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| student regretting laptop purchase after making common buying mistakes |
Many beginners regret their laptop purchase because they overlook key factors, leading to costly mistakes. But if you read this post today, then you will never have any problem in selecting a laptop. I'll tell you guys, how you can get a really good laptop within your budget.
By finishing this post, you will get educated about which laptop you should buy. There is a famous Chinese proverb that says. "You give a man a fish. You feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish. And you feed him for a lifetime."
I don't want to just give you links like YouTube gurus. Actually, I want to share my own first-time experience as a beginner with you on how to pick a laptop. Either you want to use a desktop or a laptop. Means the complete knowledge in this one post.
Laptop vs Desktop – What Should You Choose?
Many beginners feel confused when choosing between a laptop and a desktop.
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| created with Gemini as an illustration for blogpost concept |
PC vs Laptop – Customization vs Simplicity
Desktop PCs offer more customization options compared to laptops.
It's just gonna be my general advice, but the biggest advantage of PC is that you can do customizations. There are many slots inside. You can change the CPU whenever you want. You can change the GPU whenever you want.
Why Choose a Laptop?
Look, if you want portability, then get a laptop. The only thing that a laptop has is portability. This itself is one of the biggest reasons why people buy a laptop as opposed to a desktop.
When Not to Build a PC
Unless you don't want to play around and are not a pc ninja Then do not make a PC. If you are going to college or you are currently in college. Do not make a pc. Do not get too confused, just take the laptop.
Space and Convenience Issues
there is even a problem of space occurs when your intent is to build a pc. you need to make sure there is enough space in your room for the components of the pc you desire.
Personal Experience
I had the same which made me drop the idea of pc building at almost the same but slightly high price which would cost me compromise on convinience, space, portability and even reliability if maintainance of the pc is not done occasionally. in these aspects laptop is a win win.
Why Laptops Are Better for Students
Now, if you are a student, then it becomes very convenient for you to take from here to there. may be you get an internship in other city. Sometimes you are at home, sometimes you are in college, sometimes you are somewhere else. Then it becomes very convenient for you to have a laptop. That's why I suggest laptop to most students.
Purpose is the Most Important Factor
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| Portability vs Power – what matters for you? |
well, the first thing you have to see is. What is your purpose? Suppose you are a big YouTuber. And that too of a gaming channel. And you want to do gaming on it in the morning and evening. Then probably you will not buy a laptop, which I would say a student will.
So buying a laptop first keeps the purpose in mind. Ask yourself these questions.
- What type of gaming do you want to do (casual or hardcore)?
- Do you need to run programs with AI and machine learning?
- Do you want to do video editing?
- Do you guys have to run Android Studio?
You should have rough answers to these questions.
RAM – What You Need to Know
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| More RAM = Better multitasking |
Types and technical aspects of RAM
Now there are different types of RAM also. Like DDR3, DDR4 and DDR5. The DDR 4 is the old the DDR5 is the new. Not the latest but in current times, it is a luxury. I had a 4GB DDR4 RAM with 2600MHz clock speed integrated in the system, which I later upgraded with an 8GB removable DDR4 RAM.
Clock Speed and Performance
If we talk about the clock speed of the RAM Which is also called cycles per second, like 1200, 1500, 2600, and 3200MHz. If that clock speed is higher, then your RAM will be faster. This means there will be a fast data transfer between RAM and CPU.
I'll not go into that many technicalities. In short, the more megahertz, the better the RAM.
What to Avoid
If you're buying an old laptop. Then you should keep a few things in mind. Like if your budget is too tight. Still, don't do things like buying DDR3 RAM or some outdated processor.
CPU – The Brain of the Laptop
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| A visual representing the CPU as the brain of the laptop, which decides the overall performance |
With that, the question arises. Which CPU is the best? Look at Intel's i3, i5, i7, and i9. And there comes Some AMD drivers as well. Like the ryzen three, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7. Choose between them.
Quick CPU comparison hint
- Ryzen 7 is better than Ryzen 5
- Ryzen 5 is better than Ryzen 3
- i7 is better than i5 and i3
- i9 is better than the i7
The Generation Gap Matters
But there is a catch here. There is a generation gap in all processors. Like in the Ryzen as well as the Intel. Now, if you guys are planning to buy an I5 of the 13th generation, and someone is giving you an i5 of the eighth generation. And then the i5 of the eighth generation is absolutely useless.
