Things To Look For Before You Buy A Laptop

Two of the fundamental features to look out for are comfort & durability. Take for example the Lenovo Thinkpad and the Dell Vostro. Thinkpads come with a small point-stick between the G & H keys to navigate the cursor while typing; it is a great tool to type and track without moving your hands to the trackpad and back. The Vostro lapbooks are tested for extreme usage, they can handle up to 65°C, and the keys can take a beating of more than 40,000 pushes. These simple yet effective features increase comfort & durability.

The various ports on a laptop enhance your laptop’s usability. Most new laptops from popular brands like Dell & Apple sport the latest USB 3.1 ports for faster data transfer.  An Ethernet port is always welcome when the wifi range is not good enough for everyone in the office, this is important for a business laptop or for someone in an office setting. An HDMI port for connecting your laptop to a high-resolution Tv for better viewing is a must. The Cd/Dvd ROM isn’t used much these days but it is good to have that as a backup. Finally, a micro SD card slot to read and copy images from your camera is essential.

The display is an essential component that has come a long way in laptop computers. With technology becoming cheaper, full HD laptops have become affordable and more accessible. A good display with deep blacks & vivid colours takes your experience to a better level.  Another equally important feature to be kept in mind is the display size.  If you are looking for a laptop with a big display of 17 inches or more, then be prepared to carry a heavier laptop around. Business or casual users on the other hand should ideally go for a 13 – 15 inch laptop or a Macbook for better portability.

The random access memory in a machine allows instant access to data currently being used. The more the RAM the better the speeds with which you can work. A basic 4 GB of ram is good enough for most users, who work with documents and browse online.  If you are looking for some good gaming & video rendering capabilities then look for an Alienware or a Hp omen or any laptop with an 8 Gb ram or higher.

The main component of any computer is the processor.  Intel processors from i3,i5 and the i7 are preferred by most laptop brands like HP, Lenovo & more. For intensive tasks, an i5 and above is generally preferred.  If you are looking for a cheaper option then laptops with AMD processors are more pocket friendly. They are cost-competitive and get the job done, the Lenovo Ideapad, and the Dell Inspiron series is come installed with AMD out of the box and are great for office computing. AMD’s Ryzen line of processors is one to look out for if you need to work with intensive tasks, they are on par with Intel’s I3, i5 & i7. 

The graphics card in your system is used for high-end video editing and smooth gaming. There are two types of graphics cards; integrated and dedicated graphics cards. An integrated card depends on the system memory and uses less power and hence is a cheaper alternative. A dedicated GPU like the NVIDIA GTX 1080, used in high-end laptops like the Acer predator series has its own RAM & processor. A dedicated GPU uses more power but delivers a solid dose of power as well. 

Finally, the operating system is a major deciding factor; the main two options available in the market are Windows & Mac Os Sierra. Some developers use Linux but general users prefer a win or a mac os. Once you decide which operating system suits your needs it becomes easier to make a choice. Most games are released on a windows based machine and hence that would be an ideal choice for gamers. Video editing & media tasks are smoother with Mac Os Sierra's dedicated apps like Final cut pro or final cut express are fan favourites.

These are some of the features that I looked into before getting my HP Omen. Be sure to look at these specifications, the next time you are online to buy a laptop. 

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