Choosing the right computer can easily be likened to buying the right car. You can ask questions such as “new or used?”, “how much storage space do I need?”, “how much power do I need?”. Some people only need a compact car to get them around while others need a truck to pull heavy loads. A computer is no different – both are tools that we use to get what we need done. This post will go over what you need to figure out what computer that you need.
Determine the Workload
The first step in buying anything is knowing what you need it for. With a vehicle, you know what you want (space, heavy duty, seating, etc) before you go to a dealership. With a laptop, you need to know what applications you are going to use it for. Is it just a general use laptop for home where you will just use it to browse? Are you going to run graphics-heavy programs like Adobe Creative Cloud or CAD software? Or are you going to use it for gaming?
When you get your list of programs together, include the list of minimum and recommended requirements. The requirements include things such as CPU, Memory, Storage, and Graphics specs. If you can’t find these, you either don’t have good software or the specs are really low. From this list, you can go onto the next question.
Determine the base Specs
Now that you have your list on what do you need, you may wonder what they all mean.
CPU: The motor that makes your computer think. Usually higher numbers mean more power. Newer generations are faster than previous ones. Intel makes it easy by labeling their i series with the generation. While the lowest intel CPU’s are the celeron and pentium, I highly recommend avoiding anything with these, as they will not give a good experience. At a minimum, get an i3 processor (at least 8th generation) for a browser-only computer. The i5 is a good general-purpose processor. If you need the extra power, the i7 or possibly the i9 would be appropriate.
Memory: short-term memory. Unlike your mind which can forget what just happened (I’m young and I can forget that fast), computer memory does not unless there is something wrong. The more programs that you have open, the more memory you will use. Memory speed can be slightly important, as DDR3 is slower than DDR4. Don’t worry about the MHz as much, as the only way to know the speed is to do some math. Keep in mind that the DDR level depends on the CPU and that you cannot mix chip densities (how many chips there are on the memory.
Operating system (OS): The base software on your computer. Some programs only support certain operating systems. The three main operating systems used are Windows, MacOS, and Linux (specifically the Ubuntu distribution). All three have improved over time. All three systems are easily usable by the average user. I personally avoid all Apple products, as I don’t like their philosophy and that they are currently have the highest chance of getting malware (especially when they don’t have any active anti-virus by default). I love using Linux, as it gives superior performance on some games that I play and the programming languages that I use are very easy to setup on Linux. Overall, the operating system is a personal preference and also a requirement of the programs that you will use.
Storage: This is the long-term memory of your computer. The metric system is used for storage size: Megabytes, Gigabytes, and Terabytes. Each is 1000x more than the previous. This depends on the software that you need to use, along with all the files you want to keep. If you want to store music or files, I recommend at least 500GB; if you are storing any videos, you need at least 1TB; or if you are just doing web browsing 250GB is good. I don’t recommend 120GB drives, as there is not much space after installing the Operating system and applications.
Determining more specs
Moving on to beyond the basic internal specs mentioned above, there are also other important factors.
Chassis: Like the body of your car. Some cars are known as rust buckets while others are known for living forever. Laptops are very much like cars as they can go with you everywhere. The low-cost laptops at places like Walmart or Best Buy are like the rust bucket cars. They are usually just plastic going around a circuit board. After a year of use, the circuit board could just snap in half, especially if the plastic shell has gotten a lot of beating. I personally do not go near these laptops, as I’ve learned from other’s experiences that these computers don’t last long unless you treat them like china. I normally go right into the business-grade laptops that will have a metal frame that ensures that the insides of your laptop are protected.
Screen Size: If you are looking for a laptop, you will need to pick a screen size, unless you plan on using an external monitor only. Common screen sizes include 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch. 15-inch is the most common. 13-inch is only recommended if you are young and space is an issue. In the past, this size is known as a netbook. If you have poor eyesight, get a 17-inch, as every inch will help you. If you don’t move around a lot, consider getting a desktop instead, and you can get a 24 or 27 inch monitor.
Keyboard: The keyboard is how you get info into your computer. The highest quality keyboards are usually mechanical keyboards, which I like sometimes, but you will never find these on a laptop as they are thick and heavy. Lenovo ThinkPads are known for good keyboards. However, I’ve found from work experience that Apple keyboards are very low-quality devices that have a premium price. The keyboard on MacBooks are well known for their issues. Overall, the keyboard preference depends on the person and the feeling that they like.
