I can’t find a single set of DDR5 RAM at 32 gigabytes on the first page of Amazon results for under $300. So the fact that you can get an Acer laptop with 32 gigs for $485.99 on eBay right now might actually qualify as a Christmas miracle. It’s a refurbished laptop, but it’s absolutely packed with tech and comes with a two-year warranty.
The Acer Aspire 14 AI is a traditional clamshell laptop design with a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen, an 8-core Intel Ultra 5 processor, the aforementioned 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. All of those are well above the level you’d be able to find on a typical $500 laptop, where 16GB of RAM is still considered a pretty good deal. The screen isn’t amazing, nor is the battery life, but you get a good selection of ports (double USB-C and USB-A, HDMI) with support for Windows Hello face unlock via the IR camera.
You can read all about this particular model in the PCWorld review, though this package has that boosted RAM. Though this is being sold directly from Acer (via its official eBay shop), it’s coming with a two-year Allstate warranty. That’s technically better than the one you get with a new laptop, though Allstate’s service doesn’t have the best reputation.
If you’re looking for something else, this Ryzen-powered Lenovo Yoga laptop is still $420 off, or you can take a glance at the best laptops in PCWorld’s roundup.
Get a 32GB refurbished Acer laptop for $486