Buying a laptop the right way for college

Originally posted on 9/7/20

Image by Kari Shea on Unsplash

Thinking of buying a new laptop for college before the start of the next sem?
There are a LOT of laptops out there with different features and looks to choose from. This can be quite overwhelming for an average person.
This is a simple, not-too-much-technical guide to help you choose your ideal laptop the right way. Here, I'm going to skip the "looks" of the laptop since it differs from person to person.
Make sure to read it till the end! I've got a simple trick that helps you choose the perfect laptop among your shortlisted ones. Read on!

OS

The OS or Operating System is a system software that helps run your PC and acts as an interface between the hardware and other software. You are able to launch your favourite apps beacuse of this.

Windows is the most popular OS and can be found preinstalled in almost every laptop brand with the exclusion of Apple Macbooks that run MacOS developed by Apple itself, so naturally you have to buy a Macbook for using MacOS. Since both OSs are widely used, you'll find many third party apps that run on both of these. Windows 10 laptops are available from the budget segment to the premium end, while Macbooks only live in the premium end. I really don't need to focus more on these two OSs as you should be well acquainted with them.

Then there's Chrome OS, developed by Google, which is now the second most popular OS. Chrome OS is different from the above two OSs as it is specifically made for basic PC users who just surf the web, watch online movies and web series, check their emails, edit a document, etc. The OS is built around Chrome browser and also allow you to install apps from Play Store! Don't worry you can use Chrome OS in offline mode too. Just like Windows laptops, Chromebooks can in found in both the budget and premium segment. As mentioned before, Chromebooks are great for everyday users, have sufficient hardware to run the apps and also offer a way to avoid overspending on a Windows laptop or Macbook.

For hardcore gamers Windows 10 is the clear winner as it boasts a huge library games, but MacOS isn't far behind. The Play Store is available in newer Chromebooks, so thanks to it you can install Android games.

Processor

The processor or CPU is the brain of the computer. It processes, manipulates and manages the flow of data.

Since the beginning, Intel was the go-to-brand when it came to CPUs. But now, it's AMD who's catching up and has dethroned Intel in several aspects. Many experts prefer AMD. Why? Simple reason. High performance with low cost. Now who doesn't like that? But then again, there are loyal Intel customers. (I'm a RED fan, so yeah I'm a little biased.)

The type of processor shouldn't concern you unless you're thinking to do something specific like video editing or gaming. It's better to stick with the Intel Core or AMD Ryzen series for decent performance. There is always an option for those on super budget like Intel's Pentium or AMD's Athlon or even previous Core or Ryzen generation/models. I've listed a short and straightforward relation below.

Intel

AMD

As you go further towards the right, performance increases and so does price. It's always recommend to buy the latest generation ones, since they have a little edge than the previous gen in terms of performance. Currently, Intel has launched 11th gen "Tiger Lake "CPUs while AMD has launched their 5000 series.

For college students in general, the latest i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU is preferable. For students taking up courses like design, computer science, animation, film-making, architecture and similar courses an i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU is a must.

For all those Apple fans out there, they have recently taken an entirely different route that can be termed revolutionary, by designing their own chip - the M1. What's so special about these chips? They are based on the ARM architecture, the same used on iPhones and iPads! Plus, they are fast and powerful too. So the Macbook is and was always an option.

RAM

Your PC stores certain data on a temporary basis in the RAM to access it quickly instead of using the storage drive. Once you switch off you PC, that data is gone.

RAM is really useful if you do a lot of multitasking, gaming, video editing and other similar stuff. For basic users, a RAM of 4GB should be fine. But an 8GB RAM is always recommended.

If you find a laptop with your desired features but with 4GB RAM instead of 8GB, you can always buy a seperate RAM (according to your laptop's specifications). You just need to research a bit and installation is super easy, except in a few laptop models.

For gamers out there, the speed of the RAM is essential especially if you're planning to buy a Ryzen powered laptop. Make sure the RAM has speeds greater than 3000MHz. It will heavily benefit your gaming experience.

GPU

GPU or video card or graphics card is the component that handles the video output.

You must have seen something like "Intel Graphics". Here, the graphics is integrated with the CPU. This is more than enough for basic users and can handle light gaming too. AMD have their own "Radeon Vega Graphics".

