If you’re getting your first laptop, RM2,500 to RM3,000 is a great starting point. A laptop in this price range is capable of handling productivity work without much problem.
For RM3,000, you can buy a decent laptop from reputable brands like HP, Acer, Asus, Lenovo etc.
Because of this, I discourage you to limit yourself to only laptops RM1500 or below because you end up having to buy lesser-known Chinese laptop brands, old Intel Celeron laptops, or worse, a refurbished Chromebook
What is the best laptop under RM3,000 in Malaysia?
The best laptop around RM3,000 should offer an Intel i5 or Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD storage. For this price range, you usually don’t get any kind of dedicated GPU for the laptop.
It is important to realize that if you are going to spend more than RM2,000, don’t buy a laptop with an Intel Celeron processor. The performance difference of an Intel Celeron between i3/i5 processors is very huge.
Here are the 7 best laptops under RM3,000 in Malaysia 2022:
- Best Cheap Laptop Under RM3000: HP 15s-eq2073AU
- Best Budget Intel Laptop Under RM3000: Asus Laptop 15 A516E
- Best Lightweight Laptop Under RM3000: Acer Swift 3
- Best Laptop For Gaming Under RM3000: Lenovo Ideapad Slim 3
- Most Powerful Laptop Under RM3000: Asus Vivobook S14
- Best 2-in-1 Laptop Under RM3000: Microsoft Surface Go 2
- Cheap but powerful: Acer Travelmate P2 (R5-5650U)
1. HP Laptop 15s-eq2073AU
Best Cheap Laptop Under RM3000
5.0 out of 5.0 stars | 6 ratings
HP Laptop 15s-eq2073AU is the best value for money laptop under RM3,000 in Malaysia. It is currently available for RM2,667.
The laptop is also sold by the HP Official store so there is no doubt about its authenticity.
HP Laptop 15s Specifications:
- Display: 15.6” (1920 x 1080 FHD)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
- GPU: Radeon Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 MHz (upgradable)
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
- Weight: 1.7kg
HP Laptop 15s 15s-eq2073AU is a silver colour laptop with a plastic build. It has a size of 35.85 x 24.2 x 1.79cm and weighs 1.7kg.
This HP laptop is powered by AMD Ryzen 5 5500U which has identical performance to the Intel Core i5 1135G7 processor. While Core i5 1135G7 has better single-core performance, AMD Ryzen 5500U has better multi-core performance.
Not only that, it uses 7nm technology in comparison to Core i5 10nm design. The smaller fabrication on Ryzen 5500U makes it more power-efficient.
Thus, its battery life will be longer. It can last for up to 9.5 hours for a full charge.
The RAM on board is 8Gb DDR4-3200MHz. It has two RAM slots so you can purchase an additional RAM stick to upgrade it.
Furthermore, the HP Laptop 15s-eq2073AU comes with a pre-installed Microsoft Office and a free HP laptop backpack.
In conclusion, the HP Laptop 15s is a great laptop for students as well as office workers. This gives you the best bang for your buck and comes with 2 years of onsite service.
2. Asus Laptop 15 A516E-ABQ1729TS
Best Budget Intel Laptop Under RM3000
4.9 out of 5.0 stars | 165 ratings
Asus Laptop 15 is the best budget Intel Laptop under RM3,000. It is powered by Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor 2.4 GHz
Asus Laptop 15 A516E Specifications:
- Display: 15.6” (1920 x 1080 FHD)
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7
- GPU: Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 (Extra 1 RAM slot)
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
- Weight: 1.8kg
Asus Laptop 15 A516E is a 15.6” entry-level Asus laptop that delivers powerful performance with an Intel Core i5 processor. It comes with 8GB DDR4 RAM and one extra RAM slot for future upgrades.
The dimensions of this laptop are 36.02 x 23.49 x 1.99 cm, and it weighs 1.8kg. It is not that heavy but the laptop is quite bulky with almost 2cm thickness.
It has a dual-storage design that you can mount both an SSD and an HDD so you can upgrade the laptop’s capacity with a cheap HDD.
The full-size backlit chiclet keyboard on ASUS Laptop A516E has a 1.4mm key travel. It gives nice typing feedback. It is pleasant to type on it for a long time. The number pad is integrated into the keyboard.
This model comes with pre-installed genuine Microsoft Office 2019. You could immediately begin working with it after you got your hands on it.
Asus provides 2 years international carry-in warranty and 1 year of accidental damage coverage.
