What are the 7 Important Factors to Consider When Buying a New Laptop?
Buying a new laptop, are you ready to start the process of buying a new laptop? With so many devices out there and more coming out every month, it's quite difficult to filter out what's important and what's more or less a gimmick. In this article, we'll go over seven important factors you should consider when choosing a new laptop.
Size
One of the laptop's best features is its ability to slip into a laptop bag and travel the world with you. If you're concerned about portability, it's best to look for laptops with a smaller screen size and a thin and light design. These types of laptops are often marketed as Ultrabooks, so be careful with that word. Or, more specifically, go for a device with a screen between 12 and 13.3 inches and a weight of less than one and a half kilo grams.
RAM
RAM (random access memory) is crucial to your computer's performance, especially if you do a lot of multitasking on your laptop—like editing photos, writing Word documents, and browsing the web all at once. The more RAM you have, the faster your laptop can access data and the more applications you can run smoothly at any time. 4GB of RAM is the minimum. If you use a lot of powerful software, look for 8GB or more.
Screen quality
If you're like most of us, you probably spend hours every day staring at your laptop screen. So make sure you choose a laptop with a screen that's easy on the eyes. Glossy screens tend to reflect ambient light, so keep that in mind. Also note that touchscreen laptops will have a glossy display, so weigh the pros and cons.
Depending on how you will be using the laptop, the screen resolution will also be important. 1920×1080 is a Full HD screen. This gives you great picture quality and enough space to view the windows.
Finally, when it comes to researching laptop screen options, it's a good idea to head to a computer store and check them out in person. Technical specifications do not always provide a clear picture of the actual user experience.
Battery life
Again, if portability is important to you (even if that means carrying your laptop from your desk to your bed!), battery life is worth considering. The reality of laptop battery life is often quite different from what it says on the box. Variables such as screen brightness and the types of programs running will affect battery life.
Instead of focusing on the number of hours the manufacturer lists, look at the battery's Watt-hour (W/h) or mAh rating. The higher the number, the longer the battery will last.
Buying a new laptop 5th processor
Think of the CPU (central processing unit) as the heart of your laptop. When it comes to CPUs, you can't get much better than the Intel Core range. The new laptops will most likely feature a Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7.
You'll find Core i3 in entry-level laptops.
Core i5 can be found in most mid-range laptops.
Core i7 can be found in high-end laptops. While the Core i7 offers the best performance, it can cause quite a bit of heat to emanate from the bottom of the device. Keep this in mind if you plan to use your laptop on your lap.
Storage
You will need to consider not only the size of the storage, but also the type of storage. Hard drives were popular at the time. With thinner and lighter laptops in vogue, hard drives aren't as popular. Instead, many laptop owners are opting for SSDs, which are faster, quieter and, you guessed it, more expensive.
If you're not sure whether you should choose a hard drive or an SSD drive, you can find our blog post Hard Drive vs SSD Drive: What's the Difference?
USB 3.0 ports
USB 3.0 ports are a must on a new laptop if you want to connect and use peripherals such as external hard drives, mouse and keyboard. Some new devices do not include USB 3.0 ports, including the new MacBook Pros. Keep this in mind before you go shopping.
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