ASUS Vivobook 15 15.6" F1504VA-PS34 Cool Silver 2026

A cheap, lightweight Windows laptop that handles the basics but chokes on multitasking and storage. Fine for students on a tight budget, but anyone who can spend more should.

The Core 3 100U is a 6-core chip that handles everyday tasks fine, but our database puts it in the 37th percentile for CPUs, which means it's well below average compared to the broader laptop market. The 8GB of DDR5 RAM sits at the 21st percentile, so multitasking with more than a handful of browser tabs will start to feel cramped. The 256GB SSD is the real weak spot at the 16th percentile, you'll fill that up faster than you think with Windows 11, a few apps, and some photos. The integrated Intel Graphics are about average for this class, fine for streaming and casual use, but the gaming score of 13.5 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know about playing anything beyond solitaire.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Air M4, this Vivobook looks like a toy. The MacBook Air absolutely crushes it in performance, battery life, and display quality, but it also costs nearly three times as much, so that's not exactly a fair fight. The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 7 is a more realistic alternative, with better build quality and a more comfortable keyboard for long typing sessions, though it typically runs a bit pricier. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is another step up in premium feel and battery life, but again, you're paying for it. If you're shopping in the sub-$500 range, this Vivobook competes more with Chromebooks and older refurbished machines than with those premium ultrabooks.

At around $476 to $478 USD, this is a budget laptop through and through. You're getting a functional Windows machine for under $500, which is honestly not bad for basic school or office work. But the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD mean you'll likely be looking for an upgrade sooner than you'd like. If you can stretch your budget by $100 to $150, you'll find machines with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSDs that will last you years longer. This is a fine buy if you need something cheap right now, but it's not a great long-term investment.

The ASUS Vivobook 15 F1504VA-PS34 is a budget laptop that knows exactly what it is: a machine for getting through the day, not impressing anyone at a LAN party. The one thing to know? It's a solid pick for basic productivity and web browsing, but the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are tight even for 2025, and the Intel Core 3 100U won't win any races. If you need a cheap Windows machine for school or office work, this gets the job done. Just don't expect it to stretch much beyond that.

If you're looking for a laptop that can handle photo editing, video editing, gaming, or heavy multitasking, this isn't it. Go get something with at least 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD instead. The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 7 or a refurbished MacBook Air M1 would both be smarter buys if you can stretch your budget a bit.

The ASUS Vivobook 15 F1504VA-PS34 is a decent budget laptop for students and casual users who need a basic Windows machine for web browsing, document editing, and streaming. It's lightweight, has a good port selection, and the price is right. But the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are serious limitations that will frustrate you within a year or two. If you can afford to spend a bit more, do it. If you're truly stuck at this price point, this is an acceptable, if unexciting, choice.