WIRED: Lenovo's AMD-based IdeaPad 5, which comes with a Ryzen 5 processor, is the best budget laptop for most people. You get plenty of power, a very nice 14-inch IPS display, 16 gigabytes of RAM, and a 256-gigabyte SSD. The 360-degree hinge converts it to tablet mode or stand mode for watching movies. To take full advantage of the two-in-one design, be sure to grab the digital pen ($40). If you're flush with cash, the even more powerful Ryzen 7 version can be had for a little more ($703).

TIRED: There's no place to stow the pen. The screen could be brighter.

WIRED: The Acer Aspire 3 offers the best value among all the 15-inch laptops I tested. You should get the model with an Intel Core i5 (or AMD 5000 series chip), integrated graphics, 8 gigabytes of RAM, and a 15.6-inch IPS display (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). It's big, and the display is not the sharpest, but it won't strain your eyes. There are ports galore (Ethernet, USB, USB-C, HDMI, headphone jack), and it's powerful enough to watch 4K video.

TIRED: The speakers aren't very loud.

WIRED: Microsoft’s updated Surface Laptop Go 2 (8/10 WIRED Recommends) is a great student pick and a good cheap alternative to the MacBook. Adam Speight, product writer at WIRED UK, says the Surface Laptop Go 2 “is an absolute joy to use.” The keyboard is one of the best for getting your essays typed up, and the 11th-generation Intel chip, while not the latest, is plenty for most people. If you can afford it, spring for the model with 8 gigabytes of RAM.

TIRED: The battery life is not great. We managed seven hours on average.

WIRED: We initially loved Acer's 2021 version of the Swift 3, but it started a little over our $700 budget. Now that it's more affordable, this notebook is a better buy. It wraps a powerful Intel Core i7 chip, 8 gigabytes of RAM, and a 256-gigabyte SSD in a thin, no-nonsense design with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel IPS LCD display. (IPS is a little nicer than some types of LCD.) 

The Swift 3 scored well for battery life in our video-based battery drain test, and it boasts four USB ports, including one USB-C port. I've also used the Intel i5 model, which gets even better battery life but with a noticeable loss of computing power.

TIRED: This was the most expensive “budget” laptop we tested when it came out, though it is now much more affordable.

WIRED: The HP Pavilion line has been a series of reliable, if somewhat boring, laptops for what seems like ages now. This 14-inch model ticks all the basic cheap-laptop boxes, with an 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, integrated graphics, and plenty of ports (including two USB-A, one USB-C, HDMI, and SD card reader). 

The Pavilion is also notable for not overcharging for RAM; you can double your RAM to 16 gigabytes for $80. Unfortunately, Amazon is charging a bit more for Windows 11, but it's probably worth it, since Windows 10 won't be supported forever. You also get some decently loud speakers and a very nice keyboard with this one.

TIRED: What you don't get in the Pavilion is great battery life. It's also on the heavy side, at nearly 4 pounds.

WIRED: If you're all-in on Google's Chrome OS, Lenovo's IdeaPad Duet 5 detachable laptop/tablet hybrid Chromebook looks to be a good alternative to Google's much more expensive Pixelbook laptops. We haven't had a chance to try this one yet, but on paper, the form factor and OLED display are as good as it gets at this price.  Part of what keeps the price down is that the Duet 5 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 ARM chip. It isn't as powerful as Intel Core processors, but it should be enough for running ChromeOS. We do recommend spending the extra $50 for the top-end model, which comes with the more powerful Snapdragon chip.

TIRED: The ARM processors aren't going to be as powerful as Chromebooks with Intel or AMD chips in them. For more information, check out our Best Chromebooks guide.

WIRED: Do you really need a cheap laptop? Could you get by with a tablet? The 2022 Apple iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) will be the perfect laptop replacement for some people. If you want great battery life and something that doubles as a way to browse the web from the couch, watch movies in bed, and still get a bit of work done during the day, the iPad Air fits the bill. If you don't want to spend that much on the Air, the base model iPad ($329) is even cheaper, but Apple will probably update it soon. You might want to wait until that happens before you buy.

TIRED: The rub lies in getting work done. If you're mostly working with word processing documents, web-based tools, and other tasks the iPad is good at, it works great. If your work involves software that doesn't run on the iPad, get a real laptop.

WIRED: The Lenovo Chromebook Duet (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the most fun you'll have with Chrome OS. Some tasks, such as editing photos, are a challenge on its tiny screen, but it's perfect for browsing the web, emailing, editing documents online, and staying in touch with family via video chat. It's compact, lightweight, and surprisingly well built, and the keyboard is as good as what you get with the more expensive iPad or Surface Go. Lenovo has stopped selling the original Duet, but you can still find them at Amazon and Walmart.

TIRED: There's no SD card slot to expand your memory, so go for the more expensive model with a 1-terabyte drive. The caveats about Chrome OS apply here as well: This is a computer meant for web-based tasks, and that's it.

WIRED: The Surface Go 3 gives you most, though not all, of the power of Windows in a very lightweight, portable form. It can also double as a media tablet when you're not working. There's a lot here to love: It's fanless, the 10.5-inch display is sharp and bright, a microSD card slot means you can add extra drive space, and the cover is a really lovely little keyboard.

TIRED: The battery life is worse than the Surface Go 2. Microsoft gets ya in the details; the very nice keyboard cover is still sold separately for a whopping $99. To get 8 GB of RAM and the keyboard, the price almost doubles.

If your budget is tight and you want the most bang for your buck, or you just want to keep something out of the landfill, the used or refurbished laptop market is worth considering. I've had great luck buying used laptops on eBay from all sorts of sellers (both pros and regular people).

To score the best deal, make sure you know the market. Do some research to figure out what kinds of machine will suit your needs. The easiest to come by, and therefore (usually) the best deals, tend to be the more boring, business-oriented models. I happen to like ThinkPads, which are used by—and then dumped all at once by—large corporations, which means there are lots to choose from, and they're cheap.

Aim for these specs: Try to get a laptop with at least a 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage (preferably a solid-state drive), and at least a 13-inch display that's close to HD. 

Finding used laptops on eBay: Once you know what you want, search for it on eBay. Scroll down and check the option to show only "sold listings." Now take the 10 most recent sales, add up the prices, and divide by 10. That's the average price; don't pay more than that. 

Keep the lowest price in mind—that's the great deal price. Now, uncheck the Sold Listing option. See what's between the lowest price and that average price. Those are the deals you can consider. I suggest watching a few. Don't bid or participate at all. Just watch them until the end and see how high the auctions end up going.

Once you have a feel for the market and what you should be paying, you'll know when you've found a deal. When you find it, wait. Don't bid until the last few minutes of the auction. You don't want other bidders to have a chance to react. Remember that if you miss out on something, it's not the end of the world. There's always something new being listed on eBay.