You can get EOL Chromebooks for around $40-50. Who cares that they don't get security updates when you're not using ChromeOS!
Right in your price range, and now it's a portable all-in-one package.
this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
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Whatever the cheapest laptop is
I think it isnt a great idea to go for new ever. Why would you? You can buy 10+ yr old computers for 10$ or get them for free. It is far better for the environment and far cheaper.
Because this is a thought experiment. There's no waste when nobody's actually buying anything.
Raspberry Pi Zero second hand. Probably you can score something for less than 10 bucks.
Actually ESP32-S3 will be even cheaper than this one. They sell for around 5-6 $ but they are very limited in what they can do.
Yeah I mean, rule 1 is that it needs to run Linux, so I don't think a microcontroller like an ESP or Arduino is going to qualify...
http://wiki.osll.ru/doku.php/etc:users:jcmvbkbc:linux-xtensa:esp32s3 according to this it can run with some limitations.
9 hours and still no GNU/Linux copypasta?
Drop the requirement for new and you can get plenty of good stuff for free.
Especially Win10 computers :-)
Where can I get these for free?
I have a bunch of old macs here with different distros onthem, mostly Mint, that I have been trying to give away to locals (without being obligated to provide support, which is the stickler apparently). They all run great. One could dumpster dive or curb cruise, or around here, lurk at Recycling.
I bet you can find stuff on AliExpress for a lot less but then you have to insure support is descent.
Not NEW, but, check out local auctions. Local universities and govt offices are frequently selling lots of newish laptops (5ish yrs old) for $10-$50 apiece.
Watch for thin clients too. You can install Linux on some of them and use them as a normal PC. They will have more processing power than a cheap SBC.
along those same lines, used Chromebooks – Google ends support after only a couple years so school districts all over the place are generally stuck with palettes of e-waste
I believe I saw some other single board computers with some cheap Rockchip CPU /Allwinner and regular HDMI and two USB and an Ethernet port for around $10 on Aliexpress. You wouldn't need the adapters from the Pi Zero with those. And there are some generic Android TV-Boxes for $8-15...
This seems like the most interesting suggestion so far. I'll look into those!
Minisforum Refurb, or an SoC that's cheaper than RPi
Those cheap emulator handhelds run linux out of the box with built in screens, batteries, and controller inputs
I've got a shitty little android one I impulse bought a while back, I should play around with it
I didn't even think about those. That might be a good bet!
There’s an SBC called Le Potato that usually goes for around $40.