How to choose a laptop

When choosing a laptop you need to build on first of all about the purpose for which it will be used.

How to choose a laptop: what to look for

The practicality of the notebook is influenced by its technical characteristics and ergonomics. So, when choosing a mobile computer, you need to pay attention to its following parameters:

1. Screen size and resolution;

2. The amount and standard of RAM;

3. CPU characteristics;

4. Characteristics of the video card;

5. Volume and type of hard disk;

6. Operating system;

7. Form factor;

8. Manufacturer;

The rest of the technical characteristics of the special influence on the practicality and ergonomics of the laptop does not affect.

Screen size and resolution

From the diagonal of the screen directly depends on the convenience and practicality of the laptop, including the number of elements that are placed on the display. The following standards are most common:

1. 11.6 inches or less. These are compact devices, so-called subnotebooks and transformers. They differ in mobility and portability, but are inconvenient when working with several open windows at the same time;

2. 13.3 inches. Most portable ultrabooks and laptops are equipped with just such a screen. It provides sufficient mobility and is relatively well suited for working with multiple windows;

3. 15.6 inches. Ideal notebooks for home use;

4. 17.3 inches or more. These laptops are suitable for gaming, watching movies, editing media content and similar purposes.

Other diagonals are also found, but not so often.

1. Screen resolution does not depend on the diagonal. It defines rather "quality" - the density of the image. The most common are the following options:

2. 1366 × 768 pixels. Good resolution for screens with a diagonal of 15.6 inches or less. On large displays, it leads to a sharp decrease in image quality;

3. 1920 × 1080 pixels (Full HD). Good resolution for screens of 15.6 inches or more. Perfect for gaming, watching movies, working with media content, etc. Therefore, for example, it can be found on compact ultrabooks.

It is worth remembering that the higher the screen resolution - the faster the display discharges the battery. But if you plan to use a laptop at home for games, then you can purchase models with 2K or UHD - they will provide almost perfect picture quality.

Number and standard of RAM

The speed of the computer directly depends on the amount of RAM and its standard, especially with regard to multitasking. The following volumes are most common:

1. 2 GB. Laptops with this amount of RAM can be used except as a “typewriter” - for editing documents, browsing web pages, playing videos in low resolution;

2. 4 GB. Almost universal configuration for everyday use. Suitable even for simple games;

3. 8 GB. A powerful enough device that is suitable for special activities (programming, architecture, editing media content) and some modern games;

4. 16 GB or more. Gaming laptop or mobile workstation.

The standard of RAM determines its speed. For the vast majority of purposes, DDR3 will be enough, but for a gaming laptop or mobile workstation, DDR4 is required.

CPU features

Most advisable to purchase laptops on Intel processors. These chips are distinguished not only by their speed, but also by the low level of heating, which is especially important for mobile computers with an inefficient cooling system.

Intel processors are divided into separate families:

1. Atom - ultra mobile processors. Used mainly in transformers and hybrid computers. They do not need active cooling (cooler), but are notable for low productivity;

2. Celeron - ultrabudget processors. Found in the cheapest laptops. Differ in low price and low productivity, but sufficient for "typewriters";

3. Pentium - depending on the generation and specific model, they can be both very productive and quite “slow”. But they always have a low price, so they are mainly found in budget laptops;

4. Core i3 - dual-core processors with high performance. They are found in middle class laptops;

5. Core i5 - quad-core processors with high performance. Some models are suitable for gaming. They are found in top-middle class notebooks;

6. Core i7 - the most productive processors. Because of their high cost, they are primarily found in ultrabooks, gaming laptops and mobile workstations.

When choosing a laptop for home or office is enough models on Core i3 or below. For a gaming or high-end computer, i5 or later will work.

AMD processors are found mainly in budget laptops, because they are cheap - but low productivity.

Characteristics of the video card

A video card in laptops can be integrated (built-in) or discrete. The first is the graphics chip, which is included in the design of the processor. Integrated video cards are characterized by low performance, which is why they are not suitable for playing games, watching high-definition video or editing media content. However, laptops with such a graphics accelerator are much cheaper than those equipped with discrete.

A discrete graphics card increases the graphics performance of a computer, making it suitable for games or similar purposes. However, it also leads to an increase in the price of a laptop.

When choosing a laptop for games, it is worth starting from the parameters of a discrete video card. The more video memory in it - the more productive the computer will be in graphics processing. The minimum amount needed for games is 2 GB.

