I'm on the hunt for a new Linux laptop that costs under $500. I'm open to refurbished options as long as they come with a warranty. It would be great if the laptop is somewhat repairable or at least user-friendly in that regard. My main needs are pretty basic—just web browsing and content consumption.
2 Answers
Honestly, any new laptop under $500 is likely going to be pretty disappointing in terms of performance. I'd recommend looking at used options like a ThinkPad or one of the Dell XPS/Precision models instead. They'll typically offer better build quality and reliability.
I recently picked up a Lenovo IdeaPad Slim for just $200. It’s got a pretty mediocre Intel N305 processor, but I'm running Arch Linux with Hyprland on it without any issues. I even use it for a Windows 11 VM, complete with Office! It handles OpenOffice and browsing with over 20 tabs fine. There are some downsides though—the screen isn’t the best and getting it in the right position is key. Battery life is decent at around 5+ hours with optimization. Just a heads up, it's non-upgradable and the storage is soldered to the motherboard, so keep that in mind!
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