3. Acer Swift 3
Best Lightweight Laptop Under RM3000
5.0 out of 5.0 stars | 6 ratings
Acer Swift 3 is the best lightweight laptop a.k.a. Ultrabook for under RM3,000. It is the thinnest and lightest laptop on this list. It weighs as little as 1.2kg, thanks to its aluminium and magnesium-aluminium metal chassis
Acer Swift 3 Specifications:
- Display: 14” IPS panel (1920 x 1080 FHD slim bezel)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
- GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Weight: 1.2kg
The Acer Swift 3 is a compact 14″ laptop that’s perfect for someone who has to travel with their laptop on a regular basis.
It has a thickness of only 15.9mm, so it won’t take up much space in your bag. You can easily carry it in your bag.
And this laptop is powered by AMD Ryzen 3 5300U which is more energy-efficient but slightly weaker than Ryzen 5 and Core i5 process. The battery life is measured up to 12 hours based on MobileMark test results.
Acer Swift 3 also comes with Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint solution, which has Windows Hello certification. You can quickly unlock the laptop with a fingerprint.
It has an HD webcam with a 720p resolution. You can do basic video calls and online meetings with it without much issues.
That pretty much sums up the advantages of the Acer Swift 3. While it is light, portable, and long-lasting, it is also capable of handling most document work and even light editing.
There are few (negligible) setbacks with Acer Swift 3. The RAM is not upgradable, so you have to decide on 8GB or 16GB before purchasing your laptop.
Also, it has only a single m2 PCIe slot which means you only can swap out the existing SSD with a bigger capacity. There’s no dual-storage design like a standard laptop.
Nonetheless, Acer Swift 3 is still a highly recommended laptop if portability and mobility is your main concern.
4. Lenovo Ideapad Slim 3 Gen 6
Best Laptop For Gaming Under RM3000
5.0 out of 5.0 stars | 3 ratings
If you are looking for a laptop that is reasonably portable and powerful enough for casual gaming like League of Legends, Genshin Impact or Dota 2.
Then, look no further, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 a.k.a. Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is the best laptop under RM3,000 that gives you the best of both worlds.
IdeaPad Slim 3 Specifications:
- Display: 15.6” FHD (1920×1080) Anti-Glare
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX350 2GB GDDR5
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 3200MHz (One extra slot for upgrade)
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Weight: 1.65kg
The IdeaPad Slim 3 is my personal favourite on this list for an obvious reason. It comes with an Intel Core i5 processor and an Nvidia GeForce MX350 graphics card that makes it good enough for light gaming. So, you don’t have to spend a lot to get gaming laptops.
Not only that, this laptop weighs only 1.65kg which is lighter than the average laptop weight of 1.8 -2.0kg of laptop under RM3000.
The IdeaPad Slim 3 is pretty flexible for upgrades too. It has an additional RAM slot and an extra 2.5” bay for HDD. To get the best laptop experience, you should upgrade it to 16GB dual-channel RAM and a 1TB hard drive.
This laptop also comes with a nifty feature which has a built-in privacy shutter for the 720- webcam camera. In this way, you can avoid accidentally turning on your webcam at the wrong time.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i Gen 6 (15) is a budget laptop that is both affordable and powerful, great for gaming and school.
5. Asus Vivobook S14
Most Powerful Laptop Under RM3000
5.0 out of 5.0 stars | 2 ratings
Asus Vivobook S14 is the most powerful laptop for under RM3000. Why? It is powered by a very powerful Ryzen 7-4700U processor.
Asus Vivobook S14 Specifications:
- Display: 14.0” FHD 1920×1080, Anti-Glare, 16:9
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4700U Processor
- GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
- Weight: 1.4kg
The Asus Vivobook S14 M433I is still a very powerful laptop today despite that it is not the latest model. The Ryzen 7-4700U is an octa-core processor with eight threads. It has an almost 50% stronger multi-core performance than Intel Core i5 1135G7. This makes it a more capable workstation.
With dimensions of 32.49 x 21.35 x 1.59 cm and a weight of only 1.4kg, Asus Vivobook S14 is a very compact laptop.
One of the unique features of this laptop is the sound system is certified by Harman Kardon.
Although this is a compact laptop, it has excellent connectivity. It is compatible with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. It has one USB-C port, one USB Type-A, two USB 2.0, one HDMI, one audio combo jack and one microSD card slot.
The Vivobook S14 is a great budget ultrabook for people who mainly use it for productivity and creative works. It is extremely well-built and runs very fast and snappy.
