Things to Consider before Buying a Laptop

Do you want to know what things to consider before buying a laptop apart from technical aspects? You are on the right spot to know the answer of this question.

It is not enough to look only at the technical sheet, but there are some aspects, which are important to consider as well. We are going to contemplate all the details that you must take into account when it comes to seeing which laptop to buy.

The most common mistake is to look only at the technical data sheet, and it seems that all doubts are dispelled there. We reveal all the most kept secrets about laptops, so grab a pen and paper because it will help you in your purchase.

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What Things to Consider before Buying a Laptop

1. Screen Brightness

Do you care about image quality? Well, don’t be left alone with whether it has IPS-Level or has “X” hertz: look at the nits it offers.

Because we carry the laptop with us and we may use it in an environment where there is a lot of light bouncing off the screen.

If the screen doesn’t have enough nits, we’ll have to strain our eyes because the panel isn’t bright enough to respond to sunlight or glare. Basically, it happens as with Smartphones: in summer the maximum brightness is noticeable.

So, one of the things to keep in mind when you are going to buy a laptop is the brightness of the screen, especially if you move a lot with it.

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2. Beware of the Processor: they are not the same as on the Desktop

People read “Intel Core i5” and are already calm because they think they will get the same performance as on desktop, not at all.

It is true that Alder Lake-P brings more cores in total, but Intel has increased the efficient ones, seeing configurations with only 2 P-Cores, like 4 P-Cores in the somewhat more powerful options.

For example, in the 11th generation we saw 4 cores and 8 threads, while in desktop Rocket Lake-S we were given 6 cores and 12 threads processors on Intel Core i5.

By this we mean that you do not stay with the naming, but that you investigate well what the processor you are choosing offers.

Instead, AMD offers the same cores and threads as analog desktop chips, with the exception of the Ryzen 9.

The only processors that do not come with the same configuration as on the desktop is the Ryzen 9 range, which is reduced to 8 cores and 16 threads on the laptop.

On the other hand, you must not forget that in laptops there are different ranges of processors, look at the acronyms of the name of the CPU:

• HX: In the case of Intel, these processors designed for professionals, in the case of AMD, they are the most powerful option.
• H: High performance.
• HS: High performance, but balanced with efficiency.
• U: low power, which means less power and probably fewer cores and threads.
• Q: It comes up with the 12th gen Intel Core, and it’s the most powerful low power chips.
• G: Seen on the 11th gen Intel Core, it differs by offering a low power chip, but with powerful integrated graphics.

3. Dedicated GPUs

Many models advertise with great fanfare that the laptop comes with the latest NVIDIA MX, but the truth is that it is very uninteresting.

Intel and AMD have advanced so much in their integrated graphics that equipping our laptop with a GPU of this range, being interesting from a GTX (read the following paragraphs).

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You will notice that there are fewer models that come with these graphics cards because the latest Intel Tiger Lake or AMD Ryzen 5000 iGPUs respond perfectly to the needs of that target audience.

Regarding the GTX, a GTX 1650 is not bad, but do not expect any show here. We’ll be buying a laptop with an outdated GPU that’s outclassed by an RX 6500 XT or RTX 3050.

Looking at the prices on the market, it is not worth paying $799-699 for a GTX 1650, when we have an RTX 3050 or RX 6500 XT for $899-$999. I know there is an increase of $200, but the change is brutal.

So, don’t pay more to have a GTX 1650 that doesn’t improve the integrated graphics of a current model that much.

4. Models with Power

I would like to emphasize what has happened at NVIDIA in recent years, as we do not see Max-Q or Max-P naming to refer to variant or GPU consumption.

I advise you to find out more about the RTX 3050, 3060, 3070 or 3080 that the laptop you want to buy has, specifically the TGP-TDP or the consumption it offers.

Why? We have seen that there are models that advertise the RTX 3060, but it is low-power and its performance is clearly lower than the more powerful RTX 3060.

This exists to give life to laptops that are thinner and lighter than others fully focused on gaming or heavy work (and therefore weigh more).

Do not let them sell you cat for hare, because you may be buying a less powerful GPU than you think.

5. Storage: Type and Expansion Possibilities

It is necessary to highlight the problem of storage, the type of unit that the laptop carries and the possibilities for the future that it offers.

