All of us have laptops, but do all of us know what they’re really about? In this guide we’ll explain how to get a great laptop for your specific needs at a budget for YOU.

Let’s start by explaining what the ‘specs” of a laptop really mean. We’ll break down your laptop’s components and their subcomponents, and walk through some of the best available options in the market.

1. CPU – A CPU is the main component of a laptop which carries out all operations. The processing speed of the computer is directly dependent on its CPU.

To measure how the CPUs actually performs, go to benchmarking websites like Geekbench 3 Browser and search for the CPU model.

A CPU has four main things to look for:

1. Cores: A ‘core’ is exactly what it sounds like. A central component that is responsible for delivering all instructions. So a Dual Core system has 2 cores working simultaneously whereas a Quad has 4.

1. Clock Frequency: As you might guess, it is the speed of the CPU. But it isn’t exactly the processing speed of CPU. It is rate of the clock cycles in a certain time period. Designers divide each instruction into clock cycles, so, better architectures will take lesser clock cycles to perform same instruction. 1 GHz means a billion clock cycles cycles in a second.

1. CPU Cache: The cache is like the CPU’s handbook. If it needs to search for some data in the main memory (RAM), it first checks whether it is there in its cache so it might take lesser time, although, if it is not there then it searches in main memory. The cache helps in reducing time spent for retrieving data.

1. Architecture: It refers to the efficient technology of the processor and the size of the transistors. Smaller transistors means less heat and less electricity usage.

Some recent Architectures from Intel Are:

1. Nahlem (45nm transistor size)
2. Sandybridge (32nm transistor size)
3. Ivy bridge (22nm transistor size)
4. Hasewell (22nm transistor size)
5. Broad2qwell (14nm transistor size)
6. Skylake (14nm transistor size)
7. Kaby Lake (14nm transistor size)

The 2 giants making CPUs for laptops are Intel and AMD.

Intel Atom: They are low power CPUs made for low power devices with less heat and longer battery. But, they sometimes lag because of low speed on Windows.

Intel Core M series: They are extremely efficient and less power consuming CPUs made for convertible laptops, tablets, and pocket PCs. It does not require cooling. They give speed comparable to other Core CPUs because of good use of Intel TurboBoost 3.0 technology.

Intel Celeron: It’s Intel’s line of entry level CPUs. They don’t use many new technologies which makes it a little cheaper and slower alternative to Pentium.

Intel Pentium: It’s Intel’s series of budget CPUs. The same name has been continued for more than 2 decades so don’t be fooled by it and don’t think they are same as old processors, the new generation Pentiums pack enough power to perform basic tasks well. They now come in Quad Core models but are still inferior to Dual Core i3 because it uses comparatively inferior technologies.

Intel Core i3: It is Intel’s line of CPUs designed for average usage. They are able to perform all general tasks smoothly and also allows for casual gaming. From 2nd generation onwards, they have 2 hyperthreaded cores come with integrated graphics to help in producing sharp images.

Intel Core i5: It is Intel’s line of mainstream CPUs. They run tasks effortlessly and allow to play recent games at low to medium settings. From 2nd Generation onwards, they have 2 hyperthreaded cores. In 6th Generation, they also have models with 4 cores (with Q in the model name).  It also uses Intel Turbo Boost technology to increase CPU clock speed when demand is high and save power when demand is low.

Intel Core i7: It is Intel’s line of high end CPUs. They are able to do large work rapidly and perform well in gaming. From 2nd Generation onwards, it comes in models with 4 hyperthreaded cores and some with 2 hyperthreaded cores. They also support Intel Turbo Boost Technology. The quad core models are designed for gaming and workstations where speed is more important than heating or electricity usage. The dual core models are made to work on lesser power.

AMD: They were founded just a year after Intel and focus on providing cheaper alternatives.

1. RAM: Random Access Memory a.k.a System Memory is the Memory which is placed between storage and CPU. It contains data and applications in use. If RAM is not enough, the system has to put the data or applications in the Storage. The speed of RAM is much faster than Storage. (It is roughly 100 times faster than HDD and 10 times faster than SSD). So, if the RAM is less, the CPU will have to wait for the storage to send and receive data, which will decrease overall speed even if the processor is good.

A 32-bit architecture computer can utilise upto 2^ 4GB RAM

1. Storage:
   1. Hard Disk Drives are traditional storage devices. They have large capacities at cheap rates. Their speed is however, a bit slow (around 50MB/s) because they use a physical disk and a mechanical arm which move to access data stored, it takes time for them to move which results in low speed.
   2. Solid State Drives are modern storage devices without any moving parts. Hence, they are much faster than HDD (about 200 to 500MB/s) but are more expensive due to new technology. SSD makes retrieving files faster which results in faster startup of the laptop and faster opening of large files.

1. Screen:
   1. Size:

Average to large screens are helpful in working in corporate databases and Excel files. They are useful in Gaming too, as the player can see all elements of the game. Large screens also help in graphic designing as you can place all toolbars on the larger screen.

