Laptop

This is what to look for: Price, Screen Size, Operating System, RAM, Hard Drive, GPU. (details below)

One word of caution: Laptops will come with an installed Third Party Anti Virus Program (Trial Version 30 Days). This you should uninstall first thing. Windows 10 and 11 come with their own Anti Virus Program called Windows Security. A third party anti virus program is not required and will just slow down Windows and cause other problems

Besides the Anti Virus program, your new laptop will also come with other programs pre-installed. One will be a Trial Version of Microsoft Office.

Don't let the Sales Person talk you into anything extra. They are Sales not Techs.

• Price: What will your budget support? Laptops come in prices from as low as $200 up to $6000 and more.
• Screen size and weight: Laptop Screen sizes are measured in Inches and range from 11.6 up to 17.3 inches. The larger the Screen Size the more it will weigh.
• Laptop Screen Size Comparison Chart
• Touch Screen: Some models of laptops, like the 2 in 1, will have a touch screen. A touch screen will cost more.
• A 2 in 1 laptop is where the screen folds back over the keyboard to form a Tablet.
• Operating System: Most laptops will now have Windows 11 installed. Avoid the Windows 11 Home S or SE mode. The S and SE modes have restrictions.
• CPU: A computer's central processing unit, or CPU, controls the action and data flow in the computer. There are two major manufacturers of computer processors, Intel and AMD.
  Both manufacturers of CPUs have three lines of processors based on performance, and of course, cost. These lines change names as the companies re-tool their products.
  Budget processors are designed to run basic computer tasks efficiently and cost-effectively. These CPUs will easily handle most office programs, web browsing, photo editing, and other general tasks. Budget processors have about 85% of the performance of a mainstream model. If you are upgrading your computer, a budget processor is more likely to be compatible with an older motherboard and slower memory.
  Mainstream, or mid-range, processors can be physically larger and can handle higher-performance tasks such as 3D gaming, video editing, and other multimedia-intense applications. Mainstream CPUs use more power and could have cores and caches that are not compatible with older motherboards and memory. If you upgrade your entire system, however, you will see a performance boost.
  The fastest processors, known as extreme or high-end, are used for gaming, intensive graphics, creating and editing professional videos, and statistical analysis. If you are upgrading an existing computer, pay special attention to the specifications for compatible components. High-end CPUs use more power and require more memory.
• CPU Benchmark Chart
• MEMORY - RAM at least 8GB minimum
• STORAGE: (Hard Drive) M.2 type SSD or 2.5 inch SATA SSD - 256GB minimum
• Graphics (GPU): There are hundreds of Graphics Cards to choose from. High-End Graphics, Mid-Range, Low-midrage, and Low-End
• Graphics Card Chart

Specification Examples for a few laptops:

Dell G15 Ryzen Gaming laptop:

Dont be misled by the name "Gaming laptop" This just means that it has extra memory (RAM), a high-end to mid-range Video Card and extra ventilation ports.

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4500H 6 Core 12 Thread Processor
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHZ
• Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVME Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Ports: USB 2.0 (x2), USB 2.0 Power Share, USB-C, USB 3.2 High Speed, HDMI, Power, RJ45 Ethernet, Combo Headphone/Microphone

This Laptop sells directly from Dell for $1700.00

Dell G15 Intel Gaming Laptop:

A less expensive G15 sells for $1104.00

• CPU: Intel i5 10500H
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
• RAM: 8GB DDR4 2933MHZ
• Storage: 256GB M.2 PCIe NVME Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Ports: USB 2.0 (x2), USB 2.0 Power Share, USB 3.2 High Speed, HDMI, Power, RJ45 Ethernet, Combo Headphone/Microphone

Budget Laptop

• Brand: ACER Swift 14 inch
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home
• Processor: Intel Pentium N6000
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 128GB SSD
• Graphics: Intel UHD 610
• Ports: HDMI, 2 USB-A, 1 USB-C
• WIFI and Bluetooh: Yes
• Price: $524.00

Alienware X17 Gaming Laptop

If you just won the lottery and have extra money to spend, take a look at this:

• 11th Generation Intel i9 11980HK Processor
• Windows 11 Pro
• NIVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB Graphics Card
• 64GB of RAM
• 2TB M.2 PCIe, NVMe SSD
• 17.3 inch Display UHD (3840x2160) 120HZ
• Price: $6744.00

These are only four examples, there are hundreds more, even in the Dell Family. But this should give you an idea of what to look for.

This Page Last Updated on 15 Jan 2022