Laptop Specifications List : 10 Most Important Things To Check

A laptop is one of the basic necessities in today’s life. It has become the center of attention, and we cannot survive without a quality laptop, irrespective of profession, qualification, and age.

Purchasing a brand new quality laptop costs arms and legs. You cannot afford to have a laptop that does not have a right screen, keyboard, or other vital configurations.

Laptops are portable, that’s the only thing that makes them superior compare to desktop. Even at the time where technological transitions have reshaped everything including computers, you cannot compare the power of a desktop with a laptop.

One more thing, they are less flexible compared to the desktop. Once you chose to have a laptop and purchased it, that’s it you cannot upgrade, any of the features except RAM and Storage, this feature even comes in the latest premium laptops.

For the reason, you should be very careful and clear about what you actually want to buy. Do you want to have a laptop for gaming? Or scouring for something that helps you in studies and other regular computing tasks?

It would be ideal to pen down all the features that you want to see in a laptop.  After that, start gazing at the top machines under your price bracket.

Laptops Requirements Table 

Here’s the list of 10 most important laptop specifications you must look:

1. Latest Gen Processor
2. DDR4 RAM
3. SSD Drive
4. USB Type-C / Thunderbolt 3 Ports
5. Dedicated Graphics Card
6. Decent Battery Time
7. Infrared Camera
8. 2-in-1 PCs
9. Display and Screen Resolution
10. Portability

1. Latest Gen Processor

The brain of a computer, the most important thing to look into a computer is of course none other than “CPU”.

That’s the part of a computer that decides the speed of processing, no matter what you are going to do with your system. The part comes into play in every processing, such as editing docs, watching movies, browsing, playing games, running apps like Autodesk and much more.

So, the simple rule of thumb in the processor side, try to grab the latest generation processor. The latest processor is faster, quick and produces fewer heats compare to old architected processors.

If you do lots of browsing and indulge in web surfing more than usual, you should go with a dual-core processor. The processor generation helps you open more than one tabs and aids in browsing. They are best for multitasking and even ease down your work when you have to do heavy processing such as photo-editing, gaming, and others.

If you want the fastest processing, like things, processed and presented on the screens in milliseconds, go with Core i7, or Core i5. These processors are good at processing commands to fast, and you will have skyrocketing processing speed in multimedia tasks.

Some latest manufactured machines are coming incorporated with Intel i9 processors. The processor would be much faster than previous but dissipate heat with respect to the processing.

2. DDR4 RAM

Random Access Memory (RAM) helps computer approach running programs quickly. The higher the RAM size, the more playground will your computer have to run different programs. In the old days, when entertainment did not hit the computer world to this extent, 4GB would be enough to take on operations.

But now, even 16GB seems less and sometimes while playing the latest titles, the user finds it hard to quickly access things as millions of instructions are coming, it becomes hard to run them all.

One more important thing, look at the type of RAM your computer integrates with. Though DDR3 RAM is not being used in laptops, still have a view and see if the computer is incorporated with the latest DDR4 RAM. The DDR4 is the latest RAM type and you will see a dramatic difference in performance.

If you are a casual user, use a computer to carry out simple operations such as browsing, typing, playing old PC games; 8GB would be more than enough. If you are an avid gamer, a power user, who uses to carry out bulk operations, having a 16GB would be preferable.

3. SSD Drive

One of the key features you should look into a laptop these days, whether the system holds an SSD drive or not. The latest type of storage (SSD) is way quicker and faster than traditional hard that once you start using one, you will be addicted to it.

The traditional drives are becoming obsolete, even casual users prefer to opt with flash storage as they offer quick app launch time, booting time, enhanced data operation speeds.

The traditional HDDs are slower, as they got the moving parts and would not fit the needs in today’s time. Yes, SSDs are expensive; you can get a 1TB HDD in return of a 128GB SSD. So, if you are very tight on budget and need more storage, you can have an HDD.

4. USB Type-C / Thunderbolt 3 Ports

A laptop is a compact device comes with limited room around its base for ports compare to their elder brother desktops. So, you need to be very careful while choosing one with respect to your needs.

Like, if you are a professional IT service provider and need to connect printer, mouse and a USB to your laptop, it would be ideal to look out a number of USB ports. Not only USB type but the generation of the USB ports come with the computer.

In today’s time, USB 3.1 is the most used and advanced for connecting external drives. Though USB Type-C has changed the entire concept of connecting a device to the computer as with it you can charge your laptop with the c-type cable. The USB type c is a reversible port, with the most modern technology inherited.

Other than USB Type-C, you should also check for Thunderbolt 3. The type of connectivity comes with the fastest bandwidth and lets you plug in 4k monitor and other graphics. If your computer supports thunderbolt 3 ports there will be a lighting icon beside.

