When you’re looking for a new computer, the components we discuss here are some of the ones you’ll need to know about.

Processor

The processor, often known as the chip or CPU, is the first item we recommend looking at. The CPU is the brain of your computer. Intel and AMD are the two primary CPU manufacturers. In terms of sophisticated technology, Intel dominates the market, although AMD provides competing products at cheaper rates.

Source: PC Mag

Processors from Intel

The Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 are Intel’s most popular CPUs. The Core i3 processor is the weakest, while the Core i9 processor is the most robust.

Intel employs cryptic sequences of numbers and characters under all of these chip lines to provide extra information about the chip’s capabilities and release date. You’ll be able to make better purchasing judgments if you can comprehend it. (Intel’s model naming guide may be found here.)

The kind of CPU may be listed on a laptop maker’s website as Intel Core i5-8279U.

Let’s have a look at it in more detail. The first two numbers (“8”) correspond to the chip’s generation; in this example, it’s a chip from the eighth generation. The very next two or three digits (“279”) are performance-related; the higher these numbers, the more powerful the processor. Intel’s identification for the chip’s functionality is the letter at the ending of the chip designation (“U” in our example); H chips are designed for performance, while U chips are focused for power efficiency.

Processors from AMD

AMD’s chip names are comparable to Intel’s. The “3” represents the gen (how old it is; greater is better) and the “6” represents its strength (the higher the number, the more powerful it is). The next two digits have no bearing on anything. A “X” at the end denotes great performance, but a “U” denotes ultra-low power.

Is the gap between Intel and AMD CPUs significant? Outside of extremely specific benchmarks, similar-generation processors are barely distinguishable. When you’re doing activities like surfing the internet or editing documents, they’re comparable.

The other area where you’ll notice a change is graphics performance. In tests, AMD’s integrated graphics outperformed Intel on graphics-intensive applications like as video editing and gaming, in both benchmarking and real-world scenarios.

RAM

RAM, or random-access memory, is what your notebook uses to store data while the CPU processes it. Consider RAM to be your workstation. If you run out of RAM, you will be unable to open any more browser tabs or complete your movie compilation. Your laptop will eventually freeze and have to be rebooted. It’s better if there’s a lot of it!

Source: Bleuwire

For the ordinary Windows user, 8 GB of RAM should enough, but increasing to 16 GB will significantly improve your laptop’s performance – this is important for gaming!

Again, you’ll need at least 16 GB of RAM if you’re creating and compiling applications or editing visual content, both of which take a lot of RAM. If you can manage it, you’ll probably be pleased with 32 GB.

Before making a purchase, check to see if the RAM is attached to the motherboard. You will be unable to upgrade the RAM by yourself if it is the case.

Go for RAM that says DDR4 on it. The abbreviation DDR indicates “double data rate.” DDR4 RAM is fast and just what you need. DDR3 RAM is an older type of memory that is becoming less popular. Most laptops feature DDR4 RAM, but makers will indicate the kind with the quantity on their websites, so double-check before you buy.

Storage

All of your data, including the operating system, will be stored on the storage drive. If you can, get an SSD because it’s the preferred option these days. SSDs are speedier, especially if they employ an NVMe interface, which transfers data more faster into or out of the drive than the previous SATA standard.

Source: Newegg

Laptops using an SSD with NVMe to handle the operating system and an old SATA drive to store data are sometimes available. This provides you the perfect mix: speed where you really need it while remaining cost-effective.

We recommend a minimum of 256 GB of storage. You might well be able to do with less if you save most things in the cloud or you are considering Chromebooks. But it’s always nice to have the extra capacity. Installing many games or programs or saving a lot of images or video may quickly fill up your hard drive.

Other Things You May Consider

The following are some other factors you might also want to put in mind when trying to determine the right laptop for you:

• Screen size and portability – Bigger size will be better if you are buying for video editing, for instance. But remember that this impact on portability. And the smaller the size, the easier to carry around.

• Graphics card – Most regular laptops come only with integrated graphics. If you need one for gaming or video editing, you want to purchase one that offers or supports a graphics card or GPU.

• Operating system – You could go with the market leader Microsoft Windows. MacOS, Linux and Chrome OS are alternatives to consider.

• Ports – If you’ll be hooking a lot of stuffs to your laptop, you should pay attention to the number of ports. Consider getting a notebook with at least two USB ports (including a USB-C), mic/headset jack, and a card reader.

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