Cheap laptops (350-700 USD)

Cheap laptops are good for the basic computing tasks (browsing the Net, e-mail, listening to music, watching movies...). While they are a bit more expensive than netbooks, they have higher performance, optical drive and, as keyboard and screen are larger, they are more comfortable to use as your main computer. They usually have 15-inch screens, but if you are going to use them as main computer and you are going to keep it on your desk, it could be a good idea to go for a laptop with 17-inch screen, even if it's a bit more expensive. Cheap laptops usually have an acceptable build quality and have short battery life (2-3 h).

Cheap laptop for gaming
Asus K50ID . Recommended price: 679 USD
	5.7 lbs (2.6 kg), 15.6-inch display (1366x768)
	2 h battery life (6 cells, estimated browsing the Net)
	Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500 (2.3 GHz)
	Nvidia GeForce GT 320M (1 GB)
	320 GB HD (5400 rpm), 4 GB RAM DDR3
	HDMI, numeric keypad
	Specifications: Asus
	Reviews: About.com, Newegg (customer opinions)
A few purchase options: USA: Newegg UK (Core 2 Duo T6570): Amazon, Laptops Direct, Micro Direct
Alternatives Compal KHLB2: it sports an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 and you can customize it from 679 USD at Xotic PC. The Pentium processor is a bit slow. At a similar price point you have the Acer Aspire 5740G with an Intel Core i3 330M that's quite faster, and an ATI MR HD 5470 that is quite slower, but for older games is OK. You can buy it at Buy.com.

*Customizable* cheap laptop
Dell Inspiron 15. Recommended price: from 379 USD
	5.8 lbs (2.6 kg), 15.6-inch display (1366x768)
	2.5-3 h battery life (6 cells, estimated browsing the Net)
	Intel Celeron 900 (single core, 2.2 GHz), up to Core i3-330M (dual core, 2.1 GHz)
	Intel GMA 4500MHD up to HD 5450 (1 GB)
	160 GB HD (5400 rpm), up to 500 GB; 2 GB RAM DDR2/3, up to 4 GB
	Customizable. Choice of colours. I'd avoid the Celeron 900 processor.
	Specifications: Dell
	Reviews: CNET, Laptop Magazine, Notebok Review, Notebookcheck, PC Magazine
A few purchase options: USA (customizable): Dell US (customizable). USA (fixed configurations): Best Buy (Intel Pentium, Intel Core i3). UK (customizable): Dell UK (Celeron/Pentium/Core 2, Core i3/i5). UK (fixed configurations): Pixmania (Intel Celeron/Pentium, Intel Core i3).
The Dell Studio 15 (UK link) has better graphics, more options and good speakers. 17-inch: Dell Inspiron 17 (UK links: Core i3/i5, older processors) For businesses: Dell Vostro 1520 (UK link) and 1720 (UK link)

Featured customizable cheap laptop with *AMD processor*
Compaq Presario CQ61z. Recommended price: from 429 USD
	2.7 kg (5.9 lbs), 15.6" screen (1366x768)
	Unknown battery life, probably around 2.5 h browsing the Net
	AMD Sempron M120 (single core, 2.1 GHz), customizable up to AMD Turion II M540 (2.4 GHz)
	ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200
	250 GB HD (7200 rpm), customizable up to 500 GB; 2 GB RAM DDR2, customizable up to 4 GB
	Numeric keypad, optional HDMI
	Specifications: HP.com
	Reviews: none found. Search
A few purchase options: US: HP Store (customizable), The Nerds, PC Mall, PC Connection UK: non customizable. Have a look at the full range at HP Store.
If you choose a low-end dual-core processor you get a cheap laptop with better graphics than comparable Intel alternatives. Better graphics: HP Pavilion dv6z (UK link). Intel processors: HP G60t (UK link), HP Pavilion dv6t (UK link).

Featured cheap laptop
Lenovo G550. Recommended price: 499 USD
	2.5 kg (5.5 lbs), 15.6" screen (1366x768)
	3 h battery life (estimated browsing the Net)
	Intel Pentium Dual Core T4300 (2.1 GHz)
	Intel GMA 4500M
	250 GB HD (5400 rpm), 3 GB RAM DDR3
	Numeric keypad. The graphics card lacks hardware-accelerated HD video decoding, so it's possible to have problems with HD video, specially 1080p.
	Specifications: Lenovo
	Reviews: Notebookcheck, Notebook Review, search more
A few purchase options: US: Buy.com, pcRUSH, The Nerds, PC Mall, PC Connection, mwave.com UK: Laptops Direct, Microwarehouse
Even cheaper: Acer Aspire 5532. The performance of the single-core processor is much lower, but 3 GB of RAM and ATI graphics help a bit and, at 349 USD, you can't ask for more. Buy it at Best Buy.

Tips:

In order to keep prices low they sometimes lack features such as HDMI port, Bluetooth, webcam, ExpressCard slot... You should revise that the laptop you are considering has all the features you need.
They usually have integrated Intel graphics that are not good for games, but in some cases they have low-end ATI or Nvidia graphics cards that are a bit better. If the main use for the laptop is going to be playing games, there are models with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 (it's going to run all the games, but sometimes at medium or low details) at around 700 USD, but jumping to a 800 USD laptop with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 or Nvidia GeForce GT 130M or similar is a good investment.
I don't recommend single-core processors such as the Celeron or Sempron ones, the savings aren not worth the trouble. But if you don't mind the laptop to be slow or your are going to install Linux or Windows XP, there are real bargains at around 350 USD.
In some cases cheap laptops are ignored by sites publishing reviews.

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