There is no ideal laptop that fits all kinds of laptop users. Knowing your buying purpose, allows you to narrow down the good configured laptop at a nominal price bracket.
Hence it’s necessary to check out those ABC’s to make it worth the investment!
We have wrapped up certain tips & tricks to cut out all your random guesses.
Keep an eye on the technical aspects, personal taste, performance, compatibility.
12 Key Factors to Look for in a New Laptop
1 Choose an OS Platform
Windows OS: This is the most desirable OS that makes your latest computer quicker and robust. Grab the laptop that is pre-loaded with Windows 10. Stick to it for its user-friendly easy usage.
Windows operating system offers built-in antivirus, firewall, and wide range of internet features, keeping it at zero cost to their consumers. This familiar platform has gained millions of users’ trust because of its secured nature than the previous Windows versions. None can beat Windows for its unique customization.
Chrome OS: It’s worth considering a laptop featured with Google’s Chrome OS. It offers remarkable web surfing. This limited version is loaded with Google’s inbuilt anti-virus protection, Google apps. Laptops featuring this cloud-based platform come at an affordable price.
However, this format is not appreciated for gamers, professional editors.
2 Performance
The buying purpose may vary( recreational, study, business, work). Users demand a machine that should meet their requirements at any cost. An underperformed laptop doesn’t catch anyone’s attention.
What kind of user are you?
Light Use: 4 GB- Normal Usage.
This includes daily activities like web browsing, streaming contents from OTT, online movie watching, social networking. Any budget laptop with decent features allows you to do mails, light office work. 4GB RAM+128GB SSD will fit the check.
Medium Use: 8 GB- Heavy Usage.
This includes intensive work like editing docs, photos, fundamental gaming, running multiple tabs at a time. Core i3+4GB RAM-8GB RAM+256GB SSD will allow you to operate office applications, a lot of research.
Heavy Use: 16 GB- High-end Usage.
This includes demanding work, like creating content, advanced intensive gaming, advanced programming. Run specialized applications like AutoCAD, Photoshop with a high-performance laptop. Core i7 +16GB RAM-32GB RAM+ top-end SSD will allow you to run a huge number of animation, graphic design.
3 RAM
Beyond performance and OS, you assure the performance with a larger RAM. This speeds up the simultaneous multitasking abilities of your laptop.
Ideally, with a high performing processor, 8GB DDR4RAM is considered to be the sweet spot. This super performance improves battery life, makes the multimedia editing much easier and faster. You can also upgrade the 4GB RAM to utilize the laptop for a longer time.
It speeds up the data processing, saves the battery, and reduces latency to a great extent. And besides, it enables you to relish the stability while working or playing games. Almost for all, the 4 GB RAM space is more than enough to run more applications on Windows OS.
DDR4 RAM is the newest version. When combined with a high-end processor, it shows intensive performance and speed. If you are running a gaming application or Photoshop, you have to start with 16 GB RAM with an added graphics card.
4 Processor
Choosing a powerful processor allows you to do more tasks at a faster pace.
Atom/ Pentium:
This affordable processor let you do your daily computing tasks like web surfing, light office job. Celeron allows you to stream movies, send mail.
AMD Ryzen Mobile:
This mid-level AMD RYZEN 3500 U is perfect for mainstream laptops. This 4-core processor battles against i5, i7. Hence, this all-rounder processor delivers multitasking to run innumerable apps simultaneously while executing extreme heavy work. AMD delivers the best experience for gamers.
Intel Core i3:
This facilitates the flawless operation of daily activities like 4K, HD viewing. It limits you to run light programs with lower productivity and lesser efficiency. However, this affordable format is not beneficial for gamers, professional editors.
8th Generation i5:
Both Core i5 8265U, i5-8250U, have high clock speed, which utilizes the processing cores for game enthusiasts, turning it to a worthy investment.
Ideal for dual purpose-personal, game both. With a powerful i5, you enjoy faster performance, a better response than i3.
Intel’s Core i7:
This quad-core processor is one of the speedy processors of the market. It is designed for gaming, intensive works, and multitasking.
5 Internal Storage
Without adequate storage, the laptop will turn into an underperformed one with its less speed. Plan for 3x times better performance, speed up with a quality SSD than a regular HDD.
128GB/256GB SSD has become a substitute to the bulky, slow laptops loaded with a hard drive. 128GB /256GB storage is sufficient for seamless functionality, faster data speed, and storing applications.
But a 1TB hard drive can store 8 times more data than a 128GB SSD and four times of a 256GB SSD. If you still want to jump up for an affordable option, stick to a better variant of HDD (i.e., 512 GB-2TB).
6 Graphics
Quality graphic chips mean better visual experience, flawless gaming speed, better editing.
