Laptops Under 400 Dollars

Before I go any further, for those of you who are not so technically inclined I would recommend taking a second to checkout CNet's laptop buying guide. It really is an excellent resource if you're not sure what to look out for when buying a laptop written in pure non techie english. Fellow geeks please feel free to ignore.

Below you will find a list of laptops under 400 dollars. This list was put together based on sales, user reviews and critic reviews in order to help you find your ultimate match. Remember to follow the links to read reviews for each laptop before you get too trigger happy.

This list is kept up to date with every few months so rest assured all the laptops you see are fresh off the market.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e makes for a great business , home or professional laptop The specs are decent enough to tun some fairly CPU intensives apps and still provide fast performance and most importantly, it's a serious bargain. 2GB of RAM ensure that multi-tasking won't leave your computer hanging (within reason) and a Radeon HD 3200 provides great entry level graphics for the hobbyist gamer.

Full specs include:

• Brand Name: Lenovo


• Item Height : 9.50 inches


• Item Width : 15.50 inches


• Screen Size: 11.60 inches


• Processor Brand: AMD


• Processor Type: AMD Athlon


• Processor Count: 1


• RAM Size: 2048 MB


• Computer Memory Type: DIMM


• Graphics Processor: ATI Radeon HD 3200


• Wireless Type: 802.11n


• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional

This laptop makes for the perfect all around entry laptop and provides great value for money as well as the build quality and performance that Leonovo is reowned for. The ThinkPad X100e comes highly recommended.

ThinkPad X100e Reviews

The AS5552-7677 is a quad core machine with some serious power at a bargain price:

• Brand Name: Acer


• Series: Aspire


• Color : Black


• Item Height : 1.33 inches


• Item Width : 14.99 inchesScreen Size: 15.6 inches


• Display Resolution Maximum: 1366 x 768 pixels


• Processor Brand: AMD


• Processor Type: Phenom Quad-Core


• Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz


• Memory Technology: SDRAM


• Maximum Memory Supported : 8 GB


• Hard Drive Size: 320 GB


• Hard Disk Description: SATA


• Graphics Coprocessor: ATI Radeon 4250


• Graphics Card Ram Size: 256 MB


• Wireless Type: 802.11bgn


• Number of USB 2.0 Ports : 3


• Optical Drive Type: 8X DVD


• Card Reader: Secure Digital card


• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit


• Average Battery Life (in hours) : 3 hours

Acer Aspire AS5552-7677 15.6-Inch Laptop

This laptop is perfect for anyone with gaming or other CPU hungry applications in mind. A Radeon graphics card and up to 8GB of RAM mean this bad boy will handle some heavy weight games and provide a lightning fast operating speed.

The AS5253-BZ602 is another extremely popular entry level laptop under 400 dollars from Acer. Features include a Dual Core AMD processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, an ATI Radeon HD 6310 Graphics card and a 768p LED display making this laptop great for gaming or entertainment.

Full specs include:

• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium - 64-bit version


• AMD Dual-Core Processor E-350 (1.60GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
  


• 2GB DDR3 1066 SDRAM


• 250GB hard drive


• 15.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystal LED LCD display (1366 x 768)


• ATI Radeon HD 6310 Graphics

The Radeon 6310 coupled with the dual core CPU allows entry level gamers solid performance at a rock bottom price and with an extra 2GB RAM upgrade this mini-beast will cruise through some decent titles. With a 250GB harddrive it's also well suits to storing movies and music for the casual user.

Acer AS5253-BZ602 Reviews

The Lenovo G570 43344JU is a stellar laptop under 400 dollars for the business or student user. Lenovo , who are partnered with IBM. Lenovo laptops are built like none other and the build quality is exceptional. They are tested above and beyond industry standards for durability and performance and have excellent resell value.

