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MagyarNotebookcheck's Top 10 Budget Multimedia Notebooks
Multimedia laptops are all-rounders and very popular among customers. Whether it is web browsing, office work, or modern games, modern multimedia laptops can handle everything. For this ranking, however, we limit the theoretical budget to 1000 Euros (lowest current price at the time of writing). The minimum requirement for the performance level is a GeForce MX150, which can at least handle modern games in 1366x768 pixels. The other multimedia ranking and more interesting lists are obviously still available:
The following table shows an overview of the Top 10 budget multimedia laptops as reviewed by Notebookcheck in the past 12 months. If ratings are equal, the latest review is listed first. The table can be sorted by clicking its headers and filtered by entering text in the text field above it (e.g. "matte").
Note: The cheapest street price at the time of the last revision of this article applies to the following list. The sales prices shown in the following table and in the price comparison with the individual articles are automatically updated daily and can therefore differ!
Best Budget Laptops (Multimedia) as of August 2020
Pos. | Rating | Date | Image | Modell/Testbericht | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Screen | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85 % | 07/2019 |  | Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14IWL Intel Core i5-8265U NVIDIA GeForce MX250 8 GB Memory, 512 GB NVMe | 1.4 kg | 15.9 mm | 14" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 2 | 84 % | 09/2019 |  | Acer Aspire 7 A715-74G-50U5 Intel Core i5-9300H NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 2.4 kg | 20.85 mm | 15.6" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 3 | 84 % | 08/2019 |  | Asus VivoBook 14 X412FJ-EB023T Intel Core i5-8265U NVIDIA GeForce MX230 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.5 kg | 19 mm | 14" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 4 | 83 % | 07/2020 |  | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15IIL05 Intel Core i5-1035G1 NVIDIA GeForce MX350 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.7 kg | 17.9 mm | 15.6" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 5 | 83 % | 07/2019 |  | Asus VivoBook S15 S532F Intel Core i7-8565U NVIDIA GeForce MX250 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.8 kg | 18 mm | 15.6" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 6 | 81 % | 01/2020 |  | Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML Intel Core i5-10210U NVIDIA GeForce MX250 8 GB Memory, 512 GB NVMe | 1.9 kg | 17 mm | 15.6" | 1920x1080 | glossy | |
| 7 | 82 % | 04/2020 |  | Acer Aspire 5 A515-54G-56XE Intel Core i5-10210U NVIDIA GeForce MX250 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.7 kg | 17.9 mm | 15.6" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 8 | 80 % | 08/2019 |  | Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585 AMD Ryzen 7 3700U AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.8 kg | 19.5 mm | 15.6" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 9 | 79 % | 03/2020 |  | Lenovo Ideapad S340-15IIL Intel Core i7-1065G7 Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU) 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.8 kg | 17.9 mm | 15.6" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
| 10 | 79 % | 02/2020 |  | Acer Aspire 5 A514-52-58U3 Intel Core i5-10210U Intel UHD Graphics 620 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.7 kg | 17.95 mm | 14" | 1920x1080 | matte |
Top 10 of the previous 12 months at the time of writing - current articles are listed first
Editors' Comments
There are plenty of multimedia laptops for under 1,000 Euros. This category features a good price-performance ratio, because all multimedia-class device are equipped with a discrete graphics card and provide decent gaming performance. Inexpensive entry-level models are often shipped with a powerful processor, but the common GeForce MX150 is not a perfect solution for modern 3D games. Manufacturers also try to save money in terms of storage, which can quickly become the bottleneck due to high storage requirements of multimedia contents like games, picture, or videos. You should favor an SSD/HDD combination.
1st – Lenovo IdeaPad S540
Lenovo’s IdeaPad S540 is available as either AMD or Intel-powered SKU, and both models offer more than enough performance at a fair price starting at around $800. In our reviews, the Intel SKU did better overall than the AMD SKU.
We particularly liked the S540’s modern design resulting in a very thin case. Nevertheless, the aluminum case including its display lid was fairly sturdy. We would have expected more connectivity – just three regular USB ports and one HDMI are the bare minimum required these days.
The Lenovo IdeaPad S540 is available with either an AMD or an Intel CPU. Its overall built quality is excellent, and both SKUs cost around the same.