Integrated graphic processor Radeon Vega 8 is perfect for basic gaming. It provides the same outcome as laptops equipped with basic variant GPU ( For instance –Intel’s UHD GPU).
Choose AMD’s Ryzen 3 1200 CPU for light gaming, basic working for best outcomes.
NVIDIA MX 230:
This gears up the laptop’s speed for basic computing like work and play.
Experience 2.6x faster pace while operating image, video editing applications, smoother gaming than integrated GPU.
MX250 is perfect for light gaming. Keep enjoying heavy games on lower GPU.
Intel UHD GPU 620:
This integrated graphics processor is a bit distinct from regular GPU (like normal GPU doesn’t provide adequate results in graphic designing).
Photoshop occupies less space in graphic memory resulting in a seamless functionality.
NVIDIA MX 130 2GB Graphic Processor:
Grab this sturdy architecture for faster smoother multimedia editing, gaming. Packed with NVIDIA Optimus protocol’s power-saving nature to offer the best battery performance.
7 Display Size
The most desired display is 15.6-inch with Resolution is -1920×1080 pixels. Users nowadays crave for 16:9 variant to experience wider viewing experience.
Gamers can prefer a 17-inch screen size for uncompromised visuals. Weight and portability wise a 14-inch laptop is better than 15.6-inch. If portability is the concern, like for travelers, then small-sized, thin paneled, lightweight laptops are the right choice for you.
8 Display Resolution
More pixels result in more detailed visuals on the screen. The increased rate of pixels t on the screen enhances the sharpness of the content you see.
The variants are- 720p (HD), 1080p(FHD), which is better than HD 720 p, and 2160p(UHD 4K), which is better than both HD and FHD.
A laptop with a screen resolution of 1920*1080 is the ideal one to buy. As it’s a good balance between the price and the quality of the laptop. FHD is a good choice to run all sorts of intense multimedia editing, for example, coding of software and editing of videos, images, media.
9 Battery Life
You can never skimp on the battery life of the laptop. Keeping the daily portability factor into consideration, you require 4-5 hours of playability. If you find a manufacturer providing more than it, opt it. Gaming laptops are known as battery crazy.
10 Number of Ports
Checking the right connectivity is essential for a user. Also, look out for the numbers of ports to make sure it is compatible with many external devices.
- USB: USB port’s role is to transmit files/data from laptops to external gadgets like smart mobiles, storage disks, etc. It allows one to line up external gadgets like keyboard, hard drive, so on.
- USB- C: This quicker port is the newest entry in the block. It is smaller, slimmer if compared with the previous A, B- type ports. Hence, it offers faster transmission speed, huge current transfer at ease.
- Ethernet Port: Nowadays, laptops bring Wi-Fi specs that allow the buyers to experience the wireless internet. But you might not be lucky enough to get a Wi-Fi router everywhere you go. So, Ethernet port rescues you from this by allowing internet access through Ethernet cable. Also, known as Registered 45 Jack.
- HDMI Port: This HDMI is used for high-speed, high-quality data transfer from external gadgets like projectors, gaming consoles, etc., and so on. Combine it with a graphic card to experience the transfer speed of 4K video signals. Line up your laptop with a special adaptor if the computer offers HDMI output and the laptop a DVI.
- SD Card Reader: Mostly, newer laptops provide SD Card Reader. It enables the buyer to copy data to/from SD Card. It is perfect while copying media from DSLR to laptop. Such small-sized slot browses the micro SD cards. These economical SD cards store a pile of information.
- Audio Jack: Laptops offer audio jacks. Also known as headphone jacks. The regular size is 3.5mm. Apple, Pixel Smartphone buyers, are unfortunate to have such ports in their gadgets.
11 Design
Laptops come in varied designs like traditional clam-type variant, touchscreen, detachable 2-im-1, convertible 2-in-1. Choose wisely as per our needs. Also consider the portability, slimness, weight, design innovations, specifications, flexibility before choosing.
12 Warranty
All dell laptops come up with a 1-year warranty for its buyers.
Warranty Consideration: Do you know the malfunctions that a warranty ensures? It delivers the hardware /software breakdowns like malfunctioning keyboard, desktop damages, defects of internal parts. This assures servicing of flawed parts and fix it.
Warranty Time: Does it cover 1year, 2year? Grabbing a laptop with more warranty terms saves your money from maintenance costs.
Extended Time: This adds price to the laptop variant. Few brands combine this extended warranty time for its buyers.
International Warranty Consideration:
Travelers must check the international coverage on the warranty card. It gives you details about the countries covered. All renowned brands offer flexibility to their clients to get it serviced from any part of the globe.
Repair and Service: Brands disclose the process of fixing the faulty parts in their terms and conditions.
Will they fix it with a refurbished one, restore it with a new component! Also, it informs the service station’s locations to its buyers.
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