Best PCs under 300 euros: buying guide

August 14, 2021 Henry Jackson 0 Comments

Your trusty old computer is now many years old and you’ve decided it’s time to replace it; or perhaps due to a malfunction you need to buy a new PC with some urgency. The problem is that you still don’t have clear ideas about which model to buy: the only thing you know for sure is that your budget is not very high, we are talking about no more than 300 euros.

If so, fear not, you don’t need to spend too much money for a good-performing PC, especially if you have to perform daily tasks that don’t require highly specific technical features. There are many affordable options on the market for laptops that are also suitable for office work, as well as pre-assembled stationary and mini PCs with which to browse the web and use basic software, such as those for word processing or spreadsheets. obviously giving up some extra features and more advanced activities such as gaming or high-level multimedia editing.

In this guide, if you want, I will first show you what are the main features to consider when choosing a PC, and then offer you a selection of the best PCs under 300 euros. If that’s your thing, all you have to do is take a few minutes to read the next few paragraphs and take a look at the solutions I’m about to recommend. I just have to wish you a good reading and a good choice!

Index

How to choose a PC
- Laptop, desktop or mini PC
- Technical features
Which PC under 300 euros to buy
- Best laptops under 300 euros
- Best fixed PCs under 300 euros
- Best mini PCs under 300 euros

How to choose a PC

Before going into the characteristics of the specific models, I would first like to talk to you about the technical peculiarities that must be taken into consideration when choosing a PC. To find your way among the economic offers available on the market, it is important to determine what your needs are and to choose a type of PC that meets your needs and the intended use of the PC. If you’re ready, let’s get started!

Laptop, desktop or mini PC

The vast PC market offers economic solutions both for those who prefer the manageability of laptops, and for those who prefer a fixed location with a classic desktop computer or a mini PC, to be transported more easily in case of need. If you are still undecided, let me tell you the main use cases of the various types of computers on the market.

Portable PC– if you often use your PC even away from home, such as at work or university as well as traveling and you value especially the convenient and compact size, it is advisable to buy a laptop that allows you to access all the features you need everytime. In addition to the classic laptops with Windows, there are also models without an operating system (to save some money on the license, on which to install Windows or Linux ) and Chromebooks, or PCs with the Chrome OS operating systemby Google designed for those who do not need high performance and mainly carry out online activities: they are in fact designed for use with Web services and applications for Android, with which they are compatible. There are also convertible laptops which, being equipped with a touch-screen and a folding or detachable keyboard, can be transformed into a tablet if necessary: in these cases we are talking, respectively, of convertibles and 2-in-1s.
Fixed PC– if instead you would like a PC for your home or workstation, your choice could be directed towards a fixed model, which can offer greater performance than a laptop, for the same price. However, keep in mind that most of the models on sale do not include a monitor, keyboard, mouse etc., all essential accessories, which must be purchased separately.
Mini PC– Another alternative is a mini PC, a small desktop computer, usually similar to a TV box with ports for peripherals such as a monitor, keyboard and mouse. They are suitable for browsing the Web, playing multimedia content and all the basic activities of a computer: the compact size limits their computing power, also due to the heat that these components produce. The power consumption is extremely efficient and some are even fanless, that is, without fans. They lend themselves very well to use as a media center for TV and represent, in any case, the ideal solution for those who need to transport their computer occasionally (eg in the holiday home) but with ease.

Finally, keep in mind that budget PCs under $ 300 don’t offer high performance, especially for demanding tasks such as professional gaming, programming, graphics and video editing. Instead, they are sufficient for everyday tasks such as surfing the web, viewing multimedia content and using office software that does not require particularly high performance.

If these are the activities that interest you, you have to go up in price: if you are interested, I recommend reading my buying guides dedicated to the best PCs for graphics and which PC to buy to play.

Technical features

As for the technical characteristics, it is necessary to take into account the performance of each of the main components of a PC, which I list below.

