Years ago, the most popular computers were tower computers. They were the ones that had it all, the most powerful and were also the cheapest, but, as with everything, over time laptops fell in price at the same time as their capabilities improved. For this reason, many of us no longer need a "fixed" computer and we opted for one that we can move and use anywhere. Personally, whenever they ask me which one to choose, I recommend a i5 laptop, that is, whose processor uses an Intel i5 or equivalent.
Guide Index
Best i5 laptops
Best i5 laptop brands
If in the previous selection you have not found the i5 laptop model that you like, below you will find the best ones according to the brand:
Lenovo
Lenovo is a great option when we want to buy any computer, and this is so because it manufactures and sells computers of all kinds, which includes more powerful and more discreet. The company is of Chinese origin, and we all know what this means: usually, its value for money is good, and we are not talking about a Chinese brand whose price is even lower, but the quality is almost non-existent.
In its catalog we find laptops with an i5 processor that can be accompanied by various components, such as larger or smaller capacity drives, hard drives or SSD, screens of different sizes and the same could be said of the RAM, but, whatever we choose, your i5s are a safe bet.
HP
HP is a North American company that has been behind it for more than 80 years. In all this time, they have manufactured and sold hardware of all kinds, although part of their popularity is due to their printers. Eight decades is more than enough time to learn how to make, and do it well, computers of all kinds, among which are some i5 laptops that receive very good reviews from the user community.
I find it curious and noteworthy that HP had worse times, more than a decade ago, probably because they wanted to innovate (for example, in design) and it did not turn out too well. With the lesson well learned, the company returned to its roots and what started with the name Hewlett-Packard once again offers one of the best options on the market.
ASUS
ASUS is a Taiwanese company that has focused on the manufacture and sale of hardware for computers and telephones. They are a great option for their value for money and, although I should not say it, one of the favorite brands of the author of this article.
Su catalog is extensive, but it is very easy to find a laptop i5, or any other type, that works perfectly, without having to spend a fortune. In addition to these mid-range computers, it also offers more powerful ones, and most of them with great quality.
Huawei
Huawei has become in the last decade in one of the most important technology companies in the world, in part thanks to its telephony sector. It was founded in the late '80s, but the "boom" has hit it relatively recently. Quality smartphones were followed by tablets, other smart devices and also computers, including i5 laptops.
As in almost everything Chinese, they offer good value for moneyBut Huawei is not a "Chinese" brand in the bad sense of the term. What it manufactures and sells is reliable, so it fulfills what is good, beautiful and cheap.
Acer
Like ASUS, Acer is a Taiwanese company, but it covers much more, among which we have servers, storage devices, virtual reality, peripherals and others. Also like ASUS, it is one of the favorite brands of the author of this article, since they manufacture all kinds of computers, but the mid-range ones are very good and their price is more than competitive.
The good price will be noticed especially in laptops with an i5 processor, or any of the brand that is mid-range. With the number of models offered by its catalog, it is very easy to find the perfect laptop for us, a happy owner of one of them tells you that he already had another and it also gave good results.
Dell
Dell is a Texas technology multinational that not only manufactures and sells computer-related devices, but also repairs and offers support for this type of equipment. It was founded in the 80s, and since then it has achieved some relevance in the world of computers. In its catalog we find everything, such as laptops with an i5 processor that can be accompanied by better components or more discreet ones to fit any pocket.
Who should buy an i5 laptop?
Here I want to give my subjective opinion and also a more objective one. And, personally, when they ask me what processor a laptop should have at least, I say an i5, and I say that without asking what they are going to use it for. Why? Well, because I have an i3 and, excuse the expression, with Windows 10 it crawls; It is very slow and opening some applications can take a minute, which is an eternity. Therefore, I think anyone who wants a laptop and does not suffer from nervousness has to buy an i5 ... or more, as we explain below.
But the important thing at this point is to talk a little about the performance of the i5, without giving numbers or mentioning anything related to the Benchmarks. A laptop with i5 it will allow us to work relatively well, and this I have verified comparing the performance of my i3 with an i5, both with Windows. The i5 defends itself, so we can open the most common applications with a good speed and perform normal work with solvency.
Although we must bear in mind that the processor is not everything, and that is something that we will also assess in the following points.
I5 or i7?
i7, of course. Or not so clear. Speaking of processors, the more power the better, but there is something we have to take into account: the jump from an i5 to an i7 can also mean a significant price jump. In addition, that a computer mounts an i7 can also mean that it includes more advanced components, so the price increase would be the result of adding the cost of a more powerful processor and the rest of the components.
I would explain it to a friend as follows: Do you depend on speed? Are you going to work and need efficiency? Can you afford it? If the use that we are going to make of our laptop is at the user level or we are going to use apps and programs that are not very demanding, then the i5 is better, because for a lower price we will be doing the same thing that we would do with the i7, but at a lower speed that also means lower price.
It is clear to me that I want an i5 laptop, with 8GB or 16GB of RAM?
The question we have to ask ourselves is what use are we going to make of our laptop, more specifically if we are going to have more or fewer processes open, or if the applications that we are going to use require more or less RAM. A notebook with i7 and 8GB of RAM will do well on all terrains, unless you perform very heavy tasks, such as the most demanding video and audio editing.
I comment on the above because 16GB of RAM is rarely needed, and personally I find that i5 + 16GB of RAM is a bit out of balance. I will not deny that it is good to have a lot of RAM, but if we choose an i5 it is probably because we do not need as much power, so it is not worth spending more money than strictly necessary.
