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Laptops are getting pricier by the year, with little improvement if you look at it from a layman’s perspective. After all, most computers browse the web, type out some documents and emails, get you through those Netflix marathons, and play music—everything you can already do on your smartphone.
Of course, if you have specific expectations, like gaming or design work, what you’re looking for in a laptop will vary. But despite what you’re told and what the marketing would have you believe, you really don’t need to spend as much as you think.
Expensive vs. Budget Laptops: What’s the Difference?
Don’t get me wrong; expensive laptops are often great. They have much better build quality, are generally lighter, feature better keyboards, trackpads, displays, network connectivity, and the list goes on. A more expensive laptop will get you a much better user experience and, in most cases, more performance.
However, if you’re simply looking to get the most performance out of your money, the most expensive laptop isn’t necessarily the best choice. Depending on what you’re using your laptop for, you might not need all the fancy bells and whistles on a fancy laptop. They’re great to use, and I love them, but I don’t use them all the time.
A lot of laptop manufacturers produce cheaper laptops that have just as much performance as their more expensive laptop lineups. This is especially the case if you’re looking at executive-oriented laptops like the Dell XPS or Lenovo’s ThinkPad lineups. Sometimes, you can get much better performance in a cheaper laptop for a fraction of the cost.
To put things in context, I use an MSI GL-65 Leopard as my daily driver, which I bought over four years ago in December 2020 for roughly $800. The laptop has a Core i5-9300H, 8GB of RAM, a GTX 1650Ti GPU, and 1TB of fairly quick SSD storage.
These specs aren’t top-of-the-line, especially in 2024. However, the laptop still handles most of my daily workload just fine. This includes video editing in Premiere Pro, writing articles for MakeUseOf, a lot of web browsing, programming and web development work, and quite a bit of gaming, too.
The point I’m trying to make is that I bought the laptop that matched my needs, and it’s still working fine four years later. However, my particular model comes with a 100 percent DCIe-P3 display and per-key RGB. I could’ve easily saved over $100-150 on a model without a per-key RGB keyboard (which cost a small fortune to repair a couple of years in), and a slightly lower-spec display, and my experience would’ve largely been the same.
What Are Your Performance Requirements?
One of the first things to consider when buying a new laptop is what you will use it for. If all you’re going to do is run around class to class taking notes and churning out assignments in your dorm, you don’t necessarily need the highest-performing laptop, but one that balances power with battery life.
On the flip side, the choice becomes clear if you do a lot of gaming on the go or any other workload that can take advantage of the increased performance that a better CPU, GPU, more RAM, and better overall specs will bring.
When buying a laptop, you will decide between power and portability. Most new laptops cover the basics, so dial down on specifics and figure out what you’ll be doing most on your laptop. Once you’ve made that decision, go through your options again, and you’ll be surprised at how much you can save.
For example, unless you want to max out settings in every game you play, a gaming laptop in the $600-800 range will give you decent performance. On the other hand, if you want the most battery life possible, eventhis $250 Chromebook from Lenovowill do the job, provided it fits your software requirements. In fact, there areseveral reasons why a Chromebook can be your next laptopand help you save big bucks.
Another thing you need to consider is the age of the hardware you’re coming from. If you upgrade from a 9th- or 10th-Gen Intel processor (or its AMD equivalent) and a GTX-series GPU to an 11th- or 12th-Gen Intel CPU with an RTX GPU, it will feel like a massive upgrade. Intel launched its 14th-Gen CPUs in 2024. But just because 11th-Gen and 12th-Gen hardware is “old,” that doesn’t mean it isn’t capable. A PC with that spec will absolutely crush most day-to-day tasks.
How Much or What I/O Do You Need?
Expensive laptops often eliminate unnecessary ports to be as thin and light as possible. It’s not uncommon to see a Windows laptop with only USB-C ports and a headphone jack. If you’re considering a MacBook, you’re definitely going to have to buy some dongles.
While buying a cheap dongle and throwing it in your backpack might not seem like a lot of work, it can cause a ton of hassle if you forget to take it with you or it breaks down when you’re out and about.
This is why it’s important to consider what I/O you need on your laptop. If you need a couple of USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, and a full-size SD card reader, a cheaper laptop might be a better option.
Upgradability
A big reason my MSI laptop has lasted me so long is that I was able to upgrade my RAM and add another SSD for extra storage. On an expensive laptop, you’ll probably be able to swap out your SSD, but that’s about it.
Once again, the reason is the form factor that expensive laptops take. They’re often built to be as thin and light as possible, and that means compacting the system components as much as the manufacturer can. This means that components like the RAM, Wi-Fi card, and sometimes even storage are directly soldered to the motherboard, leaving no room for upgrades or replacements.
It does have a few advantages. For example, soldered LPDDR5X memory is way faster than the swappable RAM modules on a budget laptop. But this forces you to pick a configuration at purchase, which will often drive the cost of the laptop significantly higher. Eventually, you’ll end up paying more than the performance you’re getting.
That said, the upcomingLPCAMM2 RAM type is a game changer, and I want it in my next laptop. However, it’ll take time for it to trickle down to budget laptops.
What About Repair Costs?
As more expensive laptops tend to have everything soldered to a motherboard, their repair costs are also more expensive. If you crack a screen or damage your keyboard, the repair can cause quite a dent in your wallet.
On the other hand, with cheaper laptops, you generally get cheaper parts that are easily available, and you’ll find plenty of them around. They’re also easier to work on, making repairs much cheaper.
However, keep in mind that this might vary from region to region. Unless you can find a good repair shop that knows what they’re doing, your repair bill might end up closer to the cost of the laptop itself. Such repairs usually happen in the event of a dead motherboard or other catastrophic failure on your laptop, which, as you can guess, are few and far between. Regardless, upgrading to a new machine in such cases might be better.
Don’t Underestimate the Peace of Mind a Cheaper Laptop Brings
This is an extension to the repair costs I mentioned earlier, but with a budget laptop, you don’t have to worry too much about scuffing or otherwise incurring daily wear and tear. The laptop will still do everything you ask of it as long as you get the right configuration, and you’ll be less worried while carrying it around.
It’s akin to wearing a very expensive watch versus wearing a Casio. Both tell the time, but you won’t worry about scratching your Casio as much as your Rolex.
Overall, using a cheaper laptop can often be the better alternative. As long as you spec your laptop properly, it should function fine in the performance department regardless of the price tag. Sure, you won’t get that metal chassis, glass-top trackpad, and other features that make us love expensive laptops, but if you’re just looking for a machine that gets the job done, you don’t have to spend much.
