There are many different laptop sizes, features and prices, which makes it a challenge to pick the appropriate one based on your needs. Follow these tips that can help you make the right decision when buying a laptop:
1. USE:
All-Purpose: to do a little bit of everything you can consider anything from an inexpensive 15-incher to a lightweight 11- or 13-inch system.
Business/Productivity: to write and edit texts, manipulate spreadsheets and create presentations, you’ll want a laptop with a good keyboard, durable design and sharp screen.
Gaming: to play high-end games, go for a laptop with a high-end Core i7 processor, discrete graphics, a high-res screen and strong speakers.
Creative Professional: to edit videos, photos or illustrations, you need a laptop with a powerful processor, discrete graphics, a Solid State Drive (SSD) and a large and high-res display.
2.SIZE:
11 to 12 inches: thinnest and lightest, weigh less than 3 lbs.
13 to 14 inches: provides the best balance of portability and usability; weigh between 3 and 4 lbs., fits easily on your lap.
15 inches: most affordable and weigh between 5 to 6 lbs. It’s a good option if you’re not planning to carry it around.
17 to 18 inches: biggest screen, and because of their width, these can pack high-voltage quad-core CPUs, powerful discrete graphics and multiple storage drives.
3. KEYBOARD/TOUCHPAD:
Does the keyboard have solid tactile feedback and enough space between the keys? Is the touchpad smooth to operate? Does the mouse buttons have a satisfying click? Can you zoom in and out with ease, and select text using the touchpad without the cursor skipping around?
4. SPECS:
CPU: the AMD E Series or Intel Pentium/Celeron CPUs can handle web surfing, email and social networks use. Power users and gamers should get a Core i7 system.
RAM: it should have minimum 4GB, but if you can get a system with 8GB, you’ll be better prepared for high-end applications and lots of multitasking.
Hard Drive/SSD: go with a Solid State Drive (SSD) over a hard drive, it provides twice the speed of their mechanical counterparts. However, SSDs are usually more expensive and come in much lower 128/256GB capacities.
Display: The more pixels you have, the more content you can fit on screen, and the sharper it will look. Choose a laptop with a pixel count of 1600 x 900, 1920 x 1080 or even higher.