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Laptops have come a long way in the past few years in terms of performance and haven’t received enough attention compared to cell phones as the improvements were not as much cosmetic. Now in 2023, you can get a 14 inch 1.6 Kg or 3.5 Pounds thin and light gaming laptop that is more powerful than a 17 Inch 10.5 Pound, or 4.7 Kg laptop.
Laptops are not as much of a fashion statement as cell phones are but laptops are productivity and multimedia machines so what you need in a laptop is something that suits not only your work-life but also some level of entertainment.
What To Look For In A Laptop. (A Short Look)
When it comes to choosing a laptop there are a ton of things to consider depending on a number of things. Now let’s look at what are the key things you should be focusing on before buying a laptop.
This is followed by a deeper explanation of how to evaluate how each of these factors will affect your experience.
- Operating System (Mac Os vs. Windows 10 vs. Linux vs. Chrome Os):
- Chrome Os: Basic functionality and easy to use.
- Mac Os vs. Windows 10: Ton of functionality but both have their own pros and cons.
- Linux: Open Source has unique functionality but is not very user-friendly.
- Display Size, Resolution, and Refresh Rate:
- Display Size: A large screen will enhance your multimedia experience at the cost of portability Vise-versa.
- Resolution: Higher the better. We recommend if possible never to go below FHD. Higher resolution displays can be expensive so buy only if you need them.
- Refresh Rate: Higher the better. Only Important for Gamers or animators.
- CPU/Processor: The most important factor in performance for most applications so knowing what you can get in your price range and what you need is an important thing to consider.
- RAM and Storage:
- RAM: For Most users, 8GB of RAM should be sufficient. However for more intensive tasks such as gaming, editing, and other more demanding tasks you may need more.
- Storage: SSD’s are recommended overs HDDs and are highly recommended for gaming, editing, and other more demanding tasks you may need more.
- Graphics Card/GPU: Most important spec for gamers and should be a high priority for content creators. But for day-to-day use not very important.
- 2in1/Touchscreen: Though touchscreens look cool in advertising if you don’t have a specific use case you won’t end up using it as most laptops are too heavy to be a tablet.
- Battery Life: Plain and simple battery life are important but for some, it is more important.
- Design/Ports: Aesthetics matter to a lot of people and build quality is also something that shouldn’t be looked over. At the same time, ports not only allow you to connect to other devices but also can be used to extend the functionality of the laptop or even enhance performance.
- Upgradability: A lot of laptops today have a ton of options for adding more ram and storage which can be added later on.
- Keyboard and Trackpad: This is something that can get overlooked as your overall experience can be greatly affected by a poor trackpad and Keyboard.
- Price: One must know what other options are available in the same price range. For Example, You have a decent budget and you want a laptop for professional use as performance can greatly vary in laptops in the same price range.
Operating System (Apple vs. Microsoft vs. Linux vs. Chrome Os):
For most users, this might be a relatively easy question to answer. Each of these operating systems has its own pros on cons and depending on your needs one might be better than the other.
Chrome Os:
Linux with chrome browser installed. A lockdown system is used in schools and cant download and install everything. Easy to use with a ton of apps such as Spotify.
What can you do on chrome Os?
For a lot of people, Chrome Os can be a good choice as long as you are on a tight budget and just want to browse the internet. Now you are likely to find windows laptops at a competitive price and features, in that case, we would recommend going for a windows laptop.
(Apple vs. Microsoft vs. Linux):
Before we talk about their features let’s look at what is the price to performance ratio in the market. So we will start by talking about Apple vs Windows.
Price to Performance
Apple which comes with macOS when compared to their Windows counterparts has too little variety in design meanwhile window there will be a ton of offerings from different manufacturers which will beat Apple in terms of performance. (Apple M1 might be an exception.) There are few Linux options available but they target a rather niche audience. However, on paper performance is not everything.
Let’s look at different categories
Thin and Light/Ultrabooks
Performance plays a very important part in user experience even when we are talking about thin and light laptops.
MacBook
Now with the arrival of apple M1 Chips, the conversation changed drastically changed the game and it not only competes with the likes of 8 Core AMD ryzen 9 4900Hs and 10th Gen Intel Core i7 10750H. But both of these chips are made for gaming laptops.
