IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A LAPTOP
There are so many laptops available in the market right now. The aspects vary: brands, processors, sizes, new, refurbished and many more. All these aspects may make the process of deciding which laptop to buy, a little bit confusing.
We shall look at some of the most important factors to consider before making a decision on the laptop you need to buy
Laptop Size
Laptops come in different sizes, ranging from 11 inches to 17 inches. Different users prefer different sizes for various reasons. For example: someone who travels a lot may prefer a smaller laptop that can fit into a sleeve or a hand bag. Most accountants prefer laptops with full keyboards that have numeric keypads. Gaming laptops generally have bigger screens and so on
Make sure you settle for the best size that works for you when shopping for your laptop
RAM
Random Access Memory (RAM) this is basically the memory of the laptop. If you do a lot of work on your laptop, all at once. For example: work on Excel docs, write on word docs, browse the internet, edit photos or videos all at once; then the more RAM you have the easier and faster it will be for your laptop to access data and have applications run smoothly at a go. Most laptops now have 8GB RAM or more. For normal work, 4GB RAM should be sufficient. For editing and gaming 16GB RAM and above is okay. 8GB RAM is the standard for many laptops now.
PROCESSOR or CPU
CPU means Central Processing unit. You probably have heard of Intel core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Ryzen5, Apple M1, M3 and so on. Basically, the processor is the brain of the computer that enables it to run.
Entry level laptops will have Intel Celeron and Core i3 processors. Ideal for normal typing and browsing work, school work
Mid-level Laptos will have Itel Core i5 or intel Ryzen5 processors. Ideal for Office work, school work
High end Lpatops will have Intel Core i7, Ryzen 7, Apple M4 Pro chips. Ideal for heavy work, video editing. These processors offer a better performance overall compared to the rest
There are different processors, for example a 14th generation processor is considered much better than an 8th generation processor. This is important to note.
Storage Size
Depending on the use, storage size is an important factor to consider. Storage options vary from 128GB to upwards of 2TB depending on the laptop.
With technology changing solid state drives (SSDs) are more popular now compared to traditional Hard drives. They are faster, lighter and power efficient. Read more on this from our blog here:
Depending on your type of work, make sure you settle for a laptop with the best storage size. Alternatively, you can consider getting external hard drives.
Connectivity/ Ports
The ports that a laptop has is very important based on your needs. If you do a lot of presentatations, you might consider a laptop with at least a HDMI port. Most laptops now have limited ports and you might be forced to purchase a docking station for additional ports. Keep that in mind. Basically, know the type of ports that you need and make a decision based on that.
Screen Resolution
We spend most of our time staring at our laptops. The quality of the screen resolution, therefore, is very important. A Full HD (1920 X 1080) resolution is ideal but we have laptops now with better resolution. For example FHD, WUXGA, 2K and 4K resolutions. The higher the resolution the more pricey a laptop will be, keep that in mind.
Budget
Times are tough and we all want to save as much as possible. Budget is an important factor when deciding which laptop to buy. With a budget in mind, explore the different laptops available and have someone guide you so as to settle for the best laptop within your set budget.
Battery Life
A laptop is meant to be a portable device. You do not want to be stuck at a charging station every 2 minutes. Most manuafcturers will indicate the battery life of a battery on the datasheet. However, it is important to note that how long your battery runs is dependent on so many factors: type of work, number of applications running, screen brightness and so on.
Is it better to have a bigger RAM or a better processor?
This is a question we get a lot. Our Answer: As much as a bigger RAM is ideal, a 16GB RAM running on an Intel Core i3 processor will still be outperformed by a laptop with 16GB RAM running on a core i7 Processor.
We hope this article was helpful. Please reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.
