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My suggestion/recommendations for purchasing a laptop and accessories

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TOM'S GUIDE - VIDEO:  STUDENTS: BUYING A LAPTOP

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TOM'S GUIDE - VIDEO:  STUDENTS: BUYING A LAPTOP

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Laptop Buying Tips for Students

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Going off to high school or college without a decent laptop is like refusing to use pencil and paper. It instantly puts a ceiling on how much students can learn, how far they can go and how many lifelong abilities they can acquire. But don't just buy whatever is on sale; you need the right laptop for your specific needs.

Whether you're a student yourself or are shopping on behalf of a student, we've compiled eight tips on choosing the right student laptop to enhance learning now and in the future. Here are our quick tips, plus all the details you need to know.

Quick Tips

1. Go portable: 11- to 14-inch screen size, less than 4 pounds

2. Durability matters: Spill-resistant keyboards, MIL-SPEC tested are pluses.

3. Recommended specs: Intel Core m or Core i CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Chromebooks can have less.

4. OS Options: Chromebooks are good for kids. Windows is best for productivity, but macOS is for art/design students.

5. Battery life: 8+ hours is ideal; 6+ hours is required.

6. Keyboard and touchpad: Look for responsive keys with deep travel.

7. Consider a 2-in-1: Great for drawing, pen-based note taking, working while standing up

MORE: Best Laptops for College Students
Top Picks

1. Pick a portable size

The whole point of buying a student laptop is that you can carry the device to class. Unless you're an engineering student who needs a CAD workstation, look for a laptop that weighs under 4 pounds and has an 11- to 14-inch display. Film students editing their masterpieces may also need a larger screen, such as the high-res panel in the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

A younger student can get by with a laptop that has an 11-inch screen, but typing space and screen visibility are often a concern at that size. Thirteen inches is the sweet spot between portability and usability, although students in the arts or engineering may put more value on a bigger screen.

2. Pay for durability
Credit: Jeremy Lips/Laptop Mag
If you have more to spend, shop for laptops made from aluminum, magnesium alloy or carbon fiber, for sturdiness you can count on. Also, look to see if the manufacturer has made any durability claims. Some student laptops, like the Acer Chromebook 11 N7, are specifically made to survive drops from a particular height. Many business laptops are made to pass MIL-SPEC 810G durability tests, and they work just as well in the classroom as in the boardroom. A spill-resistant keyboard is a big plus.

3. Get specs for the long haul

You want something that isn't going to be obsolete before graduation, so keep an eye on the key internal components.

Display: Most budget and many mainstream laptops have low-res, 1366 x 768 displays that aren't very sharp and can't fit a lot of text on the screen, which makes them poor choices for writing papers or doing research. Unless you're buying a really inexpensive laptop or one with an 11-inch screen, getting a display that's at least 1920 x 1080 (1080p) resolution should be a priority.
MORE: Why 78 Percent of Laptop Screens Suck
You can go even higher, too, with resolutions of 2560 x 1440 (QHD) or 3840 x 2160 (UHD). These are great for photo and video students who need to view high-res source material, but those display specs add to the price and subtract from the battery life. Touch screens add functionality to your laptop, but they consume a ton of power, shortening your battery life by 10 to 25 percent, so don't get one unless you really need it.

CPU: If you want a system that provides solid performance for today and tomorrow, get an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU. Make sure the processor model number has a 7000 in it (ex; Core i5-7200U), which means that you have the latest Intel 7th Generation (aka Kaby Lake) chip. If you're on a tight budget, a Core i3, Pentium or Celeron CPU will suffice for light productivity work, and Intel's Core M processor delivers decent performance in slim-and-light designs.

RAM: Unless you're buying a cheap laptop for a younger child, 4GB is the bare minimum amount of RAM you should have in a laptop, and 8GB is ideal. That will run everything you need without dragging you down or interfering with multitasking.

Storage Drive/Hard Drive: Getting an SSD (solid-state drive) rather than a mechanical hard drive has a more significant effect on performance than buying a fast processor. Because SSDs have no moving parts, they run three to four times faster than typical 5,400 rpm or 7,200 rpm hard drives. That means faster app opens, start times and task switching, along with much better responsiveness. SSDs do cost a lot more while offering less storage, so if you have a lot of media files, you may need to store some in the cloud or on an external drive.

Wi-Fi: Make sure you get a laptop with 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, rather than the older 802.11n.

Ports: USB Type-C ports are the future, but regular USB Type-A ports are the present. If you can get a laptop with a mix of both, that's ideal. Definitely try to get a laptop with multiple USB ports, so you don't need to carry a lot of dongles with you.

4. Get the right OS

Consider the operating system. If you're heading off to college, check with the university about software requirements. Sometimes schools will need you to have a specific type of software or operating system to ensure compliance with future workloads. Windows 10 is the most popular operating system and most versatile; Microsoft's platform has millions of applications, supports both touch-friendly tablet mode and keyboard-friendly desktop mode and offers the helpful Cortana digital assistant.
MORE: Meet macOS Sierra: 8 Best Features
Apple's given its macOS platform even better integration with the iPhone, as well as its digital assistant Siri. And while Windows 10 is the platform with the most programs, there are certain apps that are exclusive to Macs, so ask others in your field of study to confirm which operating system best suits you.

Chromebooks, while offering limited software options, could be just the thing for the truly budget-conscious shopper who is comfortable doing everything online. These devices start at just $149 and are increasingly accepted by some school districts. Soon, Chromebooks will offer support for Android apps from the Google Play Store.

5. Look for 8 hours or more of battery life

Don't tether yourself to an outlet. Get a laptop that promises quality battery life, and look for systems with optional extended batteries for the longest run times. In general, you're better off buying a system with more than 8 hours of juice, regardless of the price. The average for ultraportable laptops is 7 hours, 55 minutes, based on the Laptop Mag Battery Test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi). However, some models, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T460, can last for as long as 17 hours, with the right battery.
MORE: Laptops with the Longest Battery Life
You can even find all-day-long battery life in a super-affordable laptop. The $199 Dell Inspiron 11 3000 made it 13 hours and 39 minutes on our battery test, a time nobody would expect for a notebook at that price. Just know that this machine isn't for multitasking, as its Intel Celeron N3060 CPU and 2GB of RAM kept our count of open Chrome tabs low.

6. Check the keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard should be springy and comfortable, not mushy. Look for deep travel and strong feedback. The touchpad is equally important; you'll want to make sure the responsiveness is smooth and that multitouch gestures like pinch-to-zoom are appropriately reactive. Business laptops - such as Lenovo ThinkPads, Dell Latitudes and HP EliteBooks - offer some of the best keyboards and touchpads.

7. Consider a 2-in-1

2-in-1s can handle a lot of work while giving you the flexibility of a tablet. There are two kinds of hybrids: laptops with lids that flip back 360 degrees, and detachable tablets. Amongst bend-back 2-in-1s, the HP Spectre x360 is our favorite for its beautiful, slim design, speedy 7th-Gen CPU and fantastic keyboard. Our favorite detachable 2-in-1 is the Surface Pro (which starts at $749, and another $159 for the keyboard cover) is our favorite, for its great design, vibrant screen and powerful performance. Our favorite overall However, if you're looking for something more affordable, Dell's Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 offers a sleek premium design, a comfortable keyboard and strong audio, for just $749.

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Going off to high school or college without a decent laptop is like refusing to use pencil and paper. It instantly puts a ceiling on how much students can learn, how far they can go and how many lifelong abilities they can acquire.

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GREAT VIDEO - INFORMED DECISION ON BUYING A LAPTOP

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GREAT VIDEO - INFORMED DECISION ON BUYING A LAPTOP

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Buying a laptop: Everything you need to know, and maybe a little you don’t

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Whether you're loyal to Windows, a Mac fan, or willing to try something new, you should know what to look for in a laptop before making an investment. There's more to consider than just the operating system. Does it have the screen you want? Are there ports that support your peripherals? Can it play games in 1080p? These are considerations you need to weigh.

In this guide, we explain what you should look for in 2021, and what you need to avoid. There are many options available to you for both Windows 10 and Chrome OS, whereas Apple limits its MacBooks to a limited number of configurations. Continue on to find out which laptop is right for you.

Mac, Windows, or something else?

The operating system should be your first major consideration. While traditionally that debate was dominated by Apple's MacOS and Microsoft's Windows, Google's Chrome OS is now a very popular alternative typically offered on much more affordable laptops.

While there are certainly comparable hardware and features offered with these platforms, there are some stark differences between them that are important to consider.

Windows

Windows-based PCs are an incredibly diverse category. Dozens of manufacturers make them, and the quality and pricing can vary greatly depending on which model and brand you choose. The fastest models will surpass Macs in terms of performance, and many companies tailor their Windows PCs to a specific purpose, such as gaming or business.

Windows PCs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A standard laptop with a clamshell design and a keyboard-mouse interface is easy to find. Touchscreen Windows laptops can be found even in the lower price brackets, which is not something you'll see on any Apple MacBook - unless you count the Touch Bar.

More elaborate designs include fold-back screens or even detachable tablet-keyboard combos, such as Microsoft's Surface Book range. Meanwhile, Apple reserves the 2-in-1 design for its iPad Pro family, as you won't see a convertible or detachable MacBook.

On the software side, Windows is far more open-ended than MacOS. It's the standard for game development and many business-related programs, empowering a larger software library. Windows enjoys major updates with new features more frequently too: Biannually versus annually with Apple's MacOS.

Unlike Apple's more limited lineup of hardware, there is plenty of choice in the Windows laptop space. Whether you opt for a major manufacturer like Lenovo, Dell, or one of Microsoft's own devices, you have a ton of options.

MacOS

Apple has always been protective of its brand, releasing products in very deliberate iterations. Any Apple product will follow its standards, whereas any manufacturer can make a Windows or Chrome OS-based PC with unique specs. As a result, Macs are very user-friendly and stable. And because they come from the same ecosystem, Apple's resourceful support network can easily help with any problems that arise.

Quality design is one of the hallmarks of a Mac. They are built to look and feel elegant, which translates to a much higher price tag than their Windows and Chrome OS counterparts, especially when configured with lots of storage. Apple computers aren't known for being cheap.

Macs use fast hardware, but they don't tend to sport the most powerful graphics chips as seen in Windows-based PCs. Still, those who want a solid computer but do not know a lot about hardware can rest easy knowing their Mac will perform well during everyday use.

Apple's strict design standards extend to the operating system, MacOS, which is straightforward and intuitive. Unlike Windows, the platform includes a suite of proprietary office and media-editing software, and each application is well-suited for its targeted task.

In many ways, all of this translates to products that are easy for anyone to pick up and use, regardless of a person's skill level or familiarity with computers. On the other hand, the rigid design of the Mac means less freedom to customize the device. The installed hardware is the hardware you get - there's no swapping out the memory or storage.

