With the sheer amount and variety of laptops available in the market, it becomes quite hectic and confusing to choose the ideal one. There are everyday laptops, gaming laptops, workstations, 2-in-1s and more. While we have been writing laptop reviews, we constantly receive the same query over and over from our users: How do I choose a laptop?

Hence, we have collected the best features necessary for a good laptop. Additionally, we will be considering the entire laptop price spectrum to help you understand which laptop to choose for your usage, from everyday computing to specialised tasks.

Choosing the Right OS

Operating System or OS is the main software interface of the laptop. While you may be familiar with Windows and macOS, there are other options. Let us get a basic overview of laptop operating systems:

Windows

Microsoft Windows is a popular OS among laptop users. It is intuitive to use and has wide-ranging hardware support. Due to its versatility, most laptop manufacturers bundle their laptops with Windows right with the box.

MacOS

While Apple’s macOS is more user-friendly than Microsoft Windows, it is available only with Apple’s laptops only, known as MacBooks. It is highly secure and has excellent support and robust hardware integration.

Chrome OS

Google’s Chrome OS is a lightweight solution for anyone looking for a basic system that is constantly connected to the internet. It can also run Android apps, making it a strong contender for remote computing.

Linux

Linux and its distros are popular among enthusiasts. Being open-source, it can be tweaked to one’s specific requirements. Choosing the right Linux distro might be intimidating for someone with limited knowledge about laptops.

Form Factor

Recent advancements in technology have made different laptop form factors affordable and accessible. While it may not be for everyone, non-traditional form factors have their uses for the users who prefer them. Let us check out the different kinds of laptops based on their form factor:

Traditional

The traditional laptop form factor is what we are used to now. It consists of a display that folds down onto the keyboard and touchpad layout, like a clamshell phone. It is the most produced laptop form factor.

2-in-1

The 2-in-1 form factor helps if you require a laptop that can also be used as a tablet. To achieve this, some laptops come with 360-degree hinges that can flip the entire screen to hide the keyboard, providing a tablet experience. Other laptops have detachable screens for the same purpose.

Other Form Factors

There are other form factors available such as laptops that have a touchscreen for the keyboard surface, laptops with folding screens, laptops with dual displays, etc. However, they are used by niche users and enthusiasts who are looking for a specific usage.

The Right Display

Choosing the right display size is one of the easiest tasks. While the standard laptop display size is 15.6” diagonally, laptops are available from 10” to 18” displays. You need to find the perfect balance by inspecting laptops physically at the retail store before deciding to go with a specific screen size.

Also, laptops are most available with LED-backlit LCD displays, and most screens also have IPS technology, making them viewable at extreme angles. Additionally, some manufacturers also provide higher refresh rate on their gaming laptops since it is useful for gaming only. Moreover, the resolution of the displays is a significant factor since you will constantly be looking at the screen while using the laptop.

If you wish to undertake graphic design or video editing on your laptop, you may also check the Adobe RGB coverage and the number of colours the laptop supports. Additionally, you may opt for a 2-in-1 as you can draw directly on the touchscreen with a stylus.

Understanding CPUs

Once you understand the OS you wish to choose, you can settle on the CPU that would help you undertake your computing tasks. The CPU, or the Central Processing Unit, is also known as the Processor and helps accomplish the laptop’s various tasks. Hence, you should take utmost precaution while choosing the CPU.

There are two major CPU manufacturers in the market, namely Intel and AMD, apart from Apple, which develops the CPUs for their MacBooks. Let us take a closer look at these manufacturers to gain an idea of laptop CPUs.

Intel

Intel has a majority share in the CPU market and is engaged in cut-throat competition with AMD. Their ‘Core’ series has proved to be extremely popular in recent years. The Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 CPUs are excellent at undertaking everything from basic web browsing to specialised workstation usage. The latest CPUs from Intel are the 12th Gen Intel Core series, and you can choose the one as per your requirements.

AMD

AMD has the Ryzen series, like Intel’s Core series of CPUs. The Ryzen series ranges from Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 to Ryzen 7, based on their performance. It is very similar in performance to Intel’s Core series; hence, you need to choose the ideal one for your usage based on the specifications of the software that you wish to use on your laptop.

