Five key things to consider when buying a new laptop
Adrian Weckler
This is a time of year when I get a lot of messages from readers and
friends about shopping for laptops.
What should one spend? For basic, normal things, are you being gouged if
you splash out on higher-end new models? Do they come with things like
Microsoft Office and, if not, how do you get it? And how long should a
decent one last?
There’s often a lot of jargon involved. So here’s a plain English guide
in what to look for in an ordinary, reliable, future-proof model.
1 The screen and size
There are two main factors when it comes to screen and size. Do you
imagine that you’ll be taking your laptop out of the house much? If so,
don’t get a large 15 or 16-inch model. As well as weighing much more,
and being harder to fit into travel bags, their battery life is usually
worse than standard 13 or 14-inch models.
On the other hand, if you know you’re going to mainly use it at home,
and particularly on a table or a desk, a 15 or 16-inch model can be a
good choice. You’ll have it plugged in a lot of the time and the extra
screen space can be brilliant for poorer eyesight or for multitasking,
with different applications open on the same screen. As for screen
quality, you should be looking for a ‘full HD’ display (sometimes called
1080p). You don’t need 4K. Touchscreen models are also somewhat superfluous.
2 Engine stuff: chips and Ram
This is where the jargon sometimes kicks in. If you’re getting a Windows
laptop (Dell, HP, Lenovo and anything else that isn’t an Apple Mac),
you’re looking for something with a minimum of an Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen
5 chip (or ‘processor’, as the tech terminology has it). Anything below
that could leave you short if you suddenly decide you want to try your
hand at editing a video.
Similarly, you shouldn’t really consider anything that has less than 8GB
of Ram. If you do, you’ll notice it taking its time to complete some tasks.
3 Windows v Mac
If you’re budget-conscious, this one is simple: you can’t get a MacBook
for under €1,000, unless you go second-hand. All ‘affordable’ laptops
are Windows ones, made by companies such as Asus, HP, Dell, Acer and Lenovo.
If your budget can stretch to over €1,000, an Apple MacBook is a more
advanced option. MacBooks have far longer battery life and are much more
powerful than most similarly priced Windows laptops. They’re also
generally easier to use for beginners and come with more useful software
for things like photos and videos. And they work seamlessly with iPhones.
4 Microsoft Word
For some, Microsoft Word is important. Unfortunately, full functionality
of this software doesn’t come free with any laptop. You can get it free
if you don’t mind significantly reduced functionality and the
requirement to only use it online at Office.com. But there, you can only
save documents online through Microsoft’s OneDrive, which is free for
5GB of space, but costs from €2 a month beyond that. If you want a more
flexible kind of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint, you’ll either
need to pay their subscription (€7 a month or €69 a year) or buy a
once-off forever version for €299.
5 Price
In general, I would rarely advise spending less than €600 on a laptop;
for that, you should get a basic, competent model that will last a
minimum of four years and has an Intel i5 chip, 8GB of Ram and 256GB of
storage. Depending on the sales cycle, you’ll see offers from Dell, HP,
Acer and Lenovo in this price bracket. With every €100 extra you spend,
you’ll get either more power, more storage, a higher-specification
screen or a more ergonomically pleasing design.
Irish Independent Technology
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