The Top 5 budget laptops of March 2010

Reviews of the best budget laptop PCs you can buy

By Pc Advisor Staff, PC Advisor UK
March 09, 2010 11:12 AM ET

We review the best 5 laptops for less than £500 you can buy in the UK right now.

Number 5: Medion Akoya E3211

The 13in-screen Medion Akoya E3211 is distinguished over slightly smaller netbooks by the inclusion of a dual-layer DVD writer, a healthy amount of RAM and a higher-resolution display. Our battery life tests displayed some impressive results, especially given the laptop's modest 47Whr removable battery. Graphics performance is less spectacular, with the Akoya producing just 6fps in Fear. Nonetheless, this is a simple budget laptop that's more powerful than a netbook and still highly portable.

Full review of the Medion Akoya E3211

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Number 4: Lenovo IdeaPad U350 M22E2UK

The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 M22E2UK's price tag has soared since last month, but it remains a solid contender. Thin and light, it comes with a highly usable keyboard and a 13.3in screen that is adequate for typical office use. The WorldBench score is nothing special, but is no less than you should expect from Intel's low-voltage U2700 CPU. This CPU also boosts battery life. Note that the memory and hard-drive configurations are slightly lower than on the Lenovo model we originally reviewed.

Full review of the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 M22E2UK

Number 3: Samsung X120

With its 11.6in widescreen display and sub-1.4kg weight, the Samsung X120 takes up about as much bag space as a netbook. But, thanks to an efficient 1.3GHz dual-core CPU, it packs much more punch than any Atom system. The keyboard feels a little cheap, although the touchpad is precise and responsive. The score of 66 in WorldBench 6 is admirable, although graphics impress less. Video playback is excellent though, and the Samsung's storage capacity is quite generous.

Full review of the Samsung X120

Number 2: Medion Akoya S5610

The Medion Akoya S5610 is the most expensive of the models in our sub-£500 category. It's also the oldest. But that doesn't prevent it from racking up the highest WorldBench score here. The Samsung may be the best of the models here, but you shouldn't be too quick to discard this one. Besides the excellent turn of speed, we like the eSATA port and 15.4in widescreen display. The indiscreet cooling fan is less satisfactory, but this machine delivers commendably high performance.

Full review of the Medion Akoya S5610

Number 1: Samsung R519

The Samsung R519 isn't the most inspiring laptop to look at, but it has some decent specifications and its WorldBench score of 75 is bettered only by the considerably more expensive Medion S5610 - even if graphics are average. It has the lowest battery life here, although it's hardly light and unlikely to appeal to road warriors. The built-in DVD drive trumps the budget laptops that come without any kind of optical drive, the keyboard is functional and the display is generous.

Full review of the Samsung R519