HP 2026, Core i3 Family, 8GB, 256GB SSD, N305

A big screen on a small budget, but the 900p display and 8GB RAM make it feel dated. Fine for email and Netflix, bad for everything else.

The i3-N305 actually surprised us. Eight cores in a budget chip is not nothing, and at 74th percentile for CPU performance, it punches above what the price tag suggests. Daily office work, web browsing, video calls, all smooth. But the GPU is integrated Intel UHD Graphics sitting at 14th percentile, so don't even think about gaming. The 8GB of RAM is the real bottleneck. Windows 11 plus a dozen browser tabs will have you staring at a spinning cursor faster than you'd like. And that 256GB SSD fills up quick once Windows and a few apps move in.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Air M4 or ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA, this HP looks like it's from a different decade. The MacBook Air absolutely destroys it in every category except screen size, and even then, the Air's display quality makes the HP's 900p panel look sad. The Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition both offer far better build quality, displays, and performance for more money, but the gap in experience is massive. The MSI Creator A13V is a different beast entirely, aimed at creators with real GPU power. The HP only wins if your single requirement is 'biggest screen for the least money.'

At around $508 USD, this is a tough sell. You're paying for screen size and not much else. The CPU is decent, but the RAM, storage, and display resolution all feel like compromises from 2018. If you absolutely need a 17-inch screen and have a strict budget, it works. But for most people, a 15-inch laptop with a 1080p panel and 16GB of RAM would be a smarter spend.

The HP 17-cn3003dx is a big-screen budget laptop that's honest about what it is: a basic machine for basic tasks. The one thing to know? That 17.3-inch display is the whole story here. You're getting a lot of screen real estate for not a lot of money, but the resolution is stuck at 1600 x 900, which in 2025 feels like watching HD through a screen door. The 8-core i3-N305 is a pleasant surprise for the price, but everything else is trimmed to the bone.

If you care about display quality, skip this. The 900p screen is a dealbreaker for anyone who's used a 1080p or better panel. If you need to run anything beyond basic apps, the 8GB RAM will frustrate you. Go get a 15-inch laptop with a 1080p display and 16GB of RAM instead. Your eyes and patience will thank you.

Buy this only if a 17-inch screen is non-negotiable and your budget is tight. Otherwise, save a bit more and get something with a 1080p display and 16GB of RAM. The HP 17-cn3003dx is a one-trick pony, and that trick is just being big.