The i7 of the first generation is useless compared to the i5 of today. So you will have to look into these things. Well, I had the Intel Core i3 11th generation, which was the latest back then in the i3 series and was the best i could afford with my budget.
Checking CPU Scores Online
But nowadays, you will find comparison websites like gadgets360 that give a score to them, so you can find out which of the two CPUs is better by just doing a Google search online.
Why is the CPU the Most Important Component
Now the CPU is the single most important thing, which is the brain of the computer, and the more important thing is that the better the CPU will, We can say that it is a good laptop because most of the tasks are going to be handled by your CPU.
GPU – Do You Really Need It?
The next thing I'll talk about is the GPU, which is a graphical processing unit. If you do gaming, then this is the most important component for you. In my laptop, there was no GPU support.
As it was a cheap deal(not for me though), and the laptops contained a decent GPU was a luxury at the time.
While I had a decent Samsung phone with 6 gigabytes of RAM. So I didn't care much about the gaming on PC, as i am only a hardcore mobile gamer and love to game on consoles because those are the gadgets specifically designed for gaming and also if you want to train AI models on your laptop, then this is the most important component.
Reality Check
But I want to give you a reality check. You probably don't train AI models on your laptop. Or you probably don't want to, because why would you? Your laptop may get damaged. Why would you put your laptop through so much stress?
AI models are not trained so easily. There are dedicated servers to do so, and they are also not going to be trained in such a short time.
This is basically a reality check that comes to many people later. People with AI who do not know that only basic models are trained on laptops. Large models like ChatGPT are probably not even trainable on your laptop. It is not even realistically possible.
Should You Still Buy a GPU
But should one still buy a laptop with a good GPU? The answer is yes. Because the better your GPU is, the more monitors your laptop will be able to support.
A laptop with a good GPU will allow you to run your laptop smoothly at a higher resolution. Gaming will be good in the future if you want to learn deep learning and machine learning through a laptop. Then it will be a little easier for you.
Storage – SSD vs HDD
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| SSD is faster and essential |
Now, let me talk about storage. Even today, many modern laptops offer hard disk drives, but you need an SSD. The reason is as simple as it is fast.
Hard disks are based on old mechanical technology. And they're cheaper than the solid-state drives but slow.
Why SSD is necessary
You should always keep your operating system on an SSD, and the drive that will contain your operating system should not be 250GB. It must have at least 500GB of storage.
I'm saying this from experience because Windows itself takes up to 50 to 60GB. Then you will install programs and software, etc., and the 150 gigabytes will be filled out quickly.
People also do downloads So they also have some personal files So the 250GB storage will be full. Better to have at least 500GB local disk.
Real Experience
I had a 1TB drive, but unfortunately, it was a hard disk drive. This got me through many complications. My laptop was unable to boot fast. And I didn't know much at my time. That there is a necessity to have a solid state drive in my computer.
I was happy that I got a cheap deal. And without worrying much about the specifications. I just grabbed it, knowing that I will customise it later on my own if a problem occurs. Which turned out to be a bad decision, grabbing a low-end device.
I couldn't even properly simulate the basic software of engineering in my college days. Such as AutoCAD. And the CNC Programming module, which doesn't even require Much of a GPU, but still it was unable to run on my system.
Ports and Connectivity
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| always check for available connectivity options if they are relevant or not |
You should check whether it supports:
- Power delivery
- Data transfer
- Display output
It may happen that it only supports one feature and not the others.
After that, check whether there is an SD card reader or not. This is important for content creators. Otherwise, you can use external adapters.
Also check:
- HDMI ports
- USB ports
- LAN port
- WiFi version
Display, Brightness and Build
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| visual showing display brightness and premium build quality which matters more than one can think |
Brightness
Brightness is measured in nits. The more nits there are, the brighter the display.
Build Quality
And finally, the build quality. If you are investing a good chunk of your hard-earned money on a laptop, then you should worry about build quality.
while most laptops have a plastic body, including mine, dropping them can lead to body damage and expensive repairs as well. So look for a good metallic body if available with 500GB storage.
Choose Yourself After Reading This
If you wanna go for high-end specs, then maybe you will compromise the durability of it, like I did, while I got a 1TB storage hard disk later upgraded to a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, which cost me around $100 at that time.