Full specs include:

• Numeric keypad for easier data logging and gaming


• 2GB DDR3 Memory, 320 GB HDD Storage


• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit


• Intel Pentium B940 Dual Core processor


• 15.6" HD Screen (1366 x 768), 16:9 widescreen LCD


• 15.6" HD Screen (1366 x 768), 16:9 widescreen LCD, Intel HD Graphics


• 2GB DDR3 Memory


• 320 GB HDD Storage, Integrated DVD reader/writer


• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

The G570 may not have as powerful specs as some other options but for the business or student users who needs a solid and durable laptops then I couldn't recommend this laptop enough.

The Acer AS5253-BZ893 is one of the most popular entry level laptops on the market today and for good reason. With a Dual Core AMD processor, 3GB DDR3 memory, an ATI Radeon HD 6250 Graphics Card , and an LED display the performance this laptop has to offer at the asking price is a steal! HDMI output included - a perfect entry level Business or Gaming PC, one of the best out there.

Acer AS5253-BZ893 Video Review

The C655-S5123 from Toshiba's C650 series offers fairly average power in terms of performance, with an Intel Celeron 2.3 GHz CPU and 2GB DDR2 RAM, and is was clearly designed with more casual users in mind. Weighing in at 7.7 pounds it's not the most portable machine either, but all cons aside it still packs a bunch of useful features. Solid build quality, a vibrant LCD display and a high quality webcam, including Toshiba's very own Face Recognition software, are just a few of the areas were this machine excels.

Toshiba Satellite Reviews

An entry level laptop for HP, the G62-355dx offer excellent value for money but reviewers have criticized it for somewhat sluggish performance , an average battery life, and lack of features. On the plus side though the G62-355dx offer an excellent LED laptop display, a light and portable build, and an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics card for entry level gaming. Perfect for the casual user without much need for CPU intensive applications.

HP G62-355dx Reviews

The Compaq CQ56-115DX is another popular entry level laptop under 400 dollars from Compaq. I would suggest checking out this excellent review for a full breakdown on what it has to offer. The crux of it though is that the CQ56-115DX offer excellent built quality , but with only a single core processor and limited connectivity options is better suited as an office workstation than anything else.

Compaq Presario CQ56-115DX Reviews

The Compaq CQ62-410US is an affordable laptop with some great features. It boasts a 768 p LED display, Intel GMA 4500M graphics, a 250GB Harddrive and a DVD RW. On the downside the laptops CPU is only a single core Celeron so it's not ideal for intensive applications and it is missing some features we take for granted today such as a webcam and HDMI output. A great bargain nonetheless though.

Compaq Presario CQ62-410US Reviews

Yet another offering from Acer , the the AS1430Z-4677 has similar specs to the models above with the main difference being an Intel U5600 Dual Core CPU as opposed to the AMD CPU in the Acer models above. However , this comes at the cost of the Radeon graphics card, as the AS1430Z-4677 only offers onboard Intel HD Graphics, quite a bit below par compared with the Radeon cards, as well as a non LED display. Some however might say this is worth it for the Intel chipsets reliability - a highly contested topic to say the least!

Acer AS1430Z-4677 Reviews

The Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5336 is a great budget laptop for general home , entertainment or business use. It's not very well suited to gamers, with a single core AMD processor and no GPU . However, with 3GB of RAM and a 320GB harddrive if you are looking for a portable work machine or home entertainment laptop for storing music and other media than the C655D will suit your needs perfectly.

Full specs include:

• AMD E Series Processor E-450 1.65 GHz, 1MB Cache


• Configured with 3GB DDR3 1333MHz (max 8GB)


• 320GB (5400 RPM); Serial ATA hard disk drive


• 15.6" diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LED display at 1366 x 768 native resolution (HD)


• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with a 6 cell/48Wh Lithium Ion battery pack; Battery Life (measured by MobileMark 2007): 5 hours, 56 minutes

A 15.6 inch LED screen makes for a great viewing experience and the Sattelite range from Toshiba is also built with portability and convenience in mind. Overall an excellent buy for anyone looking for a bargain laptop under 400 dollars , and best of all it is currently on special on Amazon.com for the Christmas season making it an excellent gift that won't break the bank!

Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5336 Reviews