Processor (CPU)– A computer’s processor is the central unit dedicated to processing all data. Most modern processors are divided into cores, or “mini-processors” whose work is carried out in parallel to allow the processing of a greater number of calculations through mathematical processes. The higher the computing power, measured in MHz or GHz, the better the PC performance will be. Read more here.
Graphics processing unit (GPU)– the specific unit dedicated to the calculations necessary for graphics processing, which can be integrated into the motherboard (therefore called integrated), with not very high performance, or implemented as a separate component (discrete) , with its own RAM and therefore with better performance. Read more here.
RAM– the computer’s short-term memory, which holds the information you use most often in order to make it easier and faster to process. The greater amount of RAM in a computer indicates a better performance in running multiple applications at the same time and “heavy” software, as far as possible within the limits of a cheap PC. Read more here.
Mass storage – the long-term memory of the computer, which permanently saves the data of the operating system, applications and files. It can be a mechanical hard disk , cheaper for the same capacity but not very performing and fragile, or a solid state drive (SSD) , a little more expensive but offering a much higher speed and is more resistant to shocks and falls. There are also eMMC drives, that is, flash memories that perform better than mechanical disks but less fast than SSDs.
Power supply– the component that supplies electricity and thus allows the entire PC to function. Depending on the number of peripherals connected and the configuration, a PC needs a power supply with a power that can support its operation, on average around 500W.
Monitor– the display that shows the graphical interface of the PC, with dimensions measured in inches and image quality based on the technology it uses (for example LCD type IPS, TN and VA), resolution HD, Full HD (probably the best compromise for cheaper computers), 4K or even 5K, backlight types and aspect ratio from 4: 3, 16: 9, 16: 210 or Ultra-Wide. Read more here.

If you want to know more, I have here for you a guide that I have dedicated exclusively to how to choose a PC, where you will find more information and advice for buying.

Which PC under 300 euros to buy

Now that you have a complete overview of the features to consider when buying a PC, I move on to offer you a selection of products for all budgets that could be right for you, sorted according to the types I have described to you: laptops, fixed PCs. and mini PC.

Best laptops under 300 euros

Let’s start with laptops: I’m about to recommend some of the best products under 300 euros available on the market, both Windows notebooks and Chromebooks, cheap but valid.

Asus Chromebook C223

Asus Chromebook C223 has a light, compact and slim design; the anti-glare HD display is 11.6 inches. It has a 1.1 GHz Intel Celeron N3350 processor, 4 GB RAM, HDD hard disk and integrated Intel HD Graphics 500 graphics card. Connectivity options with USB Type-C port, micro SD slot and Wi -Fi 802.11ac dual-band for higher transmission speed. The operating system is obviously Chrome OS.

HP 14s-dq0041nl

The HP 14s-dq0041nl model is a light and efficient notebook, with Windows 10 S operating system. The 14-inch display with HD resolution becomes Micro Edge, with frame dimensions that can decrease according to needs; the screen is also anti-glare with WLED backlight which helps not to strain the eyes. It features a 1.1 GHz Intel Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB DDR4 RAM and 128GB SSHD hard drive, as well as the integrated Intel UHD 600 graphics card. As for connectivity, it has SD and Micro SD readers, USB, USB-C and HDMI ports. Finally, it also allows HD video calling with the HP Wide Vision webcam with 720p resolution and integrated microphone.

CHUWI HeroBook Pro

The Chinese brand Chuwi offers many valid products at low cost: the HeroBook Pro model is a simple but functional notebook, with Windows 10 Home OS operating system. It features an 11.6-inch Full HD LED display, an Intel Celeron Gemini Lake N4020 processor up to 2.6GHz and Intel UHD Graphics 600, dual-core and two-threaded graphics card. The SSD hard drive is 64GB, while the LPDDR4 RAM is 4GB. The 14.1-inch anti-glare display is LCD with 4K resolution. Finally, it features an HD video port and an M.2 slot and supports both TF cards up to 128GB and M.2 SSDs up to 1TB.

Acer Chromebook Spin 311

Another interesting product is the Chromebook Spin 311 of Acer, with a great value and a simple and compact design has a display Multi-Touch LCD 11.6-inch HD resolution and is very versatile. It offers a 2.5GHz MediaTek MT8183 processor, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, 64GB eMMC hard drive and integrated graphics card. It also has USB ports (two USB 3.0 and one USB Type-C) and Mini HDMI, as well as Bluetooth support.

