A Newbie’s Complete Guide to buying a Laptop
by Mico Maglaque
Hello there, stranger! Are you looking for a new laptop but can’t decide which one to pick? Does trying to make sense of all those acronyms that supposedly refer to specific computer parts leave you mentally defenceless and weak? Do you really need to have that high-end, top-of-the-line, heaven-sent gaming rig when all you’re really going to do is type school papers? Fear not! Based on the latest available hardware and my personal experience when helping people buy laptops, let this be your guide in making the right choice when buying a laptop.
Before I go on to detailed explanations of each laptop part to keep an eye on, let me ask you, what exactly do you need that laptop for? In answering that question, not only do know what kind of laptop you’ll need, but also how much it’ll cost you. Being a strong advocate of the “best bang for buck” mentality, choosing the right kind of laptop also entails squeezing the best amount of performance for every single penny you spend on it, so it’s best you know what are you exactly planning to do so you can choose better. To help you discern between how much performance you need, I shall attempt to break down each part into 3 different categories: the budget, the basic, and the best, wherever it may be applicable. “Budget” here would pertain to a part whose sole purpose is to get the job done in either internet surfing or typing, “Basic” would fit into your daily needs, occasional rendering tasks and decent, gaming, while “Best” would be able to handle performance-heavy tasks like image and video rendering, as well as high-definition gaming.
Here’s a quick rundown of the things you need to keep an eye on. Beneath each component are the specific brands and models available for that component, if applicable. These brands and models are then sorted into the respective performance categories in which I believe they belong in. Keep in mind that these categories I made serve as a rough estimate of their price-to-performance ratio, and do not necessarily dictate their real-time performance, as these are purely my own assumptions based on existing benchmarks and articles/reviews for each part. If you notice, I intentionally did not include screen size, as this is usually a matter of preference. More on that later.
Please note that the x’s that may appear from time to time here refer to all submodels which fall under the same general model or family possessing said prefix. For example, an Intel i7-3960M falls under the intel i7-3xxx series.
Laptop Size
– Before we go on to the heart and soul of your laptop that is the processor, I believe the size of your laptop holds a significant position in making your choice, even way before looking at the processor. Why? Because laptop (specifically, screen) size dictates how massive your new electronic buddy is going to get. Seriously, I don’t have plans of lugging a 17-inch, 2-Kilogram behemoth on my back all the time. Size also dictates how much components you can…err, fit into the laptop’s body. A bigger size requires a bigger body, and a bigger body usually results in higher-performing components (like Graphics cards) being accommodated. While some laptop models seemingly defy this convention (e.g., Razer Blade and Alienware’s M11x) by cramming high-performance parts within tiny bodies, forcing those parts in there comes at a huge cost: temperature. Because the size dictates how big the body is going to get, airflow becomes an issue here, which I will discuss in a bit.
Netbooks: 11” and 11.6” models are usually inexpensive, because generally, smaller-sized laptops contain less components. This makes them a lot easier to manufacture. Netbooks are not prone to heat since they usually can’t fit a dedicated graphics card inside their tiny bodies (more on that in the graphics card part). These models, however, are highly portable and tend to have average to long battery-lives, given the normally limited functions they can perform.
Notebooks and Ultrabooks: 13”, 14”, and 15.6” models follow since their bodies are big enough to fit all the standard components of a laptop, hence, increased general performance compared to netbooks. However, with increased performance also means increased heat, and as experience has taught me, 14” laptops are especially prone to thermal shutdowns. This is caused by most laptop fans mechanically wearing down over time. In addition, their bodies aren’t big enough to dissipate the heat generated during processor-heavy tasks. Regarding weight, notebooks shouldn’t be too heavy to carry around, although it might be advisable to carry them in a backpack instead of a laptop messenger bag.
Workstations/ Desktop Replacement Machines: All models going north of 17” are referred to as Workstations, “Tabletops” or “Desktop Replacement Machines” (DTM’s), due to their hefty size. Personally, I just refer to them as behemoths. Being the largest of the categories, these models are able to cram standard laptop parts, a few extra ports, and even subwoofers, into their large bodies. These models also do not suffer the heat problem Notebooks and Ultrabooks possess, since their bodies are large enough to accommodate vents which help dissipate heat. Don’t get me started on portability though. These things are HUGE. “Portability” here becomes relative, in which the amount of portability is directly proportional to how much you’ve been working out in the gym over the last 2 months.