Finally, while there are no touchscreens on Macs, you can use Apple's Sidecar mode to essentially add an iPad as a second wireless screen with touch support.

Chrome OS

Google's Chrome OS is different than Windows and MacOS. Based on the Chrome browser, this platform initially focused on web-based apps and affordability. While the latter still holds true, Chrome OS has evolved over the years to support more traditional desktop software and mobile apps, similar to its rivals.

Chrome OS powers Chromebooks. These devices are typically more affordable than Windows-based PCs and MacBooks due to their lower hardware requirements. They're ideal for schools and other institutions, and customers who just need a laptop to browse social media and make online purchases.

However, hardware choices are also much more varied today than in the past, with powerful offerings, like Google's own Pixelbook, which perform and look very much like premium Windows and MacOS laptops. There are even 2-in-1 options like the Pixel Slate or HP Chromebook x2.

Overall, Chrome OS is quick and more versatile today than it's ever been. Its foundation is still web-centric, but the platform now supports Google Play and Android apps, making it the ideal notebook companion if you have an Android phone. It even mimics Apple's iMessages, allowing Chromebook owners to text from their laptops without picking up the phone.

Moreover, Chrome OS supports Linux, opening up the platform to traditional desktop software, like GIMP and Steam. The drawback is that the library isn't as diverse as Windows or even MacOS, and Linux support is still in beta. Still, the maturity of Chrome OS has proven to be a strong contender in a market mostly dominated by Windows.

Overall, if Chrome OS fits the bill for what you need in a laptop, you can save a lot of money by going with a Chromebook.

The types of laptops

There are several laptop categories, manufactured with a certain use or audience in mind. When shopping for a laptop, decide what you primarily intend to use the laptop for and seek out a category that aligns with those interests. Here are some broad categories and a couple of our favorites for each.

Entry-level ($600 or less)

Laptops can be expensive, but manufacturers know that not everyone can afford a $2,000 machine. Buyers who need a laptop for the most basic purposes and want to save money can find great laptops that cost $600 or less.

In general, budget laptops are ideal for people who may not know a lot about computers and simply want a device that can carry out standard tasks. They're built to last despite the low price, with competent construction and ergonomically sensible keyboards and touchpads.

These laptops are typically light on hardware, meaning you won't find loads of RAM or high-performance graphics, making them less ideal for AAA games or keeping hundreds of browser tabs open. They're not incapable of decent performance, just limited as to what you can do compared to higher-priced models.

This is a category where Chromebooks excel, as they ditch some of the fancier features of Windows and MacOS laptops, but there are options from those two camps. For example, the Acer Chromebook 15 Spin and the Lenovo IdeaPad 330S are fantastic. If portability is more important, the Microsoft Surface Go 2-in-1 has a great design and an exceedingly affordable price.

Mainstream ($600-$1,000)

This price range is arguably the best in terms of bang for your buck. These laptops are truly excellent. You get much better internal hardware than the entry-level offerings, but at the cost of premium features, high-powered graphics chips, and fancy materials.

The fact that this section is such a sweet spot for the industry means that you have plenty to choose from. There are laptops with great displays, laptops with powerful processors, beautiful laptops, and ones that are light and portable with great battery life. You may not find a system that ticks every one of those boxes, but the best laptops under $1,000 are some of our favorites.

If you want a great gaming laptop in this price bracket, the Dell Gaming G3 is a powerful option, while the ZenBook 13 UX333 remains one of the best laptops under $1,000.

Premium ($1,000+)

This bracket contains some of the best laptops you can buy today. For a little extra money, you gain longer battery life, improved performance from more powerful internal hardware, larger and higher-resolution displays, and overall better build quality. If you're a bit more of a power-user and can afford it, this is the class of laptop you should consider most.

Despite the inflated cost of the premium laptop category, there are still plenty of choices. You can pick up stellar laptops in the 13-inch form with plenty of general computing power and connectivity options. If you're interested in gaming on the side or content creation, you'll want to jump up to a 15-inch laptop with a six-core processor and a dedicated graphics card.

This category even contains our favorite laptop of the past few years, the Dell XPS 13. If you want something a little heftier and more capable of content creation, the Dell XPS 15 is worth considering too. For gamers, the Razer Blade is the best laptop we've ever come across (and there's a new 2020 version out), while the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme offers real power in a supremely rugged chassis.

If you're an Apple fan, we'd recommend the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro is an option too, but that's more for power users and offers less bang for your buck.

2-in-1

The 2-in-1 laptop combines the convenience and ease of a tablet with the utility of a keyboard. This category includes two specific designs: Convertible and detachable. The convertible can serve as a tablet by flipping the keyboard under the screen. The detachable is essentially a tablet with a removable keyboard but looks and feels like an ultra-thin laptop when combined.

Two-in-ones can provide a lot of versatility but are not necessarily the best devices available. The uniqueness of their design can come with some notable drawbacks, such as weight (especially from the metal hinges on the keyboard) and price. These 2-in-1 laptops are often more expensive than clamshell laptops with comparable hardware.

When it comes to buying a 2-in-1, some are better laptops than they are tablets, and some are better tablets than they are laptops. Think hard about which "mode" you're likely to use more before buying and do so accordingly.

Our favorite 2-in-1 laptops for 2020 are the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 and the HP Spectre x360 13.

Ultrabooks

The term "ultrabook" is technically a specification that Intel used for extra-light, portable laptops designed to be easy to carry while still providing great battery life. They use SSDs, power-efficient Intel Core processors, and carefully designed clamshell bodies. This became a very popular type of computer, and many people began applying the name "ultrabook" to any compact, lightweight laptop that was designed for easy transport.

Today, any lightweight laptop with an SSD and Intel processor may be called an ultrabook, although that isn't quite accurate (some are now referred to as ultraportables instead). You can find some good examples in our list of the best 13-inch laptops.

Business laptops

Business laptops offer some intriguing features for the average buyer despite targeting professionals. Sure, they might not always offer the looks of more mainstream systems, but they tend to pack exceptional battery life and have more rugged and tough shells.

The biggest downside to business laptops is that they're usually on the expensive side. They typically offer slightly larger displays paired with great color accuracy, especially if they're aimed more at video editors and photographers. They are also much more likely to offer better protective systems like biometric validation and professionally oriented software packages due to their greater emphasis on security and privacy.

One of the most iconic laptop lines in the business category is the Lenovo Thinkpad, and the recent X1 Carbon is a fantastic entry in that range. We also love the flagship X1 Extreme - it's our favorite business laptop for 2020.

Gaming laptops

Gaming laptops must be built to keep up with the unceasing march of progress. The best tout high-end processors and graphics chips, as well as enough RAM to run modern games. Anything less can render the hottest titles unplayable.

High-tier gaming laptops tend to be bulky, typically to accommodate better desktop-like hardware and larger screens. Their power-gulping components mean that battery life isn't great - especially on systems with 4K displays. But this isn't always the case, as our favorite gaming laptops tend to offer a good middle ground or offer more stealth gaming ability.

Alienware's Area-51m is more of a traditional gaming laptop with super-powerful hardware and a bulky frame, but the Razer Blade is a much more modern take on a gaming laptop design.

What you need to know about hardware

As with any computer, hardware determines what a laptop can do. Better components will naturally be more expensive, so it is important to consider the laptop's primary role and choose hardware suitable for that purpose. A laptop purchased to browse the internet or write documents, for example, doesn't need a high-end processor or video card.

CPU/Processor

As with any computer, the CPU is the brains of the notebook and does most of the general work. When the computer needs to access or change data, the CPU executes that task. Better CPUs will be able to process more data at quicker speeds. However, keep in mind that a CPU's pure clock speed doesn't necessarily paint the whole picture. If you're unsure about your options, copy its model number (such as "Core i5-9400H") into a web search to compare your choices.

The latest offerings from Intel are its Core i3, i5, i7, and i9 series in 10th- and 11th-generation models. You can see the generation in the chip's part number, shown immediately after the dash. For instance, the i5-9400H is a 9th-generation CPU. Meanwhile, AMD's latest notebook chips are its third-generation mobile Ryzen 4000 Series CPUs, though they are a bit more difficult to find in laptop offerings.

When it comes to picking a laptop based on its CPU, newer is almost always better. Try to avoid buying a laptop with a CPU that's a few generations old. Unless you're doing something intensive like video editing, don't worry about buying a chip outside of the midrange. The four cores available in the Core i5-1135G7, for example, offer enough performance for almost anyone.

Graphics

A Graphics Processing Unit, or GPU, is a chip that generates all images you see on the screen. Most lower-end laptops ship with integrated graphics, which means the component is mounted inside the main processor. For instance, nearly all Intel laptop chips include integrated graphics. AMD produces Accelerated Processing Units, or APUs, that combine CPU and GPU cores on the same chip (die) in a similar fashion.

Other laptops have an additional graphics chip/module soldered into the motherboard. These chips are referred to as "discrete GPUs," and typically can't be removed by the typical laptop owner. Nvidia and AMD are the primary vendors of these chips.

Nvidia's latest laptop GPU family is the RTX 20 Series, including the RTX 2060, 2070, and 2080 - with some Max-Q versions which are cooler and quieter. These will be in the most expensive, most powerful gaming and business-class laptops, though some recent models may be using the GTX 16 Series or the older GTX 10 Series. Laptops based on the RTX 30 Series could make an appearance in Q1 2021.

There's also a growing number of options out there with an Intel CPU combined with AMD Vega graphics core and dedicated video memory on a single module. They can be impressively powerful and are worth considering if you find a laptop sporting that hardware at the right price.

AMD discrete laptop graphics like the RX 5500M and 5600M offer vastly improved performance over integrated solutions, though they are far less common than Nvidia's solutions.

Audio

Although some laptops offer adequate sound right out of the box, such as the MacBook Pro, most laptops don't have the room to fit decent speakers inside the casing. Most laptops provide ports to connect headphones or external speakers if you want a more immersive listening experience.

Memory

RAM, often referred to as system memory, refers to dedicated hardware for temporarily storing and accessing information for immediate use. All current tasks store data in RAM, like the web browser currently displaying this guide.

Essentially, the more RAM, the more information a computer can call up at any given time, and thus the more things it can do at any time. However, unlike storage (see below), RAM does not store data indefinitely. Once RAM loses power, all held data is lost.

How much RAM do you need? 8GB is the sweet spot for most. You'll want to jump up to 16GB or more, though, if you're running intensive applications or doing any kind of content creation.

Storage

The amount of storage space on a laptop's internal drive(s) is how much data it can hold in total indefinitely. All data, from installed programs to downloaded music, reside on an internal storage device. These devices either rely on traditional platter-based hard drive technology or NAND Flash technology. Chromebooks tend to use the latter in small amounts.

