What Budget Laptops are out their for DJs?

Any MacBook made from 2009 onwards will do, a good condition second hand MacBook is great for this. You should get a 2010 model for around 300-400 bucks, that should already have some sort of i5 and 4GB RAM.

Why do I recommend this:
Most even old Macbooks have awesome battery lifetime if your power goes down.
The external Powerbrick of MacBooks have some safety circuits that will live if there is a surge or only the powerbrick will be dead and not the whole computer. (I still recommend getting a cheap secured power adapter, those cost around 10 bucks to put in the power outlet.)
With MacOS in 99.9% of all controllers you will not need any additional drivers, so you plug in the controller, start Serato and it will work plug and play.

Some shops even offer refurbished models (even Apple Stores) or previous generation models for a huge discount.
For example I got a MacBook Air 13” refurbished for 800 USD and I hardly get the CPU over 40% with all Serato effects running…

It shouldn’t matter that much. DJ software isn’t really a heavy program so 95% of laptops will run it without a problem, just watch you have at least 4GB of RAM. I’ve got 8GB and sometimes if I go into my task manager, I find it can sometimes use 5 or 6 so 4GB minimum, but I’d highly reccommend 8GB. A lot of laptops these days come with one empty DDR3 RAM slot for you to install more RAM if necessary, so if buying 4GB, I’d check that it has some type of screw off panel underneath with a picture of a microchip on it where you would be able to access this additional slot. Don’t get t his confused with what looks like a cylinder, can or disc because that is the panel to replace the hard drive (also something to consider how much music you have or are going to have). Some laptops such as my ASUS S551 have one big panel that lets you access both so ask a salesman if in doubt.

Windows vs Mac is honestly all down to preference. I do some casual gaming so Windows was a better bet for me considering a lot of games aren’t Mac compatible. Windows laptops are also cheaper (another seller for me as I’m a cheap bastard) and there is a lot more variety (Macs have no touchscreens, not much choice). Macs do offer plug and play compatability and are a simpler to use than Windows (Macs always just work no ifs no buts) and there are also some Mac exclusive programs (such as Deejay and Logic Pro). Remember, however that you can install Windows on a Mac (you have to buy the Windows) if in doubt. It’s all up to preference.