Introduction
The podcast is basically made for the general audience to learn about the topic, gain knowledge from the guest’s experience, and have fun purposes. All of the podcasts do not have the same goal. Podcasts are now pretty much in trend where two people sit and talk about their experiences and learning along with the difficulties and positive sides of a certain thing that they had done or have been doing.
A good laptop and mic are the main tool while making a podcast because the mic will record the sound on a laptop and only a good laptop will record and save the sound, a laptop that is not powerful enough will crash the file and that will be a problem for you. If you’re recording it for your own use then you can have a low-budget laptop but if it is made for the public then you’ll have to spend a little extra on the laptop.
The best budget laptops that come under $500 for the purpose of making podcasts are listed down, you can select any of them you like.
Dell inspiron 15
| Processor: | Intel Celeron N4020 |
| Screen: | 15.6 Inches |
| RAM Size: | 16GB |
| SSD Storage Size: | 1TB |
| Weight: | 3.9 Pounds |
The Dell Inspiron 15 has got the ability to produce a resolution of 720p on display and has got a display of 15.6” LED-backlit with no support for touch. The screen is also equipped with thin bezels that make it possible to see things in better and good quality on a small-sized screen.
For the purpose of multitasking, while making the podcast and recording the sound, it has got just enough amount of RAM in it which is 16GB. This 16GB of RAM also makes this laptop capable of doing all the work required for podcasts.
The processor installed in Dell Inspiron 15 is Intel Celeron N4020, the Intel Celeron N4020 is capable of making a clock speed of up to 2.8GHz which is a considerable amount for doing all the required work for podcasting.
The plus point of this laptop for podcasting is that this laptop is equipped with HDD and M.2 SSD slots that make it easy to transfer data more reliably and with fast speed as well.
The storage device is 1TB in Dell Inspiron 15 which is obviously another plus point for making podcasts as this will make the person capable of storing more than usual data on it without making the speed of the laptop go down.
The weight of the laptop is around 3.9 pounds which makes it easy to carry to different places and to do the work on it. Despite this, the slots that are available on this laptop are 1x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.1 Gen1, an HDMI along with a Headphone jack and microphone combo.
| Pros | Cons |
| M.2 and HDD slot. | More slots could have been added. |
| Good Bezels on screen. | 1TB of SSD. |
| 16GB RAM. |
HP touchscreen laptop.
| Processor: | Intel core i5 11th Generation |
| Screen: | 15.6 Inches |
| RAM Size: | 16 GB |
| SSD Storage Size: | 256 GB |
| Weight: | 5.4 Pounds |
The laptop is by HP and the main advantage of this laptop is that it comes with a touchscreen so if that is what you prefer to have in your laptop for the purpose of making podcasts, this can be a good option for you then.
The Laptop comes with an Intel core i5 11th generation processor which a good processor is considering the fact that the 13th generation is the newest generation in the market right now. The clock speed that this processor can make is easily up to 4.5 GHz which is really a good clock speed that a processor can make.
Besides this fact, this has got a screen that is 15.6” in size and can produce a display quality of 720p that too in HD. The weight of the laptop is a little too much to carry as it has a weight almost 5.4 pounds.
The slot options given in HP are 2x USB 3.0 Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.0 Type C port, and 1x HDMI port along with the standard headphone and microphone combo 3.5 mm jack. An extra port that is also available is of SD card reader that is not there available in many of the Laptops.
The Ram on this laptop is 16GB which can easily perform all of the required tasks for podcasts along with other tasks as well. The SSD storage is a little less if we take a look at the laptop to make the podcast as only 256GB of SSD is installed but that is not an issue as aftermarket SSDs are also available for this laptop.
| Pros | Cons |
| Core i5 11th Gen. | Low SSD. |
| Touch screen. | Heavy weight. |
| 16GB of RAM. |
Acer Aspire 5.
| Processor: | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U |
| Screen: | 15.6 Inches |
| RAM Size: | 8 GB |
| SSD Storage Size: | 256 GB |
| Weight: | 4 Pounds |
The Acer Aspire 5 is a laptop that has got all the power in it as there is the powerful AMD Ryzen 5 5500U is installed in it. This is the most powerful processor up now introduced in this list of laptops for podcasts.
The Acer Aspire 5 has got a Ram of 8GB which is enough for the purpose of making and editing podcasts and stuff. The 8GB of RAM combined with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U is enough for the purpose of podcasts and other stuff as well.
The SSD storage is 256GB which is obviously not enough to store data as the data for podcasts is relatively greater than the data for another purpose so this has to be changed and an upgraded version must be installed.
The resolution of this laptop is 1080p which too in a size of 15.6” of the screen. The technology of IPS is also installed which makes it an IPS display so the screen of the laptop won’t have any bad influence on the eyes of the user.
The types of ports that are available in the Acer Aspire 5 are 1x USB type C port, 2x USB 3.2 Gen port, and 1x HDMI port along with the standard 3.5mm jack for headphone and mic combo.
Despite having a screen of 1080p resolution, the laptop still provides a battery backup of up to more than 11hrs and has also got a keyboard that is backlit so that the user won’t have to face any issues while working in a dark environment.
| Pros | Cons |
| 1080p of resolution. | Thick bezels. |
| 8GB RAM. | 256GB SSD. |
| Backlit Keyboard. |
Conclusion:
As the budget of $500 is not too much in the present market so it really is difficult to find a laptop under $500 for podcasting but the best options that can be considered by you are mentioned, take a look at these before buying the laptop because this can be useful to you.
These laptop ranges from different to different qualities as one of them has got a backlit keyboard, the other option has got ports that will help I the fast and reliable transfer of data from one device to another and the other one has got a touchscreen display and accessibility for you to select from depending upon your need.
Frequently asked questions: (FAQ’s)
What other equipment is required to do a podcast rather than a laptop?
The equipment required other than a laptop for the purpose of making a podcast includes the right audio equipment including Mic, solid and fast internet connectivity software, and good RAM for multitasking.
Why is a laptop required to make a Podcast?
The use of a laptop is very important and a must in the making of a podcast. The laptop is required to prepare and arrange the audio files and also to upload these files in the desired place.
How much storage is enough for podcasts?
If you’re planning on just making and editing one podcast at a time, then the 512GB of SSD will be enough but if you’re going to be working on different podcasts at a time then you must have the 1TB SSD.
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