Buying a laptop is no small feat, and there is a lot to consider. When we do buy one we don’t want it to work for just one month or break down the next day, that would be devastating.
To avoid such situations you must know what you are looking out for when buying a laptop. Here’s some important key points you need to look at before making the purchase. However, if you’re looking to purchase one and want some recommendations check out here.
Types of Laptops
Laptops come in different types. They are categorized as netbooks, notebooks, ultrabooks and tablets. Each of this has a unique set of features that the others don’t have.
The right type for you will be determined by what you intend to do with your laptop. If your motive is just browsing and writing then a netbook is perfect for you but if it’s watching movies and playing games then you need something more than that and therefore an ultrabook or tablet can help you with that requirement better than a netbook or notebook respectively.
Size of the screen
The bigger the screen size the more expensive it gets. When buying laptops we must look out not only for its size but also what kind of screen it has.
Firstly, there are two types of screens available namely TFT and IPS. They both have their advantages and disadvantages like the TFT screens are brighter but drain more battery life than IPS screens. So if you need a laptop that is portable then an IPS one will be perfect for you but if portability is not necessary then choose between them based on your needs.
Secondly, how big is the screen? If you want something heavy duty like working on Photoshop or making videos then make sure its 17 inches or bigger because anything smaller than that will not do much good to your videos or photos except showing them on the monitor; which is of course possible with all laptops including netbooks and tablets.
Processing power/speed
The processing power of a laptop determines how fast it runs and the speed at which it processes data. When buying laptops you must know whether its Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor because this is where all your calculations and data will be processed so faster processors mean faster working laptops.
Nowadays we can find inbuilt graphics cards in almost every laptop available but there are still some that rely on the motherboards graphic card to give out better quality images and graphics. So if you’re into watching movies or playing games then make sure that you get one with a good graphics card installed in it.
Storage space
Laptops today come with either solid state drives (SSDs) or hard disk drives (HDDs) to store the data. When buying one do some research on which is better because both have their advantages and disadvantages. SSDs are faster, lightweight but more expensive while HDD are bulky, inexpensive but slower than SSDs.
Budget
Laptops are not just luxury items anymore they have become necessities that people cannot live without and therefore we all must be looking for a reasonable price when buying them because we know our budgets don’t stand a chance with these flashy laptops out there in the market today.
As much as possible try to get something within your budget; this way you will be saving yourself from frustration of losing an online deal at the last minute. Also you need to ask yourself what exactly do you want to do with your laptop? If it’s for office work then a netbook is perfect but if it’s going to be used for video editing and watching movies then you need an ultrabook or a tablet.
Operating System
Although there may be a lot of things to consider when buying a laptop but the most important one is what’s going to run your laptop, its operating system. The two major players in this field are Windows and Mac OS X both have their own advantages and disadvantages so before you actually buy a laptop do some research on each of them so that after making your purchase you’ll know exactly how good or bad it would be for you.
Should You a Laptop with Dedicated GPU?
Yes and no, we all know that a dedicated graphic GPU is faster than an integrated one but if you’re not into gaming then buying one will be just a waste of money. So the answer to this question would be “it depends” because it really depends on what specifically do you want to use your laptop for. If its video editing or playing games then go for it because both are demanding tasks which require processing power so, having a dedicated GPU can surely help in doing them much better.
What About Chromebooks?
Chromebooks have been around for a while now and people have started to use them- not as much as Windows but still. The main reason why people do not use these laptops as much as they might want is because of the operating system it uses, Chrome OS which lacks a lot of applications that are available on windows or Mac OS. So if you’re planning to buy one then keep in mind that whatever you’re going to use your laptop for should already be supported by chrome OS and if it isn’t then don’t expect to make any headway with this particular kind of laptop.
Conclusion
Almost all laptops come with an Intel Core i3 processor installed in them so there’s no need to worry about what kind of processor you should buy. Go for an SSD if possible they’re faster and more reliable than HDD but they come at a much higher price tag. If it’s not something that you really need then go for the latter as it will be more cost-effective. Keep in mind that whatever OS is going to run on your laptop, its processing power and storage capacity are directly proportional to its speed so don’t expect it to run fast if you have installed a crappy processor in it.