The 512 GB NVMe SSD was very fast and large enough for a multimedia laptop. If you need more storage space you can either upgrade the existing SSD or add a secondary M.2-2242 module.
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1.000 USD/Euros
Best Displays, for University Students
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤5-inch, Camera SmartphonesNotebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 160 Euros
Pricecompare
2nd – Aspire 7 A715
The Acer Aspire 7 A715-74G (see review here) is a decent all-rounder with gaming ambitions. It is based around Intel’s i5-9300H and a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 and thus powerful enough for modern games. Another key element is the fast 512 GB large SSD. At 8 GB RAM is sufficient yet not enough for running many applications simultaneously.
Acer’s Aspire 7 A715-74G is a decent all-rounder with good multimedia qualities as well as the capability to run modern games.
Its largest pro is battery life that did not suffer despite powerful hardware. The display features an IPS panel with great viewing angles, a decent contrast ratio, and good color representation. However, brightness is too low for its class.
Pricecompare
3rd – Asus VivoBook 14
The Asus VivoBook 14 (see review here) is a slim and compact 14-inch notebook. It features an Intel Core i5-8265U, which should be more than powerful enough for most applications, as well as a dedicated GeForce MX230 GPU. The latter transforms the VivoBook 14 into a multimedia device with limited gaming capabilities.
The cooler seems to be overburdened with the internal components, and both CPU and GPU are throttled after a short while. Overall system performance feels smooth thanks to the SSD.
The Asus VivoBook 14 is an affordable all-rounder for home users.
The matte display offers great viewing angles and a decent representation of colors. Brightness and contrast ratio are too low for its class.
Pricecompare
4th – Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15IIL05 (see review here) is a powerful long-running all-rounder based on Intel’s Core i5-1035G1 (Ice Lake). Its 8 GB of RAM are running at 3,200 MHz and are adequate for most applications. Unfortunately, this might be a sticking point with this device as RAM cannot be upgraded retroactively.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15IIL05 is a powerful all-rounder with the potential for gaming.
However, its benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and the device easily made our top 10 list. The slim case is fairly modern but not particularly rigid. Its dedicated GeForce MX350 GPU ensures a certain degree of gaming compatibility, and the device also offered a high level of system performance and very long battery life.
Connectivity was plentiful as well.
Pricecompare
5th – Asus VivoBook S15
We have already seen a laptop with two displays in the ZenBook Pro 15 UX580GE. This time around the ScreenPad 1.0 has been improved and can be found in the much cheaper Asus VivoBook S15 (see review here).
Furthermore, the multimedia laptop features a Core i7-8565U as well as a dedicated GeForce MX250 GPU.
In our review, the device was capable of taking full advantage of the ScreenPad 2.0 as it addressed most of the issues we had with its v1.0 predecessor. In terms of performance the S15 was underwhelming due to the i7-8565U’s limited turbo-boost capabilities. Nevertheless, the VivoBook S15 is great for work and a more than capable casual gaming and multimedia laptop.
If you were put off by the ScreenPad 1.0 you should give the second iteration another chance. It is more than just a gimmick and much more powerful than Apple’s Touch Bar.
Pricecompare
6th – Lenovo Ideapad S540
Lenovo’s Ideapad S540 (see review here) is an affordable multimedia notebook based on Intel’s Core i5-10210U paired with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU. In addition, it offers a large and fast 512 GB SSD.
We were positively surprised by its high-quality material and its very long battery life. In our Wi-Fi test, the Ideadpad S540 ran for more a respectable more than 12 hours. The case is modern and good-looking, and all that will only set you back around $800.
Lenovo’s Ideapad S540 is an affordable multimedia notebook with very long battery life.
Unfortunately, not all that glitters is gold, and there are a few flaws worth noting. First and foremost of which would be its comparatively poor Wi-Fi performance. In addition, its display was very reflective, and its connectivity comparatively poor.
Pricecompare
7th - Acer Aspire 5 A515
The Acer Aspire 5 A515 (see review here) has been a viable budget notebook for a long time. The latest model, equipped with Intel’s latest Core i5-10210U, continues its long line of ancestors. The GPU of choice is Nvidia’s GeForce MX250, which should be fast enough for casual gaming, and both SSD and IPS panel are available on this sub-$1000 laptop as well.
