Quick Laptop Buying Guide

Laptops are compact devices designed to help carry out varying tasks from basic ones like typing, calculating, bookkeeping to more advanced ones like running gaming software, design applications, large business applications, etc. For many people, it can be quite confusing to choose the right laptop that serves them best. 

To help you make the right choice, we’ve put together a short but detailed buying guide that contains essential tips you need to buy the perfect laptop for you.

Windows VS MacOS

Before starting your search for a laptop, you need to figure out the right operating system of laptop that suits your needs. This is very important because the kind of software you frequently run on your laptop plays a major role in determining the type of hardware you require.

Here are some important tips to guide you in choosing the best laptop operating system for you.

• Windows 

Although this robust operating system doesn’t get as much press as before, it still gets a lot of work done. With a Windows OS, you get more access to a lot of free software. It’s also a great choice to make use of Microsoft apps like Outlook, MS Office Suite, Access, and many more.

It also has good compatibility with almost any piece of extension computer hardware in the market. As long as you have the right ports, slots, and headers, you’re good to go. Also, if you possess the basic knowledge about the workings of a laptop or PC components, you can easily upgrade the Windows OS of your Windows laptop by yourself. 

• macOS

Lovers of Mac computers usually count themselves as unique. They are content with paying for software and making payments for new upgrades. However, it’s important to note that Mac computers are infamous for being quite restrictive with the type of software that can be upgraded on the PC.

For instance, many mackintosh configurations attempts simply do not work optimally because of the picky nature of the macOS. Although some find MacBooks to be more beginner-friendly than its Windows counterpart, the operating system is tightly coupled with the company’s hardware. It can be challenging to install software or easily receive documents, photos, and videos but Mac is generally a great product for most businesses.

Apple’s macOS PCs are also more expensive than other types of PCs. So if you are on a tight budget or looking for a cheap device, you should probably consider other alternative operating systems such as Windows, Chrome OS, or Linux.

There are mainly 3 known types of laptops based on usage. The type you choose is mostly dependent on the place of usage, the specifications you require and the purpose the laptop is to serve.  They are Business laptops, Consumer laptops, and Gaming Laptops.

Business Laptops

Despite the fact that business laptops are targeted towards professionals and corporate organizations, business laptops have many built-in features that the average laptop user can benefit from.

Whether you are looking to buy laptops that will enhance the productivity of your employees or just looking out for a computing system that will get daily tasks done for yourself, business laptops are the way to go. They are typically powerful, built to last, easy to use, and designed for better quality.

Compared to business laptops, there are only a few consumer laptops that have fingerprint reader features. This biometric security feature makes business laptops to be much safer than consumer laptops. However, in terms of storage, many business laptops have a low storage system and a Solid-State Drive (SSD), which is more reliable than a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). This plays a large role in determining the capability of the PC to store large and important business files. Some business laptops may also have high storage and a Hard Disk Drive depending on the specification of the laptop. To compensate for this, laptop manufacturers like HP provide buyers with the preference to upgrade their laptop’s storage capacity, memory, or even the CPU

Most professional laptops are made to be lightweight and produced by top brands like HP, Microsoft, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Apple, Asus, and many more. These professional laptops are made in series like HP’s Spectre Lenovo’s Thinkpad, Dell’s Latitude, and so on.

In general, business laptops are designed to be durable, more powerful, and can work for a long and extended period of time. They are also costlier than consumer laptops but deliver great value for your money. 

Specifications:

• Price Range of $600 to $2500+
• CPU Range of Core i3 to Core i9
• Memory (RAM) Range of 8GB to 32GB
• Graphic Card (VRM) - Shared to 4GB
• Mostly comes without Optical Drive
• Mostly comes with a small screen size 11” to 15.6”

Gaming Laptops

In the gaming industry, PC Games have opened up immense opportunities for gamers to experience ease and handiness while playing their favorite digital games. As a gamer who is looking to buy a new gaming laptop, there are a number of things you should know and look out for before making a purchase.

Gaming laptops are built for high performance and these mobile powerhouses are designed to keep up with the unrelenting gaming industry where the latest innovations are continually released. With integrated features and impressive specifications like voice recognition, cutting-edge GPU, GPS tracking, 3D gaming, and a lot more, to give game players the illusion of real-life experiences.

In contrast to non-gaming laptops, they are made with the best high-end processors, graphics chips, and large memory (RAM) space for running modern games, so you can enjoy the best gaming experience.

The unique feature of many gaming laptops is the VGA (Graphic Card). This high graphic card enables the gaming laptop to deliver complex and sophisticated, next-generation graphics, smooth games, and much faster load times.

When it comes to the pricing of gaming laptops, they do not come cheap. Highly sophisticated gaming laptops can cost about $3000 or more. Some examples are Dell Alienware, HP Omen, etc.

Specifications:

• Price Range of $800 to $3000+
• CPU Range of Core i5 to Core i9
• Memory (RAM) Range of 12GB to 64GB
• Graphic Card (VRM) - 2GB to 24GB
• Mostly comes with Optical Drive
• Mostly comes with a big screen size from 14” to 17”

Consumer/Normal Laptops

Consumer laptops are designed to be lightweight and built for completing small daily tasks like typing, sending emails, web browsing, watching movies, etc. Although they do not have the high processing power for running multiple business apps, some of them have high CPUs and memory.

This type of laptop is fit for children or students that run basic software like Microsoft Office, and to perform other basic tasks. Consumer laptops mostly have the windows operating system and it is very easy to use.

Bottom Line

There are various things to consider before opting for a business laptop, gaming laptop, or consumer laptop. As you make your choice, it’s important that you go for one that’d give you maximum productivity and experience depending on if you’re using it for work, business, play, or personal purposes.