Contents
Table of Contents
Are you looking for the best 7 cheap upgradeable laptops? Don’t worry; in this guide, we have covered the best modular laptops that are easy to upgrade and will save a lot of money in the long run. I have used five of these laptops personally, and I hope you also like them. The other laptops I listed are based on customer reviews.
A laptop is a long-term investment. Some people can stick with the same laptop for years, whereas there are others whose needs enhance over time, and their existing laptops aren’t capable enough to cater to their needs.
If you believe that you will need a better performing laptop in the future, you should purchase a modular laptop rather than a standard one or better yet, upgrade your current laptop yourself.
Before you embark on this exciting journey, make sure to check out our latest blog post: “Upgrading RAM and Storage? Don’t forget these 3 things!” Discover the crucial factors that can make or break your upgrade experience.
From compatibility considerations to handy tips and tricks, we’ve got you covered. Don’t miss out on maximizing the potential of your laptop upgrade.
What To Look For In A Cheap Upgradeable Laptop?

Before you hit the buying stream, you need to know what you need to look for in a modular laptop. The key feature of an excellent modular laptop is that it is easily upgradable.
Have you ever opened the back of your laptop? Have you noticed how each component is connected to the others? If you have, then you must know that taking them apart and replacing them with new ones isn’t an easy task.
The first thing you should look for is designs that can be upgraded. Not all laptops are upgradeable. Most of the laptops on the market come with fixed components. Only a few of the laptop models can be upgraded, so you need to ask the manufacturer beforehand whether a laptop is upgradeable or not.
Secondly, not all components of a laptop are upgradeable. Each laptop comes with a different combination of components and only allows a few of them to be replaced when required. Here are the most common components that you can upgrade easily;
- RAM
- Hard Disk
- GPU
- Battery
The trickiest is the processor. The processor is the heart and brain of the laptop. Replacing it means replacing the processing power of the laptop. There are only a few laptops with upgradeable CPUs on the market.
Many experts believe that it is better to get a new laptop than upgrade the processor because there is always the risk of things going wrong.
Lastly, you need to get an average laptop in the first place. You can’t get a laptop with 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB hard disk and upgrade it later. It would be impossible to do. So start small with an average laptop with 4–8 GB of RAM and 128–512 GB of storage space, which you can upgrade later easily depending on your needs.
The 7 Best Cheap Upgradeable Laptops
It can be a bit hard to find the best laptops to upgrade since it is hard to figure out which of the many models out there are modular laptops. So to help you out, we did some research on our own and made a list of the best cheap upgradeable laptops on the market. Let’s go ahead and look at them in detail.
1. Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop (Overall Best Cheap Upgradeable Laptop)
Acer is known to manufacturer some of the most powerful and modular laptops in the market, and the “Acer Aspire 5” is the best one out of all. This upgradeable laptop is packed with high-end features that make it highly versatile and easy to upgrade. With this device at your disposal, you can upgrade the CPU, RAM, and storage with ease.
Initially, the laptop comes with the powerful 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U processor, which is paired with a fast 8GB RAM. Both of these components work side by side to cater to your multitasking needs. They provide a smooth and glitch-free experience for the professionals and gamers out there.
Other than that, the laptop is also packed with an internal 256 GB storage, which you can use to store your data files permanently. With the widescreen 1920 x 1080 display, you can bring your movies and games to life and have a real-time experience on your fantastic device.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-10210U
- Display Size: 15.6 Inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256 GB
- Battery: 5 Hours
- Powerful processor
- Wireless WiFi 6
- Full HD Display
- Average battery life
2. Lenovo Ideapad S340 (Cheap Upgradeable Laptop)
Lenovo is known to manufacture some of the most popular gaming laptops. The Lenovo Ideapad S340 is equipped with top-notch features that are suitable for all types of users.
The good thing about the construction of the laptop is that you can easily remove the back and replace any of the components that you wish to upgrade to enjoy a faster and better experience.
The Lenovo Ideapad S340 is packed with the fast and responsive 8th generation Intel Core i3-8145U processor, which can speed up to 3.4 GHz and store up to 4 MB of smart cache. In support of the processor, 8 GB of RAM are also packed within the laptop for fast and smooth processing.
To cater to your permanent storage needs, the laptop also comes with 128 GB of NVMe SSD storage, which is easily upgradeable over time. With the slip top, side bezel, integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620, and Dolby Audio, you can convert your laptop into a movie theater and enjoy endless movie nights with your friends and family.
- Processor: Intel Core i3-8145U
- Display Size: 15.6 Inches
- Resolution: 1366 X 768
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128 GB
- Battery: 5 Hours
- Responsive processor
- Sleek design
- Multiple connectivity ports
- Low storage
- Average battery life
3. Dell Inspiron 15 5000 (Best Modular Laptop)
The Dell Inspiron 15 5000 is one of the most powerful and affordable upgradeable laptops on the market. It comes with powerful main core performance features, which are paired with additional functional features that add to the versatility of the laptop.
The laptop is packed with the fast-performing Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, which is paired with 16 GB of DDR4 to cater to all your multitasking needs. With this laptop at your disposal, you can run multiple heavy applications and tools on your laptop smoothly without having to worry about the system crashing.