6. Microsoft Surface Go 2
Best 2-in-1 Laptop Under RM3000
5.0 out of 5.0 stars | 6 ratings
Microsoft Surface Go 2 is the best 2-in-1 laptop under RM3000. Strictly speaking, it will cost you more than RM3000 because you will need to purchase a Surface Go Type Cover to use it as a convertible laptop.
Microsoft Surface Go 2 Specifications:
- Display: 10.5” PixelSense Display, 1920 x 1280 (220 PPI) resolution 3:2
- CPU: 8th Gen Intel Core m3 Processor
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 615
- RAM: 8GB RAM
- Storage: 128GB SSD
- Weight: 544 grams
Microsoft Surface Go 2 is an older generation of Surface Go. The latest released model is Surface Go 3 but this doesn’t mean Surface Go 2 is already obsolete.
The Surface Go 2 is still a great 2-in-1 tablet that is great for both productivity work and entertainment.
The main reason for getting a Microsoft Surface Go 2 is to have a tablet with a Windows operating system. So, make sure you understand what you need before making a purchase.
If you just need a tablet, then you should go for an iPad. If you work mostly on documents, then you should probably get a laptop.
Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a device that caters for the needs of somewhere in between and it isn’t suitable for everyone.
It is especially great for university students who wanna bring a tablet to class to take notes with a stylus. And still using it for light school work.
The Surface Go 2 is only 544 grams with a size of 245 x 175 x 8.3mm. And it has a 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p resolution, which is perfect for video conferences.
The Surface Go 2’s biggest disappointment will be its 10.5″ screen size with big bezels, which is so 2010.
The Surface Go 2 is still the best budget option for users who want maximum portability and still want to work with a Windows operating system. For those with a big budget, you definitely can check out the Surface Pro 8.
7. Acer Travelmate P2 (R5-5650U)
Cheap but powerful
The Acer Travelmate P2 comes in two variations: Intel and AMD versions. I recommend buying the AMD version with model number TMP215-41-G2-R5CL because the AMD Ryzen 5650U is more powerful than Intel Core i5 1135G7.
Acer Travelmate P2 Specifications:
- Display: 15.6” (1920 x 1080 FHD)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5650U
- GPU: Radeon Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
- Weight: 1.7kg
Not only that, the Acer Travelmate P2 Ryzen 5 has a bigger display of a 15.6” screen. It is less than 20mm and weighs about 1.7kg.
It has a built-in fingerprint reader for secured login. And the keyboard is spill-resistant too.
The webcam has a privacy shutter as well, which is very useful since many of us conduct video calls and conferences these days.
Acer provides a generous 3 years local warranty and a first-year international warranty.
Competitions
Dell Inspiron and Dell Latitude Review
Compared to Acer and Asus, Dell laptops are usually slightly more expensive than these 2 brands. For Dell laptop models below RM3,000, you can only get AMD Ryzen 3500U which is 2 generations older than 5500U.
For any Dell laptop, you can almost certainly find a cheaper alternative from Acer or Asus. It all depends on your preferences. Some users believe Dell’s build quality and durability are superior.
Acer Aspire 5 Review
Acer has so many laptop series including Aspire, Swift, Travelmate etc. And Aspire 5 is not the best value for money model among them.
Travelmate series gives you a better bang for the buck and the Swift series gives you better portability.
So Aspire 5 is in an awkward position where it is considered poorer in terms of price-performance ratio in comparison to other Acer laptop models.
Huawei Matebook D15/D14 Review
Huawei Matebook D14 and D15 are wildly popular in the last 2 years due to Huawei’s heavy marketing effort. It is a pretty solid laptop.
But to get an 11th-gen Intel processor Huawei D15, you need to pay close to RM3,400.
One feature that I like about Matebook D15/D14 is it can be charged through a USB-C port.
But its webcam angle is rather awkward since it is pop up from the keyboard. So, it is not great for video calls or online classes.
Overall, I don’t think it is worth getting a Matebook D15 in 2022. Because with a budget of RM3,400, you can explore many other laptop choices.
Honor MagicBook 15 Review
Honor MagicBook 15 is almost an exact clone of Huawei Matebook with a different brand name. There isn’t any significant difference between these two models.
So, I would not recommend buying an Honor MagicBook either.
Apple Macbook Air 13” Review
As previously covered in the best student laptop review, Apple Macbook Air will be the best laptop for students for 2022 and many years to come, until AMD and Intel come up with a processor that can match the Apple M1 processor.
The biggest hurdle preventing anyone from getting the Macbook Air is its high price tag.
If you have a budget of more than RM4,000, then Apple Macbook Air M1 is the best work from home laptop or productivity laptop for most people.