Pointer: Each computer can have different ways to point at things. This includes devices such as a touchscreen, a mouse, a trackball, a trackpad, or even a knob in the middle of the keyboard. When looking at a laptop, pay attention to what it includes here. Just like the keyboard, it depends on personal preference on the type and features you want for your pointing devices. When looking at the trackpad on a laptop, note if it has buttons. I personally don’t like button-less trackpads as they are hard to click. When looking at mice, find one that fits your hand. A mouse should be ergonomic and should fill your hand. Avoid slivers (Apple magic mouse) and tiny mice. Holding a small object for a long time will quickly get uncomfortable. There are even some mice that are sideways to help your wrist. Some people like trackballs, which is basically an upside-down mouse. Usually trackballs are big and are very ergonomic. Touchscreens are another topic, and give a natural way to interact with things on the screen.
Ports: The connectors on your computer are important to check. If you plan on connecting a monitor, check if there is an HDMI or DisplayPort connector. Check how many USB ports there are and what type they are. I will warn that computers like the MacBook only have USB-C ports an you will need dongles to be able to connect to other devices. This is an added expense and you will have to keep track of all the dongles.
Where to Buy the Computer
If you are looking for a new laptop, I usually only go to the well-established brands. This includes HP, Dell, and Lenovo. There are also Acer, Asus, and Toshiba, though I have not had the best quality with these.
If you are looking for a used laptop, you can go to the usual marketplaces (Facebook, eBay) and look for the brands mentioned above, just with lower model numbers. For Dell, if the latest model is a Latitude 3490, you look for a 3480. When evaluating posts, look at all the pictures and make sure that all parts (CPU, Memory, Storage, Screen) are mentioned in the name or description. If the computer is new enough, you may even still have a warranty. If you are willing to take a computer apart and fix it, you can get a computer that does not have certain parts. Just like any other used purchase, know what you are getting before actually purchasing it.
I will note at the time of writing this, there are “chip shortages” that have increased prices for new computer parts and all graphics cards. Depending on what you want, it may be hard to find the right computer unless you are willing to wait.
Install base software
Whenever I get a computer, I will install certain software right away.
Drivers: Get these from the manufacturer’s website. NEVER get them from any other website.
An office suite: For Windows, you have Office 365. For MacOS you have iWork (pages, numbers, keynote), but you will have a harder time with being compatible with anyone not using MacOS. For all operating systems, you have LibreOffice which is not as good as the others, but works fine if you don’t have the money for Apple or Microsoft.
A good text editor: Usually that text editor that is built into the operating system is limited. Since I do programming, I do a lot of text editing. Even with HAM radio, I find myself looking at logs with a text editor. Notepad++ is a good Windows editor. Visual Studio Code is a good editor that has a lot of features that are good for more technical users.
A Browser: All operating systems come with a built-in browser. Of all the built-in browsers, edge is the best. On all systems, the first browser that I get is Chrome, as it is compatible with 99% of sites. On MacOS, Safari is an OK browser, but may not support some websites. Some people like privacy, so they use browsers such as Firefox or Brave. One interesting thing about Chrome, Edge, and Brave, is that the internals are based on the Chromium project that uses the Blink engine to show the website.
An Antivirus: I personally like Cylance, as it is an AI-based AV that does not slow down your computer. Windows comes with Defender, which has proven to be more effective than many other AV software. I don’t normally install AV on Linux as I don’t do much browsing to untrusted sites, but the standard is ClamAV. Other common AV’s that people use include malware bytes. If you are using MacOS, make sure you install an AV, as you should not depend on the passive system protection, as there are plenty of other threats that do not affect the system, such as phishing or browser attacks. If you don’t know about how malware works, I highly suggest you learn about it as soon as possible, as most attacks involve you, the user.
Adobe Reader: for reading PDF’s. Most browsers include a PDF reader now, but they don’t always support all features. Just like drivers, go straight to adobe.com and don’t go anywhere else. Most of the malware that I’ve seen people download over that last few years is from fake installers that pose as Adobe products such as Flash (which is no longer supported and should NEVER be used).
Still need help?
I would gladly help find the computer that you need, for my normal negotiable consulting fee (discounts for small churches or HAMs). I will ask the same questions as above and will give you a quote. Based on the information you give me, you will either know what to buy yourself, or I can be the middle-man and install any upgrades you desire.