How to choose the perfect laptop for work

It is coming to that time of year again when our clients start looking at their technology, not only in the business but in the home as well.

And we can guarantee they’ll be someone asking us within the next few weeks “What type of laptop should I get? Do you have any recommendations?”

In this article, you’ll learn how to choose the best laptop if in doubt, of course, come speak with us and we can help you buy specifically for the business.

Touch and feel

Unlike desktop computers that sit under or on the desk, the laptop is a more tactile beast.

Everything from the weight, texture and thickness of a laptop has to be taken into consideration, it’s not just about the geeky specification.

As such, we always recommend popping into a local retail shop and having a physical look at the laptops on offer.  It’s a cheeky move as you can get a much better deal through ourselves with better spec, but having a look at what’s on offer and being able to hold a laptop counts for a lot.

This is very much a matter of personal preference.  What is the main physical use of the laptop going to be? Are you always on the move? If so, something lighter may apply.

Laptop Specifications

Always over spec if you can.  As a rule of thumb laptops usually, run a little slower than most desktop computers, this is because their CPU (central processing unit) is throttled to help with battery life and heat dissipation.

At the time of writing, you really should be looking for a system with at least 8GB of RAM minimum.

When it comes to the CPU, you’ll want at least an Intel i5 or the bigger brother which is an Intel i7.  This will help running more demanding applications and give you the power when you need it.

The other benefit to an over spec’d laptop is that it will last longer, and you will be future proofing.

The final word on specification is choose a laptop with a solid-state drive if you can, these are referred to as SSD’s.  The main bottleneck in most modern-day computers is a standard hard disc drive and many manufacturers still use these in their laptops.

Finally, the operating system.  This is when you should speak to us if you intend to use your laptop for business purposes.

Microsoft Windows comes in a few editions and it is quite common when purchasing a “consumer laptop” to have a copy of the Windows 10 Home edition installed.

Whilst this will be satisfactory for most purposes, but if you plan to use it in an office environment you may have to spend extra money time and effort getting Microsoft Windows Professional – this has many benefits for the workplace which we’ll detail in another article.

If you have any questions about your current system or are thinking of purchasing a new laptop, but not sure where to start, please feel free to contact us today. With over 20 years experience offering IT support to our customers – we are sure we can help.