▷ How to choose a laptop? 【Tips before buying】 ️

How to choose a laptop is not an easy task, in addition to the number of manufacturers that we find in the market, we also have to add everything we need to know about them, both in hardware and in design and performance. That is why we offer this small article in which we will know the keys to choose a good laptop.

Prepared? In this tutorial we will explain step by step how to select the best laptop according to our needs.

If there is something we should highlight about the laptops of the current era, it is the overwhelming power that it can offer us, especially the laptops designed for gaming. Computers with truly fast processors and graphics cards that deliver near-desktop-like performance. Of course, the price has also risen compared to those of other years, placing us in astronomical figures and which exceed 2, 000, even 3, 000 euros.

Index of contents

The required step: What are you going to use it for?

It may seem silly, but it is something basic that we must ask ourselves before buying an equipment. It will depend on spending half a year's salary or paying just 500 euros. Let's see how we can use a laptop and more or less where we can move in terms of features:

• Gaming: We will need a laptop with a dedicated graphics card, and at least 16 GB of RAM memory along with a Core i5 or i7 processor. Here we distinguish between Nvidia GTX cards of the previous generation, with much cheaper prices, and new generation RTX cards with more expensive equipment, but with performance almost on a par with desktop computers. The size does not matter nor its weight, what counts is gross performance and efficient cooling. Office and studies: here we are going to need a medium-sized laptop with a 15 or 17-inch screen and, if possible, an ultra book for better manageability. Ideally, it should have good autonomy and normal hardware, Core i3 or i5 and without the need for dedicated graphics. Design and CAD: We are also going to possibly need a dedicated graphics card, and unless we need ray tracing, we can choose one of the previous generation, for example, GTX 1050 Ti or 1060. A good screen, yes, 15 or 17 inches with good calibration and color. It wouldn't be a bad idea to include Thunderbolt 3. Multimedia: we don't need a powerful team for these purposes. Something cheap, with ample storage, preferably hybrid with 1 TB SSD + HDD and integrated graphics that will be able to play content in any resolution. Travel: here what matters is portability. An ultra book with a 15 or 13-inch screen will be more than enough. Aluminum for good durability and a long battery life with the help of low-power and low-consumption hardware.

Everything will depend in part on the taste of each user and what they want to spend, but with these basic notions we can have a suitable equipment for different needs.

Basic hardware performance or autonomy

The basic hardware of a laptop includes the processor, RAM, storage and graphics card, which we will deal with in a different section, as well as storage. For the most advanced and gamers we can also take into account the chipset and the hardware expandability of the motherboard.

Intel or AMD

The truth is that here where we have the most possibilities is at Intel, there are considerably more laptops that mount Intel CPUs than AMD, especially gaming laptops like the AORUS. The star processors are the Intel Core in its different versions, which we can also clearly identify for what use they are intended:

• Intel Core i3 8130 and variants - Ideal for multimedia, office and travel laptops. With an interesting power and very low consumption, they will be able to perform all kinds of undemanding tasks. Intel Core i5-8250 and variants: It is a somewhat more powerful processor in multitasking, especially, and that some low-end gaming equipment mount it. That we want something a little more supportive is a very smart option to acquire an i5. Intel Core i7-8750 and i9-8950 and variants: These processors have 6 cores and some of them have overclocking capabilities. They are mounted on high-end gaming equipment and design laptops. Do not expect great autonomies, because gross power prevails here. AMD Ryzen 3, 5, 7: the same can be said of laptops that incorporate Ryzen as a processing core. They are the minority, but the Ryzen 3, 5 and 7, with up to 6 cores, are from lowest to highest power.

We do not recommend buying a laptop with Intel Celeron, Intel of the Y or M family, because they offer very low performance compared to the Core. Although they will be recommended for users who want something very basic and with a very low consumption.

RAM

The situation is similar to the previous one, although easier to summarize and understand. The more RAM memory we have, the more programs we can run simultaneously. Windows can consume up to 4 GB if you have memory to spare, and more if we start opening applications.

That is why we recommend an amount of memory equal to or greater than 8 GB, and of course it will have to be DDR4, which is the one that has been installed for a few years now. The favorite speed will be 2666 MHz, installed in most mid-range and high-end notebooks.

But most important of all, is that the motherboard has the capacity to expand this memory. So, when buying a laptop, even if it only has 4 GB of RAM, we are going to look for it to have two SO-DIMM slots inside, and that its specification makes it clear that the memory is expandable.

Motherboard

The motherboard in a laptop is usually not as clear to identify as that of a desktop PC. That is why the main thing in it is that it has the ability to apply hardware, as in the commented case of RAM.