Windows
At the end of the window of the spectrum, thanks to AMD we can get a thin and light gaming laptop in terms of performance that will beat the Apple M1 mac if you can the latest AMD 5000 series CPU. The advantage here is that you get a dedicated GPU and a High refresh panel and a high-resolution display.
Winner
This seems like a very close match. But we do have an answer actually we have 3 answers.
- Since Apple is not even competing in the budget option winner is Windows.
- Now if you can afford an M1 Mac Book Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD it is a better option.(Apple Wins in Upper Mid Range) (1200 USD)
- If we talk about M1 Mac Book Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD for the same price you can get the Zephyrus G14 with 5900Hs and RTX 3060 Graphics.
High-Performance Workstations
If you prioritize performance over portability Apple doesn’t stand a chance. It’s Plain and simple.
We have a complete article on this topic.
Pros and Cons
- Mac is widely considered better for coding
- Mac is widely considered better for audio editing
- Mac is better in terms of security but Linux is the best.
- Yeah we know Linux is not for everyone but yeah Linux is not user-friendly.
Display Size, Resolution, and Refresh Rate:
One of the most important components of a laptop when it comes to user experience. A casual user who is not into performance demanding tasks may not notice the difference between a low-performance laptop and a high-performance one but will be sure to appreciate a great display.
When it comes to choosing the right display configuration as it can get complicated very quickly as a lot of these terms may sound absolutely gibberish to a person who is not tech-savvy.
Resolution
Most of the low-end laptops come with a low-res 1366 x 768 display that we recommend getting at least a full HD 1920 x 1080 Panel to have a comfortable experience. Videos will look a lot sharper at 1080p and will allow you to see the footage without any graininess. If you’re editing at 4K and having a laptop with a 4K display is a good option however having that configuration can be expensive and you can edit a 4K footage via proxies while viewing it on a 1080p Display.
Unless you don’t have any other option always go for at least a 1920×1080 Display.
Display Size
This mostly comes down to personal preference and you have to find what are you going to prioritize portability or usability.
12 inches and below
Typically found in thin and light machines at the cost of performance and are typically not great for a power-hungry user such as a video editor.
13 to 14 inches
For a casual user, this would have been the perfect balance between portability and usability. However, if you are a video editor you may find the experience a little less than satisfying.
15 to 16 inches
For a productive user, this offers a better balance between portability and usability.
17 Inches or more
These workstations usually come packed with power and will provide you with a very comfortable experience at the cost of portability.
Display Refresh Rate
The Refresh rate of a Display refers to how many images per second can be displayed. This means when playing a video or game that is over 60fps and you have a display of 60hz the frame rates will cap out at 60 fps. For Gamers Refresh Rate is far more important than resolution and i would say it is the second more important piece of spec for a gamer after GPU. We recommend going for a 144Hz or 165Hz Panel as the higher refresh rate panels don’t really make a lot of sense.
CPU/Processor:
CPU under most circumstances will be the most important component in terms of performance and will greatly affect user experience. For a person who is not well versed with the latest PC hardware.
There a lot of mistakes one can make such as the Intel Core i7 is not always better than its i5 counterparts as there a lot of variations of chips in the same generation. To give a very simple example the 10th Gen Intel Core i3 1005G1 in terms of performance is better than the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7500U.
Though it’s not that simple to rank CPU’s as one depending on the task one CPU might perform better for one task and the other might perform a different task better. To simplify things we have created a tier list of the most common CPU’s that can be found in laptops. To check out the complete CPU tier list click here. Here we will give you a quick rundown.
High-Performance CPUs
These are the most powerful CPUs from Intel and AMD. These Chips can practically handle anything be it Gaming, 3D Animation, or Video Editing. Here as we can see AMD is dominating. Apple M1 being the only 15 Watt Chip.
- AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX
- 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11980HK
- AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
- 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900H
- AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
- AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11800H
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS
- AMD Ryzen 9 4900H
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK
- AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10885H
- AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
- 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H
- 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9980HK
- AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS
- 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9880H
- Apple M1
Upper Mid Range Performance
These are still exceptionally powerful chips and are can handle anything be it Gaming, 3D Animation, or Video Editing. Some of these chips were considered the flagship last year. Though there can be performance disparity as in single and multi-threaded performance.