The Acer Aspire 5 A515 is an affordable all-rounder with gaming capabilities and Wi-Fi 6.
Our biggest gripe was the display due to its low maximum brightness and its inaccurate colors. In addition, the Comet Lake SoC remained far behind its theoretical capabilities, and the device lacks a card reader.
Pricecompare
8th - Dell Inspiron 15 5000
Dell’s Inspiron 15 5000 (see review here) surprised us with its great performance. Its AMD Ryzen 7 3700U offers a comparable multi-thread performance as Intel’s Core i7-8565U.
The case seems somewhat inconspicuous, which is okay considering the fact that this is still a budget device for around $1,000. Its AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 is a decent iGPU and comparable to a GeForce MX150.
Dell’s Inspiron 15 5000 combines a powerful AMD APU with a surprisingly powerful Radeon RX Vega 10 inside an affordable multimedia notebook.
We liked its low system noise in low-load scenarios as well as its comparatively simple maintenance and the fact that it can be charged via USB-C.
However, we would have expected more of its display. It is too dim and offers a very limited color space coverage. Furthermore, its cheap bottom cover material and slow Wi-Fi module are courtesy of its low price.
Pricecompare
9th - Lenovo Ideapad S340 15
If you’re looking for a capable device with multimedia genes for home use, you may want to take a closer look at Lenovo’s IdeaPad S340-15 (see review here). It is based on Intel’s latest Ice Lake SoC, including its integrated GPU. Unfortunately, dedicated GPUs are not available basically stripping the device of its gaming capabilities.
Thanks to its low weight the Lenovo IdeaPad S340-15 is a very handy device for home use and occasional travel.
Visually, it feels very modern and elegant thanks to its narrow display bezels and its thin base. Despite its compact built we did not encounter any thermal issues worth mentioning in our tests. Unfortunately, the overall good impression is tainted by poor battery life and spongy input devices.
Pricecompare
10th – Acer Aspire 5 A514
The Acer Aspire 5 A514 (see review here) is an affordable mid-range laptop. Our review unit lacked a dedicated GPU, which means that all things graphics were handled by the Core i5-10210U’s integrated GPU instead. In other words, it was only fast enough for simple multimedia tasks, and gaming was certainly not one of them.
In return, the Acer Aspire 5 A514 offers a well-calibrated display, long battery life, easy and straightforward maintenance, low noise emissions, and a low price to boot.
A good display is not enough to remain competitive in the 14-inch laptop market segment.
Unfortunately, the Core i5-10210U was incapable of fully utilizing its performance potential and disappointed. Visually, the device did not look particularly modern, and its weight was fairly high for a 14-inch device.
Pricecompare
Top 10 in Comparison
Test Results
| Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14IWL | Acer Aspire 7 A715-74G-50U5 | Asus VivoBook 14 X412FJ-EB023T | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15IIL05 | Asus VivoBook S15 S532F | Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML | Acer Aspire 5 A515-54G-56XE | Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585 | Lenovo Ideapad S340-15IIL | Acer Aspire 5 A514-52-58U3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 39.6 (21.6, 18) | 41 (20, 21) | 40 (18, 22) | 42 (20, 22) | 24.8 (12.8, 12) | 49.6 (22.4, 27.2) | 36 (19, 17) | 28.4 (10.4, 18) | 46.4 (26, 20.4) | 55.6 (24.4, 31.2) |
| Response Time Black / White * | 32 (18, 14) | 28 (16, 12) | 29 (17, 12) | 27 (16, 11) | 24 (14, 10) | 34.8 (18.8, 16) | 25 (16, 9) | 27.2 (16.4, 10.8) | 35.2 (20.4, 14.8) | 27.6 (17.2, 10.4) |
