HP 15-fd000 15.6" 15-fd000 Moonlight Blue 2024

The HP 15-fd000 is a basic budget laptop with a big, decent touchscreen and a roomy 512GB SSD. Its 8-core i3 chip is fine for light work, but the 8GB of RAM is a major limitation that will slow you down over time. Only worth it if you can snag it for under $500 and your needs are very simple.

That Intel Core i3-N305 chip is a bit of a mixed bag. Its 8 cores help it feel snappy when you're juggling browser tabs and light apps, but the overall CPU score lands in a disappointing 23rd percentile. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are strictly for video playback, not gaming, which explains the abysmal 12.8 out of 100 gaming score. The 8GB of RAM is the real bottleneck here, sitting at the 14th percentile. It's enough for basic multitasking today, but you'll feel the pinch if you try to push it with heavy spreadsheets or too many open apps.

Stacked against the competition, the HP 15-fd000 is playing a completely different game than heavy hitters like the Apple MacBook Air M4 or the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i. Those are premium machines with stunning displays and workstation-class performance. A more realistic rival is something like a base model ASUS Zenbook S, but even that will run circles around this HP in build quality and screen vibrancy. The HP's main advantage is its low entry price and big touchscreen, but you sacrifice a lot of performance and future-proofing to get there.

Pricing on this model is all over the map, with a wild spread from $419 up to a frankly absurd $14,390 from some third-party sellers. At the low end, around that $419 mark, it's a fair deal for a basic home or student laptop with a big screen and a touch interface. But if you're seeing it listed for much more than $500, walk away. You can get far more powerful machines with better screens and more RAM for just a little extra cash.

The HP 15-fd000 is a budget laptop that knows exactly what it is, and mostly sticks to the script. You get a big 15.6-inch touchscreen, a decent 512GB SSD, and a surprisingly capable 8-core i3 processor for basic daily tasks. It's not trying to impress anyone with raw power, but for web browsing, streaming, and office work, it gets the job done without much fuss. Just don't expect it to break a sweat on anything demanding.

If you need to run demanding software, keep dozens of browser tabs open, or want a laptop that will still feel fast in three years, you should skip this. The non-upgradeable 8GB of RAM is a dealbreaker for power users, and the dull screen will frustrate anyone who cares about color accuracy for photo or video work.

This laptop is for someone who needs a simple, large-screen Windows machine for the absolute basics: email, Netflix, and maybe some light document editing. The touchscreen is a handy perk for scrolling through recipes or casual browsing. If your needs are that simple and you find it priced near the $400 mark, it's a sensible, no-frills pick. Anyone who multitasks heavily or wants to keep this laptop for more than a couple of years should look for something with 16GB of RAM.