In contrast to RAM, data in storage does not necessarily need to be in use. An installed program that is currently not active takes up storage space but not memory. Many modern laptops now use solid-state drives (SSDs) which are faster and more reliable than traditional hard drives, but more expensive when comparing identical capacities.

An SSD uses NAND Flash to store data, which doesn't have moving parts. It offers a dramatic performance boost over a conventional hard drive - which does have moving parts - and can provide the most dramatic improvement in laptop usage when buying a new system.

Make sure your next purchase has an SSD as the primary drive. If you need more space, grab a big external drive too.

Ports

Ports can quickly become confusing on a laptop due to a complex labyrinth of terminology. Make sure to focus on the USB ports that you need.

Most laptops tend to offer USB-A ports to support legacy devices, like peripherals and external drives. They're rectangular with squared corners and only works with a one-side-up connector. This interface supports USB 2.0 (480Mbps), USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), or USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), depending on the laptop manufacturer.

Thinner laptops like Ultrabooks and MacBooks generally do not offer USB-A ports due to their size. Instead, you'll see one or more USB-C ports. This interface is smaller, narrower, and more rounded than USB-A. It's generally used with several technologies including Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and DisplayPort, depending on the laptop manufacturer. USB-C requires a different, thinner either-side-up connecter.

If you plan to connect a second external monitor for more large-screen work, make sure that the laptop has the right connections for that monitor, such as USB-C, DisplayPort, or HDMI. You may find VGA on old models, and video output is possible through USB-A using DisplayLink drivers and the appropriate adapter.

Touchscreen support

Touchscreens were once exclusive to high-end laptops mostly because the hardware was expensive and touch-based screens didn't seem practical. What helped merge the two technologies was the tablet craze and the PC market's need to regain its footing. Enter the touch-centric 2-in-1 PCs and the overall reduction in manufacturing costs. Touchscreens are now more common - even on some budget designs - unless you own a MacBook.

Windows 10 has gone a long way towards making these touchscreen and combination designs more viable. The interface and software are designed with touch in mind, including conventional programs like Office and the Edge browser. Third-party software, like Google's popular Chrome browser, also offers great touch support.

While touch may seem to be an interesting feature given that you smudge up a smartphone every day, consider if it's important on a laptop. Touch makes sense on a 2-in-1 device, and even on laptops that can lean back in Stand Mode. If you don't think a touch screen on a clamshell design will be practical, however, don't dump extra bucks into a feature you'll never use.

Best time to buy your laptop

One of the most common questions about buying a new laptop is to shop to get the best deals. There's no strict rule for securing a cheap but good laptop. But there are a few different ways you can time your purchase window to find a good deal. Consider these timelines if you're in the market for a new laptop.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: These two dates in November are probably the most obvious ones for finding amazing deals. However, act fast, as laptop supplies tend to run out quickly. If you wait for the post-Thanksgiving rush, it may be hard to get the laptop you want, so you may not want to wait too long.

You can get ahead by heading online beforehand to see where the best deals - and shortest lines - will be. Doing your research in advance is a smart strategy.

Back-to-school season: Many retailers offer lower prices to help accommodate students who need new laptops for school. The fall is a great time to shop if you want to get a more affordable device with a steep discount, even if you aren't a student heading back to class.

A couple of months after a big release: Generally, companies will lower the price of older laptop generations when they are all set to release a new model to the world. This is the manufacturers' and retailers' attempt to eliminate the outdated models and open up space for the new ones.

In reality, there are minimal differences between laptop generations. This is why the pre-release months offer another excellent opportunity to snag a good deal on a laptop you like.

Another tip is to search manufacturer websites to stay up-to-date on what's in the queue and when these new devices will be released to the public. Signing up for their newsletter could be beneficial, ensuring that you never miss a deal. You can always unsubscribe after you find the perfect laptop.

Editors' Recommendations

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Laptop Buying Guide: What to Look For in 2021 and What to Avoid | Digital Trends

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Whether you're loyal to Windows, a Mac fan, or willing to try something new, you should know what to look for in a laptop before making an investment. There's more to consider than just the operating system. Does it have the screen you want? Are there ports that support your peripherals?

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8 ESSENTIAL TIPS

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Compact enough to carry with you, yet versatile enough to run demanding applications, a laptop is the best tool for doing serious work or play at home and on the road. While standalone tablets and smartphones are always popular, most people realize that everything from typing a research paper to crunching video to gaming works better on a laptop. So what type of laptop should you get?

There's a wide variety of sizes, features and prices, which makes choosing the right laptop a challenge. That's why you need to figure out what your needs are. To make the right call, just follow these steps.

1. Pick a Platform: Mac, Windows or Chrome OS?

This is not an easy question to answer, especially if you're not familiar with both Macs and PCs. But this quick overview of each platform's strengths and weaknesses should help.

Most laptops come with one of three operating systems: Windows, Chrome OS or Mac OS X (for MacBooks only). Choosing the right one is a personal preference, but here's a quick summary of what each offers.

Windows 10

The most flexible operating system, Windows appears on many more makes and models than Chrome OS or Mac OS X. Windows notebooks range in price from under $150 to several thousand dollars and offer a wide array of features from touch screens to fingerprint readers to dual graphics chips. Windows 10, the latest version of Microsoft's flagship operating system, provides a number of improvements over Windows 7 and 8, including the ability to switch between tablet and desktop modes, a revamped Start menu with live tiles and the powerful Cortana digital assistant. Since its launch in July 2015, Windows 10 has also added a host of improvements, including the ability to use follow-up questions with Cortana, search your email using natural language and use your stylus to scribble almost anywhere.
MORE: 100+ Windows 10 Tips to Help You Master Microsoft's OS
Apple macOS Sierra

All MacBooks come with Apple's latest desktop operating system, macOS Sierra. Overall, the operating system offers similar functionality to Windows 10, but with a different take on the interface that substitutes an apps dock at the bottom of the screen for Microsoft's Start menu and taskbar. Instead of the Cortana digital assistant, Mac users get Siri. They can also perform transactions with Apple Pay, take calls or texts from their phones and unlock their laptops with an Apple Watch. However, macOS isn't made for touch, because no MacBook comes with a touch screen.
MORE: MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: What Should You Buy?
Chrome OS

Found on inexpensive "Chromebooks" such as the Lenovo 100S Chromebook, Google's OS is simple and secure, but limited. The user interface looks a lot like Windows with an application menu, a desktop and the ability to drag windows around, but the main app you use is the Chrome browser. The downside is that many of the "web apps" you use don't work particularly well offline.

However, the operating if you need a device to surf the Web and check email, navigate social networks and chat online, Chromebooks are inexpensive and highly portable, and they offer good battery life. Google is also slowly adding support for Android apps , with a handful of Chromebooks able to run Google Play today.
MORE: Best Chromebooks Available Now
2. Decide If You Want a 2-in-1

These days, many PC laptops fall into the category of "2-in-1s," devices that can switch between traditional clamshell mode, tablet mode and other positions in between such as tent or stand modes. The 2-in-1s generally come in two different styles: detachables with screens that come off the keyboard entirely and flexible laptops with hinges that bend back 360 degrees to change modes. Most of these systems are much better at serving one purpose than the other, with bend-backs being laptops first and detachables offering a superior tablet experience. However, if you don't see the need to use your notebook as a slate, you'll usually get more performance for your money and a better productivity experience with a traditional clamshell laptop.

If you decide you want a 2-in-1, note that bendables usually have far better battery life than their detachable brethren.
MORE: Windows Detachables Have Big Battery Life Problem
3. Choose the Right Size

Before you look at specs or pricing, you need to figure out just how portable you need your laptop to be. Laptops are usually categorized by their display sizes:

11 to 12 inches: The thinnest and lightest systems around have 11- to 12-inch screens and typically weigh 2.5 to 3.5 pounds,

13 to 14 inches: Provides the best balance of portability and usability, particularly if you get a laptop that weighs under 4 pounds.

15 inches: The most popular size, 15-inch laptops usually weigh 4.5 to 6.5 pounds. Consider this size if you want a larger screen and you're not planning to carry your notebook around often.

17 to 18 inches: If your laptop stays on your desk all day every day, a 17- or 18-inch system could provide you with the kind of processing power you need to play high-end games or do workstation-level productivity.

4. Check That Keyboard and Touchpad

The most impressive specs in the world don't mean diddly if the laptop you're shopping for doesn't have good ergonomics. If you plan to do a lot of work on your computer, make sure the keyboard offers solid tactile feedback, plenty of vertical travel (distance the key goes down when pressed, usually 1 to 2mm) and enough space between the keys.

Look for an accurate touchpad that doesn't give you a jumpy cursor and responds consistently to multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. If you're buying a business laptop, consider getting one with a pointing stick (aka nub) between the G and H keys so you can navigate around the desktop without lifting your fingers off the keyboard's home row.

5. Pick Your Specs

Notebook components such as processor, hard drive, RAM and graphics chip can confuse even notebook aficionados, so don't feel bad if spec sheets look like alphabet soup to you.

Here are the main components to keep an eye on.

CPU: The "brains" of your computer, the processor has a huge influence on performance, but depending on what you want to do, even the least-expensive model may be good enough. Here's a rundown.

Intel Core i5: If you're looking for a mainstream laptop with the best combination of price and performance, get one with an Intel Core i5 CPU. Models that end in U (ex: Core i5-7200U) are the most common. Those with the a Y in the name are low power and have worse performance while models with an HQ offer four cores. Intel's latest-generation, "Kaby Lake" CPUs have model numbers that begin with 7 (ex: Core i5-7300U) so look for those to get the best performance.

Intel Core i7: High-end performance for gaming rigs and workstations. Models with numbers that end in HQ or K use higher wattage and have four cores, allowing for even faster gaming and productivity. There are also Core i7 Y series chips that have lower power and performance. Keep an eye out for CPUs that have a 7 in the model number (ex: Core i7-7820HQ) because they are part of Intel's latest, 7th Generation Core Series, and offer better performance.

Intel Core i3: Performance is just a step below Core i5 and so is the price. If you can possibly step up to a Core i5, we recommend it.

AMD A, FX or E Series: Found on low-cost laptops, AMD's processors -- the company calls them APUs rather than CPUs -- provide decent performance for the money that's good enough for web surfing, media viewing and productivity.

Intel Atom: Found on very low-cost laptops -- think $250 and under -- Atom offers basic performance but more battery life than Celeron/Pentium.

Intel Pentium / Celeron: Common in sub $400 laptops, these chips are a little faster than Atom, but offer worse battery life. If you can pay more to get a Core i3 or i5, you'd be better off.

Intel Core m / Core i5 / i7 "Y Series" -- Low-power and low heat allow systems with these processors to go fanless. Performance is better than Celeron, but a notch below regular Core i5 U series.

