go for the Pro. We were able to run a number of hefty Premiere Pro exports and didnt see a dip in times. The Pro also achieved a significantly higher score than the Air in a 30-minute loop of Cinebench R23 the scores were closer together after a single run.

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How To Enable Fast Startup On Windows 10

To enable Windows 10 fast startup, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, the next time you start the device, you should notice faster boot times.

Keeping Things Running Smoothly

Once youve cleaned up your computer by implementing some of the tips above, no doubt youll want to keep it running at top speed. To avoid getting frustrated with lackluster performance, its a good idea to schedule a monthly cleanup. Use the above list of tips as a handy checklist and youre all set.

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Clear Your Internet Cache

Much like those pesky files clogging your hard drive, there are even more hidden items taking up space through your internet cache. Clearing them out regularly can free up a couple of gig’s worth of storage, noticeably speeding up your laptop.

How to clear internet cache on most browsers

The easiest way to clear temporary files from your internet cache is to go through your individual browsers, including Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge, and access the Settings tab.

Regardless of the browser, finding Clear History, Clear Data and Clear Cache will take moments. Follow the directions presented, which is usually a click or two of a button commanding the deletion of all the data. Once that is done, you’ll have freed more space through your cache, increasing your laptop’s performance.

How to delete internet cache on Safari for Mac

It’s slightly different for Safari users. With Apple’s browser, all you need to do is click on Preferences and then click the Privacy tab. Keep in mind that Apple deletes all cookie caches after you visit a website.

However, once you are on the Privacy tab, you have three options to help you maintain a clear cache:

Defragment The Hard Drive

If your laptop uses a hard drive, it might need to be defragged. Because HDDs access information sequentially, having information in multiple places increases the time the drive takes to access the information. Defragmenting your hard drive moves data that is on the drive into a logical formation, making it quicker to access.

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How Much Ram Does A Laptop Need

RAM is an important specification to look for in a laptop. Youll want 4GB at the very least for a Windows laptop though wed actually recommend for many people to go for 8GB. That will ensure that the laptop runs well for years to come. Budget Chromebooks can get away with less RAM, such as 1GB or 2GB.

The Best Laptop In 2021 For Big

Even if youve used a light laptop before, its difficult to explain how light the LG Gram 17 is. It has a massive 17-inch display, but its somehow only three pounds. Picking it up messes with your mind you feel like youre not holding anything.

But the Gram 17s weight isnt the only standout feature. It also has some of the best battery life you can get, lasting over 12 hours in our testing. Add a great keyboard, a solid port selection, quiet fans, and a fast processor, and theres very little not to like about this device.

Not everyone needs a 17-inch display, and many folks who do are looking for a heavier-duty workstation that probably doesnt get moved very often. But if youd just really like a large screen for your daily office work and Netflixing, youre the target demographic for this machine. Its a niche, but truly impressive device without much real competition in todays market.

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The Best Laptops For Going Back To School

Back to school season has arrived, and you may be searching for a new laptop that’s well-suited to the demands of a full day of classes. That means you probably want something that’s light enough to carry all day and efficient enough to last through a full day at school on a single charge.

While you can’t go wrong with the Dell XPS 13, the Asus Zenbook 13 is a slightly better choice when you need a laptop for school. It’s light, has incredible 15-hour battery life, and is speedy enough to handle pretty much any homework you throw at it. Plus, the OLED display is gorgeous, and the Zenbook is reliably a few hundred bucks cheaper than the XPS 13 with OLED.

The Best Laptop For Business Travel

In many ways, the ThinkPad X1 Nano is a run-of-the-mill ThinkPad. Its got a solid sturdy chassis, discrete clickers, a physical privacy shutter, a red TrackPoint in the middle of the keyboard, and all kinds of business-specific security and management features.

But the Nano is special because its the lightest ThinkPad Lenovo has ever made. Its also one of the lightest laptops you can buy, at just 1.99 pounds. Youre not sacrificing performance to get that mindblowing weight: The Nano kept up with our heavy testing workloads without any fan noise or noticeable heat. If youre looking for a reliable business laptop that will feel like nothing in your briefcase, this is the one for you.