Apart from that, it comes with a 512 GB hard drive, which is more than enough for anyone to store work files, movies, games, and applications. With the touchscreen, you can enjoy easy access and have a tablet experience on your laptop as well.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- Storage: 512 GB
- Battery: 5 Hours
- Powerful processor
- Touchscreen display
- Multiple connectivity ports
- Average battery life
4. Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop (Upgradeable Gaming Laptop)
Acer is famous for its notebooks and gaming laptops. The Acer Nitro 5 is one of the best gaming laptops on the market that is easily upgradable. The Acer Nitro 5 is packed with a powerful and responsive AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, which is paired with 16 GB of DDR4 to support your heavy and multitasking needs.
But the feature is the 1 TB storage space, which allows you to download endless games, movies, applications, and files onto your laptop and keep them permanently. It is packed with top-notch, powerful features that allow you to use powerful applications, multitask, and enjoy HD movies for endless hours.
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 1 TB
- Battery: 6 Hours
- Immense storage space
- Durable build
- Upgradeable components
- Bad colors
- Keyboard composition is a bit tricky
5. Lenovo Legion Y540 (Laptop With Upgradeable RAM)
The Lenovo Legion Y540 is another great Lenovo modular laptop on the market. This amazing laptop has everything from a fast-performing processor to multiple connectivity ports to provide you with the versatility that you need to carry out multiple tasks on a single device with ease and comfort.
The laptop is packed with a 9th generation Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H processor, which can speed up to 4.5 GHz and give you a fast, glitch-free experience. The processor is supported by 24 GB of RAM, a 1 TB hard disk, and an additional 512 GB of SSD to support all your multitasking and storage needs. This makes it one of the best and most easily upgradeable laptops.
- Processor: Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- RAM: 24 GB
- Storage: 1 TB + 512 GB
- Battery: 5 hours
- Powerful Processor
- Anti-glare display
- Immense storage space
- Average battery life
6. Acer Predator Helios 300
Acer is widely popular for its powerful gaming laptops, and the Acer Predator Helios 300 is one of the best of all. This laptop comes with an Intel Core i7-11800H, which is paired with 16GB of DDR4 to cater to all your multitasking needs.
To provide permanent storage, the laptop comes with an in-built 512-gigabyte hard drive, which you can use to store all your data files, applications, games, and movies. The widescreen HD LED and backlit keyboard give you a real-life experience and bring all your 2D endeavors to life.
The good thing about this laptop is that it is fully upgradeable, from the processor to the hard disk; you can upgrade all the components according to your needs. So get the laptop and later upgrade it to suit your needs.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-11800H
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512 GB
- Battery: 7 Hours
- Upgradable components
- Long battery life
- Responsive processor
- Loud Fans
7. ASUS TUF FX505DT Gaming Laptop
The ASUS TUF Gaming Laptop is packed with high-end, upgradeable components, which make this laptop one of the best modular laptops on the market. This is a fully upgradeable laptop because you can upgrade the AMD processor, the RAM, and the hard disk easily and without much hassle.
Initially, this device comes with a powerful AMD Ryzen 5 R5-3550H, which is paired with 8GB of DDR4 and 256GB of storage space. Other than that, it also comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics Card to support your powerful gaming endeavors. Plus, with the backlit keyboard, you can enjoy gaming even in the dark.
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 R5-3550H
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256 GB
- Battery: 5 hours
- Backlit Keyboard
- Powerful GPU
- IPS-Type Display
- Expensive
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about modular laptops. Thus, we decided to address them here. In case you have the same queries, these answers might help solve your issues. So let us go ahead and discuss them in detail.
Are laptop processors upgradeable?
Yes, the processor of a laptop is upgradeable. For instance, if you have an i3, you can easily upgrade to an i5 or even an i7 to get better performance. But it is not as easy as it sounds. You need to get a processor that fits within the slot of your laptop and can interact with the motherboard.
Other than that, you might need to upgrade the different features of your laptop as well. A more powerful processor means more heat, which means you need a bigger fan to keep it cool. Plus, there will be an incompatibility between the motherboard and the new CPU, so you might need to keep that in mind as well. In short, it is possible, but it can be a lot of hassle.
Can I add 8GB RAM to a 4GB laptop?
Not all laptops allow you to upgrade your RAM. Some do not allow you to access the memory because it is integrated into the motherboard. But if the motherboard comes with 2-3 memory slots, then you can easily remove and replace the RAM because of the way it is attached to the motherboard. So, yes, if you can access the RAM, then you can easily add 8 GB of RAM to your 4 GB laptop to enhance its performance.
How can I speed up my old laptop?
There are multiple software changes that you can make to your laptop to enhance the speed, but that will only increase the speed up to a certain limit. If you wish to increase the speed significantly, then you would need to make hardware changes.
The processor and the RAM are responsible for the speed of the laptop. If you wish to enhance the speed to get a smooth performance, then you can replace the two components. Out of the two, RAM would cost only a few bucks and be quite easy to replace, whereas, on the other hand, a processor can be a bit of a hassle and require a lot of time, effort, and money.
Our Final Thoughts
The best upgradeable laptop is a long-term investment. A good laptop can last for a decade or even more if you maintain it properly. However, in order for it to last and meet your upgrade needs, you must first ensure that you are purchasing a fully upgradeable laptop.
All the laptops mentioned above are the most upgradeable laptops on the market that fall within the price range. So, choose the best laptop to upgrade that you believe is best suited for you to get the best modular laptop for your needs. We hope that you find a modular laptop that suits all your upgradable needs.