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Basic Things To Consider Before Buying A Laptop

Ekene Eyimegwu
 

Having used laptops before is not an assurance that you’ll not encounter any problem while buying a new one. Due to the ever-changing technology, Laptop manufacturers now include new features, which makes it even tougher to select the right kind of laptop you need.

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There are times when we end up being mesmerized by some advanced features, even if we don’t need them. Changes in technology, occupation, and finance are some of the factors to consider when in need of a new laptop. However, the primary thing that one should consider before buying a new machine is the type of tasks to be performed on it. For example, If you are a video editing enthusiast, then buying a laptop with lesser no: cores will surely not be the right choice. This guide is all about the basic things you should consider before purchasing a new laptop.

Size: Before buying a laptop, you have to consider the size and design. You need to decide whether you want a big-screen laptop, portable laptop, or mini laptop. The common laptop sizes are 13 inches, 13.3 Inches, 14 inches, 15.0 inches, 15.6 inches, 16 inches, Mini Laptops, and 17 inches.

  • 15.6 Inches Laptops

This is the common laptop size mostly used by students, cyber cafes and business centres use.

  • 13.3 Inches Laptops

This site is for people who are not a big fan of big-screen Laptops rather they want a very portable laptop but not a very small laptop (Mini Laptop) either, so they settle for 13.3 inches Laptop.

  • Mini Laptops

These laptops come in mini sizes: small, compact, and super-portable. The screen size of mini laptops is 10.1 inches display and you can also find mini-laptops with a screen size of 11.6 inches.

  • 17.0 Inches Laptops

These are very big Laptops. 17.0 inches personal computers (PC) or laptops are for Gamers who need a very big and bold display. A good example is the HP OMEN 17.

While concentrating on checking the display Size, focus on the display resolution also. The higher the resolution or pixel, the more details you see on the screen. High-resolution laptops have a very beautiful display.

  • Ram Size

RAM means Random Access memory. RAM is a type of storage, however, it is different from ROM or Hard Disk in the sense that it is not for permanent storage.

When you open software on your Laptop, e.g MS Word, Corel Draw, iMovie, they are all using RAM so long the programs are still running. The more you open apps, the more RAM Space is being used up. This is why your Laptop runs slower or hangs when you are doing many programs with it. The Solution is to get a laptop with a bigger RAM. You can also close the programs you are not using at the moment to free up RAM space. As for RAM Size, you should not buy any Laptop below 4GB RAM in 2022 irrespective of what you need it for.

  • Storage type and storage sizes

Many persons recognize Storage as just a hard disk. Storage in laptops is either HDD or SSD. The full meaning of HDD is Hard Disk Drive while SSD Stands for Solid State Drive.

HDD and SSD are both for permanent storage, just that SSDs are faster and more reliable than HDD. Speed and Reliability make Laptops with SSD more expensive to buy than those with HDD (Other specifications being equal). If you collect large movies or play games, storage space should be your number feature in a Laptop. The lowest Hard Disk size you should go for is 500 GB HDD. Since SSD Laptops are more expensive, you can start from 256GB SSD.

  • General Performance

It is very important to conclude the task you need your laptop to perform. What you need a laptop for goes a long way to determine the type of Laptop you should buy. Your Laptop Performance should be able to meet your general laptop requirement. For example, a 2GB RAM laptop is okay if you are buying a Laptop just for movies, reading, and surfing the Net. But it is not good enough if you are going to run a lot of programs simultaneously such as programming, Deep Learning, ETAP, Video editing, and graphics design. While getting the new Laptop, ensure that it can handle all your possible tasks for the next three years.

  • Processor types and clock speed

The processor for Laptop could be Intel or AMD. They are both good, but intel processors are highly recommended because they are generally better than AMD. Intel processors include; Intel Pentium, Intel Celerium, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, and Intel Core i9. Intel Core i9 is the highest and the most recent intel Processor, followed by core i7, core i5, and so on. Similarly, Core i9 laptops are generally more expensive than core i7 laptops and so on. Don’t buy laptops less than intel core i3 unless you are on a very tight budget.
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Each of the Processors has a Generation. When going through a laptop processor feature, you will see something like 6th generation intel core i7, 8th generation intel core i5, and so on. The higher the generation, the newer the processor. For example, 8th generation intel core i3 is more recent than 7th generation intel core i3. There is always improvement made to each generation. We are currently in the 11th generation of Laptop Processors and the 12th generation is slated to come out this year.

  • Processor Speed

Processor Speed is how fast a processor is. The speed of the processor is measured in Gigahertz (GHz). E.g 1.6Ghz, 1.8Ghz, 2.5Ghz, etc. New generation laptops have variable speeds. This feature is called Turbo Boost. The speed of an 8th generation core i7 range from 1.8Ghz to 4Ghz if the task you are performing requires more speed. Also, note that processor speed is also referred to as clock speed.

  • Core

The core is the “Brain” of the Processor. Processors can have one core (single-core) or more than one core (dual-core, quad-core, etc). The more the cores, the better the multitasking ability of the Computer.

  • Laptop Brand

For many people, the brand is not a problem. You can buy a Laptop made by any company. For some, it must be HP Laptop or DELL, others want Apple laptops, ASUS, Lenovo, etc. Unless you have a specific preference, you don’t need to bother about which brand of laptop to buy in Nigeria. The brand may not matter much but so the emphasis is on the laptop specification. However, HP, DELL, or an Apple Laptop is highly recommended. Apple Laptop could be Macbook, Macbook Pro, or Macbook Air. The difference between MacBook Pro and Apple Macbook Air is that MacBook Pro is for heavy use and is usually expensive while the MacBook Air is lighter, slimmer, cheaper, and not meant for very demanding tasks.

  • Battery Life

Battery life is very important because of the electricity situation in Nigeria. A normal laptop should last up to 4 hours even under heavy use. While looking for a laptop that lasts very long, you have to check if performance was sacrificed for speed. A low-performance laptop will naturally have long battery life. The most common type of battery is lithium iron.

  • Operating System

Another point you need to know is whether the Laptop is running on Windows, Linux, or Mac. Apple Laptops run on the Mac Operating system (macOS) while HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Asus, and other laptops run on Windows. The latest Windows is Windows 10. The good news is that you can easily update your Laptop from windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10. You can also freely update your mac OS from El Capitan, Yosemite, Mojave, etc to the most recent Mas OS Catalina.

Apart from the Laptop features listed above, certain laptop specifications may also appeal to you as an individual. They may be minor or major, but make sure you go for them. Other Features you should look out for include are Keyboard list, Touchscreen, Powerful Speaker, Keyboard Layout, and functional webcam.

Featured Image Source: HP
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