Looking for a Laptop Part 1
By Alexander M.
Information Technology Laptop by Getty Images (Fakhri-sa) Created in Canva
*DISCLAIMER* The information presented in this article is aimed at residents in the United States, but it can still provide helpful information to residents in other countries.
This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Click here for Part 2!
One thing that we all use here at NSA is an electronic device. Whether it be a tablet, phone, or computer, we often need to use our electronic devices for our schoolwork as well as to communicate with our classmates. This article will be the technical section of a two-part guide to buying a laptop, but many of these ideas and tips can apply to buying a PC as well.
Three of the main technical aspects to consider before purchasing a laptop are operating systems, amount of storage, RAM, and graphics. These are all important to consider since they can make or break your experience with your new device.
Operating System
The first technical aspect to consider is what operating system you want for your laptop, since this can affect the variety of applications that can run on your laptop. There are four main ones that you should be aware of. First, there is the classic Windows operating system, which will allow you to easily run all your Microsoft-related apps, such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, or Teams. Second, there is the macOS, which stands for operating system. This system is only available on Apple Macbooks and can run Microsoft applications. Third, there is ChromeOS, which is available on Chromebooks. While Chromebooks are less expensive, they do not run any Microsoft apps, which is something you should be aware of. Fourth, Linux has its own OS, but it is also not able to run Microsoft apps. I would personally recommend you look into either a Windows or macOS laptop, since both of these allow you to easily use Microsoft apps for school. However, if you prefer to use other variants of these applications, such as Google docs, then other operating systems might be a better fit for you.
Storage and RAM
Storage and RAM are crucial things to consider when you purchase a laptop. Storage refers to the data you can store on your laptop, such as files, videos, pictures, and so forth. RAM, which stands for random-access memory, refers to how much data your computer can work on at the same time. For storage, you will likely want to try to find a laptop with at least 256 GB of storage and preferably a solid-state drive (SSD) over a spinning drive. As for RAM, you will need various amounts depending on what the purpose of your laptop is. For example, a gamer will need his computer to be able to process a lot of information at once, while a student may only have a few browser tabs open, which requires little RAM. However, it is never bad to have too much RAM. This means that if you are comparing two laptops you like, and one has more RAM, I would suggest choosing that one.
Graphics
Like most electronic devices, laptops can have varying levels of graphics. All laptops come with some form of graphics cards installed directly in their processor. However, these graphics are only great for medium-level graphics tasks such as watching movies or playing lower-quality games. If you are interested in video editing or gaming, these graphics will likely not suffice. This is where a discrete graphics card comes in, which is separate from the processor in your computer. These graphics cards allow you to game or edit videos at much better quality. There are two main graphic cards for laptops, which are Nvidia and Radeon. While there are differences between these cards, they will not be addressed in this article, since they are not extremely significant. However, one thing to look for is the number in front of the name, since that is important. The basic idea is that the higher the number in front of the card’s name, the better the quality, but better quality can also result in increased battery usage.
In conclusion, there are three primary technical areas that you should focus on when you are purchasing a laptop. You must make sure that the laptop you purchase is able to run all the apps you plan to use on it, which requires you to investigate operating systems. Your laptop must have the necessary storage to make sure that you can have all your important files at hand, while also having enough RAM to run smoothly. The last area you need to consider is whether you need to search for a laptop with a discrete graphics card, which depends on how you plan to use your laptop. I hope this short guide provides some insight into the complex field of purchasing a laptop. If you are interested in learning more about the personal side of choosing a laptop, check out the second part of this guide!
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Alexander M. lives in Georgia, USA, with his parents and younger sister. He has been a student at NorthStar for a year and is just starting to write for the Navigator. He likes to play Minecraft with his friends and plays for the different esports teams here at NorthStar Academy.