Intel Xeon: Extremely powerful and expensive processors for large mobile workstations. If you do professional-grade engineering, 3D modeling or video editing, you might want a Xeon, but you won't get good battery life or a light laptop.

MORE: Which Laptop CPU is Right for You?

RAM: Some sub-$250 laptops come with only 2GB of RAM, but ideally you want at least 4GB on even a budget system and 8GB if you can spend just a little more. For most users, 16GB or more is overkill.

Storage Drive (aka Hard Drive): Even more important than the speed of your CPU is the performance of your storage drive. If you can afford it and don't need a ton of internal storage, get a laptop with a solid state drive (SSD) rather than a hard drive, because you'll see at least three times the speed and a much faster laptop overall.
Among SSDs, the newer PCIe x4 (aka NVME) units offer triple the speed of traditional SATA drives. Sub-$250 laptops use eMMC memory, which is technically solid-state but not faster than a mechanical hard drive.

Display: The more pixels you have, the more content you can fit on-screen, and the sharper it will look. Most budget and mainstream laptops have 1366 x 768 displays, but if you can afford it, we recommend paying extra for a panel that runs at 1920 x 1080, also known as full HD or 1080p. Some higher-end laptops have screens that are 2560 x 1600, 3200 x 1800 or even 3840 x 2160, which all look sharp but consume more power, lowering your battery life.MORE: Why 78 Percent of Laptop Screens Suck

Touch Screen: If you're buying a regular clamshell laptop, rather than a 2-in-1, you won't get much benefit from a touch screen and you will get 1 to 3 hours less battery life. On 2-in-1s, touch screens come standard.

Graphics Chip: If you're not playing PC games, creating 3D objects or doing high-res video editing, an integrated graphics chip (one that shares system memory) will be fine. If you have any of the above needs, though, a discrete graphics processor from AMD or Nvidia is essential. As with CPUs, there are both high- and low-end graphics chips. Nvidia maintains a list of its graphics chips from low to high end, as does AMD.

DVD/Blu-ray Drives. Few laptops come with optical drives, because all software and movies are downloadable. However, if you really need to read / write discs and your laptop of choice doesn't come with a built-in DVD drive, you can always buy an external one that connects via USB for under $20.

6. Don't Skimp on Battery Life

If you're buying large, bulky notebook that you'll use only on a desk near an outlet, you don't have to worry about battery life. However, if you plan to use the laptop on your lap, even if it's at home and or work, you'll want at least 6 hours of endurance, with 8+ hours being ideal. To determine a notebook's expected battery life, don't take the manufacturer's word for it. Instead, read third-party results from objective sources, such as our reviews.
MORE: Laptops with the Longest Battery Life
7. Plan Based on Your Budget

These days, you can buy a usable laptop for under $200, but if you can budget more, you'll get a system with better build quality, stronger performance and a better display. Here's what you can get for each price range.

$150 to $250: The least-expensive notebooks are either Chromebooks, which run Google's browser-centric OS, or low-end Windows systems with minimal storage and slower processors, such as the HP Stream 11 and the Lenovo Ideapad 100S. Use these as secondary computers only or give them to the kids.

$350 to $600: For well under $600, you can get a notebook with an Intel Core i5 or AMD A8 CPU, 4 to 8GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive, all respectable specs. However, at this price, most notebooks don't have an SSD, a full-HD display or long battery life. There are a few noteable exceptions, such as the Asus VivoBook E403Sa and Lenovo ThinkPad 13.

$600 to $900: As you get above $600, you'll start to see more premium designs, such as metal finishes. Manufacturers also start to add in other features as you climb the price ladder, including higher-resolution displays and SSDs.

Above $900: At this price range, expect notebooks that are more portable, more powerful or both. Expect higher-resolution screens, faster processors and possibly discrete graphics. The lightest, longest-lasting ultraportables, like the Apple MacBook and the Dell XPS 13, tend to cost more than $1,000 (although you can get the Dell for less if you don't opt for a touch screen). High-end gaming systems and mobile workstations usually cost upward of $1,500 or even as much as $2,500 or $3,000.

8.Mind the Brand

Your laptop is only as good as the company that stands behind it. Accurate and timely technical support is paramount, which is why Laptop Mag evaluates every major brand in our annual Tech Support Showdown. This past year Apple came in first place, followed by HP and Samsung.This past year Apple came in first place, followed by Microsoft and Samsung.

Support is only part of what makes a notebook brand worth your money. You also have to consider how the manufacturer stacks up to the competition in terms of design, value and selection, review performance and other criteria. In our 2015 Best and Worst Laptop Brands report, Apple placed first, followed by Dell and HP.
MORE: Best and Worst Notebook Brands
[ibg id="254562" name="LAPTOP INTERACTIVE BUYING GUIDE"]

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Avram Piltch, LAPTOP Online Editorial Director

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Compact enough to carry with you, yet versatile enough to run demanding applications, a laptop is the best tool for doing serious work or play at home and on the road. While standalone tablets and smartphones are always popular, most people realize that everything from typing a research paper to crunching video to gaming works better on a laptop.

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All You Need to Know - Article

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Choosing a new laptop is a lot harder than it should be. Every major brand has multiple product lines with overlapping prices and features, and every description is filled with jargon about processors, types of storage, graphics capabilities, screen resolutions and a laundry list of ports and connections. And don't even get me started on names. Good luck figuring out the meaning behind a Pavilion/Inspiron/XPS/Latitude/Spectre/Envy/ZenBook/Odyssey or any of the others. It's enough to make you go back to a no. 2 pencil and a composition book.

That's why we test and review dozens of traditional laptops every year, plus Windows tablets and 2-in-1 hybrids, and even Chromebooks. This handy buying guide will give you the basic background info you need to add context to those reviews and to make a smart purchase. Of course, if you're looking to just jump right in, I've preselected a handful of my favorite current laptops to highlight. If you ran into me on the street, I'd probably steer you towards one of these as a starting point.

Our top picks

A big investment that will last for years:
Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13-inch, 2016) MacBooks, especially the latest Pro models with Apple's Touch Bar, cost a bundle, but they remain the most universally useful laptops you can buy.

>More affordable: Apple MacBook Pro (without Touch ID and Touch Bar)
>Cheaper, lighter but less powerful: Apple MacBook (12-inch)

Inexpensive, without feeling cheap: Samsung Chromebook Pro
A budget-priced Chromebook, running Google's Chrome OS, is going to feel speedier than a similarly priced Windows laptop. Now that Chromebooks can run Android apps as well, they're more useful than ever.

>A bigger, better Windows 10 alternative: HP Spectre x360
>A mainstream Windows 10 laptop that's cool but affordable: Dell XPS 13

A perfectly balanced gaming laptop: Dell Alienware 13 R3 (OLED)
I've always wanted a gaming laptop that's portable but powerful. Add to that support for virtual reality headsets and a brilliant OLED screen, and this hits almost every gaming checkbox I have.

>Custom components and hands-on service: Origin PC Evo-15S
>Over-the-top gaming excess: MSI GT83VR

Most buying guides and shopping advice features tend to get bogged down in the specs, mechanically listing subcategories within subcategories. Instead, I'll break out the most important things to know when looking for a new laptop, starting with my three cardinal rules.

Three rules for buying a laptop

1. Don't buy too much laptop

Not too many years ago, $1,000 was considered a good price for a boring, run-of-the-mill laptop. Today, some of the most advanced designs, from the Dell XPS 13 to the HP Spectre sell for less. Apple is the one computer maker that regularly gets away with charging significantly more (the mainstream MacBook Pro starts at $1,500).

Fully functional Windows 10 laptops can be found for as little as $200, though they're not good for much beyond basic web surfing. Chromebooks, which run a limited set of software in Google's Chrome OS (instead of Windows), are easy to find for $300 to $500, and can feel very speedy, even for budget-minded machines. Some new ones even have touch screens and run Android apps, which gives you a lot more flexibility.

Even gamers can spend less than you might expect. Laptops with Nvidia's very good GeForce 1050 GPU can be found for $800, although if you're interested in virtual reality, the cost of entry rises considerably.

2. Travel light

The first question I have when someone asks, "What kind of laptop should I buy?" is this: How many days per week do you plan on carrying your laptop around with you?

Daily or near-daily commutes mean you want something with a 13-inch or smaller display, that weighs under three pounds and is at most around 15mm thick. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro just hits those specs, while systems like the HP Spectre and Acer Swift 7 both dip below 10mm thick.

Those superslim systems usually trade a little power and battery life for portability (there's only so much room in a 10mm thick laptop for a battery or cooling fans for a fast CPU, after all), but trust me, carrying a 15-inch midsize laptop through an airport even once a month is going to get old real fast.

3. Design is king

Do you want a U-series Intel Core i5 Processor or a Y-series one? Do you need a standard SSD hard drive or a faster PCI-e version? Is the same full HD resolution as your big-screen TV enough, or do you need a 4K laptop display?

For most of what we do on our laptops today -- websurfing, streaming video from Netflix, YouTube or Amazon, posting on social media, sending email or using office apps like Office or Google Docs -- budget laptops will work fine. And with laptops that share similar processors, graphics cards or other components, our decade-plus of testing data shows that they perform, well, similarly.

That means what you're really investing in is a design you like. That can include weight, thickness and screen size, but also covers the layout of the keyboard, how large the touchpad is, how thick the bezel around the screen is, metal versus plastic, or even the color or pattern on the back of the lid.

And there's nothing wrong with making design choices your no. 1 deciding factor. A laptop is not only hefty investment, it's also a visual extension of your personality. You may carry it around with you all day, or even all over the country. Of course you want something that's both comfortable to use and pleasing to look at. It's as much a personal accessory as a jacket or a pair of glasses.

That's what Apple nails really well -- the parts inside of a MacBook are not that different from other laptops (although the operating system is another story), but the human interface tools are fantastic, and the design has become a standard for what a lot of people think a laptop should look like.

FAQ

What's better, Windows or MacOS?

I'm not touching that one with a 10-foot pole. There are no online commenters angrier than Mac fans bashing Windows, or Windows fans bashing Macs. That said, there are a few general rules of thumb that can help determine which side of the fence is right for you.

MacBooks, which run Apple's MacOS operating system (formerly known as OS X), have a higher cost of entry. The least-expensive MacBook right now is the 13-inch MacBook Air, which starts at $1,000, while the latest MacBook Pro starts at $1,500.

However, you get an amazingly seamless partnership of hardware and software, which is especially evident in how the multitouch gestures beat any Windows laptop, and how it's so easy to preview almost any file just by tapping the space bar.

That said, there's a lot less software you can install on a Mac, and games are pretty much out of the question. Under the latest version of MacOS, you have to go digging around in the settings menus to even install any software from what Apple calls "unidentified developers," which is anyone without its stamp of approval.