You will have to be careful while handling it as it can get cracks near hinges due to pure handling and rapid opening and closing, and dropping it can destroy it entirely. As I dropped it, my external 8GB RAM got damaged, and my laptop wouldn't boot. Luckily, I knew how to open it and decided to check it myself, so I just pulled out the faulty RAM, and it started working again.
Upgrade Options (RAM & Storage)
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| Visual showing laptop upgrades for RAM to future-proof a laptop |
Now, if one RAM slot in your laptop is empty and RAM is installed in the other RAM slot, then you can upgrade later.
For example, if you have 16GB RAM and one slot is free, you can upgrade to 32GB in the future.
This makes your laptop future-proof. Like I did, although it was damaged after 1 year due to dropping, but upgrading it was totally worth it as it helped me in multitasking a lot.
Storage Upgrade Options
The same goes for hard drives. If you are looking to upgrade your storage options, then you just need to search your model to know which and how many storage types of SSD your machine supports.
It can be either NVME, PCIe, or SATA; these are basically the technologies on which the solid-state drives are based.
Many of the laptops can have 2 storage options, so you can check and upgrade if you wish to, or you can run HDD and SSD simultaneously on the machine, while the primary booting device must be an SSD.
Thermal Performance
Thermal performance is very important. If you want to use your laptop for a long time and do heavy tasks, then check its thermal performance in reviews.
dont just rely on single product reviews, but broaden your category and look for a genuinely good option.
Every laptop gets a little hot, but excessive heating is a problem.
Battery and Weight
If you are buying a gaming laptop that has a heavy GPU installed in it, then don't expect too much from battery backup.
Check the weight also. If you travel a lot, then heavy laptops can be difficult to carry.
- The standard best for portability should be1.4kg or 3lbs
- if you wanna take power with portability and a slightly higher weight doesnt bother you then it can be upto 5 lbs or 2.3kg
MacBook – Should You Buy It?
MacBooks are very premium laptops. No one can say they are useless. But they come with some challenges.
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| visual describing macbook advantages and disadvantages(premium is not for everyone) |
MacBook – Pros and Cons
Pros include:
- Excellent battery life
- Silent performance
- Strong ecosystem
The battery backup is undeniably incredible. I mean, you can check any of the MacBook models. Like the MacBook Neo, they are insanely power efficient, and silent performance means that in general, Windows laptops, you can notice the voice of the components, but not in the MacBook.
It will efficiently handle the workload without any doubt, and with its strong ecosystem, you can access any of the files across any of your Mac devices, and even the renderings and HQ file transfers of gigabytes of data are extremely fast.
Cons include:
- Expensive repairs
- No gaming
- No upgrades
You will agree with me if you every got a Mac repaired because Apple targets premium customers, so they charge them for their services accordingly.
Say No to gaming
You can't do high-end gaming with a MacBook. Reasons can be both hardware and software incompatibilities. For example, Apple's ecosystem is based on the ARM architecture.
Technical reasons
The ARM architecture and metal based processing will lead the developers to create a completely different build of a particular game, which is a highly time-consuming process, while most console games are easier to port on windows pc rather than creating separately for Mac.
Demand-supply conflict
Another aspect can be market share where windows have the advange in pc gaming category. it has the XBOX digital ecosystem to support high-end gaming on pc plus it has a huge number of users to serve games to.
So the developers see more scope and better opportunities for creating games for Windows and gaming consoles rather than a few but premium users of Mac.
No upgrades
Mac comes with another disadvantage: a lack of upgrading opportunities. You can't upgrade the RAM and storage as it comes soldered from the manufacturer, so it can harm the device if handled unprofessionally.
So every time you need to do something with it you have to visit the Apple store every 5 to 7 years as it will become outdated for the new features and web applications/software.
Final Advice
Choose an option that works within your budget. High-end PCs and laptops cost a fortune these days. Don't pressure your parents if you are a teenager reading this. Understand your responsibility.
Studies can also be done on a basic laptop. You don’t need a very expensive device to learn and grow. if you read this till now, then probably you were seriously curious about how to pick a good laptop.
I hope this long article might have helped you in making a clear decision. I'll update with some good laptop pics under every kind of budget, from gaming enthusiasts to corporate workers, with details of more technical aspects. till then, share and comment on this one.. Farewell