Large screens, however, result in bulkiness and a bit difficulty in carrying around.

Small screens work well for normal web surfing and light work etc.

1. Resolution:

It is measured as number of pixels eg: 1920*1080 (FullHD), 1280*720(HD) etc. Larger screens require more pixels to give a sharp image. The sharpness of image is measured as Pixel density as Pixels Per Inch (ppi).

1. Ports:
   1. RJ-45 (LAN): This is also known as ethernet. It connects the cable from the router to your laptop incase WiFi doesn’t work.
   2. HDMI: High Definition Media Interface is used in projectors or external monitors / TVs to connect with your laptop. It is used to present in seminars, or to get a larger screen to work.
   3. Mini DisplayPort: DisplayPort is a speedy and versatile interface for video output. If you’re buying an ultrabook, be sure it has Mini DisplayPort output.
   4. VGA: Visual Graphics Array is used to connect with old monitors and projectors. Not used very often these days.
   5. USB: Universal Serial Bus is an interface which is used in many devices, ranging from Pen Drives to Dongles to Smartphones to Printers to external mouse, keyboard and many more peripherals. Be sure to have atleast 2-3 USB ports to connect multiple peripherals simultaneously.
   6. Thunderbolt: If you want a future-proof gaming laptop, be sure to buy one with a Thunderbolt 3 port. Thunderbolt 3 enables you to connect desktop graphics cards externally, so you can game without compromise and upgrade your graphics performance as time goes on. Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C connector, but a USB-C port on a laptop doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a Thunderbolt 3 port (It can also be a USB 3.1 gen 2 port) [more on this in the article about USB-C]. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s website whether the laptop has Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 gen 2, or none.

1. 3.5mm Jacks: They are used to connect audio devices like headphones and speakers. It generally had 2 ports, one for audio in and one for out. But, new devices come one single port which can do both input and output.
2. Card Reader: All in one card readers are used to read storage cards of various sizes from devices like camera etc., so you can directly read data from the device’s memory.

1. Now, here is our suggestion of laptops and their specs on the basis of the usage

1. General Purposes
   1. Basic User: For those who use their laptops for watching videos, writing simple documents, using the internet, writing mails etc

Recommended Specifications:

• CPU: Intel Pentium Quad Core or Intel Core i3 (4th or later Generation) or AMD A8
• RAM: 4GB DDR3
• Storage: 500GB Hard Disk Drive
• Screen: 11” to 15.6” 1280*720 to 1366*736 resolution
• Price: Rs 17,000 to Rs 25,000

Suggestions:

• Lenovo Ideapad 100        
  • Price: Rs. 18,000
  • Specifications: Intel Pentium N3540; 4GB DDR3 RAM;  500GB HDD; 15.6” screen @ 1366 x 768
• Acer Aspire R 11 R3-131T
  • Price: Rs.24,000
  • Specifications: Intel Pentium N3700; 4GB DDR3L RAM; 500GB HDD; 11.6” Screen @ 1366×768
• Dell Inspiron 3551
  • Price: Rs.25,000
  • Specifications: Intel Pentium N3540; 4GB DDR3 RAM; 500GB HDD; 15.6” Screen @ 1366 x 768

1. Average User: For those who use their laptops for writing some emails, downloading videos and music, viewing websites, making presentations, casual gaming etc.

Recommended Specifications:

• CPU: Intel Core i3 or i5 (4th Generation or later)
• RAM: 4GB or 8GB DDR3
• Storage: 1 TeraByte Hard Disk Drive
• Screen: 14” to 15.6” on 1280*720 to 1366*768 Resolution.
• Price: Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 35,000

Suggestions :

• Lenovo G50-80

• Price: Rs 26,000
• Specifications: i3-5005U; 4GB RAM; 1TB HDD; 15.6” Screen @ 1366*768p

• Dell Inspiron 3558 Notebook

  • Price: Rs.33,000
  • Specifications: Intel core i3(5th Gen); 4GB DDR3 RAM; 1TB HDD; 15.6” Screen @ 1366*768p

1. Business User: For those who use their laptops for business purposes like writing large emails, researching websites, uploading and downloading presentations and videos, installing business related software, working on large excel files, making big ppts etc.

Recommended Specifications:

• CPU: Intel Core i5 (4th Generation or later)
• RAM: 8GB DDR3
• Storage: 1 TeraByte Hard Disk Drive or 256GB Solid State Drive
• Screen: 15.6” on 1366*768 to 1920*1080 resolution
• Price: Rs 30,000 to Rs. 45,000

Suggestions:

• Mac Book Pro(This is an exception)
  • Price: Rs. 79,000
  • Specifications: Intel Core i5; 4GB DDR3; 500GB HDD; 13” @ 1280X800
• HP 15-BE002TX
  • Price: Rs. 48,000
  • Specifications: Intel Core i5; 8GB DDR4; 1TB HDD; 15.6” @ 1366*786

Thank you for reading our article and we hope that you can make the right choices now!

Written by:

Aditya Singh, Josh Randhawa, Shreyas Kishore