With Microsoft's OS, now up to Windows 10 (where did Windows 9 go? Don't ask...), you get a lot more flexibility in price, hardware and software. Windows 10 laptops dip as low as $200, and I've also reviewed configurations that top $5,000. You can get a 10mm thick ultraslim system, or a giant 12-pound-plus monster. You can get gaming rigs, hybrids that split into a separate tablet and keyboard, and just a generic-looking $600 plastic clamshell.

Windows is great if you like to tinker with registries and drivers, you want more direct control over what your software and operating system are doing, or if you want a touch-based OS, as most Windows laptops have at least a touch option now. On top of that, Windows 10 is much easier for a beginner to use than any previous version, and "running Windows" is no longer considered a knock against a PC.

The tl:dr version: choosing between Windows 10 and MacOS depends on what style of laptop hardware you want, and how much you want to spend.

How about a Chromebook?

Not too long ago, these stripped-down laptops running Google's Chrome OS were basically just big web browsers with few other features. They were cheap, they went online, and that was about all you could say about them.

Now that we're in the third or fourth major generation of Chromebooks, they've evolved to such a degree that there's really no reason a Chromebook can't be your main laptop. New models have basic filing system and media management tools, and nearly everything you'd want to do is browser-based, anyway. Gmail is probably your main mail app. Music comes from Spotify or another online streaming source, video comes from Netflix, Amazon or YouTube, and for office work, there's either Google Docs and its related tools, or the free online version of Microsoft Office.

Beyond that, new Chromebooks are adding Android app compatibility. So now, in systems such as the Samsung Chromebook Pro, you can download, install and run a ton of new apps. Only a handful are optimized for Chrome OS so far, but more will follow.

The upshot is that a cheap Chromebook feels faster and more responsive than a similarly cheap Windows laptop. For about $500 or less, unless you really need a Windows-only feature, just get a Chromebook.

What ports do I need?

We're in the midst of a big change in laptop ports. USB-C, which is a smaller, reversible version of the standard USB port (which is technically called USB-A) is becoming the default port on many new laptops. USB-C can handle data, video output, power and more, at USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt speeds. The problem is, to connect to a TV or monitor or use any of your existing accessories, from memory sticks to external hard drives, an adapter is required. USB-C is the future, but for a while at least, most of us will be taking a detour to dongle-town.

But if you're not ready for a mono-port future, a couple of standard USB 3.0 ports are good to have, as is an HDMI output. Fewer and fewer laptops have Ethernet jacks for wired internet connections (gaming laptops still do, however), and even SD card slots are fading away. Frankly, between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, we use ports a lot less than we used to, so don't get obsessed about them unless you need something specific.

A good example of something specific is using a virtual-reality headset like the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. For those, you'll need an HDMI output and sometimes up to three or four USB ports.

How much storage do I need?

Old-fashioned spinning platter hard drives (often called HDDs) get up to a terabyte or two easily. But the increasingly common solid state drives (SSD), sometimes called flash drives, are usually found in 128 or 256GB sizes, or 512GB as an expensive add-on. Since most of us store photos, music and video in the cloud now, and use web-based apps instead of installed local software, you can get away with less storage. Gamers are, again, the exception, you'll need 500GB or more of HDD space for big game files, which can run from 25GB to 50GB per game. But for the rest of us, 256GB is a good middle ground.

Chromebooks and super-cheap Windows laptops often have virtually no storage, just between 16GB and 32GB, much of which goes to operating system files. On those machines, you're meant to do pretty much everything online and retain only very minimal local files.

Do I need a graphics card/optical drive/touchscreen/etc.?

Except for the least-expensive configurations, a Windows laptop should include a touchscreen by default. It's not completely necessary, but there are a few things in Windows 10, like accessing the right side tool bar, connecting to Wi-Fi networks, scrolling down long pages, etc., that just work better with touch.

A graphics card, from Nvidia or AMD, is really only needed if you're playing PC games, or if you're editing very high-res photos or videos regularly. Even 4K video playback works just fine with the default Intel graphics capabilities in nearly any new laptop.

You don't need an optical drive. It's time to donate those old DVDs to Housing Works.

Should I buy now, or wait for the next update/upgrade/CPU/etc.?

That's the million-dollar question, and it applies to nearly every technology category. Every new piece of hardware is a step closer to obsolescence with each passing day, and there's always a new version coming at some point in the not-too-distant future. Once you accept that, it's a lot easier to just relax and buy a product you'll enjoy using, without succumbing to upgrade envy.

Where can I find the latest laptop and hybrid reviews?

All the newest mobile PC news and reviews can be found here at CNET.com/laptops, while our updated list of the best laptops in different categories can be found here.

Wait, I have more questions! How can I ask them?

I'm always happy to hear from readers (for real!), and do my best to reply with at least a few bits of advice or system suggestions if you've got a question. You can send me an email through my CNET profile page here, or hit me up on my @danackerman Twitter account.

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Choosing a new laptop is a lot harder than it should be. Every major brand has multiple product lines with overlapping prices and features, and every description is filled with jargon about processors, types of storage, graphics capabilities, screen resolutions and a laundry list of ports and connections.

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Purchasing Suggestions

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Laptop Buying Guide: What to look for when laptop shopping - Video

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CNET's Dan Ackerman, who's been reviewing laptops since 2005, tells you what features and technologies matter most, and which ones you can ignore.

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Input and Output Devices

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In addition to the keys of the main keyboard (used for typing text), keyboards usually also have a numeric keypad (for entering numerical data efficiently), a bank of editing keys (used in text editing operations), and a row of function keys along the top (to easily invoke certain program functions).

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 Clemson Computing & Information Technology

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 Clemson Computing & Information Technology

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NICE LIST OF VENDORS

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Here are some selected computer vendors' websites which are popular at Clemson. Many vendors have special configurations which are available to students and employees at discounted prices. If you are a student at Clemson, you are strongly encouraged to purchase the preferred laptops. Last year, we preferred Apple, Dell and Fujitsu.

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ComputerGuide: Deals by vendor, recommendations, and common questions

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ComputerGuide: Deals by vendor, recommendations, and common questions

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ComputerGuide: Deals by vendor, recommendations, and common questions

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The Best Cheap Laptops of 2018

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How to Get the Best Laptop Under $500

Gone are the days when a decent laptops would cost you north of $1,000. In this market, manufacturers are inventing new ways to outsell each other, including aggressive price cutting. Now we're seeing full-size and ultraportable Windows 10 notebooks with processors powerful enough for use at home, school, or work, as well as full-featured chromebooks and hybrid systems that give you both laptop and tablet functionality in one device.

Components and Features

And you'll have to accept fewer compromises with the budget laptops of today than you did in the past. Intel's Atom and Celeron processors have evolved to the point that they can support most of your Web browsing and basic productivity needs without being overly slow. The newest integrated GPUs can hold their own in browser-based Flash games and even some online games like World of Warcraft, but meeting the higher demands of AAA titles still requires a discrete GPU, which you won't find in this price range. If money is no object, check out our top-rated gaming laptops.

Memory (or RAM) is relatively inexpensive now, so you'll find that many budget laptops will come with 4GB of DDR3 memory (though you may be able to make do with less). In terms of batteries, an ideal budget laptop has one with six cells or more. The battery life for a cheap laptop is at least five hours, and these days many can last quite a bit longer.

When it comes to storage, many inexpensive systems offer up to 500GB of hard drive space. Others, particularly chromebooks and Windows-based chromebook competitors like the Lenovo IdeaPad 100S, will only have a small allotment (16 or 32GB) of flash storage, but compensate for it with generous offers of additional free cloud storage. But, as with anything cloud-based, you'll need to be online to access it.

In terms of features, budget laptops will come with USB 2.0 ports, and possibly USB 3.0. There may also be an SD slot and 802.11n wireless connectivity, and an HDMI port or a USB-C port are a definite plus. You shouldn't always expect a touch-screen display, however.

See How We Test Laptops

Chromebooks

Chromebooks used to be glorified netbooks running Google's Chrome OS. While these Chrome OS-based laptops are still Web-centric, they now have a relatively full feature set. If you spend most of your working hours in the cloud, a chromebook will offer you just as much functionality as a regular laptop, and have longer battery life. It will also likely cost you a lot less than other types of notebooks, as many chromebooks cost less than $300. Just be sure you have easy, constant Wi-Fi access, as there is scant local storage on these systems.

Tablets and Hybrids

In recent years, tablets have exploded in popularity, and though we have plenty of reviews of those-take a look at our overall roundup of the best tablets, as well as our favorites running the Windows and Android operating systems-those are sufficiently different enough from traditional clamshell-style laptops that we're not covering them here.

They are, however, an important part of a new category that has also emerged: the laptop/tablet hybrid. These machines let you flip between a laptop and a tablet, either by folding the keyboard out of the way or docking a tablet on a keyboard accessory to get laptop-like functionality. You should consider a hybrid system if you want both the typing capability of a laptop and the convenience of a tablet. Read our story The Best 2-in-1 Convertible and Hybrid Laptops for more information about this burgeoning sector of the laptop market.

The Right Balance of Price and Performance

If you're on a strict budget, don't lose heart. There are PCs that will offer you enough performance to tackle your day-to-day tasks without a stutter, and without breaking the bank. We update this list frequently, so you're always seeing our top recommendations for the highest-performing affordable laptops.

For more budget picks, take a look at our roundups of the best laptops for college students and the best chromebooks. For more general factors to consider when choosing a laptop, take a look at our buying guide with top laptop picks overall.

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Gone are the days when a decent laptops would cost you north of $1,000. In this market, manufacturers are inventing new ways to outsell each other, including aggressive price cutting. Now we're seeing full-size and ultraportable Windows 10 notebooks with processors powerful enough for use at home, school, or work, as well as full-featured chromebooks and hybrid systems that give you both laptop and tablet functionality in one device.

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Cheap laptops 2018: the 10 best budget laptops that (very little) money can buy

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Contrary to popular belief, saving cash on a laptop doesn't require that you hold out for the inevitable end of the year sales. Even at the beginning of every calendar year, there are hidden gems just begging to be bought that don't cost an arm and a leg. Budget laptops are an omnipresent, inescapable force to be reckoned with. And, they're threatening top PC makers into rethinking their business models.

That's especially the case with the Chromebook lineup, a series of cheap laptops inspired by Google designed around the limitation of being browser-first. This, in turn, makes some budget laptops faster than their premium counterparts. At the same time, Microsoft is making great strides to bring Windows 10 into the 21st century with its thin, light and cloud-based operating system. Rumor has it, Windows 10 S is due for a drastic shake-up when it's inevitably rebranded as a 'mode' within the existing Windows 10 Home and Pro.

These technological advancements aside, below we've denoted the best cheap laptops in no particular order. In doing so, we've had to go hands-on with every clamshell notebook we could find for an ultra-low price to determine which models bring affordability without compromise. For those looking to save their tax returns rather than spend them, you can take solace knowing that the following arrangement of recommendations comes from a place of experience and calculated research.

