The Right Way To Buy The Best Laptop

When it comes to buying a new laptop, a lot of people get confused which one to get and which features should they be looking for. If you log into the internet a lot of websites ( and even sellers) would be telling that the most important thing about the laptop, is its processor. Well, this might be true in some cases that we will get to later on in this post. The RAM and internal storage also come on the top list on the most important things to look for in a laptop. If you also believe that these things are the most important things in the laptop, then my friend you are wrong.

 

For many years computers companies tried to convaince us that the processor, RAM and which Core it has (whether Core i3 or a Core i5) are the features to look for in a laptop, but this has to stop, because this is not the right way to choose the right laptop for you. In this post we will tell you why these are not that important, and we also going to tell you the exact things that you should look for in a laptop. Keep on reading to know the right way to buy the best laptop.

 

Things that are not that important in a laptop:

 

1) The processor of the laptop:

If you are looking for a gaming laptop or you want a laptop where you can 3D modeling, then yes the processor might be very important, but if not, then the processor is not that significant anymore. If we look back to the development of processors over the years, we will see that processors got really powerful. And today if we pay attention to all the general-purpose programs, uhmm let’s say a web browser for example, it won’t even use 20% of the processing power of a weak Core i3 processor. If we look to MacBook Air, which we all know that is absolutely fast, utilize only a dual-core processor running at 1.4GHz. This can only mean that processors are not that big of a deal anymore. While it is true that Core i7 is way much better than  Core i5, and Core i5 is much better than Core i3, Core i3 is all you need for your general-purpose device.

 

2) The amount of RAM the laptop has:

Any laptop made in the last years have 4GB RAM. If you want to have 8GB RAM than you can go for it, but the truth is 4GB RAM is more than enough for you. Don’t choose a laptop just due to its RAM, there are many other features that are way much more important.

 

3) The screen size of the laptop:

Most poeple including myself love to have a large screen, but having a large screen with some poor quality display or with a low resolution will do you no good at all, as a matter of a fact, it will only make the whole computing and also watching  experience terrible. So next time you want to buy a laptop, make sure to check the quality of its screen and not the size of it.

 

4) The graphics card:

A gaming laptop might need to have a great graphics card, but if you simply want a laptop to watch videos, movies and just browse the web, then graphics card is something that you should not care about so much, especially that they are no longer weak compared to the past ones.

 

5) Ultra-fast DVD drive:

Computer companies make such a big deal about the DVD players, that’s why they come up with phrases such as “super multi double layer”. But to tell you the truth, super or no super, most DVD drives are the same, they all write and read things more or less at the same speed, which means that no matter what companies say, all DVD drives are similar despite the diffetrent brands.

 

6) Security features of the laptop:

For the last few years, computers companies came up with many ways to top each other when it comes to security features, and most of us felt for it, but can we actually blame them? It’s true that a fingerprint scanner or whatever there is nowadays is cool and everything, but you should not pay extra just to have that. A good password is all you need to keep your laptop secure. After all, you are not hiding government secrets in your laptop, because if that’s the case, then you need maximum security.

 

7) How fast the laptop starts:

Since you are buying a new laptop, then you should know that all new laptops start in less than 30 seconds, and that’s the worst one. The best ones ( with SSD, which is a storage device used instead of the hard disk due to its amazing speed) will only take 15 seconds to start. But the more and more programs you instal with time the more longer it will take it to starts. But still this is still important. If you compare between laptops (the best and the worst), you will find that the time they need to start is not that long or significant, the difference is only between 5 seconds and 10 seconds, which means it is absolutely pointless to keep on looking for a laptop that will start faster.

 

Things that are important in a laptop:

 

1) The Quality of the screen of the laptop:

I believe now you are convinced that the most important thing in the laptop is not the processor, as a matter of a fact, the most important thing you should care about is the screen and how good it is. To enjoy the whole computing experience you need a good quality screen that will make it easier for your to work on your laptop without feeling disgusted about your screen. But unlucky us, laptop manufacturers don’t really pay attention to the screen as much as they do about processors. But fear not, if you have enough money, then you can get a laptop that has IPS screen instead of the TN panel screen that most laptops have right now. To know the difference, you only need to check your pictures in Iphone or Galaxy tablet and compare the quality of the same pictures with the a laptop. Ps: The iphone and Galaxy tablet have an IPS screen, that’s why they have a better quality.

