Things To Consider Before Buying A Laptop: Buying a laptop is a time-consuming process. We should spend our hard-earned money on that laptop which gives satisfaction to us. Most of the people got confused while buying a new laptop as there are many manufacturers with the same type of hardware & software configuration for a laptop in a particular price range.
Before buying a laptop, many people do research on the web about a particular laptop. But still, they are confused as they are overloaded with information. What should they really need is a Laptop Buying Guide. A Laptop Buying Guide will help you to take your purchasing decision about a laptop. It will tell you which things you should consider before buying a laptop. As there are many components (hardware & software) in a laptop system so we have examined all its features carefully before taking a decision.
As the technology is growing, the features & design of laptop is also evolving. That’s why we have to know the changes in ever-growing technology. The manufacturer is developing better CPU, RAM, design and other features in a laptop. International companies like Intel always works on to make its processor as fast as possible to cater to the needs of users & latest trends.
Now you don’t need to unneeded research on the web but just consider 10 points before buying. This guide will tell you things you should know before buying a laptop. Let’s proceed on.
Things To Consider Before Buying A Laptop (Laptop Buying Guide)
Below are the things to consider before buying a laptop. You can also consider it as a laptop buying guide.
1. Budget: Point To Consider Before Buying A Laptop
Budget is the most important factor which will ultimately decides the buying of laptop. Everybody has a purchasing power so before buying a laptop, we should put a budget for buying the laptop. For example, suppose Tim a college going student with a part-time job and Rick is an employee in a reputed company and his monthly income is quite decent. Both wants to purchase a laptop, what will they do? First they will put a budget for it. As Tim’s earning is low so he will put a low-budget for his laptop, say $400 maximum. But on the other side, Rick who earn well from his job can put a decent budget for buying his laptop, say $1000.
In both cases, budget for purchasing a laptop are different because of purchasing power. So you have to decide you budget, after that you can look for laptops in that particular budget range. You can buy a decent laptop, if you have more money spend.
2. Processor (CPU)
Processor (CPU) is the main part of a laptop or computer system which defines the speed of processing any task in a particular system. If you wants to surf the web, play latest games, video editing or any processor intensive task then all you need is a powerful processor. A fast processor will let you to do all task on system buttery smooth. Most of latest laptops comes with CPU of two brands, Intel and AMD. Both give decent performance but Intel is considered to be more advanced than AMD. Laptops with Intel processors are also expensive than AMD based laptops.
If you want super-fast processing speed, go for Intel core i7 series laptop.
See more recommended laptops for photo editing on a budget to buy in 2020.
3. RAM (Random Access Memory): Things To Consider Before Buying A Laptop
RAM or Random Access Memory is the physical memory of any computer system which helps in speeding up the processing of the application. For smooth operation of all tasks, it’s recommended to have a laptop with at least 4GB RAM. If you want to do heavy processing tasks like video editing and graphics designing your laptop really needs more than 4GB RAM.
Also, it’s not only how much memory you got installed in your laptop but RAM type also plays an important role in defining speed. You should always look for a laptop with DDR3 RAM as its latest. DDR3 tend to run at a faster frequency than older DDR2.
4. Hard Disk Drive: Things To Consider Before Buying A Laptop
Hard Disk Drive will keep all of your data including docs, software, videos, images, and other system files. How much hard drive space you need is another big question. Most of the low-priced laptop comes with a hard drive of 320GB. You can increase its capacity by replacing it with another hard drive of higher storage space. You can opt for 500GB to 1TB depending on your budget and price.
If you want your system to perform the task in a fraction of seconds then SSD (Solid-State Drive) should be preferred. But these SSDs are quite expensive than normal HDD and are way faster than HDD. Most of the high-end laptops come with Solid-State Drive.
5. Screen Size & Type
Screen Size & its type also matter when buying a laptop. Most of today’s laptops come with a minimum screen size of 14.1 inches. It all depends on all of you to define screen size for you. If you are fond of watch movies and playing games on laptop then its better to buy a laptop with a bigger screen of 17 inches. For casual computing task like web surfing and office work, 14.1 or 15.6 inches are enough.
It’s also recommended to opt for HD screen with anti-glare features. HD Screen will let you to watch movie with HD resolution. Another side anti-glare is a coating put on-screen for anti-reflection. If you want a touch screen laptop, you can easily get one in the budget range. Touch-screen helps you to navigate any on any screen with ease.
6. Design
Design of a laptop is also one of the important things to consider buying of a laptop. Today’s laptop buyers also give preference to design of a laptop before buying it. Everyone wants a laptop with slim design with high portability. A laptop should be slim and have low-weight. The design of a laptop also impacts its price.
These days laptop has got a design in which screen of the laptop can be removed from it and can be used as tablet. But laptops with this type of design are expensive.
7. Graphics Processor
If you are pure game lover and loves to watch HD & Full HD Videos on your laptop then GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) will play an important role. GPU will take all of the graphics processing task on it. Most of latest Intel Core Processors have got integrated & powerful graphics unit and can perform any graphics intensive task with ease.
But if you want ultimate graphics performance then go for discrete graphics unit like AMD and Nvidia provide discrete graphics.
8. Battery
Battery capacity is another deciding factor of buying a laptop. As the laptop is a portable device so should have decent battery life to work anywhere. A laptop with poor battery-life will always interrupt your work. Most of the low-price laptop comes with 6-cell batteries. Still battery life is depend on the usage of laptop and how well you maintain it.
A basic 6-cell laptop battery should give at least a minimum of 4 hours of backup. Modern processor allows the battery to get to its maximum backup as they takes less power.
9. Operating System
Which operating system you want in your system? If you want Mac OS X there is only one option of Apple MacBook. In laptops, you can opt for Windows 7 or Windows 8 & 8.1. Before buying a laptop, you should always be aware about that Is OS come pre-installed with laptop or not.
If you have already purchased a licence version of Windows operating system then its better to avoid pre-installed OS laptops.
10. Brand
Brand of a laptop matters a lot. You should always prefer some leading laptop brands like Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Asus etc. You can also look for top laptop brands before buying a laptop.
11. Warranty: Things To Consider Before Buying A Laptop
After sales service and warrant is one of the important things to consider while buying a laptop. HP is known for its best after-sales service and attractive warranty offers. Many companies provides attractive extended warranty offers. Another point is that you must check if there is any service center is available in your city or not.
12. Tweak Your Budget
In first you have made a budget for buying a laptop. After knowing your needs for laptop like CPU, RAM, Scree, Brand, Design and more, if the price of a laptop exceeds your budget then its up to you to increase the budget or just buy other laptop with lower-features.
Remember, more budget you put then you can buy better laptop. You should also look for some other basic features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Optical Drive, Web Cam and Keyboard type.
Conclusion: The Best Laptop Buying Guide
Buying a laptop can be confusing. This guide will easily let you to buy your dream laptop. All you need is to follow above tips to buy a laptop. You should alter you price range accordingly, if you want decent features in your laptop.
If you had followed any other tip while buying a new laptop, let us know in comment section. Have a Happy Laptop Buying process.