Laptops
Laptop – a Must-Have Device in the 21st Century
Today, most people can’t imagine life without a computer. We want to have it with us anywhere and anytime. That is exactly why laptops were invented – personal computers which are easy to transport and are even suitable for mobile use!
Of course, the level of mobility depends on the quality of the laptop, mainly its battery. It’s a similar case when it comes to its performances, which depend on a number of factors, including the CPU speed, memory capacity, graphics card, etc.
Usually, the rule for finding the best laptop is the higher the price, the higher the performances. Still, this doesn’t mean that you can’t find best budget gaming laptop with the performances that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Actually, you can find a superb notebook for a fairly reasonable price, but only if you know what exactly are you looking for. In order to help you out, we’re now gonna explain some of the main features each good laptop needs to have!
Fast CPU
CPU or the Central Processing Unit is arguably the most important part of every computer. Some call it the brains of the laptop, as its role is to execute most of the commands. What this means is that you can’t find a good laptop which doesn’t have a good CPU!
One of the most important things that determine how good a processor is, is its clock speed. In fact, this is one of the specs that are mentioned in almost every laptop review. The speed of the CPU is measured in GHz (gigahertz) and the rule is: the higher, the better!
Still, when looking for the laptop with the best CPU, its speed is not the only thing you need to pay attention to. In order to boost the performances of the processor, multiple cores have come in use. With more CPU cores, more tasks can be executed at the same time. For example, a dual-core processor can manage twice the amount of the instructions that a single-core CPU can.
In layman’s terms, this means that the CPUs with more cores are likely to perform better. For example, Intel Core i7, a CPU with 4 cores will perform better than the dual-core Intel Core 3. Unfortunately, the processors with more cores than one are usually much more expensive than the single-core CPUs.
In most cases, the laptops under 200 dollars come with a CPU with one core, eventually two, while the Laptops under 100 are almost always those with one-core CPU. Still, the number of cores doesn’t necessarily need to be the factor that decides which CPU is better.
As CPUs are complicated units, a number of things come into account. That’s why the best way to judge their quality is to compare their performances. You can take a look at benchmark tests to see how CPU’s rank or you can browse our site to check out some of our recommendations.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Random Access Memory or RAM is a unit that’s often referred to as the working memory of the computer. A good RAM will help your laptop deal with more information simultaneously. In turn, this will boost its performances significantly. What this basically means is that the better Ram a laptop has, the better its performances will be. But, what does “good RAM” actually mean?
So, if you’re looking for the best developer laptop, you will need to choose one with the RAM of at least 8GB capacity. Apart from the capacity of the random access memory, you also need to pay attention to its speed, that is, how much data the RAM can transfer per second. For example, when it comes to DDR2 PC2-6400, the number 6400 is the one that shows its clock speed.
There are different types of RAM, including DDR, DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4. To put it simple, the best is DDR4, the worst DDR. We advise you to make your choice according to your needs. For example, if you need the best laptop for music production, go for the one with at least DDR3 RAM. However, if you’re looking for cheaper notebooks, like gaming laptops under 300, even a DDR2 would do the work.
HDD/SSD
The point of both HDD and SSD is to store files and apps, as well as to boot the system. That is why the storage capacity of these units is the most important thing. However, you also need to pay attention to their speed.
SSD beats HDD in terms of speed – it will boot the system in less than a minute. It will also help boost the performances of the laptop when performing other tasks as well. So, if you’re looking for the best laptop for graphic design or software developing, look for the one with SSD!
The bad news is that laptops with SSDs are usually much pricier than those with HDD. This means that finding the best gaming laptop under 500 with a solid state drive is not going to be easy.
Graphics
Although laptops are not the preferred choice of most gamers due to their size, some of these devices have the hardware that can run even the most demanding games. The video card is one of the most important things when it comes to playing modern video games, so if you’re a passionate gamer, you need to choose a good one!
Games like Project Cars, Rise of the Tomb Raider, or Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, are extremely graphically demanding, so not many laptops are capable of running them. This is why you need to pay special attention to the graphics card when choosing the best gaming laptop under 1500!
Battery
Without a good battery, a laptop can’t be considered the best. After all, the whole point of having a laptop is to be able to use it unplugged. Otherwise, you might as well use a desktop computer. So, when choosing your ideal notebook, make sure that its average battery life is at least a few hours long!
Of course, it all depends on what you’re planning to use the laptop. For example, demanding video games are guaranteed to spend much more energy than reading an eBook would. So, if you’re in a search of the best gaming laptop under 1000, a superb battery is a must!
Size & Design
You want your laptop to look nice, but you also want it to be compact and lightweight. However, this means that the display size can’t be too big, at least not as big as with desktop versions. The standard size of the laptop ranges between 13 and 15 inches diagonal.
Speaking of design, there’s another important thing to pay attention to – its built. In fact, this might be crucial, as, in most cases, the physical damage is not covered by the warranty. The laptop needs to be made of sturdy materials, so that it wouldn’t break that easily if you drop it by accident. You also need to look for a sturdily-built laptop as its hinges won’t get loose easily, which can be a rather annoying problem.
Warranty
Surely, it is fair to expect that a new laptop is gonna work well for a long time. However, the fact is that sometimes problems do occur. That is why it is important that the notebook you get comes with a warranty that is at least a year long. If a problem occurs during that period, it’s up to the manufacturer/seller to take care of it.
Apart from the warranty, there’s another way to assess the durability of a laptop – paying attention to the brand! Reputable manufacturers have earned their reputation by making high-quality laptops. What this means is that if you buy a notebook manufactured by Apple, Dell, HP, Asus, and so on, you can expect it to serve you well for years!
Final Note
What is the best laptop in the world is something that depends heavily on your needs and wishes. If you’re a gamer, a laptop that’s best for developers might not be ideal for you. That is why before deciding to make a purchase, you need to think about what you actually need.
However, there are some things that each good laptop needs to have – good battery, decent CPU and RAM, good storage space, and a quality video card. On top of that, you need to make sure that the laptop you buy is one that’s sturdily built so that it won’t break too soon. A good warranty is also something that you should look for, as it can save you from a lot of worries later on.
Finally, you also need to pay attention to the price of the laptop. Even if you had all the money in the world, it’s still pointless to pay several thousand dollars for a laptop. This is because you can find a superb device for much, much less. In fact, most users are bound to be satisfied if they buy best laptop under 800 dollars!
