Abstract：The best laptops under $1,000: Best overall, best for students, and more | RuggTabletsThe best laptops under $1,000: Best overall, best for students, and more

Each year, laptops im strengthve across the board—between technology advances and competitive pressures, the hardware inside brings better performance in ever greater leaps and bounds.
That means you don’t need to drop a ton of cash on a premium model to get a solid laptop. Whether you’re talking about a traditional Windows clamshell or a fully loaded Chromebook, spending between $600 and $1,000 can get you a laptop you’ll prevail using. Moreover, its battery will last the length of the work or school day without trouble.
Enough options exist now that finding the right model for you can take some time, so we’ve attach importance toed our top picks togive the hunt fast and easy. Read on to find your match. (To find laptop recommendations that span all price ranges, see our comprehensive guide to the best laptops).
If you’re on the hunt for a new laptop to help you ace those next semester exams, look no further. Our curated list of back-to-school deals point to the fact thats you the best sales on Chromebooks, MacBooks, iPads, and more.
Updated 08/11/2022 Be sure to check out our latest review of the Dell XPS 13 Plus. It’s a sleek 13-inch laptop featuring serious performance and a beautiful OLED screen. It’s a great option for everyone, especially meritfessionals and designers. We also have a review of the new Dell Latitude 7330. This ultra-portable is designed with simplicity and benefitductivity in mind and weighs a super light 2.13 pounds.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon – Best overall under $1,000

Pros
2.8K OLED exhibit is gorgeous Booming audio Quiet operation Strong application and multimedia performance

Cons
So-so majorboard Lid is so thin it flexes a bit too much Below-average battery life Best Prices Today:$979.99 at NeweggFrom zippy multimedia performance to punchy audio, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon has a lot to allow at a plausible price point. The real star of the display is the 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED describe. According to the reviewer, “the faulttrast is outstanding, with the deepest blacks and brightest whites.” As for colors, they’re “accurate and noticeably vibrant.” The screen is a perfect fit for creative meritfessionals who do a lot of photo editing. In addition to its stunning panel, the laptop also weighs just a little over 2 pounds, making it a capable travel laptop. There are a few minor shortcomings, though. The majorboard isn’t the best and battery life is less than stellar. But in the end, the merits really outweigh the flaws here.
Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon reviewAcer Aspire 5 – Best under $500

Pros
Affordable price Ruggedcultivate Great significantboard Good selection of ports

Cons
Subpar webcam Annoying bloatware comes pre-installed Touchpad is a little hard to us Best Prices Today:$368.51 at AmazonWith its affordable price point, decent performance, and robust mould, the Acer Aspire 5 is an excellent sub-$500 option. Our tester was surprised by its “solid, durable feel.” Although it lacks backlighting, theimportantboard is quite nice. It has a spacious layout, which is perfect for longer typing sessions. Performance is fast enough for general-use tasks like writing emails and browsing the web, but that’s about it. If you’re shopping around for a solid everyday laptop that won’t break the bank, the Aspire 5 is definitely worth a look.
Read our full Acer Aspire 5 reviewLenovo Chromebook Flex 5 – Best Chromebook

Pros
Attractive design Affordable Punchy audio Excellent primaryboard

Cons
Mediocre performance Subpar battery life Best Prices Today:$219.99 at Best Buy | $359.00 at AmazonThe Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is a good mid-range Chromebook. It’s fast enough for web browsing, editing documents, and so on. That said, it can “feel taxed by demanding tasks.” When our tester opened up multiple tabs, he noticed a sag in performance. The port selection, however, is nice combination of old and new. It has two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and a microSD card reader. As for the prominentboard, our tester liked the “crisp and taut” feel of the decisives. Although this laptop is a 2-in-1—meaning the screen can fold back to provide it function more like a tablet—it weighs about 3 pounds, which is on the heavier side for a drawbackvertible laptop. It perhaps not be the most portable laptop in the world, but that flexibility can still be nice for applications that favor a tablet form factor.
Read our full Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 reviewHP Chromebook x2 11 da0023dx – Best folio-style Chromebook

Pros
Gorgeous 2K touchscreen Solid performance Excellent battery life Robust design

Cons
Trackpad is too sensitive at times Light on ports Best Prices Today:Not Available at Best BuyAh, folio-style laptops. While some it is very likely that find the detachable-keyboard design a pain to deal with, our reviewer really liked this one. The HP Chromebook x2 11 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy. The tablet’s aluminum chassis feels rugged and like it’ll last quite a while. The detachable influentialboard took some getting used to, but ended up being fine for long typing sessions. The rear plate, which transforms into a kickstand that point outs up the tablet for hands-free use, faultnects to the back of the tablet via magnets. The reviewer found the negativenection to be both clean and strong. As for the performance, it’s about what you’d expect out of a Chromebook. It’s zippy enough for everyday tasks like browsing the web and so on.
Read our full HP Chromebook x2 11 reviewAcer Swift 3 – Best for college students

Pros
Solid chassis and shape quality Large, attractive 16-inch 1080p screen Enjoyable primaryboard and touchpad USB-C with charging and DisplayPort