I haven’t given much detail when it comes to screen resolution, but for a quick statement, most laptops to date come in a 16:9 aspect ratio, possessing a wide screen suitable for watching movies. Any higher ratio than that, and the screen becomes wider relative to height. AMOLED, LED, IPS and whatnot just refer to how the screen is illuminated, from what I know. You don’t really need to mind those. Again, size here is a matter of preference. If you’re willing to go out on a limb (and hopefully not lose one in the process), by all means, go grab yourself a 17-incher, but if you want to cut yourself some slack, stick to the smaller ones.
Processor
– Being the very heart and soul by which your machine operates on, the processor (CPU, or “core” as it’s normally called) becomes a top priority when choosing a new unit. The processor dictates how much you can do with your machine, and how fast your machine generally feels.
– More cores and threads = better. Also, higher clock speed = generally faster, although this may not always be the case (see LifeHacker’s article[1] about it). For more information regarding core differences (and why you shouldn’t worry about it too much), another one[2] of LifeHacker’s articles and be enlightened.
– AMD’s newer processors are referred to as APU’s (Accelerated Processing Units). These differ from your classic CPU in their architecture and in the way they handle machine instructions. In terms of function, there’s not much of a difference. Both APU’s and CPU’s serve the heart, soul, or brain of your machine.
Budget: Intel Dual-Core, Core2 Duo, Core2 Quad, Atom, and 1st-gen i3 series; and AMD Athlon, Phenom, and E-Series
Basic: Intel i3, any i5, and i7-xxxxU series; and most AMD A-Series APU’s.
Best: Intel i7-xxxxM series, Xeon, and AMD FX-series APU’s.
Graphics Card
– Following the processor, your graphics card should be the next priority. In gaming and graphics-heavy applications, it dictates how fast your program is going to run and do stuff. In addition, some other programs also take advantage of graphics processing.
– Graphics cards fall under two categories: discrete and dedicated. Discrete graphics cards are found inside your processors, and since they share the small amount of space reserved for your processor, they tend to be slower than their dedicated counterparts. Discrete graphics, however, play a big role in saving battery life, since dedicated cards draw more power from your battery. As an offset to this, dedicated cards are generally faster.
– Some high-end graphics cards are actually pairs of single cards, usually of the same brand and model. These “dual cards” are designed to run simultaneously together but act as a single processing unit. Nvidia calls theirs in “SLi”, while ATi calls theirs in “CrossFire” configuration. More graphics cards = More crunching power.
Budget: Intel GMA, HD3xxx, and AMD 8xxxG.
Basic: Nvidia GT 5xxM, 6xxM, 7xxM series, and ATi Radeon HD 5xxxM, 6xxxM, 74xxM, 75xxM, 84xxM, 85xxM, and Intel HD Graphics 4xxx, Iris Pro Graphics (to be confirmed. Read Gizmodo’s[3] article about it.)
Best: Nvidia GTX 5xxM, 6xxM, 7xxM series, any of the previously mentioned cards running on SLI, and Quadro Series cards. For ATi/AMD Radeon HD 77xxM, 79xxM, 87xxM, 89xxM, any of the previously-mentioned cards on CrossFire, and FirePro series.
To see how much performance graphics cards contribute to your system, LifeHacker has some articles[4] [5][6] you might want to read.
RAM
– RAM, or “Random Access Memory”, pertains to the working memory of your computer. It is the memory which your applications use when you run them. Having more RAM means being able to do more simultaneous tasks with your computer. How much RAM you actually need depends on what you do. To make this short, unless you’re the type who does image rendering and video-encoding (Photoshop, Premiere, Vegas, etc.), you wouldn’t need more than 4GB of RAM. In addition, the Double Data Rate (DDR) of your RAM dictates how fast it can read and write stuff in memory. DDR3 is the latest standard.
