Get an Acer Aspire 5 w/ 256GB SSD for $549

Acer is no stranger to budget laptops. In fact, its Aspire E 15 is our favorite value laptop packing an impressive amount of performance for just $349.  

Buy Acer Aspire 5 on Amazon.com

But if you need a machine that offers a little more muscle than the Core i3-powered E 15, Amazon currently has the Acer Aspire 5 for $549.99.

Traditionally priced at $600, the Aspire 5 packs the extra horsepower that the cheaper E15 lacks, thanks in part to its newer 1.6-GHz Core i5-8250U quad-core processor. Acer also fitted its machine with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. While it's possible to find a few $499 to $549 laptops with Intel's Core i5-8250U CPU, most of them rely on a 1TB 5,400rpm HDD.

This Aspire 5, for instance, costs $544 at Newegg, but features a 1TB HDD. By comparison, the Aspire 5 configuration at Amazon packs a speedy 256GB SSD. 

Other features include a 1080p 15.6-inch LCD and USB Type-C, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and HDMI connectivity. Its predecessor's battery lasted about 7.5 hours with a Core i5-7200U CPU inside, but the updated Aspire 5 should be able to endure for a little longer thanks to its newer CPU, which in some of our benchmarks has offered better battery life.

Whether you're a student on a strict budget or just looking for an all-purpose laptop that won't break the bank, the $549 Acer Aspire 5 is sure to satisfy. 

Louis wrote about some of the best tech deals for Laptop Mag. With a keen eye for discounts and the ability to tell a great deal apart from a fake sale, Louis covered deals on laptops, tablets, and other gadgets, as well as seasonal sales. He spotted some of the best MacBook deals and reported on all the best Prime Day and Black Friday sales at the time. He's now the deals editor-in-chief at Tom's Guide, digging for sales on 4K TVs, Apple devices, streaming services, and more.