There are several components that go into a good budget laptop, each delivering a power boost where needed. But even if you have the latest central processing unit or a large solid-state hard drive, you won’t get optimal performance from your laptop if you don’t have enough random access memory.
When it comes to the internal workings of a computer, the sum is generally more significant than the individual parts. For example, a fast CPU can quickly trigger complex operations, but if the RAM is insufficient, it causes an information bottleneck. This slows down your computer as it struggles to access the memory. We rounded up the best affordable laptops with 32GB RAM for gaming, school and office use to help narrow down your search.
Shop this article: HP eg2000 Pavilion 15 Laptop (15.6-Inch HD Display), Dell Inspiron 15 3511 15.6-Inch Laptop (FHD Touchscreen) and HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop (15.6-Inch FHD Display)
When selecting the best affordable laptop for your needs, there must be enough RAM for what you want to do. For example, video games and editing software require more RAM than word processing or web browsing.
There's more to RAM than just numbers, as the memory sticks you insert into a desktop computer won’t do your laptop any good. The motherboard of each computer type (the central circuit board into which everything connects) has a different size. Therefore, laptop RAM is much smaller than desktop RAM.
If you’ve ever wanted to upgrade your laptop’s RAM yourself, you’ll know that it’s not an easy thing to do. Not only does it need to fit perfectly, but you’ve probably also been confronted with confusing specifications, such as SDRAM, DDR4 or DDR5.
In short, it stands for Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. That long-winded name is shortened to DDR, and the following number indicates the transfer rate (divided by 100). For example, if the RAM module is DDR4, it has a maximum rate of 400 megatransfers per second. The higher the transfer rate, the faster your RAM can access data.
HP eg2000 Pavilion 15 Laptop (15.6-Inch HD Display)
This HP laptop is a solid choice for office use, with a 15.6-inch HD display and a thin profile that will fit easily in a work bag. It contains an Intel Core i7 processor, a generous 1-terabyte M.2 solid-state hard drive, 32GB of RAM and an Intel Iris Xe graphics card that offers great visuals. It comes with Windows 11 Pro preinstalled.
Dell Inspiron 15 3511 15.6-Inch Laptop (FHD Touchscreen)
This is an excellent Dell laptop if you’re looking for a fast machine. It comes with a 1 terabyte M.2 solid-state drive and uses an Intel Core I5-1035G1 quad-core processor. In addition to the 32GB of RAM, it has a 15.6-inch backlit LED touchscreen display with a maximum resolution of 1080p. It has several connectivity ports, such as HDMI and USB, and built-in stereo speakers.
MSI GF63 Premium Laptop (15.6-Inch Display)
If you need a powerful workhorse, this 15.6-inch MSI laptop is a great choice. In addition to the 32GB of RAM, it has a thin-bezel display with a maximum resolution of 1080p, uses an Intel Core i5-10300H 10th-generation 4.50 gigahertz processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q graphics card. It comes with a 1TB solid-state drive, which can be upgraded to a generous 2TB.
HP TPN-Q222 15.6-Inch Notebook Laptop (HD Touchscreen)
This HP laptop features a 15.6-inch touchscreen, an Intel Core i7 processor and 32GB RAM. It has a 1 TB M.2 solid-state hard drive, multiple ports and built-in Windows 11 Home. The Intel Iris Xe graphics card offers good visuals. It's as cost-effective as it is sleek and thin.
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Series 3511 Laptop
This Dell Inspiron laptop has a 15.6-inch touchscreen display, an Intel Core i5 quad-core processor and 32GB of RAM. It comes with a 1TB M.2 solid-state hard drive, multiple connectivity ports and Windows 11 Home preinstalled.
HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop (15.6-Inch FHD Display)
If you're looking for a good budget gaming laptop with 32GB of RAM, the HP Victus is worth considering. The 1080p FHD display supported by a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 graphics card provides smooth, crisp gameplay. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor can boost up to 4.55 GHz for rendering frames at a faster pace. The 2TB M.2 solid-state hard drive provides enough storage space to install multiple games. It comes with Windows 11 Home as the operating system.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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