The best laptops under $500: Affordable options we'd actually buy in 2024

When you're on the hunt for the best laptop under $500, you need to be careful.In the highly competitive laptop market, you get what you pay for. That means it can be very dangerous to buy a "cheap" laptop. Choose wrongly, and you'll be stuck with a slow, outdated computer that causes more problems than it solves. Mashable regularly tests the best affordable laptops overall, but if $500 is your upper limit, then you're going to be priced out of some popular budget laptops. But even then, we stil