Laptop

The cutting-edge technology that makes up modern-day laptops continues to evolve at a staggering rate, and it’s never been easier to invest in a new laptop that’s reasonably priced, powerful, and easy to use. With high-resolution display sizes ranging from 12 inches to nearly 16 inches, state-of-the-art operating systems, light weights for easy portability, and a battery life that can run as long as 10 hours before your laptop needs to be recharged, the greatest difficulty comes down to deciding which laptop will best suit your needs.

In this guide, we’ll consider different display sizes for laptops, varying resolution options, the touchscreen function, what an all-in-one computer is, varying processors, graphic processors, memory capacity, battery life, storage, different operating systems, gaming PCs and laptops, and the accessories that come with certain laptops and computers.

Display

Size

The display size featured in the description of a specific laptop or computer represents the screen's diagonal length, which is the total distance between two corners of the screen. This measurement is expressed in inches. The most common display sizes for laptops are 11.6", 13.3", 14", and 15.6", measured diagonally.

When it comes to picking out the ideal display size for your laptop you should note that laptops with smaller display sizes like 11.6”, 13.3”, or 14” will be lighter in weight, but oftentimes less powerful than the laptops with bigger display sizes like 15.6”.

Resolution

The resolution represents the total number of pixels that serve to make up the image appearing on your laptop or computer’s screen. With a higher pixel count on your screen, you’ll have sharper images, movies, and text. This can also mean that you’ll have more digital real estate to fit numerous web pages and applications for side-by-side program use. The display resolution is represented by horizontal and vertical pixel counts. The most common resolutions that you’ll see on laptops are 1366x768 (HD) and 1920x1080 (Full HD). You should also note that there is pixel density to consider. With monitors being available in an array of sizes as well as resolutions, you’ll quickly find that monitors of different sizes can have the same number of pixels. An example of this is a 24-inch monitor and a 32-inch monitor that both have a screen resolution of 1920x1080 and how they can end up expressing markedly different image quality. The image quality on the 24-inch monitor will look sharper due to its pixel density, which is measured in PPI (Pixels Per Inch). The higher the PPI, the better the image quality. So, if you’re invested in higher image quality, it’s best to steer clear of the larger monitors.

In terms of choosing the best screen resolution for the work that you’ll be doing on your laptop or computer, the minimum resolution you should aim for if you’re a graphic designer is 1360x768. If you’re someone who works with complex 3D modelings like an architect or game developer, you’ll want to go above 1920x1080. If you’re a video editor, it’s generally recommended to aim for 1920x1080 as the bare minimum This is due to the fact that 1080p is the standard high-definition resolution for video. Thus, if you’re working with 1080p video, you’ll need a screen that is able to display that video natively. Lastly, if you’re a photographer you should invest in a laptop or computer with the highest possible resolution that fits within your budget.

Touchscreen

The touchscreen function present in many laptops that are available for purchase today uses an interactive screen which serves to enhance the overall user experience by improving the tactile functionality, resulting in greater control over the laptop. The 2-in-1 laptop style makes it so that your laptop can easily be converted into a tablet.

All-in-One

An all-in-one computer is very similar to a desktop computer system when it comes to its features and overall functionality. However, while a desktop consists of a computer case in addition to a separate monitor, an all-in-one combines the display and the computer into one device. This results in a space-saving design. Additionally, all-in-one computers typically come in bigger screen sizes than laptops, ranging anywhere between 20-27 inches.

Performance

Processor

The central processing unit (CPU) is a specially designed piece of hardware that allows your computer to successfully interact with the different applications and programs you’ve installed on it. The CPU works to interpret the program’s set of instructions and then creates the actual output that you end up interfacing with, whenever you use your computer. The speed at which your computer processes all of this information, can make a significant impact on the overall experience that you have when using your computer. Additionally, processor cores are the individual processing units located within a computer’s central processing unit. The processor core is designed to receive instructions for a single computing task. The processor core will then operate with the built-in cock speed to digest all this information. The clock speed in a computer is measured in gigahertz (GHz). The higher the GHz, the higher the clock speed. A faster clock speed generally means that you’ll be able to see tasks requested from your CPU completed at a quicker rate. This translates to a more seamless experience for you when navigating your computer’s applications and programs. Lastly, most computers nowadays are built with multiple processor cores, which allow your computer to complete numerous tasks at once. A computer that’s built with multiple processor cores in addition to hyper-threading technology is crucial in both gaming and work computers.

Graphics Processor

The GPU or Graphics Processing Unit is responsible for the handling of the various video signal outputs of your computer. All that you see appear on your screen is handled by your computer or laptop’s Graphics Processing Unit. This can include PowerPoint, movies, television, and computer games. If you have a desktop PC, your Graphics Processing Unit will be located in a graphics card that is physically plugged into your PC. If you have a laptop, the Graphics Processing Unit will be located in your laptop’s motherboard. In terms of the different kinds of GPUs available for laptops, there are two options. You can either choose a laptop with an integrated GPU or a Discrete GPU. An integrated GPU is located inside the laptop’s Central Processing Unit (CPU) and is capable of basic graphic processing. The Discrete GPU is located in the laptop’s motherboard and can handle more complex graphic processing. When it comes to deciding on what kind of graphics processing unit you need for your laptop, you should know that if you’re only planning on taking care of basic tasks like word-processing or general browsing around the web, a laptop with an integrated GPU will be enough. On the other hand, if you’re going to use your laptop to perform more complex tasks like video editing, graphic design, or for gaming, you’ll need a laptop with a discrete GPU.