22.AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
23.AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS
24.
Mid Range Performance
You still will be able to do Gaming, 3D Animation, or Video Editing. But not easily and your device might even experience lag.
29.AMD Ryzen 5 5600U
30.AMD Ryzen 7 4700U
31.Intel Core i7-1165G7
32.Intel Core i5-11300H
33.AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
34.AMD Ryzen 5 4600U
35.AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
36.Intel Core i5-10300H
37.Intel Core i7-10810U
38.Intel Core i7-10710U
39.Intel Core i7-8750H
40.Intel Core i5-1145G7
41.Intel Core i5-1135G7
42.Intel Core i5-9300H
43.Intel Core i5-8300H
44.Intel Core i7-10510U
Lower Mid Range Performance
You still will be able to do light Gaming but will face difficulty with 3D Animation and Video Editing.
45.Intel Core i5-1035G7
46.Intel Core i5-1035G4
47.AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
48.Intel Core i7-10510U
49.AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
50.Intel Core i5-1035G1
51.Intel Core i5-10210U
52.Intel Core i7-8565U
53.AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
54.Intel Core i5-8265U
55.AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
56.AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
57.AMD Ryzen 3 4300U
58.Intel Core i7-8550U
Low-End Performance
You still will be able to do light Gaming and you might not even be able to do any 3D Animation and Video Editing. But you can still do your day-to-day tasks such as browsing and basic office work.
59.Intel Core i3-1115G4
- Intel Core i3-1005G1
- Intel Core i3-10110U
62.Intel Core i3-8145U
63.Intel Core i7-7500U
64.Intel Core i3-8130U
65.Intel Core i5-7200U
66.AMD Ryzen 3 2200U
67.Intel Core i3-7020U
How much RAM do i need?
If you have a slow laptop a very quick and easy solution, is to simply add more RAM. So the question arises how much RAM do you really need.
So In this section, we will go over But before you buy RAM for your Laptop or you are buying a new laptop you should know how much ram you really need.
4GB: Enough in 2023?
Can be found in budget laptops. Though this should be sufficient enough for your day-to-day activities with frequent lags google chrome on a windows device eats ram like there is no tomorrow. So we recommend getting at least 8GB of RAM for a smooth experience.
8GB: (Minimum Recommendation)
This is just the right amount for a smooth experience for day-to-day use and some entry levels tasks with little difficulty.
16GB: (The Sweet Spot)
This should be enough for most day-to-day and most professional workloads such as Gaming, Video Editing, and Photo Editing.
32GB and more:
Now, this much RAM only makes sense if you are a Serious gamer, engineer, Professional Video Editor, or Professional Animator.
If you want to learn more about how much ram your work requires click here.
Storage (HDD Vs SSD)
SSD’s for sure will perform better however an HDD will also perform fine as long as but you will experience long loading and boot time. With an SSD you will have a much more snappy experience.
SSD’s are also more reliable, have a faster file transfer speed, and if you are gaming or doing some other performance-driven task we highly recommend using an SSD over an HDD.
Graphics Card/GPU:
The GPU is responsible for displaying everything that you see on your Display or if you want to game or do 3D/2D animations or video editing you might wanna get discrete a GPU as Integrated GPU’s have very limited potential when it comes to gaming, 3D/2D animations, and video editing.
Currently, Nvidia and AMD are the only 2 options for discreet graphics. With Intel and Apple currently only offer Integrated graphics. Let’s look at each of these brands.
Apple
Apple even with its M1 8-Core GPU has performance is comparable to that of Nvidia 1050 Max-Q and AMD RX 560X (Laptop). This really impressive considering it’s integrated. But when compared to modern discrete graphics its is not very competitive in its price range and as programs/video games are being emulated due to lack of support
Intel
With the introduction of Iris Xe graphics, Intel seems to have made some progress when it comes to integrated graphics but is only competitive with AMD’s Integrated Vega graphics and Nvidia’s Mx lineup. You can only play less demanding games on it such as overwatch and counter strike global offensive.
AMD
AMD offers both Integrated and Dedicated graphics. When compared with Intel’s UHD graphics AMD has much better Integrated graphics and only Intel’s Xe graphics compete with AMD’s Vega platform.
