Buying a laptop for 300 dol. An HP or Lenovo. They say Idea is slow and picture dim. Motor loud?

At $300 it really doesn't matter. They are all budget entry level laptops, designed for email, netflix, etc.

If all you will be doing is checking the internet and watching videos then it will be just fine. Just don't expect it to be blazing fast or be playing any modern games on it.