Should I buy a $250 laptop?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While they're not the speediest laptops, the new low-cost PCs showing up in stores are proving to be solid, basic machines. That’s what we found when we tested several laptops loaded with a special version of the Windows operating system called Windows 8.1 with Bing.
We rated the performance of the six Bing laptops as just fair. But we have stringent standards here at Consumer Reports. These machines proved plenty capable when it came to word processing, Web browsing, and video streaming. If you want to edit videos or play games that put a lot of demands on the processor, you need a computer with very good or excellent performance. But for any user with more modest goals, these machines provide a great value.
Dell’s Inspiron 15 Non-Touch is a good example. It’s a 15.6-inch model that costs just $250. It comes with a 500GB hard drive and gets a decent 7.75 hours of battery life. It weighs 4.7 pounds, in the midrange of weights for laptops this size. Not bad for a budget computer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}We've got lots more laptop, desktop, and Chromebook Ratings, as well as a computer buying guide to help you find the perfect computer for you.
One reason that Bing computers are inexpensive is that Microsoft provides the operating system free. Windows 8.1 with Bing was dreamed up by the company to help it compete with low-cost Chromebooks. The OS is a fully functional version of Windows 8.1; the word Bing just indicates that the laptop maker has agreed to leave Bing, which is owned by Microsoft, as the default search engine, and Internet Explorer as the default browser. In exchange, Microsoft forgoes any licensing fee for the OS, and that saves consumers about $50. Once you buy the computer, you’re free to use whatever browser or search engine you want.
To further slash the prices on these models, manufacturers use lower-cost processors and cut other corners as well. The laptop chassis is likely to be plastic, and you'll be giving up a touch screen, extra USB ports, a DVD drive (in most cases), and a solid-state drive, which helps higher-end computers boot up and resume from sleep more quickly. Battery life is a mixed bag; the systems we tested lasted from a lackluster 5.5 hours to the respectable 7.75 hours of the Dell Inspiron 15 Non-Touch.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Take a look at our latest Ratings to see how these laptops compare to other Windows models, and to Chromebooks.
—Donna Tapellini
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