Wanting to buy a laptop, but don’t know what to look for exactly? Read the article to know what to look for in a laptop for college, gamers and graphic designers.
Laptops provide more convenience and give a personal touch to the whole computing experience. Also, significant progress in the information technology sector has helped increase usage and sales of laptop computers over the years. The high convenience laptop provides the main reason for people to choose one over the traditional desktop computer. Since, buying a laptop involves a considerable investment, people are conscious as to what they buy and often seek advice on which computer suits their work the best. What to look for in a laptop for college students, gamers and graphic designers is discussed below.
What to Look for in a Laptop for College?
College studies are not the same anymore. The number of colleges which are successfully including information technology in their teaching methods is on the rise. Lots of colleges these days have professors asking students to type their assignments and certain institutes even offer online classes. Innovative methods adopted by college instructors in teaching students also involves using an electronic information processing system. All this has made it sort of mandatory for college students to look and purchase laptops, before going to college.
While picking a laptop for college, students should ideally start by defining its use. Mostly, college students require laptops for basic purposes, like reading notes, writing papers and a little bit of entertainment, unless they are studying a course which requires them to use certain specific softwares. Students tend to buy high-end expensive laptops (mostly to show-off) which they do not require, and is a wastage of money. Unless necessary for studies, buying an expensive laptop should be avoided, as it can easily be bought when need arises. Certain aspects which need to be looked into before buying a laptop for college are discussed below.
Hard Drive
Music and movies is what takes up most of the space on a student’s hard drive. But buying laptops with a higher hard disk capacity and thereby spending more money is useless, as a portable external hard drive is always a cheaper option. A 160 GB hard drive is a good option, considering it has enough space for storing necessary data and is not very expensive too.
Processor
The laptop processor goes a long way in determining the speed of operations on it. It is better not to compromise on this aspect and go for the most trusted brand in the market. The basic processors are not highly expensive and should be chosen over more advanced and costly ones.
Memory
Apart from the processor, the other crucial determinant of the operating speed on the laptop is the memory. A 1 (One) GB RAM (Random Access Memory) card is advisable against one’s with more capacity, as this should be more than enough to perform all important tasks required by a college student quickly.
Laptop Size
Choosing the right laptop size can be a little tricky. This is because a college student would ideally prefer to have a light weight and slim laptop for convenience in carrying it around in college. But these are precisely the ones, which are more expensive compared to the big ones. Screen size is another point of consideration, though a 14″ or a 15″ screen should be sufficient. Instead of spending more on buying a stylish looking laptop, get something which doesn’t burn a huge hole in the pocket as a stylish looking sleek laptop can easily be bought later on in life.
Operating System
Different laptops in the market come with different operating systems. The various choices available are – Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Linux and Macintosh. Check for software compatibility and consult college students on the operating system, which suits best to the course content.
Battery Life
For a college student, this aspect holds most importance. A good laptop battery life is surely an asset, as the laptop can be used for longer durations without charging. Students may not always be able to charge their laptops frequently and ones with longer lasting batteries are therefore preferred.
What to Look for in a Laptop for Gaming?
Tremendous advancement in graphics used for games along with networking innovations which allow multi-player games, has given rise to a new species. The gamers. These gamers are addicts (to say the least), when it comes to playing games and therefore constantly require to be in touch with games they expertise in. If a gamer were to buy a normal laptop like the one for a college student, he would be grossly disappointed. This is because playing games on a normal laptop ain’t the same experience as playing it on a more advanced one. This has led to laptop manufacturing companies producing laptops specifically for gamers. It is advisable to buy these laptops for gaming purposes, as they have all the necessary features inbuilt for an unbelievable and unparalleled gaming experience. Certain aspects which need to be looked into before buying a laptop for gamers are discussed below.
Hard Drive
Games need a lot of space on the hard disk, and this is primarily the reason for a gaming laptop to have a huge hard drive capacity. A 320 GB hard drive should be sufficient, considering there may be other things which need to be stored on the laptop.
Processor
The fastest and the most powerful processor is recommended as games have a host of graphics which need to run. This is why it is better to get the fastest possible laptop processor installed to play high-end games without any problems.
RAM
To keep it simple and devoid of technicalities, more the RAM, the better. A 2 GB RAM should be the minimum for a gaming laptop to perform to it’s potential. Certain games require a higher RAM to run, so it is better to check and confirm.
Additional Cards
For a gaming laptop, there are few additional cards which need to be attached to it’s motherboard for an optimum performance. Sound cards, video cards and graphic cards are tailor made for gaming purposes will always enhance the gaming experience. A few motherboards have inbuilt cards, but these are not adequate enough and hence require additional cards anyhow.
Screen
For a gamer, a large laptop screen is must. A 17″ is recommended, but it is inconvenient to carry around. Playing good games on a smaller screen spoils the fun to a certain extent and therefore it is better to make adjustments in the convenience factor than the size element.
Networking
Gamers want their laptop to be network compatible to enable them play competitive games whenever they wish to. Provisions for LAN cables, network cables, USB attachments and Wi-fi connectivity, along with few other networking options need to be looked at when buying a laptop for gaming purposes.
What to Look for in a Laptop for Graphic Design?
Requirements for a graphic designer are more or less similar to what a gamer will be looking for in a laptop. As a gamer has graphically advanced games to play on the laptop, a graphic designer is the one who creates such superior graphics. A graphic designer has to constantly work with softwares which require high memory and visual features. Creations by the graphic designer are often heavy in size and therefore a large hard disk is recommended. The softwares also take some space. RAM is most important to ensure decent and uninterrupted performance while working on the laptop. Minimum 2 GB RAM is advisable.
The various graphic, sound and video enhancement cards, used by gamers, are necessary to a graphic designer’s work. Screen size needs to be at least 15″, as bigger laptops can be tough to carry around at times. Processor should be the fastest and the best. Apart from this, a good battery life, DVD compatible drive and an operating system supporting all necessary softwares is a must.
This should clear doubts regarding what to look for in a laptop. Remember to buy the one which suits the requirements perfectly. No point in overspending on unnecessary features. A lot of popular brands manufacture products specific to its use. Look for these. A highly competitive market ensures no dearth of options for buyers and therefore a thoughtful choice needs to be made.
By: Suketu Mehta
