THINGS YOU NEED TO CONSIDER BEFORE PURCHASING A LAPTOP-EASY GUIDE 2023

PHRYDE NEWSSeptember 27, 2022Last Updated: September 27, 2022

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WHAT IS A LAPTOP?

A laptop, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard.

Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper lid and the keyboard on the inside of the lower lid, although 2-in-1 PCs with a detachable keyboard are often marketed as laptops or as having a laptop mode.

Laptops are folded shut for transportation, and thus are suitable for mobile use.

They are so named because they can be practically placed on a person’s lap when being used.

Today, laptops are used in a variety of settings, such as at work, in education, for playing games, web browsing, for personal multimedia, and for general home computer use.

TYPES OF LAPTOP

1. Notebook (aka laptop)

2. Ultraportable

3. Ultrabook

4. Chromebook

5. MacBook

6. Convertible (2-in-1)

7. Tablet as a laptop

8. Netbook

when purchasing a laptop they are Many factors to consider. In which these post will elaborate those factors and also suggest for you.

15 things you most always consider before purchasing a laptop

TABLE OF CONTENTS ✍️

BATTERY LIFE

SIZE

KEYBOARD QUALITY

HARD DRIVE

SCREEN RESOLUTION

CONNECTIVITY

INTERNET SPEED

YOUR BUDGET

CAMERA

GRAPHICS QUALITY

STORAGE

TRACK PAD

PURPOSE OF PURCHASE

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LAPTOP AND DESKTOP

1. BATTERY LIFE

This determines how long you can use your laptop without connecting it to a power outlet. Most manufacturers claim anywhere between a few to 12 hours of battery life for their laptops. However, If you do not have regular access to power supply, you might want to buy a laptop that can last at least 8 hours. Best Long lasting laptops for 2023 is MacBook Pro 16-inch with 12 hours battery life

2. SIZE

Laptop sizes range from about 13 to 17 inches. If portability is a major concern, you’ll want to go for something smaller, like a netbook. These tend to be thinner and lighter than their larger counterparts, and nowhere near as powerful. But if you plan on using your computer to get some work done, you might want to stick with one that has a standard 15.6″ laptop. On the top range of the spectrum are the 17.3-inch desktop replacements, which typically boast beefier specs in addition to their larger sizes.

3. CPU

The CPU is the brain of the computer. The power of the CPU determines the complexity of the software you would be able to run on the laptop and the speed of those programs. Most laptops today feature either an Intel or an AMD processor. These are some examples of laptops with high CPU

1.MarCPU: M1 Pro (8-core) or M1 Max (10-core)

2. Dell XPS 17 (2022)

CPU: 11th Generation Intel Core i5/i7/i9

3.Asus TUF Gaming F15

Intel Core i9-12900H (14-core)

4. Razer Blade 17 (2022)

CPU: Intel Core i7 12800H

4. KEYBOARD QUALITY

If you are going to be typing a lot, you need to ensure the keyboard facilitates easy typing. You’d need a keyboard that has a comfortable layout. It also needs to be highly responsive and back-lit to enable you see the keys even in a dimly lit environment. Below are are some laptops with the best keyboard quality

1. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (9th Generation) Best keyboard in a laptop for writers

2. Dell XPS 13 (2021) 9310. The best-looking laptop for writers

3. Asus ROG Zephyrus G15. Best graphical power in a laptop for writers

4.HP Elite Folio

5. Acer Chromebook 514

6. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4. …

6. Microsoft Surface Pro 8. …

7. Acer Swift 3x.

5. RAM

Sometimes called main memory, the RAM (Random access memory) enables the computer system to store data that it is actively using. For a laptop to handle multiple tasks, it needs a RAM. This is measured in gigabytes. The amount of RAM you’d need is dependent on what you intend to do with the laptop. 8GB is more than enough to handle most basic tasks like web browsing and word processing. But if you plan on doing some photo or video editing, then you might want to consider getting between 16GB – 32GB of RAM. Below are some laptops with Largest RAM

1. Lenovo Thinkpad P15v 11th Gen

RAM:32GB

2. HP Firefly 15 G8 Intel Core i7-1165U

RAM: 32GB

3. Dell Alienware x17 R1 (2021)

RAM:32GB

4. 4. Lenovo 2019 Legion Y540 15.6″ FHD Gaming Laptop

RAM:32GB

5.ASUS ZenBook 14 (2020) 14-inch FHD Thin and Light Laptop

RAM: 16 GB

6. HARD DRIVE

There are two main options to be considered when choosing a hard drive. The first type is the HDD (Hard Disk Drive), which is found in most older models. They start from around 250GB, and can go all the up to 2TB. The second type is the SSD or solid-state drive, which performs significantly faster than the traditional HDD. Sizes for these start from 32GB, with 512GB and 1GB options being more commonplace nowadays.

