The following is a list of some the best budget laptops out there:

1. Acer Aspire V5 – Don’t be fooled by the size of this 11-inch ultraportable. The Acer Aspire V5 packs the power of a full fledged laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor, a 500GB hard drive and a 6GB RAM. All this makes for a high performance laptop, one you can use with equal ease at your office or at a coffee shop. Having said as much, there are a few limitations primarily due to its small size- the keypad is a tad bit uncomfortable to use and the same goes for the touch pad. Both of these need a little getting used to. Nevertheless, the Acer Aspire V5, priced at under $500, offers complete value for money.

2. Sony Vaio E Series – The Sony Vaio E Series SVE11113FXW is also an 11-inch ultraportable, ideal for the frequent flyer. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz AMD E2-1800 processor and comes with 500GB hard drive and 4GB RAM. Again, the size might be a bother initially but once you get used to it, it stops being a problem at all. The laptop is available for $449 and has a surprisingly decent battery life.

3. HP Envy Sleekbook 6 - Price wise, the HP Envy Sleekbook falls somewhere around the margins of the category we are discussing as it is priced as close to $600. On the bright side, it is the best looking laptop you will find for that price. It boasts of a 2.1 GHz AMD processor with 4GB memory and 500GB hard drive. As added benefits, it comes with decent graphics and audio output as well.

4. Dell Inspiron 14z- The biggest USP of the Dell Inspiron 14z is the second generation Intel Core i3 processor which is difficult to find in this price category. Just like all the other laptops mentioned here, it comes with 500GB hard drive and 4GB RAM. As the name indicates, it is a 14-inch laptop which means that the size should not be a problem. At the same time, it is not a bulky laptop and can be carried around pretty easily. Just like the previous model, it is a little towards the expensive side and is available for close to $600.

1: Lenovo IdeaPad Z575

When it comes to build quality, budget laptops tend to throw it out the window. The Z575, however, does not. It has a solid chassis with a metallic finish and all-around sturdy construction that, honestly, looks great. But its beauty is more than skin deep. When it comes to performance per dollar, the Z575 is one of the best options out there.

The models with the quad-core AMD A8-3500m processor carry a list price starting at $550 but can be found as low as $500. The A8 processor is nothing short of amazing for the price. HD videos are a breeze (even 1080p YouTube videos which are taxing to even performance laptops). Being quad-core, multitasking and productivity are no sweat either, and thanks to the integrated Radeon GPU, moderate gaming is possible too.

2: Dell Inspiron 14z

The Inspiron 14z is a very well balanced laptop. Its 14-inch display is slightly smaller than most budget laptops, but if portability is what you’re after, that’s a good thing. The Intel Core i3-2330M processor isn’t well suited for gaming, but it excels at just about everything else. The base configuration is currently available at $550, and you can even add a backlit keyboard while staying under $600. As far as design is concerned, Dell did an excellent job keeping things practical yet elegant.

3: Asus A53E

The Asus A53E (specifically the NS51 and AS51 models) is a processing powerhouse. The Intel Core i5-2450M processor really is the best you can find for under $600, and it’s no slouch. It’ll actually keep up well with $1000+ laptops. This makes the A53E ideal for heavy multitasking and productivity, although its lack of a discrete class GPU does make it less suited for gaming. Apart from its stellar processing performance, it also carries Asus’ 1-year full accidental damage warranty.

4: Acer Aspire 5750G

Much like the Z575, the Aspire 5750G (in particular, the AS5750G-6873 model) is an excellent all-around performer. The Intel Core i3-2330M paired with an Nvidia GT 520M GPU perform very similarly to the AMD A8, capable of handling anything from web browsing to moderate gaming. At $599, it’s slightly more expensive than the Z575, though it really comes down to personal preference between AMD and Intel.

5: Acer Aspire 7739G-6676

For those who prefer a larger screen, the Aspire AS7739G-6676 is an excellent choice. It has a 17.3-inch display with a 1600×900 resolution, which is rare for a laptop priced just under $600. It also features the Intel Core i5-480M processor which, while slightly older than current offerings, is quite fast. The Nvidia GT 610M GPU is very power efficient and yields similar video/graphics performance as the GT 520M and AMD A8. All-in-all, it’s an excellent choice for anyone who wants a bit more screen at a lot less price.

There are of course countless more laptops on the market for less than $600, especially with the flux of daily deals and discounts. Laptops featuring the AMD A8 processor are supremely well balanced for everything from online browsing to 3D gaming, and are almost certainly a steal if found under $600. Similar is true for Intel i5 systems, especially if they’re paired with some sort of discrete graphics chip.