When talking about dedicated graphics for laptops Nvidia is considered to be better but AMD is competitive and we are yet to see what the Rx6000 series has to offer for laptops.
Nvidia
Graphics Card/GPU:
The GPU is responsible for displaying everything that you see on your Display or if you want to game or do 3D/2D animations or video editing you might wanna get discrete a GPU as Integrated GPU’s have very limited potential when it comes to gaming, 3D/2D animations, and video editing.
Currently, Nvidia and AMD are the only 2 options for discreet graphics. With Intel and Apple currently only offering Integrated graphics. Let’s look at each of these brands.
Apple
Apple even with its M1 8-Core GPU has performance is comparable to that of Nvidia 1050 Max-Q and AMD RX 560X (Laptop). This really impressive considering it’s integrated. But when compared to modern discrete graphics its is not very competitive in its price range and as programs/video games are being emulated due to lack of support
Intel
With the introduction of Iris Xe graphics, Intel seems to have made some progress when it comes to integrated graphics but is only competitive with AMD’s Integrated Vega graphics and Nvidia’s Mx lineup. You can only play less demanding games on it such as overwatch and counter strike global offensive.
AMD
AMD offers both Integrated and Dedicated graphics. When compared with Intel’s UHD graphics AMD has much better Integrated graphics and only Intel’s Xe graphics compete with AMD’s Vega platform.
When talking about dedicated graphics for laptops Nvidia is considered to be better but AMD is competitive and we are yet to see what the Rx6000 series has to offer for laptops.
Nvidia
Nvidia currently leads the market when it comes to dedicated graphics for laptops. With Nvidia’s proprietary parallel computing platform and programming framework CUDA widely being considered to be better than OpenCL and has better support for ray tracing.
With the launch of its 30 series graphic cards by Nvidia, this trend will likely continue with the possibility of AMD coming up with something new and competitive.
Laptop GPU Hierarchy/Ranking
Ranking a GPU like CPU is not very simple as one depending on the task one GPU might perform better for one task and the other might perform a different task better. To simplify things we have created a tier list of the most common GPUs that can be found in laptops.
High-Performance GPUs
These are the most powerful GPUs from Nvidia and AMD. These Chips can practically handle anything such as high-resolution Gaming with high frame rates and 3D Rendering.
The following GPUs are capable of gaming at 144 FPS with a QHD Resolution.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (Laptop)
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop)
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 SLI (Laptop)
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 (Laptop)
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
- AMD Radeon RX 6700M
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (Laptop)
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 Max-Q
Upper Mid Range Performance
The following GPUs are capable of gaming at 144 FPS with a Full HD Resolution.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 (Laptop)
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU
- AMD Radeon RX 6600M
- AMD Radeon RX 5600M
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU
- NVIDIA Quadro T2000 (Laptop)
Mid Range GPU’s
The following GPUs are capable of gaming at 90 FPS with a Full HD Resolution.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile
- AMD Radeon RX 5500M
- NVIDIA Quadro P3200
- AMD Radeon RX 580X (Laptop)
- AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop)
- AMD Radeon RX 5300M
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q
- NVIDIA Quadro T2000 Max-Q
- AMD Radeon RX 570X (Laptop)
- AMD Radeon RX 570 (Laptop)
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q
- NVIDIA Quadro T1000 (Laptop)
Lower Mid Range GPUs
The following GPUs are capable of gaming at 60 FPS with a Full HD Resolution.
- NVIDIA GeForce MX450
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
- NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
- Apple M1 8-Core GPU
- Apple M1 7-Core GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q
- AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
- AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
- Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
- NVIDIA GeForce MX350
- AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
- AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop)
- AMD Radeon RX 640
- AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200
- NVIDIA Quadro P600
- NVIDIA GeForce MX250
- NVIDIA GeForce MX150
- NVIDIA GeForce MX330
Lower Performence GPUs
The folllowing GPUs are capable of gaming at 720p with 30-60 FPS.
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs
- NVIDIA Quadro P520
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
- Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000)
- NVIDIA GeForce MX130
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU)
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
- NVIDIA GeForce MX110
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 5
- Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU)
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 3
- Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Intel HD Graphics 620
CONNECTIVITY AND PORTS
While buying a laptop ports often overlooked ports can have a huge impact on the user experience. Now lets go over each of these ports.
