Whether you use a MacBook, a Chromebook, or a Windows device, laptops are your companions as they stay with you wherever you go – at work, travels, and so on. What laptop model one selects largely depends upon the individual requirements, choices, and preferences.
Latest laptops come with exciting features, size variants, and pricing options which makes the buying decisions even more complex. And when you buy one, setting up the device to make it ready to use is quite exciting but poses a challenge at the same time.
You will be performing a lot of tasks on your laptop—from writing documents to watching movies or editing images to creating notes and playing games. If you are looking to buy a laptop for office work, you probably need to make a lot of notes and reminders. To learn more about notes, check out https://setapp.com/how-to/best-way-to-take-notes-on-mac.
In this article, we will mention some helpful laptop buying tips to assist you in making the right decision. Also, you will get information on setting up your new system so that you can work efficiently on your laptop.
Decide a Platform: Mac or Windows
Both Mac and Windows bring along exclusive features, while selecting one among these two is a personal preference. The benefit of buying a Windows 10 laptop is that the operating system can run on more computer models in comparison to macOS or Chrome OS. Another main reason why users prefer Windows laptops is that these devices and compatible apps or accessories are available on a budget.
On the other hand, if you are a Mac fan and are ready to spend your savings on buying a MacBook, go for one that integrates the latest Apple’s M1 chip. The latest Apple laptops and desktops come with macOS Big Sur, the most recent operating system that offers similar functional features to that of Windows. However, you will enjoy the intuitive interface with aesthetic Dock, where you can put all your frequently used apps.
Pick the Right Screen Size & Specs
The screen size you select will decide how portable your laptop is and how easily you can carry your device. 12″ devices are the most comfortable to carry around as they are the lightest and the thinnest. 14″ devices under 4 pounds give you the best balance of usability and portability. In addition, 16″ laptops are usually excellent for office use, particularly when you are working from home.
You can also opt for a 17″ to 18″ screen if you keep your laptop at a fixed location, and since they include good processing power or storage, they are good for gaming. The processor of your laptop greatly influences its performance; you should select at least Core i7. Since HDD and RAM are crucial components of the laptop, buying a minimum 256 GB hard drive with at least 8 GB RAM can be a great decision as you can run resource-heavy applications and high-end games.
Select an HD Display & Graphics Chip
More pixels means your laptop display can fit more content with sharper resolution. Most budget laptops come with a 1366 X 768 display, but if you can afford it, we recommend investing in 1920 X 1080, which is considered HD. When it comes to the display, it’s more than the resolution, so you need to learn about IPS panels as they influence the color and brightness. If you need the best-in-class picture quality and battery life doesn’t bother you much, then go for OLED screens.
If you are not using your laptop frequently for gaming or for running graphically-rich applications, having an integrated graphics chip such as Intel’s latest Iris Xe graphics is fine. However, we recommend investing in a system with a discrete graphics processor from AMD or Nvidia as it will allow you to perform low-end to high-end tasks. Moreover, if you are a gamer, you should consider buying a Windows PC instead of a laptop or a MacBook.
A Couple of Tips to Set Up Your New Computer
Now that you know about the things that you need to consider while buying a laptop, let’s move to the tips to optimize your new device’s performance.
Your computer needs to install a series of updates, and the process differs for Windows and Mac computers. In Windows, type updates in the search box and click Check for Updates, while in macOS, you need to go to the Notification Center for installing updates.
Copy or Sync Important Files
You probably need to move important files from your office computer or old laptop to your new device. Several viable ways to transfer your important data are Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or you can do it manually using a detachable storage media such as USB or external HDD.
Install Antivirus Application
You must install an antivirus app to protect your system against malware infection. Whether your computer is new or an old one, having powerful antivirus software will prevent virus threats and safeguard data against loss.
