I tried to build a PC to beat this $440 Core i9-12900H laptop and failed miserably — this is truly the best PC deal of 2025

Hasee laptop
(Image credit: Future)

I discovered the Hasee X5 15.6 laptop ($440 at Newegg) (was $800) back in October 2025 and it is an even better deal now than it was then.

Why? Because the price of RAM and SSD has increased by more than 100% but the price of the Hasee has stayed the same.

PCPartpicker couldn't build a cheaper PC of equivalent performance

I used PCPartpicker to source the parts for a workstation that could compete with the Hasee X5.

Obviously it's an apple-to-orange comparison as a desktop PC is a fundamentally different beast to a laptop. The latter has a battery, a webcam, speakers and a screen.

I consulted CPUBenchmark to get a baseline: the 12900H achieves just over 27,000 points. I cross-referenced the list with the database of CPUs from PCPartpicker to identify the cheapest candidate with an integrated GPU.

The system I built used an Intel Core i5-12600K processor and excludes the operating system, keyboard, mouse and obviously the opportunity time associated with building the computer itself.

Just the parts came to around $600, that's 37% more than the price of the Hasee X5. And just for sake of completeness, you can get a cheaper, faster mini PC.

Today's best Hasee X5 15.6 laptop deal

Hasee X5 15.6 laptop
Save 45% ($360)
Hasee X5 15.6 laptop : was $799.99 now $439.99 at Newegg

The Hasee X5 15.6" laptop, now $439.99, delivers exceptional performance with an Intel Core i9-12900H processor and 16GB LPDDR5 RAM. It features a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, FHD IPS anti-glare display, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2. It includes a backlit keyboard, privacy shutter, and multiple ports.

The Hasee X5 15.6-inch laptop offers impressive performance and modern design in a slim, silvery metal chassis.

Powered by the Intel Core i9-12900H processor and Intel UHD Graphics, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM at 4800MHz and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (with an extra M.2 slot for expansion) it will handle even the most demanding workloads with ease.

The 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display is bang average with a 60Hz refresh rate and 45% NTSC color gamut. That's good enough for casual users who don't need pro-grade displays.

Connectivity extends to Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and a range of ports including USB 3.2, USB-C, HDMI 2.1, and a microSD card slot.

There's a 2.0MP HD webcam with a privacy switch and a backlit keyboard with two lighting presets. It has a 62.7Wh battery for "up to 9 hours" between charges; that's a rather optimistic estimate though and you'd be lucky to get a third of that battery life under load.

While you're here, check out our roundup of the best business laptops, and the best laptops for video editing.

Also consider

Asus Vivobook
Save 14% ($70)
Asus Vivobook: was $499.99 now $429.99 at Walmart

This speedy laptop from Asus comes equipped with an Intel Core 5 120U CPU, 16GB RAM for smooth performance, and 512GB SSD storage. It's also running Windows 11 Home, so a good pick if you're upgrading from a Windows 10 laptop.

Lenovo V14 G4 14" Notebook
Lenovo V14 G4 14" Notebook: $469.99 at Newegg

This is an entry level laptop for small businesses from Lenovo and is powered by a 13th Gen Core i7 CPU. It's not as powerful as the Hasee one, has half the RAM/storage and is a bit more costly. On the other hand, Lenovo is the world's largest laptop vendor

DELL 15 Laptop
DELL 15 Laptop: $429 at Newegg

A cracking deal from Dell and the most affordable touchscreen laptop I could find. This one is powered by the Ryzen 5 7530U and has a 512GB SSD. Shame that it has only 8GB of RAM.

Desire Athow
Managing Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.

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