An increasing number of people rely on a laptop, whether that be for work or pleasure. Whether you’re a busy freelancer, a diehard gamer or you have a far-reaching social media influence, a laptop is an essential piece of kit. They can, of course, be pretty expensive – but they don’t always need to be. Let’s have a look at some of the best ways to get yourself a great laptop without having to fork out a hefty wad of cash.

Where should I buy it from?

It’s a good idea to stick with reputable retailers for cheap laptops, such as refurbishedlaptops.co.uk. There’s a great range of budget friendly laptops available and advice for those who need it.

Getting advice from an impartial consumer advice service such as Which can be worth its weight in gold in obtaining reliable advice on what to choose – and what to avoid

How do I know which to buy?

It can be confusing trying to make a start on choosing a laptop. Of course, retailers have no desire to show you the cheapest laptops, so it can be harder to find reviews. But often, the cheaper laptops work just as well as their more expensive counterparts.

Begin by choosing the operating system that works best for you. The main choices used by budget laptops are ChromeOS or Windows. Both function well, but ChromeOS is used on the great value Chromebooks, which can be picked up for as cheaply as £150 or so, and it offers everything you need for most computing tasks. Windows can work more smoothly, but both are perfectly fine.

In terms of speed and performance, it’s all about the processor. Avoid cheap processors – you’re much better off sticking with Intel and the like.

Likewise, ensure you go for a machine with at least 8GB of RAM. This is the amount of memory the laptop has. Less than 8GB (you’ll see many budget machines with 6GB or 4GB) and the performance is likely to slow right down.