Several Factors to Consider Before Buying a Laptop

For most people, a laptop is usually considered a work tool or a study tool. But a laptop can be more than these for other multi-faceted purposes such as handling a personal business, entertainment, documentation, and even social media. This makes it imperative that the buyer should make the correct choice for his/her needs before buying that new unit.

So, here are the really important aspects to consider when shopping for a new laptop.

Size

If portability is the main concern, then consider a notebook that has a small screen and is light weight. Any laptop marketed as an Ultrabook should fit the bill as they are designed to be slim and light. If work or heavy tasks are to be done, then you may need the 13- to 15-inchers with better and faster specs.

Screen Quality

You’ll be staring at your laptop for many hours each day so you want to make sure you get a screen that is comfortable to look at. Touchscreens have glossy screens that lead to reflections so consider a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen unless you really need it. Size matters again since a big screen is needed if you need to do heavy tasks like video or photo editing or a lot of research and writing. Look at the resolution: a 1920x1080-pixel resolution, or full HD, should be considered if you want plenty of space to line up windows and keep things in view. Finally, the viewing angles are extremely important. A laptop screen that has IPS (in-plane switching) offers the widest viewing angles and the best user comfort. Never buy blind so go into a store and see the screen for yourself.

Processor Speed

It’s hard to go past any of Intel’s Core-based CPU’s when buying a new laptop. Think Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7. These CPU’s offer the best performance when it comes to multitasking and multimedia tasks. Core i3-based notebooks are generally found in entry-level systems, while Core i5 makes up the majority of mainstream computers. Core i7-based systems are for those of you who want the best performance from your laptop. However, note that with a Core i7-based system, heat coming through the base of the laptop can be cause for concern, especially if you plan to use the laptop on tabletops.

RAM

You need 4GB of RAM or more to get the best out of your system. More RAM allows for more applications to be run at the same time, and for more data to be quickly accessible by the system at any one time, which comes in handy for tasks such as editing photos.

Price

Of course you can’t ignore the price which is a significant factor to consider when shopping for a new laptop. Laptop prices are often predicated on the features of the device. So, a laptop with a faster processor speed and RAM would likely cost more than a model with less speed. However, increasing competition in the market and more attention to research and development of new products makes it possible these days to find moderately priced devices boasting features that would naturally be found in models that are more expensive.