Best Cheap Laptops: Diamonds in the Rough

Even if you don't have the budget for the latest and greatest notebook you might be surprised by some of the value-priced laptops on the market. We took a look at some of the budget laptops priced at $599 or less and available near you.

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I'm surprised the Asus Transformer Book T100 didn't make an appearance in the list. IMO it's one of the most versatile budget ultraportables running full Windows: far more utility than a Chromebook, with the flexibility of a laptop/tablet hybrid.

 

The T100 is, IMO, the best value out there right now. Bay Trail, IPS touchscreen display, keyboard dock, SSD storage with SD expansion, and a full version of Office Home & Student, all for $350. Insane. Every middle-class and working-class parent of an elementary or middle schooler who is saying "my kid wants a tablet, but I want them to have a proper computer for schoolwork" should be buying one of these.

 

only thing stopping me from buying one is the cheapness in the use of materials, would pay an extra 100 to get some better materials used, can't imagine a kid using it, seemed very fragile

 

I agree entirely!

strangely the three of them in our household now may seem budget built but after a few months on mine it seems much more durable than a premium machine like my MacBook Air 11". I thought it a cheap toy for the first couple weeks as well and now it is a necessary piece of my on the go gear

 

After handling one for a few minutes, I'd say the materials are indeed cheap (can't really expect much more for $300-350), but I don't really feel durability is an issue. It seems like it'd take a good amount of normal wear and tear.

 

true but i would have expected some similarities to the android transformer tablet which had a nice finish to it that i owned, the price was similar but granted it didn't have the nicest hardware like the t100 offers, which is really why I am on the fence about the t100, it's almost perfect for me for school because the battery life/price/screen/full OS and want to replace my t61p.

 

The T100 looks like a really nice machine actually. My question is I require an ethernet port for work. Any good quality USB adapters that will work with this thing for IT server room uses?