7. SCREEN RESOLUTION

Next you should consider the laptop’s screen resolution. The more the pixels the more detail the screen contains. Standard screen resolutions come with 1920x1080px (Full HD). You can find them here. If you look to up the quality of your screen a couple of notches, there are high resolutions available for you. You could either get the 3300x800px or the 3840x2160px resolutions which are sharper. You should consider this if you want more clarity or large view area to keep multiple windows onscreen at a time. However, most entry-level laptops come with low resolution screens (1366x768px

8. CONNECTIVITY

You would definitely need to connect your laptop to external devices, amplify your music or transfer files at some point. So, you’ll need to ensure that the laptop you are about to buy has enough ports to meet your needs. Ports that support USB 3.0 are much faster than the older USB 2.0. Newer laptops also come with a Type-C USB port, which allows devices to be plugged in any direction

9. INTERNET SPEED

When purchasing a laptop you need to also consider the internet speed of the laptop for some very important reasons. If you are the type that like downloading, uploading researching you will need a laptop with good internet connection so as to make your process easy and fast.

10. YOUR BUDGET

There is a saying that says cut your coat according to your size. So before one could venture into purchasing a laptop he/she must have checked his/her budget and what he/she can afford.

Laptop prices oftentimes vary depending on the configuration. That is, the build quality, processing power, memory capacity, display type etc. Before buying the laptop, it is worth weighing the available options to ensure you are getting one that not only meets you need, but also does not exceed your budget.

11. CAMERA

This another important thing to consider when purchasing a laptop especially if you are the camera type or graphics designer.

The best laptop camera has at least 1080p resolution, auto white balance and brightness adjustment, a great built-in microphone, fast autofocus, and easy setup. Other convenient features like automatic background removal, software for dialing in your camera settings, and a built-in camera cover make for an even better experience.

12 GRAPHICS QUALITY

When buying a laptop they are many things to consider one of them is the graphics quality of a laptop. Some people purchase laptops for Graphics designing, photo editing, video editing and so on these is quite cool but you need to purchase a right laptop with high graphics quality for efficient optimization of your project.

The most important laptop specs to look at for graphic design are the operating system, CPU, memory (RAM), storage drive, display type and size, and color accuracy.

There is more to a good laptop than just speed. Sure, you need speed to run your programs but, you also have factors such as deciding between Mac or PC, RAM, drives, displays, and color accuracy.

Trying to decide on the best laptop for graphic design can be a challenge, and different than purchasing a laptop for general use or gaming. Laptops for graphic design need to be light, portable, and powerful enough to do complicated work.

Below are examples of laptops with Quality graphics designing

01. MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021)

Graphics: Integrated 16-core – 32-core GPU

02. Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

Graphics: Intel Iris Xe / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti  laptop GPU

03. Dell XPS 17 (2021)

Graphics : Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6

04. Acer ConceptD 7

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 – 2080

13. STORAGE

Not only will you need to consider the amount of storage, but also the type of storage. Back in the day, hard disk drives were the favourite. With slimmer, lighter laptops in fashion, hard drives are not as popular. Instead, many laptop owners are opting for solid state drives, which are faster, quieter, and you guessed it, more expensive.

14. TRACK PAD

The touchpad on a laptop does the same job as the mouse on a desktop computer. It is sometimes also called a trackpad. The touchpad is used to control the mouse pointer, also known as the cursor. The cursor is used to point at and choose (or activate) items on the screen.

The trackpad is yet another important input device for your laptop.

The trackpad is always used more than the keyboard. If you are spending 60-70K on a laptop, make sure the trackpad has multi-touch gestures and pressure-sensing capabilities.

If you are going to buy a budget laptop, make sure the build quality of the keyboard and trackpad is satisfactory and does not feel cheap and you have enough space to place the palm of your hand. For a huge and better Trackpad, consider buying Macbook.

15. PURPOSE OF PURCHASE

Everything in life has a purpose. The question is why do you want to buy a laptop? Some for personal use, some for businesses, some for office work, some for coding and programing, others for graphics designing. You can’t compare a personal use computer to a coding and programing computer. They are some important things you need to check before purchasing laptop for coding and programing. Some of the things are:

Display
Battery life
RAM
CPU
Storage e.t.c

Purpose of purchase is the first thing to consider before purchasing a laptop.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LAPTOP AND DESKTOP

The biggest and most noticeable difference is the Desktop needs basic external devices to be fully functional, whereas the Laptop has all necessary devices built-in, making it the most portable.

A Desktop stays in the office or home and needs the computer terminal to be connected to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse; whereas the Laptop has the built-in components and thus easily transported as one complete device that can be used in most environments.

The Laptop can run off AC power, batteries, or mains power, whereas the Desktop can only run off the main powers. It is not manufactured for any battery use.

The Laptop battery has improved over time, and can last up to several hours, depending on how much processing power is being used and keeping WiFi or Bluetooth connections open, increases the battery power consumption.

SPEED:Although the Desktop and the Laptop are becoming more equal in terms of speed and performance specifications, the Desktop still remains as the more powerful choice for activities such as gaming and video production.

Buying a Gaming Laptop with similar specs to a Gaming Desktop would be at a much higher price than a Gaming Desktop.

If the computer is needed for basic office processing, internet usage, and photo viewing, then a standard Laptop would be perfectly suitable.

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