There are top things to check out for when buying a laptop. For you to be reading this, you obviously want to buy a laptop now, or you know you will buy later. However, there are many things you need to look out for before you buy that laptop. It goes beyond liking the aesthetic make-up of the laptop. Since laptops perform a wide range of functions for you, you must be able to ascertain the capacity of the laptop to perform these functions for you.

There are different produces and brands of laptop. You are already familiar with Dell, HP, HP Compaq, Apple etc. However, our concern today is not about the producers but about the functionality of the laptop. Consequently, it is very important to know the top things to check out for when buying a laptop. This will ensure you do not waste your money to buy a liability. That is what we are here to ensure.

Top Things To Check Out For When Buying A Laptop

Actually, I do not have to tell you that the price of a laptop is a determinant and one of the top things to check out for when buying a laptop. I know you know that already. So, since you already know this, what other things do you need to consider when buying a laptop?

1. Check Size

There are different sizes of laptops out there for you. However, the choice of the size to choose should be highly influenced by your use of and need for the laptop. If portability is your main concern, then you need to consider a laptop with small screen and light weight. Normally, 13 to 14 inches provides the best balance of portability and usability. Be informed that the higher the size, the more difficult it becomes for you to carry around often.

2. Consider Screen quality

You’ll be staring at your laptop for many hours every day, so you want to make sure you get a screen that is comfortable to look at. Many laptops these days also have touchscreens, which means they are glossy. Glossy screens lead to reflections, so consider a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen.

3. Check out for Keyboard quality

For long typing sessions, you must get a laptop that has a comfortable keyboard. You don’t want to get a keyboard that packs in every key under the sun (think keyboards that have squished in number pads) because that can translate to a poor overall user experience when hunting for keys like the arrows. Very importantly also, you need to ensure the keyboard has a backlit feature to enable you use the laptop in darkness places and at night.

Also See: Safe Sites To Buy Used Laptops From Nigeria

4. The CPU

The Central processing unit of your computer plays an important and is a major determinant. It’s hard to go past any of Intel’s Core-based CPUs when buying a new laptop. Think Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7. These CPUs offer the best performance when it comes to multitasking and multimedia tasks. Core i3-based notebooks are generally found in entry-level systems, while Core i5 makes up the majority of mainstream computers. Core i7-based systems are for those of you who want the best performance from your laptop.

5. Check the RAM

The ideal RAM size is at least 4GB. You need 4GB of RAM or more to get the best out of your system. More RAM allows for more applications to be run at the same time, and for more data to be quickly accessible by the system at any one time, which comes in handy for tasks such as editing photos.

6. Storage

The use of hard drives is gradually becoming outdated. One of the top things to check out for when buying a laptop is the storage. And it is advisable to go for a laptop with a solid state drive (SSD). A solid state drive (SSD) offers a lot more speed than a hard drive, runs silently, and can be installed in a form factor that doesn’t add too much to the weight and bulk of a laptop. If you can afford it and don’t need a ton of internal storage, get a laptop with a solid state drive (SSD) rather than a hard drive, because you’ll see at least three times the speed and a much faster laptop overall.

7. Check The Battery life

The beauty of every laptop is the battery duration. One of the most frustrating experiences is to have a battery that cannot last for 3-4hrs minimum without light. Often, the manufacturer-quoted battery life is often not indicative of what a laptop can do. This is because the battery’s duration is affected by many factors such as screen brightness, the screen resolution, and the tasks that you run. One way of checking this is to look at the rating of the battery in Watt-hours (Wh) or milliamp-hours (mAh). The larger these figures are, the longer the battery can last.

8. Check The USB Port

While using your laptop, there will be need to use the USB for different purposes. It could be to plug in an external hard drive to back up your laptop’s data. It could also be to plug in external keyboard, mouse or even game pads. You shouldn’t get a laptop without a USB 3.0 port, and you should look for a laptop that has at least a couple of these ports.

9. Body/Build quality

Check the body quality. There are laptops that are built to withstand highly adverse environments. No matter how careful we are, laptops can get bashed and dropped. The quality of the body build goes a long way to determine how the laptop will survive if it falls to the ground, beaten by the wind or rain etc. Some are specially built to withstand rain and dust and some are built especially for the brutal educational environments – some even come with military-grade protection.

Now that you have known the top things to check out for when buying a laptop, you are well equipped to purchase your laptop. We believe this was very helpful to you? Let us hear from you how this helped you.

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