Deal | Asus VivoBook 15 with 10th gen Intel Core i3 is down to $319 USD to be one of the best laptops you can get for the price

You can't expect too much from a $300 laptop, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be aiming to make the most of your purchase. Office Depot is running a sale on the Asus VivoBook 15 F512JA for $180 off its original launch price.

The deal is notable for its performance and specifications relative to other laptops in the $300 range. Whereas other super-cheap laptops would typically ship with Intel Celeron, Atom, or years-old AMD FX processors, this VivoBook 15 ships with the much faster and fairly new Core i5-1005G1 CPU. The 1080p display, 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD, and narrow-bezel design make the laptop excellent for word processing, video streaming, and other light-to-medium multi-tasking loads.

There are cut corners, of course, including the limited color reproduction, poor contrast ratio, weak graphics, and small 37 Wh battery. The chassis is mostly plastic and the clickpad feels spongy.

See our review of the Asus VivoBook 15 here to learn more about the system. Though we reviewed the AMD version of the laptop, the chassis and user experience are otherwise identical to the Intel version on sale. It'll be tough to find a better laptop at this price point.

• Intel Core i3-1005G1 CPU
• UHD Graphics G1 graphics
• 15.6-inch 1080p display (unknown if IPS or TN)
• 8 GB DDR4 (plus 1x SODIMM slot for expansion)
• 256 GB M.2 SSD (upgradeable)
• Wi-Fi 5
• USB-C, HDMI, MicroSD reader, 3x USB-A
• 19.9 x 357.2 x 230.4 mm
• 1.75 kg