5. Dedicated Graphics Card

For the people who want to play games or edit videos or run heavy apps, another feature that should be on the checklist is whether the system houses a discrete or integrated graphics card.

The main difference between an integrated and a dedicated graphics card is, the former relies mainly on computer’s random access memory to sort-out visual instructions while the latter comes with its system to nail visual processing.

For playing high-ended video games, a dedicated graphics card is a must-have feature. Yes, they come at a price and costs arms and legs. If you are an avid gamer you would know the cost and importance of a graphics card.

The most famous graphics cards are of NVidia GPU. They are the best and help you ease down visual processing and aids in playing video games.

6. Battery Life

Battery life is an important thing to look into a laptop. In fact, in these days, one of the most prominent features people pay special heed to is battery runtime.

Along with the weight and size, people love to grab a decent battery life holding laptop. It helps you carry out your operations in the middle of somewhere. It is not always possible to get a seat near a power socket on a train or even a cafe.

A small and light laptop generally offers an extended battery runtime compared to larger models. The battery life of a laptop is directly connected to your type of workload. If you are a gamer and indulge in heavy gaming, your battery consumption will be more than casual computing or browsing.

It would be advised to read reviews of a laptop’s battery life and do not go with the brand’s claims. The battery life of a 15-inch laptop should fall around 10-hours, that’s called a good battery life. A laptop with near fours battery life is bad and you must opt with something better than this.

7. Infrared Camera

Windows operating system is taken as the world’s most secure OS. The majority of the population around the world runs Windows OS and there are reasons for that. The OS is simple in use and offers arrays of features that help the masses to get their issues solved.

Take Windows’ hello feature as an example’ you can open your computer by just looking at the screen. You do not have to put your password or a pin; look closely at the computer’s camera and that’s it.

The feature is workable only if your system secures an infrared camera or a real sense 3D camera. Many top-notch laptop brands incorporate their computers with the type of camera and help you get instant access to your desktop.

8. 2 in 1 laptop

Though old PC and laptop users do not like 2 in 1 convertible laptop, the fact is, the type of computers are getting fame. They are easy to use, can be taken around due to less weight, can be used as a tab and full-fledged laptop and much more in the row.

But, you need to find out whether or not the types of laptops are your cup of tea. For instance, if you are a hard-core user, who use to carry out bulky computer operations, the 2 in 1 convertible would do no good for you. They cannot take bulky loads, rather simple operations.

For a casual user who needs something operation to be carried out, a student who needs to take instant notes, or study in groups or an artist who wants to craft something on the pixel sensor screen; the laptop is ideal to go with. So, it is upon you what you need, do not just go with the looks or easy of operations.

9. Display and Screen Resolution

Screen size plays a huge role in your computing life. It depends on your work requirements and budget. There is no best laptop screen size, it is different with different people and work needs.

A 17-inches screen would be great for work and gaming. It would come with a bigger chassis and decent sized keyboard and make your typing easier, would be far bigger and heavier than 13-inches, cumbersome to carry around.

A 15-inch screen is considered ideal for everyone. You can have it for gaming, casual computing, and office work. Other than screen size, it displays is something one pays heed to.

For instance, if a laptop comes with a decent wide viewing angle, offers perfect refresh rates, anti-glare coating, and IPS panels that would be good for your eyes and enhances overall display experience. On a screen integrated with the mentioned bells and whistles, you will have a crispier, clearer and smooth watching experience, binge-watching Netflix series.

Another factor that comes into play when discussing display is the screen’s resolution. Older laptops often integrate with the screen that offers a muddy 1366 x 768 screen resolution.

For gaming, even for casual watching, the resolution is granny and makes overall experience spoilt. With a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, a user experience smoother and easier experience to watch something on the screen.

10. Portability

One of the most significant things that play a huge role in shopping for a laptop is portability. If you are a frequent traveler who moves from one location to the other for business or personal, you need to go with something lighter.

The 17-inches screen sized laptop is bulkier and would add difficult in carrying around. The 15-inches screen laptop is lighter compared to 17, but you need to read reviews or check specs to see the weight of the machine. For someone looking ultra-portable laptop, opting with 12-inches laptops would be a nicer option.

Guru’s Verdict

Buying a quality laptop in accordance with the need is difficult. If you are tight on budget, the hunt can even be trickier. If you keep these things in mind and gauge every product with respect to these features, hopefully, you will have a better and latest laptop as per your purpose.

Prior to purchasing a laptop, you should make a specification list or you can say features you want to look in your machine. After that, go with your budget and compare the different models to see what falls right.