However, there is one more “but”. The more powerful the video card, the more heat it emits during operation. Therefore, you should pay attention to the cooling system. This is especially important when buying a gaming laptop.

Hard disk size and type

A hard disk is a permanent memory of a computer. It is not only the operating system that is stored on it, but also all user information — files, installed programs, etc. Therefore, its volume is very important.

Nevertheless, the hard disk volume should be chosen based on its needs:

1. 32 GB - is installed in ultra mobile computers. This is the minimum required amount of memory for the operating system Windows 10, so you should not buy transformers or tablets with a 16 GB drive. Most often, such "hard drives" are made using flash drive technology;

2. 64 GB - also installed in ultra mobile computers, but of a higher class. Suitable for placing on your hard drive, not only the operating system, but also bulk software packages like Microsoft Office 365. Similarly, in most cases these are flash drives;

3. 120-200 GB is enough for most undemanding users.You can even install 1-2 modern games on such a hard drive;

4. 320 GB is the standard hard disk capacity for most budget or middle class notebooks. Suitable for storing multiple movies in high quality, several modern games, etc .;

5. From 500 GB - it is advisable to purchase only for gaming laptops or devices that are designed to store large files.

When choosing a laptop it is worth considering not only the volume, but also the type of hard disk. It determines the performance:

1. Flash drives. They are characterized by high speed, low price and relatively low reliability. Sensitive to current drops, so a laptop equipped with such a “hard drive” should only be used with an original charger. You should also avoid exposure to static electricity on its body. Flash drives support a sufficiently large number of rewrite cycles and do not need defragmentation;

2. HDD - magnetic disk drives. The classic option, which is characterized by a low price per GB of capacity, high reliability of recording and sufficient access speed for everyday use. However, HDDs are sensitive to magnetic field and mechanical stress, and also need to be defragmented;

3. SSD - modern drives that use similar flash memory technology. They differ in the maximum speed of access to files and interactions with them, therefore they are most often installed in ultrabooks. In addition, they support a limited number of rewrite cycles.

SSD are designed for those who need the maximum speed. Flash drives are used primarily in ultra-compact laptops. For the vast majority of users fit HDD.

operating system

The vast majority of laptops come preloaded and pre-configured for backup and protection using the TPM software and hardware Windows 10 operating system. However, its cost (about 3,000 rubles, depending on the edition) is already included in the price of the computer.

To save money, you can purchase a laptop on a free OS, such as DOS or Ubuntu. But in this case, you will have to reset it yourself. In addition, there will be difficulties with backing up to a separate hard disk partition.

Thus, if you want security and there is no special knowledge in IT, you should purchase a laptop with Windows preinstalled. If you want to save money or want to install your favorite open OS - the device will fit under DOS.

Form Factor and Type

The practicality and comfort of use depends on the form factor and type of laptop. Today on the market you can find the following configuration options:

1. Netbook and Chromebook - ultraportable laptops with very "weak" technical characteristics. Differ in low price. Netbooks come preinstalled with Windows or DOS, Chromebooks come with Google Chrome OS;

2. The subnotebook is a portable notebook with technical characteristics similar to those of the middle class. Differs in compactness, but not always sufficiently functional cooling system;

3. Transformers - laptops with a 360-degree hinge, which allows you to rotate the screen around the keyboard and turn the device into a thick tablet;

4. Hybrids - Windows-tablets with a keyboard. Differ in low productivity (in most cases) and price;

5. Classic laptops - do not need a description;

6. Gaming laptops - mobile computers with "gaming" "hardware": a productive video card, a powerful processor, high-quality cooling system;

7. Ultrabooks - productive laptops in a compact package;

8. Mobile workstations are high-performance computers with the most powerful hardware. Can be used for games, but are designed to perform special tasks, such as programming, designing, modeling, etc.

Manufacturers

Among the manufacturers of laptops can be identified companies such as Asus, HP, Lenovo, Dell and Apple.

1. Companies Asus and HP produce high-quality laptops of the middle class - that is, suitable for use in the office, at home, for simple games, etc.

2. Lenovo recently specializes in the production of laptop computers - transformers, hybrids, subnotebooks, etc.

3. Dell produces high-quality laptops of all classes - from budget to ultrabooks and gaming.

4. In the Apple lineup, there are only two laptops - the MacBook Air, which can be conditionally attributed to the middle class, and the MacBook Pro, which is close to ultrabooks in performance.

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Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.