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This is a clear example of what to consider when buying a laptop, which can be summarized as follows:

• Look at whether it has a 2.5-inch SSD or an M.2 SSD.
• In case it has an M.2 SSD, see what interface it uses, PCIe 3.0 or 4.0? This will help you know what transfer speeds you can expect.
• Expansion possibilities, can we install another one? Or, do we have to replace in case we want more storage? There are laptops that come with another M.2 slot, like others that only come with one (bad thing).
• How many GB are enough? This is personal, but if you ask me for an opinion… I would start with 512 GB.

Therefore, take a good look at which SSD the laptop in question offers, as well as the expansion possibilities.

6. RAM: Frequency and Modules

We now have DDR5 and LPDDR5 as new RAM options, but DDR4 is still the most common option. You not only have to look at the total memory that the equipment has, but also what frequency it offers and how many modules it has installed.

If you have only one RAM memory slot, it will limit things a lot in case of an upgrade, so it is always much more interesting to work in Dual Channel and have two slots inside the laptop.

We know that most of you will not open your laptop tomorrow: as soon as it becomes obsolete, you buy another.

However, I must say that this is not always a success and a little push is cheaper and renews the laptop quite a bit.

7. Gaming Keyboard: Do not sell the Motorcycle

You will not enjoy a mechanical keyboard on a laptop, neither the same precision, nor the same switch offer.

Although several manufacturers have greatly improved what is present, it must be said that it does not offer the same comfort as they are quite limited due to physical issues.

Backlighting seems very interesting to me today, regardless of whether it is RGB or not. The fact that you read Steel Series in some gaming laptops… does not mean that you are going to enjoy the keyboard. Of course, it is always better than a standard option you have.

Some models come with keyboards that incorporate anti-ghosting, a very interesting feature for those who looking for a gaming laptop.

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8. Ports: Choose the most suitable for you

I have noticed that many people do not pay attention to this section, which I consider very important, although it is losing importance with the cloud.

If you are professionals and work with external HDD or SSD, you will be interested in enjoying the most advanced USB ports so as not to have a slow data transfer.

Leaving USB aside, look at whether it comes with HDMI or DisplayPort (check their versions), and this seems more important to me because it will offer the possibility of connecting monitors or connecting our laptop to a TV.

9. Trackpad or Mat

This decision is much more personal, and the trackpad is an element that many Apple users appreciate a lot.

The fact of having an integrated peripheral that allows us to work faster through gestures and a good surface can be interesting.

In the vast majority of cases, you will find a mere mouse pad to work with and that responds correctly.

Honestly, I recommended this for those who value it because most Windows laptops or without OS come without a trackpad, being a peripheral reserved for high ranges.

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10. The sound: the great cover

Here I do have to emphasize because, if you are wondering what to consider when buying a laptop, be careful with the audio.

In low-end and mid-range laptops we can find quite fair audio and, if you come from an Apple laptop, you will find it mediocre.

It seems that society still has the mentality of “to spend more than $1,000 on a laptop, I buy a Mac”, but the truth is that we will be in different ranges. Below $1,000, manufacturers make readjustments in order to make a profit on each laptop sold.

For example, I have come across some MSI Modern whose sound was quite bad, which is disappointing for a $799 laptop (it was what it cost).

I know that it is difficult to know the audio quality that a laptop has, but if you investigate the model that you like, you will surely find some reference in a review.

11. Real Autonomy of the Laptop

Beware of the autonomy that manufacturers promise because it is not usually the case in practice, since these figures are taken in very energy-conserving modes.

So, don’t count on all those hours because they can be reduced by 2 hours in many cases, especially if we use the laptop a lot.

Logically, the greater the autonomy, the more margins we will have and we will not worry about the battery.

Of course, do not expect good autonomy in gaming or professional laptops with dedicated GPUs that are powerful (RTX A5500, for example).

12. Weight: It doesn’t have to be a brick

We end with the last thing to consider when buying a laptop: weight. Regardless of what you are going to use it for, try to make it as light as possible, it is a laptop!

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We know that this is sometimes impossible and will weigh close to 3 KG for those of you looking for more powerful solutions.

However, a laptop weighing more than 2KG has to be justified in power, otherwise it’s a brick. This is important because we will be transporting it, so we want it to make our lives easier, not harder.

We hope this little guide has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, you can leave them below in the form of a comment and we will answer you shortly.

What do you take into account when buying a laptop? What is the most important thing for you?