 

If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, then you can check the quality of the screen before you buy the laptop. One way to dot that, is by having a USB key with you that has some colorful pictures, plug the USB into the laptop and see how the colors look. The colors must not look faded, on the contrary they should look vibrant. You should also move the laptop a bit and change the angle, then check if the colors fade or darken, if they don’t change much when you move the laptop, then the laptop has a good screen quality.

 

Another thing you should pay attention to, is the brightness of the screen. Depending whether are you planning to use your laptop outdoors or not, the brightness level should be able to give you a good view. A 60% brightness level is a good level for outdoors and indoors. If you adjust the laptop brightness into 60% and it is still not bright enough that you have to go all the way to 80% or 90%, then the screen is not bright enough, which means better not buy the laptop.

 

The last thing you should look for when it comes to the screen, is the resolution of the screen. The best choice would be if you choose a laptop that has a FullHD, which is 1080P or you can go for a 1600 X 900 pixels resolution, both are perfect.

 

2) The keyboard and touchpad of the laptop:

I personally the first thing I always check in a laptop, is the keyboard. I love keyboards that feel natural to my fingers, and also are easy to type with. A good quality laptop will have a keyboard that is steady and doesn’t clatter each time you type on they keys. You also need to pay attention to the size of the keys and see if they are comfortable enough for you to type. You can try to write a small paragraph around 100 words or 150 and see how the keyboard feels to you. If it feels natural, then it’s the one for you.

The touchpad of the laptop should be reacting quickly and positively to your fingers. You should also feel its smoothness while you are typing on it. If you have enough money you can go for laptops that have glass touchpad, such as MacBooks.

Most likely if the laptop you chose has a good quality keyboard or touchpad, then the other stuff in the laptop are also good and has a great build quality.

 

3) The build quality of the laptop:

The look of the laptop is also something you should care about, but what really matters is how the laptop actually feels to you. You should care about whether the plastic used is good or not, whether it is strong and well-built. You should also pay extra attention the screen hinges, and how they feels, do they look solid and durable or not. Check if the screen flex or not, if it flex, then this is a big no. And finally look at the finishing of the laptop. Just keep in mind that the build quality of your laptop will determine how long it will last, after all you do not want to spend a lot of money on a bad quality laptop.

 

4) The weight of the laptop:

Weight is important and anyone who says otherwise, he/she’s stupid. Weight is extremely important especially if you are planning to carry your laptop around most of the time. I for instance use my laptop all the time, which requires me to carry it around in my bag almost everyday, that’s why i always recommend people to get lightweight laptops. The best option is to go for laptops under 4.4 lbs. This way it will be easier for you to carry it around with no trouble.

5) The speakers of the laptop:

I remember my first laptop, it had the worst speakers ever. I barely could listen to anything. To avoid keeping your ears near the speakers, you better check for a laptop that has a loud speaker. You can take a USB key with some of your favorite songs, and listen to them, if the level of speakers is good and you can hear it just fine, then that’s perfect.

 

6) The SSD or embedded flash storage of the laptop:

Unless you are addicted to storing movies and huge files, then you don’t need a lot of storage. If that’s the case then go for a laptop that has an SSD. SSD will make a big difference and will respond really well to you. SSD and Core i3 processor will feel much faster comapred to a laptop with a Core i7 processor and a 1TB hard disk. But if you don’t feel like an SSD laptop is the one for you or you can’t afford one, then you can choose a laptop that has an embedded flash storage, you can choose one that is around 20GB or more. Since the flash storage is embedded, the laptop will feel much faster. Of course not as faster as a laptop with SSD, but still it is the second best choice.

 

7) The battery life of the laptop:

Remember my first laptop with bad speakers? Well, that same laptop had a battery that only lasted for two hours when it was still new, and since it was such a bad choice, the battery died after only 6 months of usage, so I was obliged to keep the charger plugged at all time while using my laptop. You don’t want that to happen to you too, don’t you? If not, then you better pay extra attention to the battery life of the laptop you are planning to buy. Most manufacturers claim that the life battery will last between 6 or 7 hours, which is most likely means 3 or 4 hours and sometimes even less. If you can find a laptop that claims that can last for 10 hours, the that’s great, because that would mean it would at least last 7 hours.

 

One last tip: Before you actually buy a laptop, make sure to check as many laptops as possible. Check their components, the screen, the keyboard, the speakers. Go online and see the feedback of other customers, then make a decision on which laptop will work better for you, don’t trust only on the words of the seller or the company.