Laptops enable us to work no matter where we are, unlike traditional desktop computers. With the convenience they bring us, along with brands making them more powerful, laptops have become ubiquitous. Working professionals in particular require laptops, as they have to prepare project reports, give presentations, and adhere to their strict deadlines.
Given the fact that a significant portion of employees are now working remotely, and considering the fact that the majority of the workforce globally is expected to work remotely by 2025, work-from-home could soon become a norm. However, when you are working remotely, there is little room for mishaps, and one has to ensure that their laptops are equipped with the right technology to enable them to meet their deadlines.
To help you with your laptop purchase, here is our laptop buying guide which will help you make the right choice.
- RAM Size
One of the most important factors to consider while buying a laptop is its RAM size. Today, we have powerful laptops that come with 16GB or even 32GB RAM, but are on the expensive side. The more RAM the CPU has access to, the faster the computer performs, and therefore, the smoother the experience.
People are often advised to choose a laptop with at least 4GB RAM. Usually, once you buy a laptop, you can expand the RAM size. When the laptop has to be used for office work, it is important to choose a laptop that comes with at least 4GB or 6GB RAM, as it ensures faster operation of the device.
- Display Size
One has to also carefully consider the display size they would need in a laptop. Considering it would be used for office work, you would be better off by purchasing a laptop with a 15.6-inch screen, as most of the large-screen models come with a 15.6-inch display. Furthermore, it would also be beneficial if you choose a laptop with a full HD display, so that you can work for longer hours on your device.
For instance, most of the laptop under 40000 come with a 15.6-inch display, such as Dell Inspiron 15 5590, which comes with a 4GB RAM, 15.6-inch full HD display and 512GB SSD storage.
- Storage Capacity
Similar to RAM size, the storage capacity of a laptop is extremely crucial for its smooth and seamless functioning. While a few brands provide laptops with hard disk drives, the newer models come with solid state drives.
A hard disk drive (HDD) is a storage device used in most of the old, as well as some of the new laptop models, which uses mechanical platters and a moving read-and-write head to access the data. A solid state drive (SSD) however is a newer, faster device which stores data on instantly-accessible memory chips, making the laptop’s response time faster without any lags.
Most laptops today come with at least 256GB SSD storage or 512GB SSD storage, which should be the minimum storage capacity you should look for in a laptop.
- Processor
The CPU is the heart of a laptop, and is vital for the laptop’s performance and your productivity. The faster the processor, quicker the apps load, and the easier you can multitask on your laptop without it lagging. You can also perform processor-intensive tasks without your laptop slowing down.
A CPU’s clock speed is the number of pulses per second the processor runs, and is given in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). AMD and Intel are two of the largest CPU makers globally, and the majority of the laptops come with Intel processors. For instance, HP 14q-cs0005tu (4WQ17PA) laptop, considered to be the best HP laptop that comes with the Intel® Core™ i3-7020U processor, along with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB HDD storage, making it the ideal laptop for office use.
You can also select a laptop with Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, but they are relatively more expensive than the models that come with Intel Core i3 processors.