Acer Swift 3

The bigger, better value proposition

Here we have one of the few budget laptops with a processor nearly equivalent to the MacBook Pro, that is, if you opt for the Intel Core i5 configuration. The best part? It's roughly half the cost of its Apple-branded rival. Now given that it sells at a range of different prices, the Acer Swift 3 can be an obtuse purchase, but lucky for you, the midrange model will get you by just fine.

Acer Switch 3

Spiritual successor to the Surface 3

Hear ye, the Acer Switch 3 is a feat to behold. This cheap laptop uses a low-power, albeit astoundingly efficient, Intel Pentium processor. However, internal specs are the least of its appeal. No, that honor goes to the Acer Switch 3's novel ability to detach its screen from its keyboard. That only scratches the 'surface' of the inspiration it's taken from Microsoft's hardware too.

Asus Transformer Mini T102HA

Small, portable and flexible

Its name is alphabet soup to the average reader, but then again this convertible laptop has always been about function over form. For one minuscule transaction, you're getting a tablet equipped with an included keyboard and even a fingerprint scanner for more secure logins. Along with reliable performance and a magnesium-alloy chassis, it's built to last.

Samsung Chromebook Pro

First in a new generation of Chromebooks

Stylus support on Chrome OS

With Android apps now supported on every new Chromebook released, it only makes sense to craft a Chromebook with a 12.3-inch QHD touch display, with a 360-degree hinge and pen support to boot. The Samsung Chromebook Pro may have a keyboard that's a bit too compact for comfort, but it more than makes up for it, going as far as to master pen input on the first try.

This product is only available in the US as of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Asus Chromebook Flip.

Lenovo Yoga Book (Windows 10)

The netbook of the future - the ultra netbook?

Keyboard surprisingly accurate

The Lenovo Yoga Book, and the Windows 10 version of it in particular, is the sort of futuristic fodder you would find in an episode of Black Mirror. It has a keyboard that doubles as a Wacom touch panel and, best of all, it's cheap as hell. Now, of course, that comes with the caveat of a weak Intel Atom processor, but the rest of the Lenovo Yoga Book should go down in the history books.

Acer Chromebook 14

Meet the anti-MacBook Air

Solid keyboard and touchpad

With its slick lines and a slim silhouette, the Acer Chromebook 14 makes for a subtle, snazzy laptop. Although its display isn't the most attractive we've seen, it's still acceptable for full HD. On top of that, the keyboard and trackpad adhere to the principle of 'it just works.' The battery life is satisfactory as well despite falling a bit south of Acer's 12-hour claim in real-world use.

Read the full review: Acer Chromebook 14

This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Samsung Chromebook Pro.

HP Pavilion 15

The de facto learning laptop lives on

Shallow, squishy keyboard

Frankly, this is a broke college student's laptop, so as long as you go in with that in mind, you won't be disappointed with the HP Pavilion 15. Possessing all the power you'll need to get you through the semester, this laptop bears all of the essentials for an affordable price, so that you can save the rest of your cash for the crushing financial aid debt yet to come.

Dell Inspiron 11 3000

Colorful can be cheap, too

For those who like their laptops as colorful as they are affordable, the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 is a no-brainer. Although some users might find that it's 11.6-inch display is too small, we would argue that this budget laptop is the perfect fit for your portable workspace. Plus, its bright and vibrant color scheme is loud enough that no one on your flight will confuse it for their own.

Lenovo IdeaPad 110s

A simple and reliable laptop

The Lenovo IdeaPad 110s isn't the company's most high-end model of its signature laptop, but it does sport one of the most recognizable designs in all of computing. Even if the screen is only 11.6-inches small with a resolution hardly a step up from a 15-year-old TV, you can at least take solace in the fact that it is anti-glare. That goes without mentioning the port lineup, which accounts for everyone's tastes.

HP Stream 14

Big and colorful for cheap

Larger than most budget options

Free 25GB of Dropbox for 1 year

With a starting price of just above 200 large, the HP Stream 14 is a fine value for those seeking a strong if basic web browsing machine. It's cheaper than even some Chromebooks while offering a bigger screen and the fullness of Windows 10. Other 15-inchers lack the ergonomics and aesthetics of HP's cheapest Windows laptop yet.

Acer Aspire E5-575

Mighty impressive for the price

This little number Acer has brought forward is a real stunner for how little it costs. The full-on Intel U-series Core i3 processor is rare to see in a budget laptop. But frankly more uncommon is the 1TB of storage space you'll get from this well-designed machine. You may suspect there were concessions made to the battery life as a result, but you couldn't be more wrong, as Acer promises you can leave the charger at home - at least for 12 and a half hours.
Watch the video below for the top 7 things to consider when buying a laptop. Gabe Carey has also contributed to this article

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Cheap laptops 2018: the 10 best budget laptops that (very little) money can buy

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Contrary to popular belief, saving cash on a laptop doesn't require that you hold out for the inevitable end of the year sales. Even at the beginning of every calendar year, there are hidden gems just begging to be bought that don't cost an arm and a leg.

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Buying a prebuilt laptop from the store is typically an exercise in frustration. The features you want are usually not all available in one computer, and the price can be exorbitant. Not to mention all the software that the companies stuff...

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The top 10 things to consider when buying a new laptop

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Which laptop should I get?

With so many laptops to choose from, selecting the best one to fit your budget can be like navigating a minefield. Even making sense of the ever-changing list of product specifications is no easy feat. Laptops vary greatly by CPU speed, graphics capability, size, drive storage, and RAM, among other things. What's more, your laptop needs may be completely different to someone else's, only adding to the confusion.

For some, a flashy 4K screen may be important. Others may want a high-performing CPU, like AMD's new Ryzen 6000 processors, to give them a competitive edge in games. Getting value for money can be tricky too, since newer technologies don't always mean better performance. For example, older-generation CPUs can sometimes outperform newer products in benchmark tests. For these reasons it pays to do your homework before you purchase a laptop.

To simplify the process for you we've put together a list of 12 criteria that you can use as a guide for what to look for. It may seem laborious delving into each category, but there are a lot of things to consider. At the end of the day, taking time to research your new device will mean you avoid making a costly mistake and get a laptop that's just right for you.

1. Size & form-factor

When it comes to laptops, size matters.

Depending on what you plan to be doing with your next laptop, you'll want to make sure you pick the size that's the right fit for you. Size isn't like the RAM or ROM of a laptop, you can't upgrade it later. You're locked into whatever form-factor you select up-front, so choose wisely.

Laptops sizes tend to start at 11.6-inches and go all the way up to 17.3 inches. Most brands and OEMS like HP, Dell, ASUS and Acer tend to offer three display sizes - 13.3-inch, 15.6-inch and 17.3-inches. However, some vendors do sell laptops that fall outside these sizes including 11.6-inches, 12.5-inches and 14-inches.

Obviously, if portability is your priority, you'll want to go for a smaller-sized Windows laptop. They tend to be thinner and lighter than their larger counterparts. Look for laptops that have a screen that is either 12.5-inches or 13.3-inches in size, and a weight between 1kg and 1.5kgs.

Credit: Razer

However, keep in mind that smaller-sized 13.3-inch machines often don't support the same high-end Intel Core CPUs or discrete graphics cards you'll be able to find in their 15.6-inch counterparts. Most of the time, they'll also feature a less-robust selection of ports. If the kind of work you intend to be using your new laptop for necessitates a larger display or standalone graphics, you'll probably need to look at a larger size.

Beyond specific sizings, there are several different classes of laptop to choose from. Ultrabooks tend to favor a slim and lightweight form-factor over high-end performance. Things like the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED ( review here) and HP's Elite Dragonfly Max ( review here) devices fall into this category.

By contrast, Notebooks tend to offer a good mix of power and portability. If you're looking at notebooks, a good place to start is the Lenovo Yoga 9i and HP's Envy x360.

Convertibles (also known as 2-in-1 laptops or 2-in-1 PCs) expand on this by adding the ability to fold away (or remove) the keyboard and use your new laptop as you would a tablet. Products like Microsoft's Microsoft Surface Pro 7 and HP Chromebook x2 11 fall into this category.

Credit: Microsoft

Finally, traditional clamshell and gaming laptops tend to boast bulkier form-factors but significantly-beefier specs.

The most important thing to consider here when looking for the best laptop you can buy is what you're actually going to need that laptop to do. It's rarely ever a case of one size fits all. Some users need something lighter and more portable. Other users need discrete graphics for things like video editing or running high end games. If you need a PC with an optical drive or long battery life, you'll almost certainly have to look for something larger.

Once you've worked out the size and form-factor of laptop you're looking for, the search for the best one becomes that much easier - since you can begin to filter your search results by those parameters.

2. Display quality

Since you'll probably end up staring at your laptop display hours at a time, you'll probably want to make sure it's as painless as possible to do so. For this, you'll need a display that is comfortable to look at and feels natural to use.

To start with, you'll want to consider whether you want your next laptop to have a touchscreen at all. These days, touchscreens are very common and they can make some tasks easier than others. Some brands include this feature as standard. Others will demand a modest surcharge for its inclusion.

Unfortunately, opting for a touchscreen can sometimes add a glossiness to the display. Though not a universal trait among touch-sensitive displays, glossier screens are often a little more susceptible to glare. This can be a definite drawback if you're gaming, watching content or editing images and video content.

Modern touchscreens are much better than their predecessors but, some of the above details persist and if you're more of a natural typist, you might want to consider going for a laptop that doesn't have a touchscreen.

Next up, be sure to look at the resolution on any laptop you're thinking of buying. A 1920x1080-pixel resolution (Full HD) should be considered the minimum if you want plenty of space to line up windows and keep things in view. If you splurge on something a little sharper, you probably won't regret it though.

Select modern laptops also now offer 4K resolutions. However, these high-end display panels are generally a costly add-on to an already-expensive product. 4K is an extra that's only really going to be worth it for those who really need it such as content creation professionals.

Photographers and videographers will also want to go for laptops that offer better color accuracy and support wider color gamut and HDR standards over those that don't. The key things you're looking for here are Delta E < 1 color accuracy and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
[Related Content: Everything You Need To Know About 4K]
If you're a gamer, it's also worth taking the time to check the refresh rate on the display of any potential laptop. A faster refresh rate can often provide a competitive advantage in online games, as it enables a smoother and more responsive play experience. Ideally, you want something with less than 5ms response time or a refresh rate greater than 144Hz. We're starting to see laptops now with 300Hz refresh rates - laptops like the MSI GS66 Stealth ( review here) and the super powerful Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition ( review here) and while this is considered exceptionally good right now, it might soon be the norm.

