Laptops Under Rs 25,000

Laptops Under Rs 25,000

            When it comes to budget laptops, a 30K budget is the minimum if you’re looking to buy a laptop equipped with the latest hardware such as the new Intel Core series of CPUs. So chances are that you could find a Corei3 laptop under 30K, but a sub-25K budget is challenging, and there’s no way you’ll find a Core i3 laptop in this price band. Well, as of now, you won’t.

                Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that you have to settle for a netbook, which is supposedly a cheaper alternative. A 25K budget is decent enough to get you something pretty good for office and even home use. In fact there are entry-level multimedia laptops in this price bracket. In this article, that’s exactly what we’ve done, we’re discussing laptops that are available for less that 25K. Now, these are not the top models, but going by the specification and prices, these are models that are available out there.
Acer Aspire 4736z
 

Acer Aspire 4736z

 

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
• Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Hard disk: 320 GB
• Graphics: Onboard
• Screen size: 14-inch
• Operating system: Linux
• Price: 23,490

            Even the Aspire 5542 offers good value for money, although the Windows 7 variant goes over the 25K mark (almost 30K). With an AMD Athlon 64 M300, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, Linux OS, ATI Radeon 4200 and a 15-inch screen, we’d say, at 24K, it’s a decent pick for multimedia users.


HP Compaq CQ 42-139TU

• Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core 2 T4500
• Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Hard disk: 160 GB
• Graphics: Onboard
• Screen size: 14-inch
• Operating system: Windows 7 Home Basic
• Price: 23,990

             
           Although the hardware in this machine is entry-level, the one that’s attractive is that it comes with Windows 7 Home Basic and that too at this price. Another option is the CQ40-641 TU, which is equipped with an Intel T4300 CPU, 2 GB RAM, Intel GMA4500 GPU, a 250 GB HDD and 14-inch screen.

Asus Pro5JIJ-S0133D

 

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T4500
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Hard disk: 320 GB
• Graphics: Intel GMA 4500M
• Screen size: 15.6-inch
• Operating system: DOS
• Price: 25,460

         
         This one is slightly over budget, but we’ve included it nonetheless, as Asus is known for style and ruggedness. Asus laptops are usually quite appealing and considering their wide range of laptops and netbooks, there’s something for everyone. But yes, as far as value for money is concerned, they are slightly more expensive.



Lenovo B460

• Processor: Intel P6100
• Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Hard disk: 500 GB
• Graphics: Onboard
• Screen size: 14-inch
• Operating system: Free-DOS
• Price: 24,216

Another option you could consider in this budget is the G560 which has a 15-inch screen, a dual-core P6000 CPU, 2 GB RAM and comes with the DOS OS, at Rs 27,836. The cheapest Core i3 models would be the G460 which costs about 30K and the B460G (29K) which comes with 2 GB RAM and a 320 GB HDD. What goes without saying is that, the moment you select a variant with a Windows OS, the cost would go upto 30K or beyond.

Toshiba Satellite C650-E5210

• Processor: Intel Celeron Dual-core T3300
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Hard disk: 250 GB
• Graphics: Onboard
• Screen size: 15.6-inch
• Operating system: Windows 7 Home Basic
• Price: 26,401 (Best price: www.compareindia.com)

This one too is going slightly over budget, but keeping in mind that it offers the Windows 7 OS a roomy HDD, we'd say it's worth considering. Even the C650-M5010 is available at the same price with an AMD X2 P320 CPU, whereas the I5010 comes with a Corei3 CPU, which would be slightly more expensive, yet worth the buck nevertheless.

Considering factors like value for money, features, aesthetics and after sales service, we’d say that the HP Compaq CQ 42-139TU, is the best option amongst these laptops. Now, these are just a handful in the sub-25K budget, and you’ll find variants of these and other models out there that are nearing this price. However, the hardware in them won’t be very different. In any case, if you’d like to share about something that you found worth the buck, the comments section is open for discussion.