How To Choose a Laptop: 8 Things To Consider
Have you ever pondered how to choose a laptop that suits your every need? With the numerous types of laptops available nowadays, selecting the perfect laptop can be extremely stressful for some.
To help you find the laptop of your dreams, we curated a list of 10 essential things you must consider before buying a laptop. In other words, you can take this article as a ‘how to choose a laptop’ guide.
Whether you’re choosing a laptop for work, school, gaming, or daily tasks, there will always be a laptop that’s just right for you. Without further ado, let’s jump right in!
1. Budget
f course, the first thing to consider before buying is your budget. In any purchase, staying within budget is required to ensure satisfaction. While you may be tempted to get the best powerful laptop, you can easily acquire a budget-friendly laptop for under RM 2,000 these days.
However, the better the laptop’s specifications, the higher the price. Thus, you must find the right balance between your requirements and your budget. Sometimes, you have to make some tough choices.
2. Size
You need to determine your laptop’s portability and how versatile you want your laptop to be. Mainly, the two things to consider are laptop size and screen size.
Some users want a more lightweight and portable solution when shopping for a laptop. In contrast, others need a larger and heavier laptop for a better optical drive or longer battery life. Fundamentally, laptops usually begin at 11.6 inches and reach up to 17.3 inches in size.
3. Screen quality
A few elements influence a laptop’s screen quality: screen resolution, panel type, and touchscreen technology. Cheap budget laptops usually deliver a 720p display, while expensive laptops can display more than 1080p resolutions. Higher-end laptops even allow for a 4k display, resulting in better and sharper images.
Typically, screens will have three panel types: IPS, VA, or TN. For professionals such as graphic designers, photographers, and videographers, IPS is preferred as it offers the best quality.
4. Keyboard quality
You need to check the keyboard’s layout, size, and space for keyboard quality. Ask these questions: ‘Is the layout comfortable?’ ‘Are the keys the same size?’ ‘Is there adequate space for me to type efficiently?’
Also, remember to check whether the laptop is equipped with a backlit keyboard. Although this is not strictly necessary, it is a good plus point to have!
5. CPU
In regards to processors, you’re more than likely to buy a laptop with an Intel Core processor. Intel has four types of processors: Core i3 (entry-level), Core i5 (mainstream), Core i7 (high-end), as well as Core i9 (high-end).
However, Intel’s competitor, AMD, is also rising with its Ryzen processor. If you’re a gamer, maybe Ryzen is a better fit for you instead of Intel as Ryzen Mobile CPUs are typically combined with AMD’s Vega graphics chipsets, which have been reported to be significantly superior to Intel’s integrated graphics for gaming.
6. RAM
To ensure a better user experience, high RAM is a must. RAM, which stands for random access memory, plays a massive role in laptop performance. This is especially true if you use your laptop for multitasking – editing images, writing word documents, listening to music, and surfing the web simultaneously.
The more RAM your laptop has, the faster it will access data and the more apps it will run at once. If you are using plenty of high-powered software, choose a laptop with at least 8GB of RAM.
7. Storage
Most laptops come with HDD (hard disk drive) and SSD (solid-state drive) in today’s age. So, how much storage do you need?
We strongly suggest getting at least a 240GB SSD for your operating system and storage needs for routine use, such as storing documents, photos, video, and audio files. For gamers, having an extra 1TB HDD may be very useful if you are interested in playing multiple games at once.
8. Battery life
If portability is vital to you, battery life is a subject to think about. A laptop’s battery life differs significantly from what it claims on the packaging since it is influenced by screen brightness and the types of programmes you use.
Rather than fixating on the manufacturer’s stated duration, check the battery’s rating in Watt-hours (Wh) or milliamp-hours (mAh). The battery life directly correlates to the number; the higher the number, the longer it’ll last.
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Conclusion
That’s all for our ‘how to choose a laptop’ guide. Above all, technology will continue to progress and create more sophisticated laptops. To check out more of the best laptops in Malaysia, be sure to visit PriceShop and browse the laptops category now!
