Modern people need a computer not only for a variety of video games and gambling in 20Bet, watching TV shows, and searching information on the World Wide Web but also for work.
You have to take it with you, so you can’t do without a desktop computer – you need a laptop. Usually under laptops for work (depending of course on the profession) understand inexpensive and not very powerful models, which are nevertheless enough to perform the typical tasks. But how not to make the wrong choice and not to take too weak a device – and not to overpay for unnecessary functions?
In this article, we will tell you what to pay attention to when choosing a laptop for work and what functions it does not particularly need. These recommendations will also be useful when choosing an inexpensive laptop for standard business tasks: office applications, corporate mail, video conferencing.
What Features Are Important for a Work Notebook
Using a smartphone or tablet with a keyboard instead of a laptop is possible, but not very convenient. If you have to write a couple of phrases, any gadget will be enough, but for a full-fledged work on an essay, a project, or a code it is better to use a laptop.
- A working laptop does not need to be able to open 180 degrees or open with one hand. Nevertheless, it should be comfortable to use, especially the keyboard and touchpad, if you use it rather than a mouse.
- It is good if the selected laptop will last you 4-5 hours. Many laptops have a declared operating time of 8-10 hours and longer, but it is important to understand that when connecting to the Internet or watching movies, the battery will run out faster.
- The optimal diagonal for a work laptop is 13-15 inches. If you take a smaller version, you will save a little on weight and dimensions, but the keyboard will not be as convenient, and the text on the screen will be harder to see.
- When choosing, pay attention to the type of matrix
- TN is the cheapest variant: it will be fine if you look straight into the monitor and work in good light, but it will be inconvenient to show the screen to someone else – colours are distorted at an angle. So it is worth spending a little more money and buying a laptop with an IPS matrix.
- IPS – one of the most common options today: these matrices have good colour rendering and brightness. But be careful – it is also easy to “cheap out”. Budget IPS is not bright enough and can be whitish. So before choosing a model, be sure to look at the laptop in the store.
Screen resolution should be at least 1920 × 1080 pixels (Full HD), so the image was not grainy and not annoying.
- The working (again, it depends on your work) laptop does not need terrific performance, but the constant brakes – too. Do not buy a laptop with an Intel Celeron processor for the sake of economy, it is better to take a Pentium of the latest generation of Core i3. It does not make sense to overpay for Core i5 and more powerful processors for the sake of creating essays and presentations.
- Video card. For work, it is quite enough to have a video card, built into the processor, and this parameter can be disregarded. The point in a separate – discrete – appears when high performance and image quality requirements, but good laptops with a discrete graphics card are more expensive than the budget.
- Even for simple typing, you need at least 4 GB of RAM, or better yet 8. Then the laptop will not slow down when performing basic tasks and watching videos.
- The drive. If your laptop has a solid-state drive SSD – this is convenient:
- The system will boot up in 10-20 seconds;
- SSD is not sensitive to shaking when carrying the laptop from place to place;
- SSD is silent.
How to Pick the Right Hard Drive for a Good Fit
- Instead of the SSD in the laptop can be installed a conventional hard disk drive (HDD): for the same volume, this solution is cheaper, and often manufacturers install a larger HDD. Therefore, if the budget is limited, or the volume of the drive is more important than the speed of its operation, you can not pay for an SSD. In the future, if desired, it will be possible to change one drive for another, although it will have to reinstall the operating system.
- Operating system. Windows is the most common operating system in the world, but it is not the only option for a learning laptop. Gadgets with Endless OS or Chrome OS installed will cost less, and all the basic functions will work. However, there may be problems with running rare or old software on such machines, as well as demanding programs like “Photoshop”, and then you still have to install Windows.
An alternative option – a laptop with DOS, on which you can put any operating system, including Linux. If you are not sure you can handle it, it is better not to save up in this way and buy a notebook with Windows.
- Connectors, interfaces, important little things. If your notebook has 2 USB ports – good, more – even better. In a pinch, you can connect an external USB router.
- All modern laptops have a built-in WiFi module, most often 802.11ac, aka Wi-Fi 5. This is enough to work in almost any wireless network. If it says 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6, it’s even more advanced, but you’re unlikely to notice the difference.
It’s handy to have a built-in Bluetooth module to wirelessly connect your smartphone, mouse, or headphones.
- A built-in camera is a standard option for a modern laptop, but it’s also worth mentioning. If you work remotely, it is better to look for a laptop with a better camera. You can find out from the model description or the characteristics of the camera: 0.3 megapixels will not be enough, but 1 or 2 megapixels is much better.
Memorize
- A notebook for working doesn’t need high performance, you can save money on that.
- The optimal screen diagonal is 13-15 inches.
- It is better to buy a notebook with an SSD instead of a hard drive: it will boot up faster and work quieter.
- It is better to choose a laptop not only on the Internet but also in a regular store to assess the comfort and design and the quality of the screen – how bright it is, whether it is pleasant to look at.
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