We all have faced slow speeds, massive lags, and poor batteries on our laptops when they begin to get old and outdated. Most of the times people use their old laptops way longer than their official lifespan. But as the law of time goes, nothing can exist forever! So at one point, we must make the very tough decision of abandoning ship on our old laptop, thanking it for all the bittersweet memories, and moving on to get a new one.
Different mindsets are needed for buying smartphones and laptops.
Now, we must remember that the fundamentals of buying a laptop are different from those of a smartphone. When we buy a smartphone (in the budget to upper mid-ranger category), we anticipate in our minds that we would be using it for 2 to 2.5 years, or a maximum of 4 years. This is because most smartphones either become somewhat slow or even completely unusable after about 2.5 years.
A laptop, on the other hand, is officially expected to be used for about 3 to 4 years. But from common knowledge, we know that people keep their laptops even for a decade! So while buying a laptop, we need to keep a different approach than smartphones.
Key factors to observe while buying a laptop -
1. Processor -
When it comes to processors, there are two main contenders in the market - Intel and AMD. These two companies have chips ranging from budget range to straight-up beasts which can do the heaviest tasks without a hiccup.
Intel has made a very convenient categorization of its processors which can help you choose what you want. Each processor of Intel has letter(s) at the end of its name which signifies what category it falls into. For example, the name of one of the Intel i5 8th generation processors is i5-8250U, with U being the last letter. Some of the letters are listed below -
H - High performance
U - High power efficiency
K - Unlocked
Y - Extremely low power
AMD also uses a similar method for naming their processors, assigning their letters such as H, HS, HX, U, etc.
In my opinion, you should choose the processor according to your usage. If you are a regular user doing nothing fancy like AAA gaming or video editing, then my suggestion would be to go for the U series chips, as they are a lot more energy efficient than the H processors.
But whatever you do, do not buy a laptop with a processor older than 1 generation. Suppose the latest chips that intel offers are 11th gen. Then you should never buy laptops with processors older than the 10th gen. Try to avoid 10th gen processors too if that's possible. This is because the older generation of chips will start to get stressed out and lose support quickly than the latest generation of processors.
2. Memory (RAM) -
Many people are unaware of the fact that there are different categories of RAM too. DDR4 has been the latest when it comes to laptop SODIMM memory. Anything less than DDR4 memory is not recommended.
Also, remember that a laptop with two 4GB memory sticks is always better than a laptop with a single 8GB stick. This is because two same chips work in 'dual channel' mode which increases the efficiency and performance by a lot. Higher frequency memory sticks are always to be preferred over lower ones.
3. Graphics -
Graphics are very crucial while buying any PC. In the case of laptops, you have two kinds of graphics - Integrated Graphics and Dedicated Graphics. Integrated Graphics are integrated with the CPU and share the system memory with the CPU. These are not as good in performance as dedicated graphics which have their own memory in them and do not share the system memory. Intel has its own integrated graphics (Intel HD, Intel UHD, Intel Iris, etc.).
AMD (Radeon Graphics) and Nvidia are the big players in the dedicated graphics market.
While dedicated GPUs are always preferred to integrated ones, nowadays many integrated graphics such as Intel Iris graphics have started to become on par with many of the dedicated graphics too in terms of performance. This choice depends on the customer based on their needs and use.
Battery and build quality -
Battery and build quality are also important factors when buying laptops. If you are buying a laptop then you must see to it that the battery of the laptop lasts for at least 6 to 6.5 hours. Anything less than this is not recommended. But if you are to use your laptop mostly at a stationary place then this factor becomes less relevant. But still, get a laptop with a decent battery that lasts at least 5 to 6 hours.
Build quality plays a major role too. Generally, metallic body laptops are preferred over plastic body laptops because they are more durable. Plastic laptops are generally cheaper than metallic laptops. If you have to carry your laptop from one place to another frequently, then I would highly suggest that you buy a laptop with a metallic body as that will be more durable.
If you found this guide useful then do not forget to share it with people you know who are looking to buy a new laptop as this might help them too.
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