Nov 03, 2015 12:00 PM
4183 Views
Compact enough to carry with you, yet versatile enough to run demanding applications, a laptop is the best tool for doing serious work or play at home and on the road. While standalone tablets and smartphones are always popular, most people realize that everything from typing a research paper to crunching video or gaming works better on a laptop. And holding on to a 4 or 5 year old model won't cut it. So what type of laptop should you get?
There’s a wide variety of sizes, features, and prices, which makes choosing the right laptop a challenge. That’s why you need to figure out what your needs are. To make the right call, just follow these eight tips
- See more at: https://laptopmag.com/articles/laptop-buying-guide#sthash.tzek7ghy.dpuf
Choose the Right Size
Laptop Buying Guide: 8 Essential Tips
Before you decide anything else, you need to figure out just how portable you need your laptop to be. Laptops are usually categorized by their display sizes, : 11 to 12 inches: The thinnest and lightest systems around have 11 to 12 inch screens and typically weigh 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. However, at this size, the screen and keyboard will be a bit too cramped for some users.
MORE: 11-inch Laptop Reviews and 12-inch Laptop Reviews 13 to 14-inches: Provides the best balance of portability and usability. Laptops with 13 or 14-inch screens usually weigh between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds and fit easily on your lap while still providing generously-sized keyboards and screens. Shoot for a system with a total weight under 4 pounds if possible. If you're willing to pay a premium, you can also find extremely lightweight systems with these screen sizes, including the 2.6-pound Dell XPS 13 and 2.9-pound, 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
MORE: 13-inch Laptop Reviews 15 inches: The most popular size, 15-inch laptops are usually quite bulky and heavy at 5 to 6.5 pounds, but also cost the least. If you’re not planning to carry your notebook around often or use it on your lap, a 15-inch system could be a good deal for you. Some 15-inch models have DVD drives, but you’ll save weight if you skip it.
MORE: 15-inch Laptop Reviews 17 to 18 inches:If your laptop stays on your desk all day every day, a 17 or 18-inch system could provide you with the kind of processing power you need to play high-end games or do workstation-level productivity. Because of their girth, laptops this size can pack in high-voltage quad-core CPUs, power-hungry graphics chips and multiple storage drives. Just don’t think about carrying these 7+ pound systems anywher
- See more at: https://laptopmag.com/articles/laptop-buying-guide#sthash.tzek7ghy.dpuf
