In 2008, netbooks sparked a PC-buying frenzy as hundreds of low-power laptops were available for as little as $150. But those days are long gone, and low-cost PCs — particularly with Windows — are becoming scarce.

As the overall PC market shrinks, mobile devices have replaced low-cost PCs for many users. Those who are looking for a new PC more often than not are interested in a high-quality machine; buyers of low-cost PC are  in the minority.

It will be possible to find low-cost laptops, just not as many as in the past few years. You’ll find the best deals with Chromebooks — which are like netbooks — but they had just 2.8 percent of the overall market share through the third quarter of last year. Chromebooks have Chrome OS and are for Web-based computing.

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