What to look for when buying a laptop

If you don’t have much information about laptops, it may be quite tricky when you want to buy a laptop. You get to selling places, some terms may further confuse you. Do not feel intimidated, this article walks you through what to look for when buying a laptop.

Technology is in nearly everybody’s hands and it continues to advance. One key tool that facilitates the adoption is a laptop. The need for a laptop is nearly everywhere. Right from learning in junior levels to high ranks of academics. Workplaces need laptops. Therefore, knowing what to look for when buying a laptop is crucial.

Budget

Every decision to make a purchase starts with creating a budget. Since there are different laptop types, it means each type has its price. If you have a small amount, you may have to go for refurbished models of laptops. But in case you see your budget may meet the market price, go for a brand new laptop. As an option, nowadays, there are financing entities where you carry your laptop by paying a small amount as a deposit. The balance is settled using the hire-purchase approach. This attracts substantial interest rates due to the risks involved. However, interest rates depend on the entity’s policies and other governing laws.

Size

The choice of laptop screen size depends on the user. There is no right or wrong answer. Some people prefer large sizes for gaming, or productivity while others require small sizes for portability.

If you consider portability as your concern, go for 13″ and below sizes. They’re easier to carry. The common market sizes range from 13″ and 15″. These combine both portability and a slightly large display.

But if you are looking at multitasking, gaming, or entertainment, for much bigger sizes that are more than 15″. They help you enjoy what you do, and the result is efficiency.

Another sub-factor in size is the thickness of the laptop. Small sizes are convenient as they won’t need a lot of energy when carrying around.

Ram

RAM is for Random Access Memory. It provides short-term memory CPU needs to open files and move data around as it responds to the tasks instructed by apps. RAM is like human memory when doing many things at the same time throughout the day. A good RAM should enable do many things without crashing or running slowly.

When you buy a laptop, you will hear terms such as 4GB, 8GB, and so on. The choice of these factors depends on what you intend to do with the laptop. Although you may buy as low as 4GB RAM, you can upgrade it to a higher size.

Storage

Storage is a key factor in what to look for when buying a laptop. When making this choice, ask yourself some leading questions:

1. How much storage do you need?
2. Do you need quick file uploads or the normal speed?
3. Do you need SSD or hard disk drives?

These questions largely depend on what you intend to do with the laptop you want to buy. You’ll hear terms such as Gigabytes or Terabytes in storage. These are simply measures of storage capacity and high capacity storage stores more information and data.

Operating System

The most common operating system is Windows. If you’ve used a laptop before, most likely you have used Windows. The latest Windows release is Windows 11. Using the latest operating system offers enormous advantages as it enhances performance with new features that unlock creativity and productivity.

The fact that Windows is very much popular doesn’t mean it’s the only operating system. Tens of others are little known. They include Ubuntu, Mac OS, Solaris, Fedora, Chrome OS, and Debian among others.

Processor of the laptop

A laptop processor or CPU is critical in the choice of laptop. This is the part that provides instructions for the laptop to do work. If it is updated and powerful, then it performs optimally without many challenges. Before you get to know what processor, you will need, it’s important to know that processor companies are only two. We have Intel and AMD. You will hear processors named i3, i5, i7, etc. The higher the number, the more recently updated processor it is. For basic laptop functions like browsing, you need an i3 for Intel processor and AMD 4 or 6. For more functions of laptops such as designing or gaming, you will need higher processing of i9 or i7.

So in essence, you need to know these terms and why they are important so that you’re not confused by sellers and computer jargon

Laptops Direct, a leading UK dealer in laptops offers very comprehensive factors to consider while purchasing laptops and other electronic devices.