Apple

The M1 and M2 CPUs are powerful in nature and are available in their MacBooks. Both chipsets are extremely powerful, which provides them with the additional processing power required to undertake heavy tasks.

Importance of GPUs

Laptop graphic cards are quite easy to understand since they are usually named straightforwardly. Additionally, one should also understand the difference between ‘integrated graphics’ and ‘dedicated graphics’ when referring to laptop Graphic Processing Units or GPUs. An integrated GPU is a part of the CPU and can undertake light graphic requirements such as watching HD videos and casual gaming. However, if you wish to play the latest AAA games or edit videos, you require a laptop with a dedicated GPU.

There are 2 major GPU manufacturers for laptops, Nvidia and AMD. While one can find most Intel-based laptops with Nvidia GPUs, you can also find some cases where AMD GPUs are used in Intel machines. Similarly, most AMD-based laptops also come with AMD GPU since their tight integration provides additional benefits to the user in terms of efficiency.

The Nvidia lineup is usually preferred by games that don’t require much multi-thread processing in y. On the other hand, creative users generally prefer AMD GPUs since their hardware is usually geared toward multi-threaded processes. Most creative applications can make use of this additional processing. Applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc., also require the additional processing these GPUs provide.

Ideal RAM

The ideal amount of RAM has been a constant enigma since the beginning of computing, and the amount of RAM considered normal nowadays depends on your usage. It is common to find laptops with 4 GB of RAM in the budget-friendly segment. Similarly, 8 GB of RAM is commonplace in everyday usage laptops as it provides a smoother overall experience. 

On the other hand, 16 GB of RAM is considered normal for niche tasks such as gaming and video editing, with advanced laptops having 32 GB and even 64 GB of RAM, depending on their segment. Additionally, one also needs to understand that DDR4 is the most-common RAM generation. While you may find laptops with DDR3 RAM, it is best avoided since a generational change is often a major one.

Hence, DDR4 RAM will perform far better on a laptop than on a DDR3 one. Similarly, the latest DDR5 RAM is a whole generation ahead in terms of speed and performance. However, it is quite costly, so manufacturers avoid it in mainstream laptops.

Storage: SSD vs HDD

When it comes to laptop storage nowadays, there are 3 different options available: Solid State Drive (SSD), Hard Disk (HDD) and a mix of both. While the hard disk provides good speed on a decent budget, SSD provides exceptional data read and write rate, providing a far better user experience. Hence, SSDs are costlier than HDDs. However, laptop manufacturers often find the perfect balance by providing faster SSD storage with less amount of data storage capacity.

Hence, you may find laptops with either 1TB HDD or 128GB of SSD storage. There are laptops available even with 256 GB and 512 GB SSDs. Smaller capacities keep the costs in check, while quicker drives ensure a better user experience.

Some expensive laptops also provide the option of SSD and HDD together. You will often find that the C Drive is usually a 128 GB SSD in such laptops. As for the HDD storage, the manufacturer would have provided a separate 1 TB HDD to ensure that you have enough space to store your files and folders easily.

Ports Selection

Port selection on laptops is crucial to the experience as the ports enhance the laptop’s usability. Although the CPU, GPU and RAM impact the laptop’s performance, the port selection will determine whether you can use it as required.

Most standard laptops come with 3 USB-A ports, of which one or two might be using the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed standard for high-speed data transfer. Also, laptops are usually equipped with an RJ-45 Ethernet port, a headphone-mic combo jack, an HDMI or mini-HDMI port, and a card reader or micro-SD card slot. Modern laptops are also equipped with USB-C ports, some even supporting the Thunderbolt standard. Apart from these, laptops usually have a Kensington key slot and a barrel plug charger port.

The port selection is essential as it helps you connect and manage other electronic devices that you possess. In the absence of an adequate number of ports, you will be required to carry dongles, which is inconvenient.

Conclusion

Choosing a laptop shouldn’t be hard; however, given the variety of hardware and software and the resulting configurations, you would be at a loss if you grab the one that looked the best or had some party trick up its sleeve. Laptops are an investment, hence you should ensure that you get the best one for your money.

We hope this article has been informative in the process of choosing your new laptop. You should go step by step in choosing the individual components and find the laptop that can provide those specifications as a package. We have observed people who change their requirements based on the model which they liked. It ruins your laptop experience, and you won’t feel satisfied with your new purchase.