– The amount of RAM your unit has also pertains to the kind of operating system you’re going to need. Having around 4GB of RAM or more means you’re going to need a 64-bit O.S. (as well as 64-bit programs) in order to fully utilize it. This has something to do with the way operating systems are coded, in which OS’s running 32-bit can’t read memory bigger than 3.3GB. For a better explanation, LifeHacker has post[7] about it which you can read.
– Since RAM modules are quite cheap nowadays (you can grab a 2GB upgrade for around 800 pesos), there’s no really no need for a classification here. My advice: maximize your RAM while they’re still cheap. Thank me later.
– Most dedicated Video Cards have their own memory modules (referred to as VRAM), which is good since they don’t have to take any memory from your RAM, compared to discrete graphics cards which do. Most VRAM modules use DDR3, however, some high-end graphics cards go all the way up to DDR5, which means they’re really built to crunch graphics.
Storage
– Laptop storage may come in 2 forms: SSD (Solid State Drives) and HDD (Hard Disk Drives), with their differences mainly in the way are made. SSD’s are like upsized flash drives, relying on flash memory to store data. Hence, they are a whole lot faster compared to traditional hard drives with spinning magnetic plates. As a drawback, the per-gigabyte cost of SSD’s tend to be higher compared to Hard Disk Drives. Some high-end laptops have a combination of an SSD and an HDD in RAID configuration, gaining the benefits of speed from the SSD and the size from the HDD. Unfortunately, these “hybrids” are more challenging to fix once they decide to break down.
Budget: everything less than or equal to 160GB HDD’s
Basic: 320GB – 500GB HDD’s
Best: 750GB HDD’s and Higher, or any laptop rocking an SSD in general.
Read LifeHacker’s post[8] regarding SSD’s, and why they’re absolutely worth it.
Battery
– Generally, battery sizes are a good general indicator of potential battery life. I use the word “potential” here, as overall battery life will depend on how much you use your laptop outside of a socket.
– Take note that battery life tends to degrade over time, even if you practice good habits in taking care of your laptop’s battery.
Budget and Basic: 6-cell to 9-cell batteries
Best: > 9-cell batteries, and certain laptop models which offer an extra battery slot.
Other Features:
– Here are other features that usually come as bonuses when purchasing a laptop. For sound, most laptops run Realtek’s HD Audio, which is decent enough in providing quality audio. Some manufacturers, however, decide to throw in custom sound cards to provide exceptional audio capabilities. Some of these include SRS Audio, Dolby Digital, Beats Audio Processing, and many more. Unless you’re the type of person who’s very meticulous with the way their laptops produce sound, Realtek’s HD audio should suffice.
– Backlit keyboards also come as a nice touch, however, don’t expect those to come with budget laptops. The cheapest I’ve seen to sport one was around P40, 000, and that was a gaming laptop, mind you.
– Bluetooth, because wireless stuff makes you look cooler. Constantly buying batteries isn’t cool though.
For pricing, budget laptops usually fall anywhere from P16, 000 to P24, 000. Basic laptops, from 25,000 to P35, 000. Anything north of P35, 000 already falls under best. Please keep in mind that the prices here are all rough estimates of mall prices, and are therefore subject to change from store to store. Take it as a more general guideline to see if the laptop you’re choosing is totally worth the price. If you actually know where to look (*wink wink*), you can grab better laptops for a fraction less than their actual prices, with warranty included. I’ll leave it to you guys to find out where those magical places are.
As a closing statement to this otherwise healthy article, having a laptop is only one thing. What you do with it is what differentiates the good from the epic.
Sources:
[2] http://lifehacker.com/5891007/do-i-even-need-to-care-about-processors-anymore
[3] http://gizmodo.com/intel-iris-integrated-graphics-are-finally-awesome-486483980
[6] http://lifehacker.com/5988365/how-bottlenecks-work-and-how-they-can-waste-money-spent-on-your-pc
[7] http://lifehacker.com/5415355/do-you-really-need-more-than-4gb-of-ram
[8] http://lifehacker.com/5616023/are-solid+state-drives-worth-the-money
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Notebook-Processors.129.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Laptop-Graphics-Cards.130.0.html
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/apu/Pages/apu.aspx
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