| PWM Frequency | 352.1 (99) | 202 (99) | 24510 (19) | |||||||
| Screen | ||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 316 | 271 | 274 | 340 | 262.3 | 299 | 248 | 253.6 | 320.8 | 237.8 |
| Brightness | 301 | 256 | 255 | 325 | 250 | 278 | 238 | 227 | 309 | 231 |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 91 | 89 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 87 | 82 |
| Black Level * | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.305 | 0.27 | 0.43 | 0.25 | 0.23 | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.32 |
| Contrast | 1129 | 1042 | 898 | 1259 | 610 | 1196 | 1078 | 939 | 1188 | 743 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * | 5.3 | 3.63 | 3.66 | 6.62 | 5.81 | 4.32 | 5.05 | 6.05 | 7.68 | 3.41 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * | 18.5 | 7.13 | 7.54 | 21.05 | 14.7 | 9.3 | 14.34 | 14.03 | 21.97 | 15.73 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated * | 4.8 | 4.62 | 4.71 | 5.36 | 2.58 | 4.76 | 4.97 | 4.65 | 3.12 | |
| Greyscale DeltaE2000 * | 2.4 | 2.21 | 1.45 | 4.61 | 2.8 | 4.21 | 1.37 | 3.2 | 7.3 | 1.2 |
| Gamma | 2.05 107% | 2.5 88% | 2.49 88% | 2.74 80% | 2.15 102% | 2.39 92% | 2.4 92% | 2 110% | 2.12 104% | 2.05 107% |
| CCT | 6644 98% | 6383 102% | 6597 99% | 6262 104% | 7016 93% | 6799 96% | 6592 99% | 6820 95% | 6213 105% | 6395 102% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 37.6 | 36 | 38 | 36 | 35.2 | 57 | 32 | 35.5 | 37.8 | 39.5 |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 58.3 | 57 | 59 | 56 | 55.6 | 86 | 51 | 55.6 | 58.3 | 62.2 |
| Noise | ||||||||||
| off / environment * | 29.3 | 30 | 30 | 30.7 | 28 | 30 | 29.8 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 29.1 |
| Idle Minimum * | 29.3 | 30 | 30.5 | 30.7 | 28 | 30 | 29.8 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 29.1 |
| Idle Average * | 29.3 | 30 | 30.5 | 30.7 | 28 | 32 | 29.8 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 29.1 |
| Idle Maximum * | 29.3 | 30 | 30.5 | 30.7 | 30 | 37 | 29.8 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 29.1 |
| Load Average * | 34.4 | 36.2 | 38.2 | 43.4 | 41.4 | 41 | 37.3 | 31.4 | 30.3 | 33.5 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 34.4 | 42.5 | 43.2 | 41.5 | 39 | 41.4 | ||||
| Load Maximum * | 34.9 | 42.4 | 40.2 | 43.7 | 41.5 | 42 | 40.1 | 41.4 | 35.5 | 36.1 |
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 41.8 | 52.8 | 45.2 | 43.1 | 45.4 | 42 | 41.3 | 41 | 35 | 39.2 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 43.3 | 58.7 | 42.7 | 50.9 | 40.8 | 45 | 40 | 47 | 44 | 46 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 25.1 | 27.2 | 27.6 | 29 | 29.6 | 25 | 27.4 | 28.2 | 28.6 | 22.4 |
| Idle Bottom * | 25.4 | 28.9 | 27.8 | 31 | 31.2 | 26 | 28.6 | 34 | 36 | 26.2 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
| Reader / Idle | 1281 | 1391 | 655 | 1810 | 856 | 599 | 1360 | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 505 | 553 | 359 | 684 | 306 | 724 | 534 | 421 | 258 | 564 |
| Load | 87 | 139 | 86 | 81 | 81 | 66 | 121 | |||
| Power Consumption | ||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 2.74 | 2.9 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 6 | 5 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 2.7 |
| Idle Average * | 5.64 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 9.1 | 10.3 | 7 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 3 |
| Idle Maximum * | 8.4 | 10.7 | 7.5 | 11.6 | 10.5 | 10 | 9.2 | 7 | 7.7 | 4.6 |
| Load Average * | 61.3 | 78 | 54.4 | 65 | 69.1 | 64 | 38 | 36.5 | 43.3 | 29.3 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 49.2 | 87 | 59 | 57.8 | 44 | 37.9 | 40.4 | |||
| Load Maximum * | 69.4 | 135 | 63 | 65.3 | 88 | 67 | 59 | 44 | 47.5 | 45.4 |
* ... smaller is better
