Choosing the right laptop can be both easy and difficult as there are many technical specs to consider. A lot of people just buy a MacBook and call it a day, but they could have opted for a much cheaper laptop that can perform just as well. Who are we kidding though, a Mac is a Mac. I’ll briefly go through the different specs and what they mean, like computer chips, Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Random Access Memory (RAM). I know it sounds like a lot of jargon but hopefully this blog will help you understand them much better. There are a lot more features to cover so I will spread it across a few blogs.
Fun Fact : The first ever computer mouse was made of wood
First things first, you need to know what you’ll be using your laptop for. I have created a table which breaks down each type of computer chip* and what they are best used for.
| Chip | Tasks |
| i3 | Everyday computer tasks – email, web surfing, MS Office & very low-end gaming |
| i5 | Better for i3 tasks plus light photo/video editing |
| i7 | Better for i5 tasks plus 4k gaming and serious photo/video editing |
| i9 | This is the greed they talk about in the Bible, you don’t need this. |
Typically, I would suggest going for an i5 laptop. I’d only go for an i7 if you edit high quality videos or play 4k games on a regular basis. However, not every i7 laptop is better than every i3/i5 laptop. Yeah this tech stuff is mad sometimes, but I’ll cover this in the next blog (I promise).
The next tech aspect is clock speed. Now clock speed is how many clock cycles the CPU can perform per second, so the higher the clock speed the faster the PC. However, the higher the processing speed the shorter the battery life. Its a catch twenty-two, but there are ways around it. For example, I would suggest not buying a laptop with very high CPU as you can still have a fast processing laptop by factoring in other components such as RAM.
Random Access Memory (RAM) is the memory available to the PC. So, more RAM means you can have multiple applications running at the same time without your computer slowing down. Personally, 4GB of RAM is okay but you would rather have 8GB. If you’re heavy into gaming and video editing then 16GB/32GB (this is that greed) of RAM would be better. One thing to remember though is that CPU and RAM should match, as usually a high CPU with a low RAM would cause the PC to freeze, or a low CPU with a high RAM means the laptop will be slow.
As I said before there are several more features to go through such as graphics cards, hard disks and solid state drives, so I’ll definitely break it down to help you make the right choice. You’ll definitely find that you don’t need to break the bank in order to get what you need out of a laptop. The last thing you want is a Mac that is breathing heavy like a dog because you want to send an email. I’m also in need of a new laptop so I’ll let you know which one I go for.
Competition Winner
Now, the bit we are all waiting for, I’d like to say a big thanks to everyone who has subscribed to my blog and shown support. Don’t worry, there will be more competitions and draws on the way!!!
So the winner is: Melanie S
Congratulations!!! I’ll be contacting you shortly, so please look out for an email from me.
Love & Guidance
TT
The TT Protocol 