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The Best Multimedia Laptop

Most thin and light laptops share one significant weakness thin, tinny audio. Thats not the case with the Lenovo Yoga 9i. This 14-inch convertible has a rotating soundbar in its hinge, meaning that no matter how its positioned, the speakers face outwards. You can expect clear, booming sound whether youre using the 9i in tablet, tent, or clamshell mode.

Theres a lot more to like as well. You get an excellent 1080p touch display and a built-in stylus for easy artwork and note-taking. The 11th-Gen processors deliver satisfactory performance and all-day battery life. The audio quality, screen, and convertible form factor all add up to an unbeatable machine for multimedia entertainment.

Laptop Buying Advice: How To Choose The Best Laptop For You

The laptop market continues to evolve, with new components and price pressure from low-end Chromebooks meaning you can now get more bang for your buck than ever before: it really is a great time to be choosing a laptop.

Picking the best laptop for 2021 for you is all about compromise, though if you want something as powerful as possible, then it’s going to be bigger and less easy to lug around on your travels. If you want something slim and ultra-light, then you simply can’t pack in as many components.

Another important consideration is which operating system you’re going to go with: you may already have a favorite, but Windows is best for gaming, macOS is great for creatives, and Chrome OS is brilliant as a lightweight computing platform. Look at the strengths and weaknesses of each before committing.

Make sure you’ve weighed up exactly what you need to do with your laptop and the features that it needs to have before parting with any cash otherwise you could be looking for an upgrade sooner rather than later.

Of course, price is going to play a big part in your decision-making as well, and with that in mind, we’ve included links to all the latest and greatest deals on the web for easy reference. Keep checking back here often as we update our guide with newer models.

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Mac Windows Or Something Else

The operating system should be your first major consideration. While traditionally that debate was dominated by Apples MacOS and Microsofts Windows, Googles Chrome OS is now a very popular alternative typically offered on much more affordable laptops.

While there are certainly comparable hardware and features offered with these platforms, there are some stark differences between them that are important to consider.

Dell G5 Se Gaming Laptop

Why you should buy this: Its the best budget gaming laptop.

Who its for: Gamers, and only gamers.

Why we picked the Dell G5 SE:

Although the best gaming laptops are typically expensive, the Dell G5 SE is a great example of why they dont need to be. Starting at just under $900, you get an AMD Ryzen 5 4500H CPU, an AMD Radeon RX 5600M graphics chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, with options for faster CPUs, more powerful graphics, extra and faster storage, and memory if you dont mind spending a little more. Every model comes with a 15.6-inch, 1080p IPS display. For $1,049, youll get a fantastic machine with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and the faster Ryzen 7 4800H.

With a decent build quality and surprisingly good gaming performance that rivals laptops with Nvidias GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, the G5 SE offers an all-around solid gaming package at an impressively competitive price. It does have its weak points, most notably a less than stunning display its dull, but it offers a fast 144Hz refresh rate thats great for gaming.

The keyboard is surprisingly good and offers RGB lighting for $30 more, and overall there are fewer sacrifices than expected to keep the price down on such a capable gaming machine.

There are far better gaming laptops out there, but wed struggle to find one thats as powerful as Dells G5 SE at this price point. Its a fantastic, budget gaming machine.

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Best Buy Customers Often Prefer The Following Products When Searching For Fast Pc Laptops

Browse the top-ranked list of Fast Pc Laptops below along with associated reviews and opinions.

Browse the top-ranked list of Fast Pc Laptops below along with associated reviews and opinions.

The Best Laptop For Students

Lenovos Chromebook Duet is a great convertible laptop for kids, or anyone who wants a reliable secondary driver for browsing and games. Its a nice-looking, well-made 10-inch device that comes with a detachable keyboard and kickstand.

The Duet is tailor-made to be used around the house and on the go, weighing just 2.03 pounds and delivering over 11 hours of battery life. Its MediaTek processor isnt designed to shoulder heavy loads, but its just fine for browsing in a couple tabs, watching Netflix, or playing Android games it even handles photo editing pretty well. The Duet also features a new tablet mode for Chrome OS, which supports an Android-inspired gesture navigation system and a unique Chrome layout optimized for tablet use.

The Chromebook Duet is an absolute steal for its low price, and is the Chromebook to buy if youre on a tight budget.

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