If you are into heavy gaming, video editing, 3D modelling, etc. a seperate GPU, called a dedicated GPU, is a must. NVIDIA and AMD design these graphics cards while other brands manufacture and sell them with their laptops. These dedicated video cards usually come in gaming laptops. Other laptops might include a lower end graphics card. Buy a laptop with the NVIDIA RTX GPUs for the ultimate portable PC gaming experience.

Storage

Every PC has a storage drive, either a HDD, SSD or sometimes both, where data is stored permanently.

Nowadays, most people have developed a little impatience ever since the internet came in. Everyone expects their games, e-mails, music, movies to download, upload or load faster. Speaking about PCs, users want them to boot and run applications faster than ever.

A SSD does this exactly. It's very different from the HDD which uses old style spinning disks. SSDs boot Windows 10 in seconds. But like everything, it has a downside. They are expensive because of the kind of tech used inside. Usually, you'll find 120-512GB in laptops. They are the same size as the HDDs.

Then there are M.2 NVME SSD (a type of SSD) drives that look like RAM and are even faster and easy to install.

If you have a lot of data like photos and games, you can store them in an HDD by installing it seperately in your laptop. Check your laptop specs if it supports a HDD secondary storage. A SSD is a must have for a modern laptop.

Battery Life

All modern laptops now use lithium (Li, Atomic number = 3) batteries. More number of cells, more is the battery power. You also need to look at its W/hr or Wh (Watt per hour i.e. power consumed per hour). That determines how long you can use your laptop. Again, more is better.

Most manufacturers make false claims about their product's battery life. This is a fact. So how do you make out the "actual" battery life of your laptop? Here's a blog post written by Matthew Lui for Guiding Tech.

Ports

This is an overlooked part when it comes to choosing a laptop. Ports allow external devices like pendrives and earphones to be connected to your laptop. There are many different kinds of ports for various purposes and devices. I have listed the must-have ones for an average modern laptop.

Audio jack

It also known as headphone jack or phone jack. As you may know, this 3.5mm circular port allows you to connect your earphones, headphones and speakers.

USB Type A

The most used and well known among the ports, this rectangular shaped port allows you to connect a variety of devices like your phone, keyboard, mouse, pendrive and external drives.

Make sure that your laptop includes the USB 3.0 standard atleast, otherwise it'll be frustrating when it comes to transfer of data. It offers speeds upto 5Gbps which is almost 10 times faster than the older USB 2.0. The lastest standard is USB 3.1 that offers speeds upto to 10Gbps.

USB Type C

The USB Type C is like the cool new kid on the block, which offers also offers insane speeds upto 40Gbps (Thunderbolt)! It is rapidly taking over the USB Type A and is being used in more and more devices. Your laptop really needs to have this port.

HDMI

This port helps to connect your laptop to a display like a monitor or a TV. It sends both video and audio signals. Watching movies on a TV with friends is always better than on the standard laptop screen.

RJ-45

This unusually named port is a huge boon to heavy internet users, Netflix fans and online gamers. It is also called an Ethernet port and allows your laptop to get connected to the LAN or simply to access the internet. It requires an ethernet cable to your laptop from a router or ethernet port from the wall. It offers extremely fast and uninterrupted internet speeds when compared to WiFi.

Weight and Size

Laptops are basically portable PCs. You know that. Hence, they fit easily in backpacks and can be carried around without any problem. It shouldn't be a burden for your back and shoulders.

Gaming laptops are heavy because of their hardware. Plus, they have a big screen size to enjoy visuals. For an ideal laptop, anywhere below 2kg is fine and a 14 or 15 inch size should be enough. But there are a few people who want even smaller or larger. A 1080p or FHD display will give you clear images and better viewing quality, so make sure to check that out too.

If you're going to college with your laptop, you need to look for a lighter and smaller laptop. These two factors make up the "portability" word and this word makes "laptops" to exist. So, watch out for the size and weight.

Tech Tip

When deciding between your shortlisted laptops, head over to the PassMark CPU and GPU websites, that lets you compare processors and graphics cards present on the laptops. Really helpful when choosing between similar laptop models!

Hope this guide helped you. If it did, feel free to add a comment! You could also add any other important feature that I might have missed.

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