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Buying a laptop and confused? Are you looking for a student laptop or a business laptop? Do you need it for gaming or business, or both? Should you spend money on a graphics card? What about a SSD?
The innumerable number of times people complain about having brought a laptop which is not right for them, but still having to make do with it for a few years, prompted me to write down this to help anyone from ever making a wrong laptop purchase. Inspired by my fair share of bad decisions while buying laptops and not wishing that headache for anyone else, here is a three step approach to finalizing the best machine for you.
YOUR NEED
– Clearly identifying your needs from the machine, is the first and foremost stop on your way to buying the best laptop for you.
– It helps you decide which features are important for you and which features you can do without. A powerful laptop will cost more, but that cost can be reduced by, for example, not getting a graphics card if you have no designing/gaming needs.
– Fingerprint sensor? See if your budget allows it, otherwise a strong trusty password will protect your data just the same.
– 2 in 1 laptops are amazing, but they cost a lot more and offer nothing more than flexibility. So if flexibility is your need, go for them!
– Windows/Linux/MacOs. Which OS fits my needs you ask? Good question. Simple Answer.
Your familiarity with an Operating system and its ability to run the programs you will be using. Windows being the most popular, hence you are bound to find all important softwares on it. Linux has lesser programs, but is more customizable and more importantly, free!
MATCHING YOUR NEEDS WITH PRODUCT SPECS
– Once you have identified your needs, it’s just a case of matching them with the specifications of the laptops.
– Work outside, away from charging points? You need a big battery.
– Need super fast bootup time? A SSD drive is your friend (expensive friend though)
– Tend to drop your laptop frequently? Buy a durable laptop and/or look into damage protection options.
– A 4gb ram is good enough for basic needs. 8gb if you want a faster machine. Anything above that is for designing/ high end gaming needs only.
– A good screen and an excellent trackpad-keyboard combination should be high on your priorities cause these two are the most interacted with parts of your laptop.
– Armed with this knowledge of specs, now you can start identifying the laptops which fit your bill and have the same requirements as you.
– Basically don’t get caught up in the marketing gimmicks of brands, and end up paying more for something you might never find use for.(I’m looking at you dvd drives)
CLOSING THE DEAL
– Apart from heavy designing/gaming needs, a decent laptop can be brought under 30k for your requirements, generally speaking.
– So students in college, you do not have to spend a lot to get a laptop which can cover your assignments, projects and gaming sessions. Just have to be a little smart in determining your requirements and you will definitely find something in your budget
– Given how laptops are used for many years, it is imperative that you take a well informed decision. Now go get your laptop.
