Notebookcheck's Top 10 Budget Multimedia Notebooks

The Acer Nitro 5 is an unusual device, which can secure a top spot in our Top 10 ranking with a total score of 85%. The big notebook manufacturers usually use processors from Intel. Acer now equipped the Nitro 5 with an AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, which is comparable to an Intel Core i7-8550U. Besides the AMD processor, you also get the dedicated AMD Radeon RX 560X for usable 3D performance. Overall, the Acer Nitro 5 offers sufficient performance even for demanding games.

The well-equipped multimedia device does not lack storage, either; 1.1 TB should be sufficient. You get a 128 GB SSD in combination with a conventional 1 TB hard drive for large amount of files.

AMD fans will be happy about the combination of Ryzen 7 2700U and Radeon RX 560X, because the AMD CPU is on par with the Intel counterpart.

Asus’s TUF 705DT [see review here] is living proof that AMD-powered devices can be powerful and energy efficient at the same time. AMD’s Ryzen 5 3550H offers performance on a par with Intel’s Core i5-8300H or Core i5-9300H. However, at a TDP of just 35 W, it is significantly more efficient. Both Intel SoCs require 10 W more than AMD’s counterpart. Our 17-inch multimedia review unit was further equipped with a 256 GB large NVMe SSD, a 1 TB hard disk, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. In other words: it was certainly gaming-capable.

We liked its low power consumption and the resulting decent battery life. In our Wi-Fi test, the Asus TUF 705DT lasted for almost 8 hours. The matte IPS display was decent albeit somewhat dim. Connectivity, on the other hand, was comparatively poor. For example, the device lacks a USB Type-C port altogether, and a card reader is nowhere to be found either.

The Asus TUF 705DT is a decent multimedia device capable of running the latest games. Unfortunately, its connectivity is pretty poor.

Lenovo’s Ideapad S340 [see review here] turned out to be a solid device and managed to secure one of the top spots in our top 10 list of budget multimedia notebooks. Its robust case is available in four different colors, and thanks to its conservative design it does not look out of place in typical office environments. Thanks to Intel’s latest Whiskey Lake generation of processors, the Core i7-8565U, it offered plenty of oomph. Its good overall system performance certainly benefitted from the fast 512 GB PCIe SSD. An extra 2.5-inch hard drive bay is available for retroactive upgrades. Unfortunately, the RAM is fixed at 8 GB and cannot be upgraded.

Most users will be more than satisfied with the display that did not show any signs of PWM flickering whatsoever. Unfortunately, it comes at a price: poor color accuracy, poor color space coverage, and a dim backlight. Therefore, it is not suited for professional use. Its battery life was also comparatively short, and it only lasted 6 hours in our Wi-Fi test.

Lenovo’s Ideapad S340 is a decent device offering decent system performance. Unfortunately, battery life is comparatively short.

Thanks to its GeForce MX230 GPU the Ideapad S340 is even capable of gaming, albeit we advise you to steer clear of current games if at all possible. The GPU is, after all, based on an entry-level chip design.

Acer's Aspire 5 A515-52G (here in review) is an inexpensive multimedia notebook based on a Whiskey Lake CPU. The Intel Core i5-8265U is more than powerful enough for the majority of multimedia workloads. The case is now a bit slimmer compared to the predecessor. A fast SSD and 8 GB DDR4-RAM in a dual-channel configuration ensure a responsive system performance.

The allrounder is equipped with a matte IPS panel, which is not the brightest model. The step towards displays with wide angles in the low-price segment is still a positive trend.

For about 900 Euros, you get a solid laptop with dedicated graphics card (GeForce MX150), which can handle some gaming, but you will have to waive high resolutions and details. You can also implement an additional storage drive if the 256 GB SSD is not sufficient. An empty 2.5-inch slot is available. The Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G is a good allrounder without any real drawbacks.

Asus expands its VivoBook-series with the 14-inch and slim Ultrabook (here in review) including the dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX230. For 800 Euros you get a fast system with a modern Whiskey Lake CPU. The chassis only uses a base unit made of plastic, but it does not feel cheap.

The display is unfortunately a bit below our expectations. it has a matte surface, but it is still not ideal for outdoor use due to the dim backlight.

The Asus VivoBook 14 turns out to be a solid all-rounder for everyday use despite some small drawbacks. It is not too expensive, either.

Nvidia's GeForce MX230 is no typical gaming GPU, but it is still powerful enough for older titles, which will even run at higher settings. All in all, the MX230 is slightly faster than the old Nvidia GeForce 940MX.

The Xiaomi Mi Notebook 15.6 is a good multimedia laptop from the Chinese manufacturer for less than 800 Euros. The device is unfortunately not sold officially in every region, so there might be limitations in terms of warranty and keyboard layout. The operating system is Windows 10, but the default language is Chinese, so there is some fiddling. You should therefore consider a fresh installation of the operating system.

The performance of the Intel Core i5-8250U is very good during our review and the dedicated GeForce MX110 can handle simple 3D games like Overwatch, Team Fortress, or the Fifa-series. We like the mostly silent operation in office scenarios.

The Xiaomi Mi is a system with a very good price-performance ratio, but the compromises might scare off some potential buyers.

HP also offers an inexpensive multimedia device. The Pavilion 14 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8550U supported by 8 GB DDR4 RAM. 3D calculations are handled by the GeForce MX150, which is a good choice for smooth frame rates in simple games.

HP updated the chassis and we think it was a success. The tactile impression is good and the design looks modern. Both the excellent build quality and the stability were convincing as well.

However, there are many drawbacks. The display is too dark, which makes the use in sunshine impossible. We often criticize the lack of an SD reader. Well, the Pavilion 14 has one, but it only supports USB 2.0 speeds, so the performance is slow. Overall, the thermal management is not good and the fan is clearly audible under load.

The HP Pavilion does not have an easy time to find a new owner. It will probably have to be a great deal.

The Ideapad 530S (here in review) is an affordable multimedia laptop. It is available with a discreet GPU, but our test model only comes with the integrated graphics adapter. This means the GPU performance is low, but the performance utilization of the Intel Core i5-8250U could have been better as well.

The Lenovo Ideapad 530S is still a nice multimedia notebook with a sturdy chassis. You can maintain it and the system is usually very quiet. We like the anti-reflective surface of the screen, even though the luminance is rather average at 270 nits.

The Ideapad 530S offers surprisingly many features for the small price tag. SKUs with dedicated GPU still retail for less than 1000 Euros.

HP's Pavilion 15 is an inexpensive Multimedia laptop with an Intel Core i5-8250U and dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX130. The device also offers plenty of storage with a total of 1.25 TB thanks to a 256 GB SSD for the operating system and a 1 TB hard disk for additional data.

The Pavilion 15 certainly attracts attention with the appealing design, which appears very modern with its slim-bezel design. However, the chassis is not only modern, but also stable. All in all, the multimedia laptop offers good system performance for working tasks. Nvidia's GeForce MX130 is just too weak for modern games.

The biggest drawbacks of the HP Pavilion is the short battery runtime. We only determined a meager runtime of 4:44 hours in our Wi-Fi scenario, which is not good.

The Dell Inspiron 17 3000 3780 is a 17-inch multimedia laptop with an Intel Core i7-8565U, but the dedicated graphics card AMD Radeon 520 is pretty weak. This means the device is not suited for modern games.

The advantages include a display with a decent contrast ratio, an optical drive, which is rare nowadays, as well as the low price.