Things you should know before buying a laptop

Things you should know before buying a laptop. Whether you are first time buying a laptop or a second time regardless of which there are things you should know before deciding to buy a laptop. Buying a laptop is not that easy because of all the choices in the market. But how to refine your search and get exactly what you want are the things I will be talking about in this blog. 

•  Before selecting the laptop first you need to define the purpose for which you are buying the laptop. Is the laptop for purely streaming, gaming, or day-to-day multimedia consumption? that question defines what kind of laptop you should buy. 

• After defining the purpose you should set your budget. The budget will help you fine-tune your laptop search and narrow it down to a few alternatives.

• After setting the budget next thing to do is search quality websites to compare the specs and create a list of laptops that fits your requirements. The best idea is to go to the laptop brand's official pages to check the specs and prices and also look out for any deals that are ongoing on Amazon, eBay, and Newegg websites.

• The next important thing is to know your laptop's specs! Yes, sometimes it is difficult to understand the technical information and make sense of it if you are new to it. However, it is really important to know what you are getting at what value. Sometimes it is easy to get sidetracked by all the marketing and sales promotions that people make mistakes buying things that later on they find useless or not fitting their needs. For instance, if you are a streamer or wanna be a streamer your laptop should contain at least a decent webcam for starters! That's obvious right! But I tell you sometimes it is easy to overlook the most important things. 

Along with all of the above considerations, you also need to make the following choices that include but are not limited to selecting the right operating system or platform and specs!

        1. Windows, Mac or Chrome!

Depending on your pre-affiliation, this could be an easy choice, but if you don't have any prior affiliations to a platform or operating system that you require, this can be a difficult question to answer. If you fall into the no-affiliation category, here is a brief comparison of each platform's advantages and disadvantages to aid in your decision.

The three most common operating systems for laptops are Windows, Chrome OS, and macOS.

Windows Platform/OS (Windows 11/10)

Perhaps the most popular and known operating system for most users is the windows platform. Anyone who knows a little bit about computers know or heard about windows. Most laptop models run Windows 11, the most famous operating system than Chrome OS or macOS. The most recent iteration of Microsoft's flagship operating system, Windows 11, offers a number of enhancements over Windows 10 including a new Microsoft Store and practical features like Snap View. Windows 11 has also made a number of enhancements since its release in October 2021, including Focus Sessions and a Do Not Disturb option. Notable improvements to battery optimization and performance were also included in the 22H2 version. Windows 11 laptops are still the only gaming laptops anyone should think about and are excellent for students, academics, and business users.

Apple MacOS (Macbooks Only)

Probably the second most popular used operating system is the Apple macOS. Because of the apple devices ecosystem, Macbooks are an easy choice for most Apple users and these laptops come with macOS Ventura, the latest macOS. Essentially, the operating system is functionally comparable to Windows 11, but it has a new user experience that replaces Microsoft's Start menu and taskbar with an applications dock at the bottom of the screen. Mac users get Siri instead of Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant. Also, they may use Apple Pay to make purchases, receive calls or texts on their phones, and use an Apple Watch to unlock their laptops. Ventura also included Apple's Stage Manager, a valuable feature for managing to multitask, though it might take some getting used to.

Chrome OS

We all know about Google, Yes, you guessed it right. Chrome OS is google's operating system and gaining popularity among laptop users day by day. Chrome OS is available in low-cost Chromebooks like the Samsung Chromebook 3. Although more constrained than Windows or macOS, Google's OS is straightforward and safe. The primary focus is still the Chrome browser, but the user interface resembles Windows a lot with an application menu, a desktop, and the ability to move windows around. The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is one of the more recent Chromebooks that can run Android apps, but they aren't usually designed for use in a laptop form factor. If you need a computer to browse the Internet, check your email, use social media, and talk online, Chromebooks are quite portable and typically come with long battery lives at affordable costs. Because they are challenging to infiltrate with malware, they are also incredibly well-liked by parents, schools, and increasingly, corporations.

