Laptops are about the most ubitquitous piece of technology around today, except perhaps for smart phones. With so many different brands, options and features from which to chose, how can we arrive a good fit for what we both desire and need?
Some find it fascinating to immerse themselves in all the various specifications and possibilities, but if that is not for you, then read on for a few simple dos and don'ts that can make your selection process much easier.
This may be the number one factor that many people consider first. Frequent travelers are especially sensitive to this consideration. Nobody wants to drag a brick around on airplanes, taxis, trains or subways. Even commuters need to consider how much weight they are comfortable carrying around for duration of their travel time. Consider taking a trial run on the subway or bus with something in your bag or backpack that weighs the same as the laptop you are considering purchasing. If you are comfortable with it during your commute and travels, then your new laptop should be just fine. Don't forget to measure your bag or container to see if your prospective new laptop will indeed fit inside it. Even a half-inch can be the difference between success and failure.
Let's face it, when you're not carrying your laptop, you'll most likely be looking at it. Looking at the screen, that is. A high-resolution screen will make whatever you are doing on your device that much easier and more enjoyable. A blurred or dim screen will become annoying very fast. Check the highest resolution available for that laptop and try it out on your current model or at a computer/electronics store to see if it will work for you. A good resolution today is 1920x1080 pixels, also called Full HD. If you are considering a touch screen model, remember that they have glossy screens that can cause reflection and glare. Check one out in a store before you make the purchase.
This is one area where you can choose to upgrade in two areas at once: capacity and speed. There is a tradeoff, however. Solid state drives (SSD) are faster, quieter, smaller and cooler. They are also more expensive per gigabyte than the older hard drives. For most people an 128 GB SSD sill be a good size, and you will love the fast boot time and performance. If you are planning storage intensive work or a playing a lot of big footprint games, then do consider upgrading to a 256 GB SSD. If you want an extremely fast SSD, consider a NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) solid state drive. NVMe is, on average, 5x faster than SSD. It can be anywhere from 50-350% more expensive, depending upon the brand and quality.
I am grouping these two together because they both affect performance, albeit in different ways. A better CPU provides better performance for multitasking and multimedia. The current standard for the best are the Core i3, i5 and i7, with the i3 found in entry-level systems and the i5 in most mainstream laptops. The Core i7 CPU offers the best performance, but be advised that they run hot so they can be uncomfortable on our lap if that is where you do most of your work. RAM affects performance by allowing more applications to run simultaneously and providing quicker data access. More equals better.
This one is not so important if you plan on being plugged in all the time, but can be critical if you are on the go a lot without a readily available outlet. Don't rely on the manufacturer's quoted specifications. This can very greatly depending upon how bright you want your screen, what kind of programs you run, and how much wireless network activity you will have. Instead, rely on the milliamp-hour (mAh) rating for the battery. Some manufacturers also rate in watt-hours (Wh). For both measurements, higher is better.
Just because a budget laptop is easy on your wallet, doesn't mean it will do the work or have all the features you need. Take a bit of time to figure out your greatest computing needs, and then don't cut corners in that area. For example, if you want to run lots of applications simultaneously, then concentrate on a better CPU and/or more RAM. If movies or gaming is your forte, then consider a higher end graphics card. Do you travel a lot? Then perhaps light weight and long battery life are your priorities.
Conversely, don't look for the most expensive laptop on the market, thinking you will be getting the best of everything. Even if every feature is top of the line, consider whether you really need every bell and whistle. Paying a premium price for 4 TB of storage space does not make sense if you never use more than 1 TB. Gaming laptops can be very expensive, and gamers are often tempted to go for the best they can possibly afford ... or not afford. However, if the games you are playing run fine on a mid-range graphics card, then paying top dollar for a bleeding-edge card is a waste of money. Consider what you truly need for what you will be doing.
Make sure they laptop you are considering has all the ports you need. Think about what devices or peripherals you will want to use in conjunction with your computer, at the same time, then ensure the number and type of ports will support that. Make sure our consider card readers too.
No matter how well you research, or how many reviews you read, there is no substitute for actually putting your hands on the device and trying it out. Only then can you really ascertain whether it meets your requirements. Even more important, you may discover some missing features that you cannot live without. These don't pop out at you when reading the specs. Drop by a Best Buy, Frys, Apple, or Microsoft Store to check out your prospects before purchasing. You might even find a better deal. If it is not possible for you to try before you buy, then purchase from an online store with a good return policy.
This works both ways. Some buyers try to cram so many options into a laptop that they end up lugging around a virtual cinder-block. Other times, they may obsess so much with streamlining that their ultralight device is barely functional. Both viewpoints have merits, but don't become so distracted by features or featherweight to the point of purchasing something that you will later regret. For those tending towards the featherweight end of the spectrum, be careful of the allure of the ultrabooks, especially the Chromebooks. They are awesome devices, but be sure that you are indeed looking for an ultra-light, scaled-down notebook, rather than a full-featured laptop or a particular platform like MacOS. Figure out what for what you will be using it, and purchase accordingly.
COPYRIGHT © 2018
KLR-Tech