Having to purchase a new laptop can be an exciting experience. However, the numerous models available to select from make it quite a tricky and humbling experience. The fact is there isn’t a particular model that is the best since every user looks for something different in a laptop.
Before going to a tech shop or an online shop, it might be advisable to conduct sufficient research and figure out your needs. This is because retailers will try to sell you their most expensive products. Due to this, they will likely not give you completely honest advice regarding some of the laptops.
When choosing a laptop, there are a lot of factors to consider. Whether you plan on using the laptop for work, school, everyday tasks or even gaming, there remains an extensive range of products you can choose from without really having to break the bank.
1. Display quality
Due to you most likely having to stare at your laptop’s screen for several hours, it is only right that you make this extended task as painless as possible. To do this, you will require a display comfortable enough to look at for a long time.
To begin, you need to determine if you want your new laptop to come with a touchscreen. Touchscreen laptops are quite common these days, and they usually make tasks easier to carry out. There are brands that naturally include this as a standard feature. However, there are others that will demand a surcharge to include it.
Choosing a touchscreen laptop might make the display have some glossiness. Even though this doesn’t apply to all touchscreen models, screens with gloss are quite prone to glare. This will be a definite disadvantage if you’re editing videos, watching content, or gaming.
These days, the more modern touchscreen laptops are better than the older ones. However, some of these issues still persist. If you’re someone already used to the keyboard, it might be advisable to get a non-touchscreen laptop instead.
2. Keyboard quality
If you plan on typing extensively, you’ll have to purchase a laptop with a comfortable keyboard. It isn’t a good idea to get a laptop with a keyboard that tries to pack virtually all keys. This will definitely lead to a poor user experience which can be very damaging.
You ideally want a keyboard with a comfortable layout, full-sized keys, and space between the keys. Ensure that the keyboard is backlit as well. This might seem superficial, but a backlit keyboard makes it easier to type while in poorly lit environments.
3. CPU
When purchasing a new laptop, it’s very difficult to ignore the Core-based CPUs of Intel. Even if you don’t know a lot about computers, there’s a good chance that you’ve at least seen Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 stickers on new laptops.
For many users, these Intel core processors offer the most ideal performance for multimedia and multitasking. Core i3 processors are generally used in entry-level systems. As for Core i5 and Core i7 processors, they are mostly found in mainstream systems; lenovo.com has a list of different Core i3, i5, and i7 processor laptops. This could serve as an avenue for you to gain more insight into the kind of laptop you want.
Core i7 computers are ideal for people looking for a powerful performance. It should be noted that with Core i7 laptops, a significant amount of heat will be emitted from the laptop’s base. This could be a concern if you plan on using the laptop on top of your lap.
These days, you now have some laptops with Core i9 processors. These laptops will definitely be more powerful than the Core i7 processors. They can even rival desktops in terms of performance. However, they will undoubtedly cost considerably more than laptops with a Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processor.
4. RAM
There was a time when you needed just 4GB RAM to complete different tasks. However, these days, you will most likely need at least 8GB of RAM to execute your tasks competently. 16GB is advisable if you intend to make use of the laptop for different tasks at the same time very often. For gamers, 16GB should be the minimum, but if they can, 32GB and above should be the way to go.
The more RAM available, the more applications will be able to run simultaneously, and the more data will be quickly accessible by your computer. This is ideal for tasks like editing videos or photos.