Aside your budget, there are certain specification you might need to consider when acquiring a new laptop. In order words, your laptop need to match your needs and job you want it for.

But sincerely, buying a laptop can be tricky as you can find it as an exercise confusing, because you might even know everything about what you want and how to get it, but finding it can be difficult. Heck, just navigating the manufacturers' websites or physical shopping to locate the model you want is frustrating.

We hope this guide will help you navigate the morass of modern laptops.

Let's patiently consider below a section on every major component you'll want to know about when you browse for a PC.

1. First, Make Choice of Your Operating System

The first step in looking for laptops is to figure out the Operating System (OS) that will work for you. Thinking through what software you need to run and which operating systems it runs on will help you determine the hardware you need. There are four major computer operating systems. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Here's an overview of each:

Windows: This stalwart OS doesn't get much press anymore, but it gets the job done. It's the best choice if you need Microsoft apps like MS Office, Access, or Outlook. There are also more Windows laptops to choose from than any other OS. Read our Best Laptops, Best Microsoft Surface Laptops, and Best Cheap Laptops guides to see some of the choices out there.

macOS: Apple's macOS is a bit more beginner-friendly than Windows, but it's tightly coupled with the company's hardware. Your buying options are limited to MacBooks. Since Apple uses its own chips and Macbooks are really a different beast altogether.

Chrome OS: If you can do most of your laptop tasks in a web browser, Chrome OS is a good choice. Chrome laptops (called Chromebooks) are also among the cheapest (and least powerful) you'll find, so the OS is also worth considering if you're on a tight budget. Google recently rolled out a big upgrade called Chromebook Plus. The “Plus” stands for better performance—faster processors, more memory, more storage, and better video cameras.

Linux: If you don't need MS Office and don't mind a learning curve, you can install Linux on just about any piece of laptop hardware ever created. The catch is that popular apps like MS Office and Adobe's Creative Suite don't support Linux. However, there are free, open source alternatives like LibreOffice, Darktable (Adobe Lightroom replacement), and GIMP (Adobe Photoshop replacement).

2. Understanding Processor Names (CPUs)

Next after picking operating system, you want and have some idea of the software you're going to run, you can figure out the minimum hardware specifications you'll need. The first thing we suggest looking at is the processor, also referred to as the chip or the CPU. There are, for all intents and purposes, two companies that make consumer laptop processors: Intel and AMD.

Intel Processors

Intel's main processors are the Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. The Core i3 is the least powerful, and the Core i9 the most. We usually drop the "Core" from the name because it gets repetitive.

AMD Processors

AMD's chip naming is just as difficult to decipher as Intel's. In the name AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, the “7” is the generation (how old it is; higher is better), and the “6” is how powerful it is. A “6” would make this example a medium-powered chip, whereas a 3 or 4 would be weaker (slower). The next two numbers don't have much impact on anything. The “X” at the end indicates high performance. Other letter designations include U for ultra-low power (for better battery life).

3. How Much Processing Power Do You Need?

For a typical user who runs a web browser, Microsoft's Office Suite, and perhaps even some photo editing software, I recommend a laptop with an Intel Core i5 10th-generation or later processor. That would be displayed something like “Intel Core i5-10350U.”

If you can afford it, an Intel i7 chip makes a nice upgrade and will make your laptop feel snappier. The extra power often means shorter battery life though, so you'll need to balance that with your needs. A gaming laptop, for instance, would use an i7 (or i9) chip, but an i5 is usually fine for less demanding tasks. Likewise, for the average user, the AMD Ryzen 5000 series will suffice, but the Ryzen 7000 makes a nice upgrade—again at the cost of battery life.

4. Consider the Power option

If you compile software, edit videos, or work with very large databases, you're going to want more processing power than the rest of us. I suggest an Intel i7 or Ryzen 7. You'll also want to load up on RAM.

5. What About a Graphics Card?

All laptops technically have graphics cards (also called “discrete” graphics and GPU), but most are bundled into the motherboard with the processor. This approach, known as “integrated graphics,” is fine for most users. You’ll be able to watch HD movies and even play casual games without issue. If you're a gamer or do a lot of video editing, you'll want a laptop with a discrete graphics card—a separate and much more powerful graphics card. AMD and Nvidia make most of the graphics cards you'll find on laptops.

6. Make a choice of RAM

The more the RAM the merrier! Random-access memory, known as RAM, is what your laptop uses to hold data while the processor does things with it. Think of RAM as your desk. All the things you're working on right now should be able to fit on your desk. If your desk is too small, things fall off and you can't work on them. In the same way, if you run out of RAM, you won't be able to open any more browser tabs or finish compiling your video. Eventually, your laptop will freeze up and need to be restarted.

Eight gigabytes of RAM should be plenty for the average Windows user, though upgrading to 16 GB will make your laptop much more capable (and is a necessity for gaming). One thing to investigate before you buy is whether the RAM is soldered to the motherboard. If it is, you won't be able to upgrade the RAM yourself. Again, if you're programming and compiling software or editing video clips, two tasks that require a lot of RAM, you'll want 16 GB at minimum, and you'll probably be happier with 32 GB if you can afford it.

7. Get To Know How Much STORAGE You Need?

The hard drive is where you'll store all your data. Think of this as the filing cabinet next to your desk. The most common choice these days is a solid-state drive (SSD), although some budget laptops still use spinning drives. We suggest avoiding those.

Go for an SSD if you can afford it, with at least 256 GB. SSDs are faster, especially if they use an NVMe connection, which moves data in and out of the hard drive much quicker than the older standard, known as SATA.

You may have noticed that your hard drive doesn't seem to ever have its advertised space. If a hard drive is labeled 512 GB, it may show as having only 490 GB available in Windows. You aren't losing space; this just has to do with the difference between binary and decimal byte size calculations.

8. Check for Ports!

While the CPU, RAM, and hard drive will have the biggest impact on performance, the amount and types of ports on your laptop are important. Ports are the various ways of plugging things into your laptop, like USB devices or charging cables. You will want at least one 1 USB-C, at least one 1 USB-A, and a microphone/headset jack. Make sure your laptop has an SD or microSD card reader if you're a photographer and need to constantly download images from your camera. Otherwise, you'll need to carry a dongle.

https://www.cloudcybersecurity.co.uk/2024/03/8-things-to-consider-when-buying-laptop.html

Very good write-up. Thank you so much