First Time Getting a Laptop?

First Time Getting a Laptop?

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When buying a laptop for the first time, some users will find all the advertised system specs quite confusing. Even worse, there’s no real way to tell if a laptop will meet your needs by brand names and numbers alone.

Obviously, the hardware is the most important aspect when surveying a laptop to buy. You want to make sure the machine is going to do what you want it to. At the same time, purchasing a computer more powerful than you need will mean you’re spending extra money for capabilities you’ll never fully utilise. Getting the right balance is the key to getting a machine that both does what you want and doesn’t make a dent in your bank account!

Processor

The processor is the heart of a machine, so it’s a good idea to look into the options you have. Of course, they come with their own confusing names, so it’s tricky for someone new to the market to identify what each processor means. Let’s break down each processor and what each one means in terms in performance.

Single Core

You’ll find that some laptops will have a single processor core in them, such as an “Intel Celeron” or “Pentium” processor. As far as speed goes, single cores aren’t great! Compared to its brothers, a single core processor will take a while to load software and process tasks. However, single core laptops will be very cheap to purchase, so if you just need something to process word documents or show presentations on the go, single core should be fine. Anything more than simple work use may tax it, however!

Dual Core

Some laptops will come with two cores within them, or as it’s known in the IT world, “Dual Core.” These include processors from the “Intel Core i3” range. Dual core processors are a solid workhorse for everyday activities, from web browsing to even less-intensive games. If you’re not going to be taxing your processor all the time, a dual core is a solid choice for a somewhat speedy processor without breaking the bank.

Quad Core

Quad core processors, however, are four processor cores bundled together, and you’ll see these in processors such as the ones in the “Intel Core i5” and “i7” ranges.

Processors that lower the quad core scale, such as the i5, are great for gaming and HD movie streaming, as they can handle strong loads without breaking the bank too much. If you want a quick machine that can handle quite intense tasks without having processor power “going to waste,” an i5 is a solid choice for a first-time buyer.

Higher up the scale, such as the i7, are processors ideal for very intensive activities that max out the processor for long periods of time. Activities such as video rendering, complex 3D work, or even something like Folding@Home, will benefit the most from an i7. While a very powerful processor will easily handle any loading tasks you give it, it might end up being too much rather than too little! Consider if you’ll really get the most out of something like an i7 before buying one.

What about “GHz?”

You’ll notice that processors also report a statistic in “GHz.” This stands for “gigahertz” and represents the speed of a processor. The higher the number, the faster the processor. One thing to remember, however: the GHz stated is usually the speed of one core. A 3GHz dual core processor (3+3=6) will be slower than a 2.8GHz quad core (2.8+2.8+2.8+2.8=11.2).

How do you check the cores?

If it’s not immediately obvious how many cores a processor has, you can visit the manufacturer’s page for that specific processor, and it should tell you its speed as well as the amount of cores it has.