Memory

Most people will need a laptop or desktop PC with at least 8GB of RAM (or memory). You can view RAM as your device’s working short-term memory capacity. For instance, if you leave a program open in the background, your computer’s RAM is able to remember where you left off, and as a result, makes it easy for you to switch back to your task without you having to waste any time waiting for it to load. This also applies to having multiple browser tabs open at the same time. If your computer doesn’t have enough RAM, you’ll find that it begins to lag, and makes it that much harder for you to complete your various tasks in a timely manner. In terms of what amount of RAM will best suit your needs, if you plan to use your computer primarily for word processing and playing simple games like Solitaire, 8GB of RAM is plenty. If you plan to run modern video games on your computer, you’ll need at least 12 but preferably up to 16GB of RAM. If you plan to run modern software like Photoshop, Blender, and Adobe Premier, in addition to having multiple tabs open at once, you’ll need at least 16GB of RAM. If you’re a professional designer who plans to render 4K resolution videos or textures in a program like Adobe Premiere, you will need a computer with 32GB of RAM.

Battery Life

The typical range for many laptops available today falls anywhere between 4-18 hours of use before you’ll need to plug your laptop in to recharge it. There are also strategies that you can adopt to slow down the rate at which your laptop’s battery is depleted. You can work on minimizing the number of applications and/or tabs that you have open at one time, and you can also make sure to turn off your laptop’s Bluetooth functionality when it’s not in use.

System

Storage

When it comes to deciding how much storage you’ll need for your laptop, it’s crucial that you identify what you intend to use your laptop for. As an example, if you plan to store numerous photos, computer games, and movies in addition to smaller music and text files, it’s generally recommended that you choose a laptop with at least 1TB of storage. You’re only recommended to get a laptop with less storage if you hardly ever need to save files, and also work from the cloud often. In terms of storage media, there are hard drives and also SSDs available for laptops. The benefit of having a laptop with an SSD drive is that it’ll on average be able to read files 10 times faster than that of a hard drive. Most laptops at least have an SSD drive, and sometimes have a combination of an SSD and HDD.

Operating System

The operating system or OS is the system software that your computer uses to both successfully and efficiently manage your computer’s software, hardware, and other resources. The most common operating systems in computers today are Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Linux. Generally, your computer will undergo numerous system software updates in its lifetime. You should be able to easily set these system software updates for your operating system to automatically update if you don’t want to have to remember to do it yourself. However, you should note that some software updates can take a long time, and it’s thus best to run these overnight so that your work remains uninterrupted.

Gaming

A gaming laptop is specially designed to provide you with reliable high-performance speeds, exceptional memory capacity, triple-A graphics, and fast processing power. Gaming laptops are extremely efficient when it comes to video processing. Most standard gaming laptops have a video card, which is used to improve the overall quality of the images that show up on the screen. Additionally, gaming laptops feature enhanced cooling options which can include greater ventilation capacity as well as notably powerful fans. Due to the fact that modern video games can push laptops to their limits, proper cooling is essential to your gaming laptop’s longevity. When it comes to deciding between a gaming laptop and a gaming desktop, the biggest tradeoffs between the two are that a gaming laptop will offer you all the convenience of great portability, while a gaming desktop can’t be taken with you (easily) on the road. However, gaming desktops often feature more powerful components and can be customized for liquid cooling functionality.

Accessories

You can easily enhance your overall experience with your new laptop by investing in essential and cutting-edge accessories like a new mouse (wired or wireless), speakers, and a keyboard. A new mouse is able to provide you with even greater precision in terms of cursor movement. Most users prefer the wireless mouse option for its convenience, and the wireless ones that are available today generally use a USB receiver, have very little input lag, and have great battery life. A wired mouse, on the other hand, can have a more rapid response time, and thus be ideal for gamers. Additionally, many wired mouse options are cheaper than their wireless mouse counterparts. Next, a new external keyboard is a worthwhile accessory for your laptop, as it can significantly reduce the amount of strain that you put on your wrists, hands, neck, and eyes. Additionally, by using an external keyboard you'll preserve the condition of your laptop's actual keyboard in case you ever plan to resell your laptop, and don't want it to diminish in value. Last, new speakers for your laptop are a highly effective way to enhance your future entertainment experiences, whether that be streaming new movies and TV shows, or listening to music.

FAQS

Can you manually replace your laptop's battery when it needs a new one?

While you may have the ability to manually remove your laptop's battery, you'll want to read your laptop's warranty before doing so to ensure that you don't void the warranty.

Can you increase your laptop's RAM?

Many laptops oftentimes have an extra RAM slot built in where you’ll be able to plug in an extra RAM module. If your laptop doesn’t have an extra RAM slot, you can remove the original RAM and swap it out with RAM that has a higher memory capacity. Just make sure that your laptop can handle the additional RAM before doing so.

Can you upgrade your laptop's video card?

In general, you won’t be able to upgrade your laptop’s video card, because most laptops have an integrated graphics chip that’s permanently embedded in the laptop’s motherboard. If you determine that the video card in your laptop isn’t removable, this means that it can’t be upgraded. However, there are specialized laptops in which you’ll be able to upgrade your graphics card. These laptops will include an upgradable graphic socket that’s called MXM or “Mobile PCI Express Module.” This graphic socket is most commonly found in gaming laptops.