Another aspect to consider in them, especially for gaming equipment will be the type of chipset that is installed. At Intel we have a fairly wide range of chipsets, which from highest to lowest performance we have: CM246 with 24 PCIe LANES, QM370 with 20, HM370 with 16, HM175 with 16 like the new generation ones. But there are more of them that are very similar in terms of capacity and variants of these.

Storage

Storage is a fundamental section, since the memory expansion capacity in a laptop is not usually as extensive as in desktop computers. That is why we must choose a team that already has a good configuration and capacity at the factory, or at least know that it is expandable. As always, we will have two types of storage HDD or mechanical hard drives and SSD or solid drives.

Solid storage is basic, we will distinguish them by the initials SSD and it is necessary today to have one where to install the operating system. Ideally, it should be an M.2 NVMe PCIe x4 SSD, which are the fastest on the market. They are directly connected to a slot on the motherboard, and it is possible to expand the capacity with another larger unit. We recommend at least 256 or 512 GB of SSD storage if we have a mechanical disk also inside, if not, we should opt for 1 TB SSD drives.

Mechanical disks are the ones of a lifetime, connected via SATA III and ideal for large capacities and file storage. If we are going to use our laptop for design or gaming, we should have the capacity for a 2.5 inch 1 or 2 TB drive. But please do not use it to install the operating system on it. The new AORUS 15 range , for example, have 512GB SSD + 2TB HDD configurations , which are highly recommended.

Graphic card

Virtually all laptops have integrated graphics inside, specifically inside the CPU. In addition, they are very valid for most tasks such as browsing, watching 4K content or even graphic design.

But if we want to play, we want to render videos or work in CAD / CAM design, the best thing will be to have a dedicated graphics card, yes, as it happens with desktop computers.

Previous-generation low-end gaming systems or workstations have Nvidia GTX 1050 while mid-range models have GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1060, and high-end models have GTX 1070 or 1080. They are very powerful cards in Max-Q design (ultra - thin) highly recommended to play and design, and they are also cheaper equipment than those that come with new generation cards.

Thus we come to the new generation gaming laptops, inside we have Nvidia RTX 2060, 2070 and 2080 Max-Q with ray tracing capacity, much more processing capacity and giving a performance of 70% compared to desktop models, but consuming only a third. They are very expensive but very powerful equipment. Soon we will also have laptops with Nvidia GTX 1660, 1660 Ti and even 1650, which are also new generation mid-range graphics.

Normal laptop, ultra book or 2 in 1

In the market we can find countless laptop models with different hardware configurations, but almost all manufacturers, such as AORUS, offer these models included in three different categories, normal laptops, ultrabooks or with Max-Q design and two in one.

The normal laptops are the ones that we have traditionally had for years ago, they are computers with a thickness of more than 2 cm, made of plastic or aluminum and a weight normally greater than 2 or 2.5 Kg. Almost all of them have good hardware expandability and enough cooling space.

Then we have the new laptops with Max-Q design also called ultra books that are characterized by being very thin, with thickness less than 2 cm even closed. They are much less heavy and are generally built in metal, and not because of them they are less powerful, because there are real beasts with high-end hardware within them.

Finally we have the two-in-one laptops, which are those that have a very normal or Max-Q design and that also have a touch screen and even the possibility of handling them as a Tablet or with the hardware directly installed behind the screen. They are usually small, about 13 inches and are ideal for travel.

The screen and size you need

Just as important is the internal hardware, in this case the screen, why? It is basically what marks the total size of the laptop, its manageability and also the purpose for which we are going to use it. In the market we can find several generic screen sizes, among which are those of 13, 15.6 and 17.3 inches.

• 13 inches: They are very good for travel and very manageable due to their small dimensions, but if you use it a lot it may be something small. They are also generally less powerful and come in 2-in-1 configurations. 15.6 inches - This is the standard size, good dimensions for both traveling and long hours working with it. It is recommended that it has at least Full HD resolution and it is the minimum diagonal to play decently and for design and editing work. 17.3 inches: They are not the most manageable, but they do almost always offer resolutions higher than 1080p. If the laptop is going to remain normally on the desk at home or you want to play it, 17 inches are the indicated ones. Plus, they have more room for powerful hardware.

Then we must also attend to factors such as the panel technology, which may be IPS, with greater accuracy in colors, but always with the doubt of bleeding, or faster, cheaper and very good TN or VA panels for gaming, although with some more saturated colors and less viewing angles. Also the incorporation of an X-Rite Pantone certificate that assures us true colors is very important and that is that companies like Aorus / GIgabyte incorporate it in their high-end range.

With these sizes, a Full HD resolution (1920x1080p) is almost always recommended as the pixel density will be correct and more than enough for almost all tasks. Although there are screens at 4K resolution (3840x2160p). If you also want it for gaming, appreciate that it has a frequency of at least 144 Hz to experience a much more fluid image and the presence of AMD FreeSync technology .

