10 things to consider when choosing a laptop

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Obvious and not so obvious characteristics and functions that directly affect the usability.

1. Type of connector for charging

Most new laptops charge via the universal USB-C port, although some manufacturers continue to use proprietary connectors. There are two problems with them: such a charge should always be carried with you, since there is no one to borrow a suitable one, and if it breaks down, replacing it will cost more.

Therefore, if you do not want to fiddle with a bunch of different-colored cables, you should take a laptop that charges via USB-C. Especially if the same connector is used in your smartphone.

2. Thunderbolt support

In addition to the fact that there is a USB-C port, you also need to make sure of another important feature - compatibility with the Thunderbolt 3 standard. Its support gives the laptop several key advantages.

So, in addition to the higher data transfer speed, you can connect multiple 4K displays and even external video cards to the USB-C connector with Thunderbolt 3 support. Compatibility is usually indicated in the specifications, and the corresponding ports are marked with a lightning bolt icon.

3. Drive type

In expensive models, SSDs have been exclusively installed for a long time. And in the middle and lower price segments, there are still traditional hard drives. Due to mechanical moving parts, the latter cannot boast of high speed and reliability. At the same time, HDDs are cheaper and have a larger volume.

If you are not very tight on funds, it is better to buy a laptop with an SSD. Thanks to the high data transfer rates, the OS will start up in a matter of seconds, and files will be copied much faster than from hard drives.

4. Type of RAM

The “more is better” rule for laptop RAM works flawlessly. However, the type of RAM modules used is no less important, and there is one caveat here.

Typically DDR3 and DDR4 models are currently available on the market. There is no big difference in performance between them, but the cost of DDR4 is much higher. The main differences of the newer memory are higher frequencies and lower power consumption.

5. Graphics type

Graphics cards in laptops are integrated and discrete. The former use the graphics core of the processor and, at the same time, do not have their own memory. However, modern integrated graphics can boast of a sufficient level of performance even for simple games, not to mention basic tasks.

Discrete graphics is a separate video chip with its own memory. Such solutions are more productive, but also more expensive. They should be chosen only if you plan to edit video on a laptop, play or perform other resource-intensive tasks.

6. Type of cooling system

With the advent of energy-efficient processors, more and more manufacturers are moving away from active cooling to passive cooling in light notebooks. The lack of fans makes such computers completely silent, but under heavy loads, this silence crawls out sideways.

Sometimes, due to the high load, the cooling system cannot cope with the heat dissipation. And then, to protect the processor from overheating, its frequency is forcibly reduced. As a result, performance drops and applications start to slow down.

And in active cooling systems, in such situations, the fan speed simply increases. The processor frequency remains unchanged. Therefore, if you plan to use a laptop for complex tasks, this is the option to consider.

7. Display brightness

The only screen characteristic that people usually pay attention to besides the diagonal is its resolution. The number of pixels is definitely a key feature, but the brightness of the display should not be forgotten either.

Manufacturers do not particularly focus on this, although the convenience of work largely depends on such a characteristic. If you are often on the road, working in cafes and other places outside the office, the brightness of the laptop display should be at least 300 nits.

8. Webcam location

A few years ago, such a question might have seemed very strange. Now that manufacturers are striving to make the bezels around the screen as small as possible, it is more relevant than ever.

In some modern laptops, webcams are located in the most unexpected places, including the keyboard. This location is far from ideal. If you often use video calling, be sure to consider this point when buying.

9. Precision TouchPad Driver Support

The convenient multitasking gestures that were introduced in Windows 10 only work on compatible laptops with Precision TouchPad drivers. You cannot use these gestures on input devices with Synaptics drivers.

You can verify that your laptop's touchpad supports Precision TouchPad drivers by going to Settings → Devices → Mouse and Trackpad and looking for the appropriate label.

10. The presence of keyboard backlight

If you are not familiar with touch typing, the keyboard backlight will come in handy for working in the evening or in places with poor lighting. A few years ago, it was an exclusive option for premium models, but is now available even on inexpensive Chinese laptops.