Best laptops under $500

Top pick: Acer Aspire Go 15 — the best all-rounder here. A full HD screen, AMD processor and Windows make it comfortable for everyday work, streaming and classes, and it's the one I'd hand most people first.

Who the others suit:

• Acer Aspire 3 (A315-24P) — the value choice if you mostly browse, write and stream; solid-state storage keeps it snappy.
• 17.3" Ryzen 5 6600H — the biggest screen and strongest processor of the group; good as a desk-bound machine, less fun to carry.
• ASUS Vivobook Go 15 — a clean full HD 15.6" for light schoolwork.
• Acer Chromebook 315 — if everything you do lives in a browser, it's simple and quick.
• HP 15.6" / HP 14" — budget basics for email, video and web; 4GB RAM is the limit to know about.
• 15.6" N154 — a refurbished option worth a look if you want more laptop for less.

Skip the old MacBook Pro: it's a decade-old design with an outdated processor.