What To Consider When Buying A Laptop
Now that you want to buy a laptop, do you know things you look for when buying a laptop? Before heading out to buy a laptop, you must first make a list of factors that you will be considering. You don’t want to end up with a laptop that does not fully meet your needs. You want a laptop that is cost effective, power efficient and also durable. Buying a new laptop or any other gadget can be quite hectic whether you are a first timer or an experienced techy.
- Check out What to Consider When Buying a Phone.
Here is a list of what to consider when buying a laptop.
Top 7 Factors To Consider When Buying a Laptop
These are some of the most important factors to consider when buying a laptop.
- Purpose
- Cost
- Storage Capacity
- Operating System
- Battery
- Display
- Processor and RAM
1.Purpose
Normally, this is the number one factor that drives you to get a laptop. Laptops will always increase your productivity as long as they are performing at their optimum. Machines meant for light home and office work come with entry level specifications. Because they handle light tasks, the processor, storage space, RAM and ROM are entry level. Moderate level tasks such as graphic design, coding, photo editing and audio recording require a higher set of specifications than the entry level specs. These laptops will require faster processors and bigger storage space due to the amount of work they handle. High performance laptops used for gaming and video editing come with a set of specifications to handle these heavy tasks and often include a Graphics Processing Unit(GPU).
Light Home and Office Work Laptops
Laptops in this category have the basic specs and can accomplish simple computer tasks efficiently. The following are some of the best light home and office work laptops. These are the laptops you throw in your garage or home hideout for light work.
HP 15 DA3011NIA
Specs
- Intel® Core™ i3 1005GI, 4GB DDR4 2666, 1TB, Windows 10 Home,
- 15.6″ HD, No ODD, Webcam, Wireless, Dual Speakers,
- Jet Black
- 1 Year Warranty
- Ports: Two SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; One USB 2.0 Type-A; One HDMI 1.4b; One RJ-45; One AC smart pin; One headphone/microphone combo, One Multi-Format SD Media Card Reader
Buy the HP 15 DA3011NIA laptop here.
HP 250 G8
Specs
- Intel Core i3 1005G1,
- 4GB DDR4 2666,
- 1TB,
- Windows 10 Home
- 15.6″ HD
- Webcam
- Wireless
- Dual Speakers
- Dark Ash Silver
- 1 Year Warranty
- Ports: Two USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Data transfer only); One USB 2.0; One HDMI 1.4b; One RJ-45; One headphone/microphone combo, One SD Card reader
Buy the HP 250 G8 here
Check out more laptops in this category here
Moderate Tasks Laptops
This laptops have intermediate specifications and accomplish tasks such as coding with much ease and efficiency. Below are laptops in this category
Lenovo Idea Pad 3
Specs
- Core i5 11357
- 4GB DDR4 3200
- 1 TB
- 15.6″
- Ports: One USB 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1, HDMI 1.4b, Headphone/Microphone combo jack(3.5mm), Card Reader,
Buy Lenovo Idea Pad 3 here
Check out more laptops in this category here.
High Performance Laptops
Laptops in these category are specifically tailored for heavy tasks such as gaming and video editing. They can also be modified to perform cryptocurrency mining tasks.
Lenovo Legion 7
Specs
- Lenovo Legion 7 16ITHg6
- Core i7 11800H,
- 16GB,
- 1TB SSD,
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 Graphics,
- Windows 11 Home 64,
- 16″ WQXGA 165Hz,
- Storm Grey
- Part No. 82K60098UE
Buy Lenovo Legion 7 here
2.Cost
Having a budget for the laptop you would like to buy will help you shorten the process of acquiring one by half. Just like many other items, laptops are priced according to their quality. If you are going for a high end laptop, you will have to part with a good amount of money. These laptops however will seldom disappoint you when it comes to performance. Although, there are good cheap laptops, most are susceptible to faster wear and tear. All other factors when buying a laptop are tied to the cost factor.
3. Storage Capacity
This an important factor you can not overlook when buying a new machine. Whether you are a content creator, photographer, video editor, businessman or a web developer you need a laptop with sufficient storage space. A laptop with a small storage capacity will not be able to handle large file formats effectively. Machines that come with a larger storage space are reliable when it comes to storage of a big amount of data. Again the storage capacity is interrelated to the cost of the machine. A conservative budget will get you a computer with a small storage capacity whereas a bigger budget will get you a bigger storage capacity.
4. Operating System
First we need to know what a computer operating system is.
What is a computer operating system.
An operating system is the main software that supports basic functionality of the computer. Think of it as an interface that links the software and the hardware. Through the operating system mostly known as OS you are able to navigate a computer and control its different functionalities. There are a number of operating systems that you can opt for when buying a laptop.
Types of Computer Operating Systems
Currently, the mostly used operating systems in consumer laptops are Microsoft Windows, MacOS and Linux
Microsoft Windows
Nearly 70% of computer users worldwide use Windows according to Statcounter. The latest version of the Windows Operating System is the Windows 11. Microsoft created the Windows Operating System in 1983 and has made several versions of Windows, the most recent being; Windows Vista(2007), Windows 7 (2009), Windows 8(2015),Windows 10(2015) and Windows 11(2021).
MacOS
MacOS was developed by Apple and runs solely on Apple products. This operating system has a market share less than 10%. Apple laptops are more costly than other laptops but are of superior quality.
Linux
Unlike Windows, Linux is not a proprietary software. Linux is an open source type of operating system i.e. it can be modified by anyone around the world. Linux is a free operating system that enjoys a 1% market share globally.
5. Battery
A laptop with a good battery will most definitely up your productivity. When choosing a laptop, look for one with fast charging capabilities, long battery life and great battery durability. You don’t want a laptop that is always plugged in due to battery issues. Laptop batteries basically range between 2000mAh and 7000mAh. A laptop to be used for light home and office work will not be power intensive hence a 2000-3500mAh battery capacity will suffice. High performance machines on the other hand will require batteries ranging from 4000mAh to 7000mAh.
Check out our new laptops with reliable battery
6. Display
For photo and video editors, the size of the display screen matters. Laptop screen sizes range from 11” to 17”. For clearer images you should settle for a higher resolution display. A decent laptop will have a 1920 x 1080 resolution . 4k laptops will have a massive 3840 x 2160 resolution. Touch screen laptops will give you a closer interaction with the content. The downside to this touch screen displays is that they are expensive and are quick to spoil once exposed to extreme conditions.
- Buy laptops with 4K resolution capabilities here
7. Processor and RAM
The Central Processing Unit is the computer’s main processing hub. Basic, daily use consumer laptops will have a CPU but for heavy image rendering capabilities, some laptops come with the Graphics Processing Unit( GPU). RAM (Random Access Memory) determines the amount of space your computer has for files for immediate use. A bigger RAM will get you a faster processing speed. More demanding activities like video editing will need a big RAM.