Lastly, viewing angles are extremely important. A laptop screen that touts IPS (in-plane switching) technology offers the widest viewing angles and the best user comfort. Chances are you're not always going to be using your laptop in its natural habitat, so a laptop with an IPS display is usually preferred over the opposite.

If possible, take the time to go into a store and try to feel out the differences between different displays for yourself. If your eyes can't see much of a difference between a laptop with a FHD display and one with a 4K one, it might not be worth paying the premium for the latter.

Just keep in mind that display models usually have the settings cranked to the maximum in order to catch your eyes. Otherwise, be sure to check out reviews like those on PC World to get a good overview of the product and whether or not its screen will be able to suit your needs. In 2022, most major laptop displays hit the mark but those that don't make themselves quickly known when subjected to the scrutiny of a professional reviewer.

3. Keyboard quality

For long typing sessions, you'll need to get a laptop that has a comfortable keyboard. You don't want to get a keyboard that packs in every key under the sun (think keyboards that have squished in number pads) because that can translate to a poor overall user experience when hunting for specifics like the arrow or delete keys.

Ideally, you want a keyboard that has a comfortable layout with full-sized keys and some space around the arrow keys. The keys should have adequate travel on the downstroke and snappy responsiveness when you let them go.

Make sure the keyboard is also backlit. At face value, that might seem like a superficial detail but backlit keys make it much easier to see what you're typing in dimly lit environments. Gaming laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 ( review here) and MSI Katana GF76 ( review here) come with attractive RGB key backlighting to allow gaming at night or in dimly lit environments. Note: While backlit keys are useful, they will drain your battery sooner, so take that into consideration when choosing your laptop.
[Related Content: Four Alternatives To Cherry MX Switches]

As with the display, it helps to try before you buy - especially if your main task will be typing. Chances are, you're going to find the most comfort with what you know here. If you're used to typing on a laptop keyboard that stretches all the way to the edge of the chassis, you're probably going to find laptops that opt for the same or a similar layout to be easier to type on than the alternatives.

4. CPU

It's hard to go past any of Intel's Core-based CPUs when buying a new laptop. Even if you're not versed in the technical details, there's a good chance you've seen the stickers plastered on all new laptops for the silicon giant's Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors.

For many users, an Intel Core Processor offers the best performance when it comes to multitasking and multimedia tasks. Core i3-based notebooks are generally found in entry-level systems, while Core i5 and Core i7 make up the majority of mainstream computers.

Core i7-based systems are for those of you who want the best performance from your laptop. However, note that with a Core i7-based system, heat coming through the base of the laptop can be a cause for concern, especially if you plan to actually use the laptop on your lap a lot of the time.
[Related Content: How do I decide between a Core i3, i5, i7 or i9?]

Some larger laptops also now incorporate Intel's i9 Core processors. Laptops running on Core i9 processors are even more powerful than laptops running on Core i7 processors. They're able to rival desktops for performance, but they do come with a significantly-higher cost than a laptop with an i7, i5 or i3 Core Processor.

Vendors also offer laptops and notebooks that run on AMD's Ryzen Mobile CPUs. If you're a gamer, this can be a particularly compelling option worth considering. Ryzen Mobile CPUs tend to be paired with AMD's own Radeon graphics chipsets.

There are a few caveats here but since laptops powered by AMD's Ryzen Mobile chips tend to be slightly cheaper than their Intel counterparts, they can represent better value for money. Just be sure to read up on our breakdown of the differences first.

5. RAM

In the old days, you rarely needed more than 4GB of RAM to get the best out of your system.

These days, you'll probably want to think about 8GB as a minimum. If you're a power-user, 16GB is the way to go. Meanwhile, gamers should look at dialing things upwards all the way to 32GB (or beyond) if they want the best experience.

More RAM allows for more applications to be run at the same time and for more data to be quickly accessible by the system at any one time, which comes in handy for tasks such as editing photos or video content.

There are a few interesting terms that you might see when looking into RAM specs, here's what you essentially need to know about them. Alongside the brand and capacity of any RAM stick, you're gonna find the letters DDR. There's also usually a number attached. For example, the MSI GE76 Raider laptop ( review here) has two 16GB sticks of DDR5 RAM. This acronym stands for Double Data Rate and the number that comes after it refers to the generation of component design.

Credit: Gordon Mah Ung

The most recent generation of RAM hardware is DDR5. As a rule, higher numbers are better than lower numbers here and most motherboards can only support certain generations of RAM. Thankfully, since you're looking at buying a laptop, you don't have too much to worry about since no sane OEM is going to stick incompatible RAM into a prebuilt machine.

The number after DDR also denotes the transfer speed. Similar to the clock-speed on a CPU, this number measures the default theoretical maximum transfer speed. Again, higher is better here. Higher speeds means stuff happens faster.

Another detail to note is whether or not the RAM in your laptop is single or dual-channel. In most everyday use cases, this might not make a huge difference but if you're trying to weigh up your options, a laptop with dual-channel is generally more desirable than one with an equivalent amount of single-channel memory clocked at the same transfer speed. This is because dual-channel RAM is able to transfer a greater amount of data at once.

In conclusion, while having more RAM is always going to be better than having less RAM, most users aren't going to feel the difference between having 16GB or 32GB unless they're running RAM-heavy applications where that 16GB or a secondary channel is going to make a big difference. Since RAM is relatively cheap and often easy to upgrade in modern laptops, it's usually smarter and safer to buy a laptop with RAM that you know you will need rather than what you think you might need.

6. Storage

Hard drives used to be all the rage, but these days they're mostly out of favor, especially for thin and light laptops. This is because they can be slow, somewhat bulky, and produce noticeable heat and noise.

A solid state drive (SSD), on the other hand, offers a lot more speed than a hard drive, runs silently, and can be installed in a form factor that doesn't add too much to the weight and bulk of a laptop. As a result of these clear benefits, most OEMs have embraced SSD storage as the standard for laptops.

Stick to an SSD for your new laptop and you'll love the speed with which it can load programs, access your data, and also how quickly it can boot up your system.

Just a few years ago SSDs didn't offer as much raw capacity as hard drives. Additionally, this kind of storage was often more expensive in terms of dollars-to-gigabytes than traditional hard drives. In 2022 these problems are no longer. Laptops now have comparatively large SSD drives to hard drives and aren't astronomically expensive.

The newest, fastest laptops have NVMe solid-state drives which are faster than traditional SSDs. If you're buying a new laptop in 2022, you'll preferably want one with an NVMe SSD. However, that being said, don't feel overly pressured to spend extra on the latest model here. While it is true that more recent SSDs boast better speeds than older models, the biggest advantages you'll enjoy are tied more to the fundamental advances that SSDs offer over traditional hard drive storage.

When it comes to the SSD storage capacity you should look for we recommend at least 512GB as the very minimum. Games and programs are getting larger every year as they become more advanced and complex so you'll want to ensure you have a little left in your storage after you load on your must-have programs and personal files. It's also worth noting that your operating system will take up some of that 512GB right off the bat, so you won't have exactly that number to play.

If you install a lot of programs or have an extensive game or movie library, you'll probably want to opt for 1TB or more of SSD storage. You'd be surprised how fast it is to fill up even 1TB or 2TB, but with the extra GB on board, you will have a greater capacity to branch out and get a little more things you like on there. Trust us, you won't decry the extra space when you can download that game you really wanted from Steam.

Another thing worth mentioning here is cloud storage. Cloud storage is extremely popular since it allows users to store any number of files safely and remotely, without the need for your device's storage. Software developers are starting to build cloud storage into their software ecosystems. The best example of this is Microsoft's OneDrive application which comes bundled with Windows at purchase.

If you intend to store most of your files in the cloud or on an external drive, you may choose to save money on a laptop by buying one with a smaller 128GB or 256GB SSD. If you do this though you'd be advised to remember that you will need to be connected to the Internet to retrieve your files when you need them.

7. Battery life

Manufacturer-quoted battery life is almost never indicative of what the real-world experience of using a laptop is like.

There are simply too many variables that affect battery life. There is the screen brightness, the screen resolution, the number of applications you have running in the background plus whether or not you actively remain connected to Wi Fi networks or Bluetooth devices.

Credit: ASUS

The operating system a laptop runs on can also play a major role in determining battery life. It's for this reason that ultrabooks and convertibles running on Chrome OS tend to offer superior battery life than those running on Windows 11.

If you run programs that need lots of processing, stream lots of online video, play graphics-intensive games or if you transfer lots of files over a wireless network, then your battery will drain a lot sooner than what the vendor has quoted.

A good practice here is to look at the rating of the battery in Watt-hours (Wh) or milliamp-hours (mAh). The larger these figures are, the longer the battery can last. For a 13.3-inch Ultrabook, for example, a battery with a rating from 50Wh to 60Wh will give you the best results.

Another key thing to look for here is fast-charging. Much like modern smartphones, many new laptops also support fast-charging, which is always good in a pinch.

8. USB Type-C

These days, if a laptop has only one USB Type-C port on it, you probably ought to look at buying another laptop. Ideally, you should look for a laptop that has at least a couple of these ports. They're the most common connector port in the industry and, while you can find a dongle for anything on Amazon, it's usually a better bet to just make sure your next laptop has them.

In addition to the baseline utility you get from USB Type-C ports (which allow you to plug in an external hard or SSD drive and backup your data or use conventional mouse or a fancy keyboard with your laptop), USB Type-C ports are substantially faster than USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. This means that data transfers over USB Type-C ports take significantly less time.

Many modern peripherals also tend to deliver the best performance on or require USB Type-C to function at all.

Credit: Intel

Among the Type-C ports Thunderbolt 4 ports are the best option. Thunderbolt 4 ports have a peak data transfer speed of 40 gigabits per-second. They also offer faster charging and allow you to connect multiple 4K displays or one 8K display to your laptop, which is compelling functionality.

9. Biometric security

Fingerprint readers are great for logging into mobile devices and the latest Windows 11 Operating System makes further use of them with its Windows Hello system. People can guess your password, but few can fake a fingerprint. In order to keep the contents of your laptop secure, a portable PC with a fingerprint reader is usually the best way forward.

Thankfully, this feature is a pretty common inclusion on many modern laptops from major OEMs like ASUS, Dell and HP. Some have even integrated the fingerprint sensor into the keyboard, making it feel like a more cohesive part of the package rather than a bolt-on.

What's more, some brands have even gone one step further and introduced FaceID-style facial recognition tech allowing you to unlock your laptop with a glance. As with Android phones, there's a distinction to be noted here between devices that rely on a 2D-model of face unlock versus those that offer full 3D biometrics.

It's cool to see the modern laptops continue to raise the bar on this particular front even if the degree to which it matters is largely personal preference. For most people, a standard fingerprint sensor is going to provide more than enough peace of mind.