Best fixed PCs under 300 euros

Let’s move on to desktop PCs: although these computers are generally more expensive, it is possible to find good products even at lower prices.

DELL 7010 SFF

DELL 7010 SFF is a fixed PC that does its duty, one of the most popular in this price range: with the dimensions of 49.1 x 35.4 x 12.3 cm and with 6.91 kg of weight, it offers a 3.20Ghz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB hard drive and integrated Intel UHD graphics card. It is equipped with the Windows 10 Pro operating system. From a connectivity point of view, it has two DisplayPost ports and one for VGA.

HP Prodesk 600 G1 Ultra slim

The HP Prodesk 600 G1 desktop model is ultra-thin, designed especially for work: it offers a 2.9GHz i5-4570t processor, 8GB DDR3 RAM and 500GB hard drive, with Intel UHD Graphics 4600 and connectivity with two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0, one RJ45 LAN, two Audio / 3.5mm, one VGA and two DisplayPort.

HP Elite 8200

Another inexpensive solution offered by HP is Elite 8200, a desktop computer with 3.1Ghz Intel iCore i5 2400 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 500GB hard drive. For multimedia content playback it offers an integrated Intel HD 2000 video card and sound card with integrated speaker and many options for connectivity: 10 USB 2.0 ports, one for VGA and another for HDMI. as well as an audio input/output and a serial for RS-232. Includes Windows 10 Pro operating system and Office Starter 2010.

ExtremeBit Assembled Intel Core i5-2400

ExtremeBit has a wide range of assembled computers, including this model with 3.1GHz Intel Core 15-2400 processor, with good hardware configuration and equally solid performance: it has a motherboard with Intel H61 chipset, 16GB DDR3 RAM, 240GB SATA SSD and 1TB SATA hard drive, in addition to the integrated Intel HD 2000 video card and also a Dual Layer DVD burner. From the point of view of connectivity, it has 6 USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, an HDMI and an RJ-45 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port.

Best mini PCs under 300 euros

Finally, I propose you some high- performance and affordable mini PCs, with a compact size and suitable for everyday needs.

Beelink U55

The Beelink brand offers many affordable solutions to interest you, including the Beelink U55 mini PC, with pre-installed Windows 10 and dual-core Intel Core i3-5005U CPU up to 2.0 GHz. It offers 8 GB of DDR3L RAM and SSD hard drive. 256GB SSD, Intel HD Graphics 5500 GPU and 4K resolution with support for dual screens via the dual HDMI output port. Wireless connectivity features include dual band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. This model in particular is not fanless – it has a built-in cooling fan to dissipate heat.

CHUWI Herobox Pro

The Chinese brand ChuWi also offers mini PC solutions, including the Herobook Pro model, really small and easy to carry with its 18.8 x 13.9 x 3.8 cm. It has a 2.8GHz Intel Jasper Lake N4500 processor and pre-installed Windows 10 OS, 8GB of RAM plus a 256GB SSD hard drive. With Intel 9th HD graphics card with 4K UHD rigid decoding, it supports video in 10-bit VP9 and HEVC formats. It too is fanless, with a design designed for continuous cooling and energy saving. It also has two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports and a USB-C slot to connect up to two monitors with VGA output.

BMAX B2Plus

The BMAX B2Plus mini PC is a model with solid and reliable operation, with an Intel Celeron J4125 processor up to 2.5 GHz, Windows 10 Pro operating system, 8GB DDR SDRAM, 128GB hard drive and Intel UHD Graphics graphics card 600. It’s great for web browsing but especially for video and music playback: it supports three 4K displays at 60Hz, with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and dual-channel speakers. It has two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0, one Type-C, two HDMI, one Ethernet and a Micro SD reader.

Beelink BT3PRO II

Another good model from Beelink is the efficient and solid BT3PRO II mini PC with Windows 10 64-bit operating system, Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor up to 1.92 GHz and Intel HD Graphics 400 graphics card, with 4GB DDR3 RAM and 64GB ROM expandable with SD card. Allows connection to two monitors with Full HD resolution for multitasking, via the HDMI and VGA ports as well as USB 3.0 and USB 2.0; finally, it has 2.4G and 5.8G dual band WiFi connectivity and BT4.0.