HP Notebook 2020, Core i3-1005G1, 8GB, 256GB SSD, Silver

The HP Notebook 15-DY1031WM is a bare-bones budget laptop with a weak dual-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a disappointing 1366x768 screen. It's fine for email and light browsing, but anything more will frustrate you. Only worth considering if you find it dirt cheap and your expectations are rock bottom.

The i3-1005G1 is a dual-core chip from 2019, and it lands in the 5th percentile for CPUs in our database. That's not a typo. Basic tasks are fine, but open more than a few browser tabs and you'll feel it chug. The 8GB of RAM sits at the 6th percentile, which means multitasking is a struggle. The 256GB SSD is at the 16th percentile, so storage is tight too. On the bright side, the integrated Intel HD Graphics somehow ranks at the 98th percentile for GPUs, but that's more a reflection of how weak the competition is in this category than any real gaming ability. The gaming score of 13.6 out of 100 tells the real story.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max or the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, this HP is not even playing the same sport. Those machines are in a different universe for CPU, GPU, and display quality. Even the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition makes this HP look ancient. The only fair comparison is against other budget laptops, and even then, the 1366x768 screen and dual-core CPU put it behind most refurbished options in the same price range. The Lenovo Legion Pro and MSI Raider are gaming beasts, so mentioning them here feels almost cruel.

There's no price listed here, which makes value hard to judge. But based on the specs, this is a sub-$400 laptop at best, and even then it's a tough sell. You can find refurbished business laptops with better screens, more RAM, and faster CPUs for similar money. The only real value here is if you need a brand-new Windows machine for the absolute basics and nothing else.

The HP Notebook 15-DY1031WM is a budget laptop that feels like it was built for a very specific, very light workload. You get an Intel Core i3-1005G1, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. That's enough for web browsing, email, and maybe some light document editing, but not much else.

The 15.6-inch display is a 1366x768 panel, which is rough in 2024. Text looks soft and colors are washed out. If you just need a cheap machine to check email and watch the occasional YouTube video, it'll do. But our database puts this thing near the bottom for CPU, RAM, and screen quality, so expectations should be low.

Skip this if you need to run anything beyond a web browser and a word processor. If you're a student juggling research tabs, a remote worker on video calls all day, or anyone who wants to watch a movie without squinting, look elsewhere. A refurbished ThinkPad or Dell Latitude with a 1080p screen and quad-core CPU will serve you far better for similar money.

This is a machine for someone who needs a cheap Windows laptop for email, light web browsing, and maybe some word processing. If that's you, and you can find it for under $300, it's passable. Anyone else should run. Students, remote workers, and anyone who values their eyeballs should look for at least a 1080p display and a quad-core CPU.