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Best Buy Computers Under 400

During difficult financial times people tend to spend money more responsively and buy products that are the bare minimum for a specific task.

Best buy and other large retail stores support this idea by coming with many low-price offers, so when it comes to computers, there are a lot of different choices under 400 dollars in both desktop and laptop categories.

Best Buy computers under 400 dollars include the 15.6” Compaq Presario which costs $325:

It’s based on the latest Intel chip set with Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics and the cheapest Intel single-core processor above the Atom class, Celeron 900 clocked at 2.2GHz. The screen HD capable at standard 1366 x 768 resolution (720p), but it still uses traditional fluorescent backlighting. Compaq managed to compensate for the lack of a dual core processor with a 250GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive and a super multi DVD burner. Installed system memory is only 2GB, 797MB of which is dynamically allocated to the on-board graphics card, but it’s expandable to 4GB or even 8GB if we look at chip set specifications. Because it’s not a high-performance laptop it has only a 10/100MBPS LAN adapter but also a Wi-Fi module that supports B, G and N speeds. The 6-cell battery allows it to function up to 3 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge, while Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit operating system offers the ultimate user experience. All-in-all it’s a very capable computer system, sufficient for office work, light programming and very basic gaming that includes some very popular 3D games like SIMS 3 and World of Warcraft.

For more demanding tasks there’s another Best Buy computer under 400 dollars, a $399 ASUS laptop to be more exact:

It’s basically the same configuration as the Compaq, but with small improvements here and there. The processor is a 2.2GHz Pentium Dual Core that comes very close to Core 2 Duo performance. LED back lighting is used for the TFT screen with the same 1366 x 768 resolution, there’s 3GB memory instead of 2GB and the integrated LAN adapter supports 1000MBPS speed. This ASUS laptop can handle any office work and more demanding programming, but for gaming it might be only slightly better than the Celeron based Compaq.

In the desktop sector there are many systems with price tags up to $400, but the most representative configuration comes with a 19” monitor, keyboard and mouse for $399:

The (ACER) eMachines ET1831-05 desktop is based on a 2.2GHz Celeron 450 processor, very similar (if not identical) to the Compaq laptop’s processor. With 3GB of installed system memory and Geforce 7050 on-board graphics card it’s basically in the same category as the mentioned laptops when it comes to gaming, but it also has a PCI-Express 16X slot for a more powerful graphics card (only limited by the power supply). As for storage, the 3.5” 500GB 7200RPM desktop hard disk is one of the cheapest models on the market, but still offering a decent performance. It has a super multi DVD burner, a standard for both laptops and desktops and comes with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit. Although the computer comes with a 18.5” HD 1366 x 768 resolution screen, keyboard and mouse, it’s quite unusual that they didn’t include some cheap speakers or headphones, so sound may be the only thing absent from this great offer.