        2. Pick up the right laptop size

Yes, size does matter! It all depends on personal preferences and laptops come in various sizes that suit various user segments. 

• 17 inches: A 17-inch laptop might give you the processing power you need to play demanding games or do workstation-level productivity. However, it will also mean the weight of the laptop would in general terms be heavier than any others. You would not generally roam around these types of heavyweights.
• 15 to 16 inches: 15-inch laptops, the most popular size, often weigh between 3.5 and 5.5 pounds. 
• 13 to 14 inches: offers the ideal mobility and usability balance, especially if you get a laptop that weighs less than 3.5 pounds.
• 11 to 12 inches: Systems with 11- to 12-inch screens and average weights of 2 to 3 pounds are the smallest and lightest ones available.

        3. Chose the right specs!

For some people, specs are the most important but for others, they are technical stuff I don't need to know. However, specs cannot be ignored when you are looking for a laptop for productivity, streaming, or gaming. Among all the specifications and features in a laptop, the most important ones to look out for are the processor, storage, ram, and graphics chips.

• Processor: processors determine how powerful the laptop is. The most important component of any laptop is the processor. However, bear in mind that the most powerful the processor is the most expensive the laptop would get. Ignoring the brand value there is a direct correlation to the price of a laptop when it is equipped with a powerful processor. Nowadays you can be either team Blue (Intel processors) or you could be team red (AMD processors) both offer similar powers and productivity based on the model you go for. However, there is a general concept of AMD being less expensive than Intel processors but recently the gap is going thin.

Let's look at some of the processors from teams blue and red in comparisons in terms of the purpose of use:

 Source: https://www.cgdirector.com/intel-core-vs-amd-ryzen/

• Storage:  This component not only determines the storage size of the laptop but also determines how fast the laptop would perform when it comes to booting up the system to read and write performance. Sometimes it is recommended to go for SSD or NVMe SSD rather than an HDD because of the speed gap in comparison however, HDD offers most storage while SSDs offer speed in terms of price comparisons. 
• RAM: this component is also the most important for any laptop as it has a direct relation to the performance and speed of the system. However, keep in mind that depending on the purpose of the use of the laptop this is the most common component where people can get easily overspend. Some experts suggest that a 16 gigs dual channel (8*8 gigs) DDR4 is enough for most cases. However, there are systems that offer more capacity along with the latest DDR5 model of RAMs but the performance gain is arguable.
•  Graphics Chipset: for some this may not be very important since most of the laptop's processors are APUs that have built-in GPUs that can offer a wide range of graphical uses in terms of general usage. However, if you want productivity, streaming, and gaming from your laptop you would definitely need better-dedicated GPUs for your laptop. Here, you are either team Green (NVIDIA) or team red (AMD)! A dedicated GPU from either of the brand will certainly be more powerful but it will also significantly increase the price of the laptop. 
• Battery Life:  Likewise, battery life is something to think about if portability is important to you (even if that means carrying your laptop from your desk to your bed!). The battery life of a laptop frequently differs significantly from what is stated on the box. The battery life depends on a number of factors, including the brightness of the screen and the kinds of programs you use. Look at the battery's rating in Watt-hours (Wh) or milliamp-hours instead of the manufacturer's stated number of hours (mAh). The battery will last longer if the number is higher.
• Other features: for some these features can be determining factors but for others, it could be little to no value addition such factors are connectivity, display, webcam, and sound quality. 

        

          4. Plan in line with your Budget:

A functional laptop can now be purchased for under $200, but if you have more money to spend, you'll get a device with the superior build quality, more powerful performance, and a nicer display.  Check out my other blog on the best laptop 2023.

        5. Beware of the Brand: 

Brands are sometimes determining factors for most laptop buyers but this is also a sector where most people overspend against the value they gain from a laptop. However, this is the area that is most arguable and many people have many affinities. But the most important thing to remember is what brands offer in terms of after-sales support and services. Some brands are very renowned but their supports are worse than you think, while others provide excellent support. It is best to watch out for user reviews associated with the brand you are going for before buying the laptop.