USB Type-A
The most common of these ports is the USB Type-A. This port is perhaps the most important port for most users as you can connect a host of devices via the Type A port such as USB Storage devices, Wireless mouse and keyboards etc.
Not all Type A Ports are created equal as the speed can greatly vary based on the generation here. We recommend going for the 3.0+ iteration of the type A ports and avoid 2.0 iterations.
USB Type C
The USB Type C is advertised as a replacement for USB Type-A and Type-B. The Type C ports are capable of delivering higher power and transfer speeds.
Though the Type C ports are not as widely adopted as type A ports and can really be considered a true replacement.
Headphone Jack
Headphone Jack can be found on most laptops and is one of the most used port on any device. However for most user all they need is for one to be there and yes there are laptops without headphone jacks such as Microsoft Surface Pro X.
ThunderBolt 3/4
Thunderbolt 3/4 at first glance looks identical to USB Type C however it operates on a different protocol and is capable of delivering up to 4 times the transfer speeds to that of USB Type-C ( up to 40 GB/s).
SD Card
A Very useful port for creative professionals such as photo and video editors. However, if you don’t belong to such profession it may not be of much use to you.
HDMI
A HDMI port is used to transfer audio and video signals from laptop to other external devices such as external monitor, DSLR, and gaming consoles. There are several variants and generations of HDMI available from the older 1.4 to the latest 2.1. The different 4 variants here
- HDMI Type-A
- HDMI Type-C (mini HDMI)
- Type-D (micro HDMI)
- Type-E.
RJ-45 Ethernet port
Even though laptops come equipped with wifi however even today for a lot of users especially power internet users a RJ-45 Ethernet jack can be important. As an ethernet jack is usually much faster when compared to the wifi connection.
DisplayPort
Similar to HDMI Display port is used to transfer audio and video signals from laptop to other external devices such as external monitor, DSLR, and gaming consoles. There are two types of Display Ports that can be found on laptops today: Full sized DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort. Between HDMI and DisplayPort the DP provides superior bandwidth.
Design and Built Quality
Who doesn’t like a well built and beautiful looking laptop and in laptop space these two things are not always mutually exclusive. Especially if you have to travel with your laptop frequently you need a laptop that is built tough but you should also feel comfortable taking your laptop out in front of others with confidence. Most modern laptops are built to withstand a bit of water, dust and drops with a few coming with a military grade certification (MIL-STD 810G). Having a metallic chassis can be a definite plus point for durability but this will make your laptop heavier. A good way to check the durability of the chassis is to see how much the chassis of the laptop flexes. Now having a durable chassis alone will not make your laptop last longer you also need a laptop that stays cool so what you should look out for is that your laptop should have a good air flow and preferably 2 fans especially if you have a dedicated GPU.
2in1/Touchscreen:
Battery Life:
Battery life of a laptop is one of the most crucial element to consider before buying a laptop, especially if are going to use your laptop away from power outlets. Now to know how long the battery of your laptop is going to last can be pretty difficult as there are a number of factors that determine how long your battery will last and usually how manufacturers advertise the battery life is far from accurate. Another key thing that is often overlooked is charging speeds as a lot of the laptops today come today with fast charging.
For thin and light laptops 45 watt-hours of the battery should be enough for most and for gaming laptops a 65-watt hour battery should be enough that being said depending on your use this may or may not be enough.
Upgradability:
One way to extend the life of your laptop or you want better performance from your laptop is to simply add extra ram or upgrade your storage options. For this reason we recommend getting a laptop that has an option of upgrading its RAM and Storage.
Keyboard and Trackpad:
Keyboard and Trackpad are the two primary ways one interacts with their laptop therefore it is important that one has a comfortable experience while using it. Let’s start with the keyboard most of the laptops today use a chiclet-style keyboard which is not nearly as good as a mechanical keyboard but that doesn’t mean that all chiclet-style keyboards are trash some of them like the ones on Thinkpad will give you a great typing experience. Besides the feel of the keys, one other crucial component of the keyboard is backlighting which is very crucial if you have to work in a dark environment.
The trackpad is equally as important if not more important than the keyboard what you need in your trackpad to be is to be precise and to be large enough for you to comfortably do all your gestures MacBooks tend to have one of the best trackpads on the market.