The battery, the great concern of a laptop

If we want a laptop, the least we can ask for is that it is precisely portable, and that the battery can last us at least 4 hours. The duration depends largely on the hardware inside, the screen, and the cells of the battery itself.

If we want to travel, and that our team lasts at least 4 or 5 hours, we will have to go to a laptop with a battery of at least 4 cells, or that have a small screen and little powerful hardware, for example, Intel Core i3, Celeron or even Atom. Laptops with Google's Chrome OS system are almost the most autonomous, but, of course, they are oriented to very basic tasks.

If we buy a laptop with a 17-inch screen and powerful hardware, the minimum we can ask for is a battery of 6 cells or more, and even then we will have to pay attention to the consumption profile, because they are computers that consume a lot of energy.

If we also want to play, it is better to have the charger close, because despite having good batteries, the games consume a lot of resources and the autonomy will be reduced to just an hour or two at most.

Connectivity, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt 3, etc.

In the current era, almost all high-end laptops implement Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, an interface invented by Intel and that works under USB Type-C and that provides a speed of 40 GB / s. Through this USB you can charge the laptop, connect compatible 4K monitors, and even eGPU (external graphics cards). They are expensive laptops, usually ultrabooks and design-oriented.

If we want to stay in something more "normal", the minimum we can ask for is a pair of USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A and Type-C and several USB 3.1 gen1. An Ethernet connector for wired network will also be highly valued, although ultrabooks do not usually bring it, for reasons of space.

Something that is mandatory is a Wi-Fi card, it is recommended that you implement Bluetooth 5.0 and dual band 2 × 2 Wi-Fi connectivity at 867 Mbps or 1.73 Gbps to have a good experience in streaming, navigation and games. We look forward to notebooks with 802.11ax protocol, successor to 802.11ac and with much more bandwidth.

Keyboard and touchpad

The size restrictions that laptops have, for example, adding a mechanical keyboard or a numeric keyboard will be a rather complicated task. We usually find chewing gum type keyboards, a variant of the membrane type, in most laptops, independent of its range. In this sense, everything will depend on the quality of the chosen membrane, Apple is undoubtedly the one with the best keyboards in this regard.

In high-end and gaming laptops, mechanical keyboards with low-profile Cherry MX switches are increasingly being used. In addition, many have backlights such as the new AORUS range, especially since they are notebooks designed for gaming. First of all, we must avoid that the keyboard has the typical sag in the central area due to its poor quality. Something that will get worse and worse and that we will not be able to write correctly.

Exactly the same happens with the touchpad of a laptop. This is one of the most important ways you interact with your team, so it should work well. Many manufacturers, for simplicity, install the buttons on the main touch panel itself, which leads to a slightly off-hook touchpad with a terrible feeling of movement and slack. We recommend checking this aspect before buying a laptop, or having the buttons separated and in the traditional way.

Other many, do not respond well to the movement of the finger or fingers, since almost all current ones allow the input of multitouch gestures. We must check if our touchpad works correctly, and correctly detect touch clicks and gestures, because otherwise, we are going to have a bad experience and it will force us to use an external mouse.

Recommended models of quality price laptops

This time we are going to recommend some of the Gigabyte and Aorus brand laptops. They are teams that have very good benefits and at the design level they are very good.

GIGABYTE Aero 15-X9-7ES0310P

• Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 8.75 Ghz 16 GB DDR4, 2666 MHz RAM 1 TB (7200 rpm) NVIDIA GeForce integrated graphics card Windows 10 Pro Home operating system

2, 909.71 EUR Buy on Amazon

Gigabyte AERO15X v8

• Compact and portable gaming laptop Long-lasting battery 144Hz IPS LCD screen with X-Rite Pantone certificate. 5mm frame RGB backlit keyboard Thunderbolt 3.0

1, 579.00 EUR Buy on Amazon

Gigabyte AERO15W v8

• Compact and portable gaming laptopLong-lasting battery 144hz ips lcd screen with x-rite pantone certificate; 5mm frame Retro illuminated rgb keyboard Thunderbolt 3.0

2, 119.00 EUR Buy on Amazon

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Conclusion about tips for choosing a laptop

Well, we have already seen enough useful tips and elements to take into account when choosing a laptop. Without favoritism, it is advisable to choose a well-known brand and that we know that they make quality products.

Decisions such as knowing what we are going to use it for, its external design, size or internal hardware, will be very important and will determine our purchasing preferences.

Visit the guide to the best laptops on the market

And if you are too lazy to find out for yourself the best laptop, what you have to do is take a look at our guide to the best laptops on the market. We give you a fairly complete list of equipment in different categories according to needs where you can find what you are looking for. What are the best laptops for you, which design do you prefer, power or autonomy? We want to know what experience you have had!