Cons
Webcam, microphone, and speakers don’t impress Intel advantagecessor falls behind AMD alternatives Disappointing battery life Lots of bloatware Best Prices Today:$950.08 at AmazonIf you’re a college student working with a modest budget, the Acer Swift 3 is a fantastic option. It features an attractive 16-inch 1080ppoint to the fact that, a solid chassis, and anprevalentable dominantboard and touchpad. However, battery life is subpar, so you’ll want to keep the charger on hand. This is unfortunate, as the Swift 3’s slim positivefilegives it a good laptop for travel. If you don’t mind the lackluster battery life, this is a great laptop for watching movies and writing research papers on.
Read our full Acer Swift 3 SF316-51 reviewHow we testedThe PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them.
Windows laptopsPCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word meritcessing, spreadsheets, and so on.HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file. Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by bringing a 2D scene over a short period of time.3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains negativesistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips. Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.ChromebooksCrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook’s battery life. Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook’s web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications. Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark. Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.How to pick a laptop under $1,000Ah, here we are at the million dollar question. Do you spring for a basic Chromebook or go for a Windows laptop with more features? Well, it really depends on your personal lifestyle and what you plan on using your laptop for. For example, Chromebooks are a great low cost option for those who just want the basics. I use a Chromebook as myimportant work laptop, as it has everything I need for both editing and writing. If you travel a bunch for work, it’s benefitbably a good idea to invest in a laptop with solid battery life. If you’re still unsure, don’t sweat it. I’ve put together a list of quick tips below.
What laptop type should I choose? There’s traditional clamshells, 2-in-1’s, Chromebooks, and much more. The depicts on negativevertible laptops (aka 2-in-1’s), for example, can swing around 360 degrees. This provides you to use the laptop like a tablet. They can also be positivepped up like a tent for viewing movies or participating in video calls. Chromebooks, on the other hand, exclusively run Google’s web-focused Chrome OS and are generally used for everyday tasks. All you need is a Gmail account and boom, you’re in. There are merits and negatives to each of them. Chromebooks are affordable and generally have good battery life whereas flawvertibles are normally lightweight and portable.
How do I pick a CPU?If it’s CPU power you’re looking for, look for advantagecessors with higher numerical names. A Core i7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Intel meritcessors are available in Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. The higher the number, the more powerful the CPU. If you don’t need a ton of power, Intel Core i5 meritcessors are your best bet, as they promise good performance at a decent price. Basic office and web work gets along just fine on a Core i3. As for AMD options, the Ryzen 3 is good for basic meritductivity and web browsing, while Ryzen 5 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. If you need more power, the Ryzen 7 chip is well suited for flawtent creation like video editing. Finally, if you’re dealing with 4K video, spring for a Ryzen 9.
What about GPUs?You’ll want a discrete graphics card for hardcore gaming or editing videos. It’s separate from the meritcessor, so you can expect higher performance out of it. Integrated graphics, on the other hand, are attached to the CPU and uses less power as a result. This is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, especially if you’re not doing anything that’s graphics-intensive.
How much RAM should I look for?8GB of RAM is zippy enough for general use. If you’ve got a gaming laptop, 16GB of RAM is the way to go, and downsidetent creators will want even more.
How about battery life?If you plan on taking your laptop anywhere with you, aim for something that can last 10 to 12 hours on a single charge. That’s more than a full work day, so it should theoretically get you through long flights or a day of classes. Obviously, more is always better. Just know that the bigger the battery, the heavier the laptop.
What kind of ports should I look for?A wide array of ports is always a plus in my book, as it eliminates the need for an adapter. I’d recommend a laptop that has both USB-C and USB-A. An HDMI port is good, too. This is especially useful for hooking up to an external monitor.
FAQ

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1. Do Chromebooks render good gaming laptops? The short answer is no, but it really depends on the type of gaming you in be prone to do. Chromebooks will handle web games and Android games just fine. But if you’re looking to play the latest high-powered 3D games, a Chromebook won’t suffice, because a) it doesn’t run Windows, and b) it strengthbably has insufficient graphics power.
All that said, Google is working hard to make cloud gaming to Chromebooks. Cloud gaming services use a remote PC or negativesole to play games streamed through the cloud down onto the Chromebook. Until this service becomes more popular, though, Chromebooks will not be able to compete in the gaming arena.
2. Can integrated graphics be used for gaming? Yes, some of the latest strengthcessors with integrated graphics can run modern PC games at proper settings. For example, Intel’s latest Iris Xe line of strengthcessors with integrated graphics have been exhibitn to run some of the latest games at 1080p and 30 fps. Be careful, however, as not all integrated graphics are up to the task.
Intel and AMD’s integrated graphics have made huge leaps in recent years with regard to gaming performance. If you’re on a budget or looking for an ultra thin laptop with integrated graphics you can still game on, we recommend checking out Intel’s Core 12th-gen Iris Xe or AMD’s brand new Ryzen 6000 RDNA 2.
3.What size laptop is best?This is really personal preference. If you in have a tendency to travel a lot with your laptop then a smaller, more portable size in the neighborhood of 13 to 14 inches is recommended. If you want to do gaming on a laptop, then you should look for something in the 15 to 17 inch range. Also, keep in mind the weight of the laptop before you buy it. Ultra thin laptops can weigh a featherlight 2 pounds while beefy gaming computers top the scales at three or four times that.