Although, as I have explained, all it depends on the processes that we need to have open. If there are going to be many, although I would recommend accompanying them with an i7, then we can choose the one with 16GB of RAM.
Normal hard drive or SSD?
This point is a bit of a déjà vu from the i5 vs i7 section. The processor is like the brain of a computer: the better it is, the faster it thinks (processes). Taking into account that discs are read and written, with what part of the human body could they be compared? Eyes and hands come to mind. A "normal" hard disk offers normal read and write speeds, and those who have not tried anything better do not know what is really good. On the other hand, SSD drives offer much higher read and write speeds, for what they are very worthwhile, and this shows in practically everything.
But, as with the i7, an SSD drive It is more expensive, and buying a laptop with these types of drives can result in one of these cases: the price goes up considerably, or the storage goes down to compensate. So here the question is again whether we can afford the extra expense and whether we need speed, and also whether we can work with a smaller disk. Because the speed and performance offered by SSDs are very noticeable, but so is the price. Here it is the user who has to decide what to choose.
Where to buy a cheap i5 laptop
Amazon
Amazon is an option that will always be on these lists. The company was founded in 1994, and its main reason for being is the e-commerce, that is, online sales. More recently, they have come to cover more markets, among which we have services such as Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, etc, or what many know somewhat less, artificial intelligence (which they use in devices such as Alexa) and computing in the cloud. With regard to the latter, Amazon offers its services to third parties so that they can operate on the internet, that is, many services use Amazon's servers.
Amazon is, for me and for many, the most important online store in the world. In it we can find all kinds of products, as long as these can be sent. Among these products we have practically any related to electronics, such as mobile phones, televisions or all kinds of computers, where we will find the i5 laptops that we are dealing with here. And the best thing is that, as a great company, they can offer really competitive prices, to which are added the best guarantees.
El Corte Ingles
El Corte Inglés, although the last word may be misleading, is a global distribution group based in Spain. It is made up of companies of different formats, but if for something they are popular is for their department stores, that is to say, for its huge stores that we can find in large cities and that extend over several floors of a building.
El Corte Ingles It also has an online store, and in both we can find fashion products, one of its strongest points, and electronics, where we can buy mobile phones, tablets, televisions, music equipment and computers, among others. In the computing section we will find the i5 laptops that we are talking about in this article, but also others that are more discreet or others more powerful, including those designed for gaming.
Carrefour
Many years ago, its hypermarkets were known as Continente, and they were present only in a few large cities. Over the years, already under the name Carrefour, these stores in the French multinational distribution chain They are available in practically any population with a minimum of inhabitants, no less is expected from what is considered the first European group in net income.
At Carrefour we can find all kinds of products, from food, clothing, personal hygiene products and, in the largest, electronic items. It is in this last section where we can find computers and, like almost everything they offer, they will be available with good value for money.
PC Components
With this name, it should come as no surprise that it is on this list. PC Components is a Spanish e-commerce portal which was founded in 2005, but which is one of the most important in Spain and Portugal today. They started selling computers and peripherals for them, hence their name, but right now we can also find other items, such as cameras.
When a company specializes in something, it ends up becoming a reference for the same, and this usually translates into sells many related items. Thus, PC Components offers many computer products, and it does so at the best prices. Therefore, if you are considering buying an i5, i7, gaming or work laptop, one of the options you have to take into account is PC Components.
Media Markt
Mediamarkt was founded in 1979, but it reached countries like Spain some twenty years later. Almost instantly, the chain of stores became famous for offering electronics, appliances and computer products with Very low prices, and later they launched the slogan "I am not stupid" that refers to that we will be smart if we buy in their stores, simply because we will get the same at a lower price.
The shop comes from Germany, and in it we can find almost anything that works with electricity. Plugged into a power outlet, computers work, even laptops, at least to charge them, so there we will find i5 laptops at a good price in total safety.
When to buy a cheaper i5 laptop?
Black Friday
Black Friday is a sale event which takes place the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. His intention is to invite us to make the first Christmas shopping, and there are already many countries where it is celebrated, such as Spain. In fact, it is celebrated practically all over the world, both in physical stores and online.
During Black Friday we will find succulent discounts in laptops all kinds of items, at first without distinction as there should be on Cyber Monday that we will talk about later. Although it should be held only on Friday, some businesses make the deadline more flexible to cast the hook and we decide to buy what we had on our wish list.
Prime Day
Prime Day is another sale event, very similar to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but with one important difference: only available to Amazon Prime users, that is, those to which we are subscribed. During the event, we will find discounts on all kinds of products, and the discounts can be outrageous. There are even flash deals, which are one-item promotions with limited units at an even lower price. If you are considering buying an i5 laptop, or with any other specification, Amazon Prime Day it's the perfect time.
Cyber Monday
Like Black Friday, Cyber Monday is a sale event that takes place on the Monday following Thanksgiving in the United States, the Monday following Black Friday. His intention is also to invite us to make our first Christmas purchases, but, In theory, what we will find on that day will be only electronic products, hence the Cyber.
Many businesses break the rules, both for electronics products and dates, and often bridge the gap between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which means that sales are available throughout the weekend and Monday. In any case, it is a day that offers major discounts on laptops, so it is one of the best options if what we want is something related to electronics, such as i5 laptops.
Telecommunications Engineer closely linked to the world of computing. I complement my daily work with a suitable laptop for my tasks and I help you to achieve the same adapted to your needs.
