Talk about notebook computers under $500 and most people will think you mean those low-power, don’t-do-much Atom-powered 10-inch netbooks. But a funny thing has been happening over the last few months – the cost of full-function Windows notebook computers, notebooks with 14- and 15-inch widescreen LCD panels, have been dropping.
Seriously dropping.
It’s now at the point where there is a good choice of models below the $500 mark. But if you’re thinking these can’t be very good, time to think again.
We found more than half a dozen available at major retailers as they clamour for every last retail dollar not already taken by online stores (or if you believe some high-profile retailers, every dollar that hasn’t gone to GST-free China).
So here’s a brief line-up of what you can find in stores at the moment for under $500. (Click the headline to head to the retailer’s webpage.)
Compaq Presario CQ56-103TU – $399 – Dick Smith
This is by far the cheapest full-size notebook you’ll find going at any of the major retailers.
According to retailer Dick Smith, it features a 2.1GHz Intel Celeron T3500 processor, 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel with 1366×768-pixel resolution, 2GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
It even includes an HDMI output, VGA output as well as three USB ports and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless networking.
The battery claims to be a six-cell Lithium-ion type but you should confirm this before you buy – it’s unusual to see a six-cell battery in a notebook at this price.
The Celeron processor is fast enough to handle most applications including YouTube and 720p video movies.
eMachines EME527 – $399 – OfficeWorks
Another of the $399 options, this is a clearance model in Officeworks so stock will be limited.
According to Officeworks, this one features a 1.9GHz dual-core Intel Celeron T3100 processor, 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel, 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
Peripheral features include 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking and a built-in webcam.
There are no details on the battery for this one so make sure you check it out before you buy. Ideally, it should have a six-cell battery to ensure you get decent battery life. Cheaper three-cell batteries only last half as long.
This will be slower than the CQ56-103TU but not by much. Still, the CQ56 would be the one to go for in our opinion given its larger hard drive.
Toshiba Satellite C650/03R – $490 – Dick Smith
This is the cheapest Toshiba notebook we’ve seen, another sold at Dick Smith.
According to the retailer, this one sports a 2.3GHz Intel Pentium T4500 processor, 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel, 2GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
The extras in this one include integrated webcam plus a numeric keypad, a feature not always seen in budget notebooks (although the EME527 purports to have one too).
This one should be a bit faster than both of the above models and should be enough to playback 1080p movie files. You’ll need to check that this one has an HDMI output to make full use of its video playback capabilities.
Compaq Presario CQ56-107TU – $492 – OfficeWorks
This is the second of OfficeWork’s two sub-$500 notebooks and is almost a carbon-copy of the CQ56-103TU selling at Dick Smith for $399, except for a larger 500GB hard drive.
OfficeWorks says this one features a 2.1GHz Intel Celeron T3500 processor, 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel, 2GB of memory, 500GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
Extra features here include 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking and built-in webcam.
Again, there’s no mention of the battery capacity here so make sure you check before you buy. The processor drags this one down a bit but the larger 500GB hard drive capacity might be enough compensation.
Toshiba Satellite C650D/02U – $493 – Harvey Norman
Although this model almost bears the same model number as the Toshiba unit from Dick Smith, it’s actually quite different, with a 2.3GHz AMD V140 processor. This is AMD’s budget, budget CPU brand with only a single processor core.
According to Harvey Norman, this one comes with the AMD processor, a 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel with 1366×768-pixel resolution, 2GB of memory, 320GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
Extra bits include 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless networking and a VGA output. Given the single-core processor, there’s no HDMI output here (single-core processors, regardless of brand, don’t have the horsepower required to output 1080p video so HDMI isn’t included).
The battery however is said to be a six-cell type and given the single-core CPU, battery life should be good but there are no guarantees as AMD processors generally do not match Intel chips in this area.
eMachines EME640-332G32Mi – $498 – Harvey Norman
The EME640 is one of the few AMD-powered notebooks going around, this one feature AMD’s 2.1GHz Athlon II Dual Core P320 processor.
Harvey Norman says you get the Athlon II processor, 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel with 1366×768-pixel resolution, 2GB of memory, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
Extra features include HDMI and VGA outputs, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking. There’s a dedicated Radeon HD 4250 graphics chip in this one with its own 256MB of memory.
But again, nothing about the battery.
Harvey Norman and Acer (eMachine’s parent brand) are offering $99 cashback if you can be bothered.
Compaq Presario CQ62-227TU – $499 – Dick Smith
This is pretty similar to Dick Smith’s Toshiba Satellite C650 with the same processor, panel and hard drive capacity.
Dick Smith says it comes with the 2.3GHz Intel Pentium T4500 processor, 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel with 1366×768-pixel resolution, 2GB of memory, 320GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
It also comes with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless networking, HDMI, three USB ports, card reader and built-in webcam.
What it doesn’t say, again, is anything about the battery – so same routine here: don’t buy until you know what the battery capacity it is.
Still, for the price, this should be a reasonable performer and better than any of the Celeron-based models (the Pentium T4500 is a bit faster but it has better technology for improving battery life).
Compaq Presario CQ42-136TU – $499 – Dick Smith
The CQ42-136TU is now a clearance model at Dick Smith but its the one that stands out from the rest if for no other reason than it features a smaller 14-inch chassis, making it that little bit more portable.
Dick Smith says this unit features the 1.9GHz Intel Celeron T3100 processor, 14-inch widescreen LCD panel with 1366×768-pixel resolution, 2GB of memory, 250GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
It also comes with HDMI and VGA outputs, 802.11b/g/n and built-in webcam.
The battery is a six-cell type and battery life is around the three-hour mark when used lightly.
This will be one of the slowest around and the 250GB hard drive shows up its age (given everything else has 320GB) but it is that bit smaller, which means it’ll also be a little lighter.
eMachines EME528-352G32Mn – $499 – Harvey Norman
Lucky last is the EME528 at $499 from Harvey Norman. It’s pretty similar to the $399 Compaq Presario from Dick Smith with the same screen panel size, processor, memory and hard drive.
Harvey Norman says this unit includes a 2.1GHz Intel Celeron T3500 processor, 15.6-inch widescreen LCD panel with 1366×768-pixel resolution, 2GB of memory, 320GB hard drive, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
There’s no mention of HDMI output on this one but it does include a six-cell battery and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking.
Given the extra features the $399 Dick Smith Compaq Presario offers, not least of which a $100 cheaper price tag, we’d definitely take a look at it first.
If you’re leaving your shopping to now, it’s too late to buy online and get shipment before Christmas. However, these retailers should have stock in-store and given the pretty decent value you can get now for under $500, you don’t have to kick yourself too hard you didn’t buy online.