08/12/2020
TIPS TO BUY A LAPTOP
While tablets get all the attention these days, there’s a reason why laptops continue to be the computing device of choice for most people. Notebooks offer real keyboards for faster typing, they’re better at multitasking, and they offer a lot more power for everything from editing video and creating PowerPoints to playing the latest games. So what type of laptop should you get?
There’s a wide variety of sizes, features, and prices, which makes choosing the right notebook a challenge. That’s why you need to figure out what your needs are. To make the right call, just answer the following seven questions.
1. What Size Do You Need?
If you’ll be using your laptop primarily at home and won’t be moving it much from room to room or using it on your lap, get a laptop with a 14 inch display (generally 2kg +up). This is the most popular screen size.
Other option for a 15.6 inch notebook if you plan to have a bigger screen is better for watching movies and working with multiple windows open at once. But we only recommend stepping up to a large display if you get a resolution higher than 1366 x 768 pixels. Otherwise, it’s a waste of extra space.
2. How Much Can Your Get for Your Money?
These days, you can easily find an all-purpose laptop with good performance. We’re talking about a speedy dual-core Intel Core i3 or an AMD A6 processor, 3 to 2GB of RAM, and at least 320GB of hard drive space. That’s good enough for most consumers looking to surf the web, go on Facebook, check email, and play casual games.
You’ll start to see more premium designs, such as metal finishes. Manufacturers also start to add in other features as you climb the price ladder, including better audio and backlit keyboards. Look for a new-generations Core i5 or i5 and i9 processor in this range, as well as 4GB, 8GB and 16GB and more of RAM and a 500 to 1TB hard drive or SSD Hard Drive.If you’re willing to spend more, expect laptops with faster processors and/or dedicated graphics cards from AMD or Nvidia for gaming.
You’ll mostly be looking at laptops that focus on multimedia and gaming, as well as highly durable and secure business machines. Higher-resolution screens are also expected.
3. Will It Be Comfortable to Use?
The most impressive specs in the world don’t mean diddly if the laptop you’re shopping for doesn’t have good ergonomics. Does the keyboard have solid tactile feedback and enough space between the keys? Is the touchpad smooth to operate or jumpy? Do the mouse buttons have a satisfying click, or do they feel mushy? How well do multitouch gestures work? You should be able to zoom in and out with ease, as well as select text with the touchpad without the cursor skipping around.
In general, ASUS and Lenovo offer the best keyboards and touchpads. Toshiba, Samsung, DELL and HP is generally pretty reliable in this category, as is Sony. Acer don’t offer the most ergonomic designs, so you’ll want to try before you buy.
4. What Specs Do You Need?
Notebook specs such as CPU, hard drive, RAM, and Graphic card can confuse, so don’t feel bad if spec sheets look like alphabet soup to you. What you need really depends on what you plan to do with your laptop. More intensive tasks such as 3D gaming and HD video-editing require more expensive components.
Here are the main components to keep an eye on.
CPU:For mainstream performance, we recommend Intel’s Core i3 processors. AMD’s A Series processors aren’t as fast as their Intel counterparts, but they offer better graphics performance.Power users and gamers should consider higher-end Intel Core i5 , Core i7 or Core i9 CPUs.
RAM: When it comes to memory, or RAM 4GB is better to run Windows 10 Home. Those who demand more performance will want to spring for 6GB or even 8GB or 16GB of memory.
Hard Drive: For most users, a fast drive is more important than a large one. If you have a choice, go for a 7,200-rpm hard drive over a 5,400-rpm unit. Even if you have several movies and games on your hard drive, a 512GB should provide more than enough space, but 500GB and 1TB drives usually don’t cost much more.
Solid State Drives (SSDs): These drives cost quite a bit more than traditional hard drives and come with less capacity (usually 128 to 512GB), but they dramatically improve performance. You’ll enjoy faster boot times, faster resume times, and faster application open times. Plus, because SSDs don’t have moving parts such as mechanical drives, failure is much less of an issue.
Display:The more pixels you have, the more content you can fit on-screen, and the sharper it will look. Most notebooks come with 1366 x 768-pixel resolutions. However, if you have the option to choose a laptop with a higher pixel count 1440 x 900 or 1600 x 900 always choose the highest res you can get. You’ll see more of your favorite web pages, multitask better, and have a better movie-watching experience. Full HD panels cost more than your typical display, but are worth the splurge, especially on larger screens.
Graphics Card: For the most part, an integrated graphics chip (one that shares system memory) will be fine for basic tasks, including surfing the web, watching video, and even playing some mainstream games. But a discrete graphics processor from AMD or Nvidia (which has dedicated video memory) will provide better performance when it comes to the most-demanding games. Plus, a good GPU can accelerate video playback on sites such as Hulu, as well as speed up video editing.
DVD/Blu-ray Drives: Netbooks don’t have optical drives, and they’re also disappearing from lightweight notebooks. That’s because you can download most software and download or stream video from the web. Unless you burn discs or want to watch Blu-ray movies, you don’t need one of these drives and can save some weight by avoiding them. At this point, DVD drives are a safety blanket.
5. Mac or Windows?
This is not an easy question to answer, especially if you’ve never considered making the switch from Windows to Mac. But this quick overview of each platform’s strengths and weaknesses should help.
Apple’s MacBook Airs offer an easy-to-use operating system in Mac OS X Lion. It offers iOS-like features such as Launch Pad for your apps, superior multitouch gestures, and Auto Save and Resume so you can pick up on your work right where you left off. Macs also tend to outperform similarly configured Windows machines, especially when it comes to boot and resume times.
While Windows PCs offer more software choices, Apple makes it easier to find and install programs with the Mac App Store.
Windows 10 are generally more affordable and offer a much wider range of design choices from more than a dozen major vendors. Windows machines also have access to a much bigger selection of software, especially when it comes to games. Windows 10 is certainly easier to use than previous versions of Windows, and includes convenient features such as Snap (to view two open windows side by side).
And if you care about security, there are many Windows explicitly designed to appeal to the business crowd.
6. How Much Battery Life Do You Need?
Even if you only plan to move your laptop from the desk to the couch and the bed or from your cubicle to the conference room, battery life matters. Nobody wants to be chained to a power outlet, even if there’s a socket within reach. If you’re buying a 14 inch notebook, look for at least 4 to 6 hours of endurance.
If you expect to be fairly mobile, shop for notebooks that offer more than 5 hours of battery life, with 6-plus hours being ideal.
If given the choice, pay extra for an extended battery; you won’t regret it. Keep in mind that some notebooks (such as the MacBook Air) feature sealed batteries that you can’t easily upgrade yourself. Your actual battery life will vary depending on your screen brightness and what tasks you perform (video eats more juice than web surfing).
7. Do You Trust the Brand Behind It?
Your laptop is only as good as the company that stands behind it. Accurate and timely technical support is paramount, which is why LAPTOP evaluates every year.
Support is only part of what makes a notebook brand worth your money. You also have to consider how the manufacturer stacks up to the competition in terms of design, value and selection, review performance, and other criteria.
For those out there that has yet to fully understand the specification and how to look out for good specification laptops, can contact us.