10. Build quality

No matter how careful we are, most laptops are inevitably going to find themselves, dropped, thrown and knocked around by the rigors of everyday use. For that reason, it's worth checking out how much testing a laptop has undergone (the manufacturer usually crows about it) or whether there's any sort of certification that you can put your confidence behind.

Modern laptops are often ruggedized to withstand rain and dust. Some are built especially for the brutal educational environments - and come with military-grade protection certifications. The most common of these you're going to see is MIL-STD 810G.

MIL-STD-810G is a standard used by the US Military to indicate a guaranteed minimum level of durability. Compliant products have made it through a gauntlet of 29 separate tests that measure resistance to shock, heat, cold, humidity and more. Though originally developed as a way to win government contracts, MIL-STD-810G has become increasingly common in consumer tech in recent years.

On one hand, it's good for consumers that most major manufacturers have adopted the same language and standards for measuring durability at all. However, on the other, the reality is that having a product be MIL-STD-810G compliant doesn't always translate into the kind of ruggedness you'd hope it would.

Although the MIL-STD-810G standard was developed externally, there's no single independent party that's responsible for handing out certification to the standard nor any regulator that's able to call out bad actors for misusing or misrepresenting MIL-STD-810G.

Manufacturers can absolutely take their testing in-house, "ace" it and put the sticker on the box. There's no limit on how many attempts a product has to pass a certain test, nor even a limit on whether the same product sample needs to survive all 29 tests or whether they can replace it with a fresh model every step of the way. They don't even need to provide proof that the testing ever happened.

From the perspective of any everyday consumer, there's zero difference in how a product that was properly and independently tested to meet MIL-STD-810G looks and how a product that "fudged" their way into compliance with the standard looks. This is obviously problematic.

For those reasons, MIL-STD-810G is best used as starting place when it comes to thinking about durability and build quality in your next laptop. It shouldn't be your one and only consideration.

A better way to approach the problem is to look at the laptops design and what specific claims are being made around durability. Are the manufacturers talking up drop-tests or spill resistance that goes beyond the usual MIL-STD-810G spiel? That's probably a good sign.

11. LTE, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet?

When it comes to purchasing a laptop, a big question you should ask is: Should I buy a laptop with LTE? Unlike laptops with built-in network cards, laptops with LTE can connect to mobile data signals. That means instead of having to connect to a wireless network at home, in the office, or at Wi-Fi hotspots, your laptop can connect directly to a mobile ISP for internet access. The main benefit of this is you can use your laptop just about anywhere-when outdoors, traveling on the bus, or even on the beach. If that convenience sounds good, this option may be perfect for you. However, there are a few caveats.

LTE technology sits in the higher-end laptop category, so you will pay for the privilege. Also, just like with your phone, you'll need to either be on a data plan or buy prepaid data to use your LTE. And as such, your experience will be influenced by the speed of your laptop's network connection and by the amount of data in your plan.

Know what LTE network your laptop will connect to, since this will determine your internet speeds. The most common LTE technology in laptops in Australia today supports connection to the 4G networks. 4G is capable of maximum download speeds of 1Gbs, which is close to most home broadband speeds. But 5G laptops will soon be coming to Australia. These laptops, when available, will feature significantly faster speeds of between 10-30Gbs. If superfast internet is a priority, go for 5G.

If you are not fussed about having LTE or want to avoid the ongoing fees, a laptop with Wi-Fi-only functionality will do just fine. Most laptops come with built-in network cards so you won't need to fuss over installations or affix dongles. You can also use mobile Wi-Fi tethering as a source of Wi-Fi on the fly.

The last thing to consider with your internet connectivity, is whether you need an Ethernet (RJ-45) port. Most people don't use this functionality anymore, since Wi-Fi connectivity is so widespread. But, if you're plagued by a weak Wi-Fi signal, or lack Wi-Fi altogether, you should consider it. Otherwise, it's not necessary.

12. Wi-Fi speed

Wi-Fi speeds are determined by many different factors, such as signal strength and the level of interference between your laptop and your router, but the one factor that you should think about when purchasing a new laptop is the Wi-Fi speed of your laptop's network card.

The speed at which your laptop transfers data from an internet router to your laptop and back is called its link speed and it is measured in bits per second (bps). Even if your internet connection is fast, if your link speed is lousy, your Wi-Fi speed will struggle.

Most laptops with network cards connect to wireless hotspots on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency band, meaning they are capable of maximum link speeds of 1Gbs or 3.5Gbs. When it comes to Wi-Fi generations, Wi-Fi 5 is getting a bit old now but will still perform well for almost anything you'd need to do online, such as browsing webpages, watching videos, and running browser-based applications.

Most new laptops though will have network cards that support either Wi-Fi 6 or the newer Wi-Fi 6E. If you are a gamer who likes playing fast-paced multiplayer content, or if you stream high-quality video, we recommend you look for either of these options. The main benefit here is lower latency - Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E offer substantial speed benefits (up to 9.6Gbs). Wi-Fi speeds won't always be listed in the product descriptions online or in retail outlets, but they will be listed in the detailed product specifications, so check there if you're unsure.

Meet your needs and budget
This article was updated by Dominic Bayley in May 2022.

Of course, you need to balance these features with your budget and your needs, and you might have to make some compromises. Rarely does a laptop come along that ticks all the boxes, especially when it comes to price.

Let us know in the comments below if you consider other aspects of a laptop to be more important (maybe you want better gaming performance or a rugged build, maybe you want a laptop that can turn into a tablet), and especially let us know if you've already found the perfect laptop for your needs.

Tags notebooks laptops checklist laptop buying guide laptop features buying tips

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What laptop should I get? Top 12 things to consider

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What laptop should I get? How should I decide? With a plethora of options, including powerful new laptops featuring AMD's Ryzen 6000 and Intel's 12th-generation processors, choosing a laptop is harder than ever. But by taking a little time to do some research, you can find exactly what you need.

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PURCHASING INPUT OUTPUT DEVICES FOR YOUR COMPUTER

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Input and Output Devices for Sale - Buy Input and Output Devices online at PCNation | PCNation.com

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LAPTOP PARTS WAREHOUSE WITH VIDEO INSTRUCTION

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Laptop Parts | Replacement Parts For Laptop Repair

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Discount Laptop Parts. Repair Notebook Computer. Parts for: Acer, Advent, Alienware, Apple, Asus, Averatec, Clevo, Compaq, Dell, EI, eMachines, Everex, Founder, Fujitsu, Gateway, Haier, HP, IBM, Lenovo, LG, Medion, MSI, NEC, Packard Bell, Panasonic, Sager, Samsung, Sony, TCL, Toshiba, Uniwill

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If you hate PC bloatware, here are the vendors to avoid

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If you hate PC bloatware, here are the vendors to avoid

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Lenovo may have publicly buried bloatware, but it's anything but dead. After the company's Superfish scandal, we shopped Best Buy and found it alive and well on major vendors' PC offerings. A little research should save you from the worst of it, though. Here's what we learned.

Bloatware is as bloatware does

We call it bloatware, but PC executives make clear that they install software on PCs to benefit consumers and pad tiny profit margins. The vast majority is harmless (if obnoxious), and some, such as a year's subscription to Microsoft's Office 365, arguably increase a PC's value without increasing the price.

The now-infamous Superfish is an adware tool that supplied its own paid search results, and it came preinstalled on certain Lenovo PCs. Intended as a service to help users comparison-shop, Superfish was more than annoying-it was a security risk. (The developers behind Superfish claim there's no security risk at all, while researchers disagree. The Superfish vulnerability has been found in other apps as well.)

Lenovo apologized and said it would make amends-though its commitment to reducing bloatware actually comes with several loopholes. If nothing else, however, Lenovo's Superfish seppuku did one thing right: It shone a spotlight on exactly how widespread bloatware is. Our trip to Best Buy yielded pages of notes on preinstalled apps on PCs.

Mills Baker

Most preinstalled software is merely annoying-far different than Superfish (above) which injected its own ads into Web pages like Apple.com.

Not-so-secret shopping

At Best Buy, we jotted down the bloatware apps inside individual PCs from Asus to Toshiba. Our conclusions: Bloatware varied not just from vendor to vendor, but from model to model. The more disk or flash storage a PC had, the freer some vendors seemed to feel to fill it up with unwanted third-party software. Conversely, tablets, regardless of vendor, seemed to offer less bloatware.

Want to see a list of the pre-installed apps we found? We've put them on this page.

Here's an unexpected surprise: The one no-name tablet that Best Buy offered included no bloatware at all, suggesting that looking outside the usual list of name-brand suppliers might spare you the trouble.

Flickr/Nicholas Eckhart

Retailers like Best Buy offer a chance to get up close and personal with a PC that you intend to buy-and can inspect for unwanted apps.

So which models offer what? We've listed our findings, but we can tell you that Lenovo was the worst culprit for bloatware that we found, with Hewlett-Packard right behind. Dell, to its credit, seemed to have less bloatware than the others. We'd also say that the Lenovo machines in retail have arguably the highest percentage of useless apps, period.

What you'll find, as well, is that many vendors hide bloatware behind their own brands. Rather than requiring you to seek out your own cloud services, for example, a company like Hewlett-Packard will simply strike a deal with a third party, then provide an "HP Connected Drive" app.

That's why restricting bloatware to "Lenovo's own apps" doesn't necessarily mean that Lenovo won't be offering apps you don't want. It's just a strategy that everyone else already uses.

What PC makers say about bloatware

Lenovo said it will reduce the type of software pre-installed on its machines to "the operating system, security tools, Lenovo's own apps, and any software necessary to make the hardware run properly." We asked other PC vendors if they planned to follow Lenovo's lead. Surprisingly, many claimed they were already out in front.

"Dell listened to customer feedback and began aggressively reducing pre-loaded software on our consumer PCs more than 18 months ago," a Dell spokesman said in an email. "The number of applications we pre-load is typically less than half of what other OEMs load, and are selected solely based on the benefits they provide to the end user."

The spokeman added that Dell exercised caution. "We have strict policies in place to minimize pre-loaded applications and ensure software like Superfish that compromises system security doesn't find its way into our system images."

Acer representatives said they prioritize security. "According to Acer's global software team lead, we pre-check third party software and applications to ensure they do not include anything that will substantiate security concerns," a spokeswoman said in an email. "We also work very closely with leading security providers to make sure they constantly update their definition list in order to detect adware types."

Hewlett-Packard says that the HP Spectre x360 comes with a reduced software load, specifically because its customers want it.

Hewlett-Packard offers a way to check what bloatware is loaded before you buy it: On its website, you can select an individual product, then drill into the specs.

"Did Lenovo's announcement change HP's strategy? I would say no," said Mike Nash, the vice president responsible for the consumer PC experience at HP. "We are constantly increasing our focus on delivering the best customer experience possible,"

Nash said that HP worked "very very closely with Microsoft" to minimize boot time and maximize battery life, in part, by minimizing what was loaded onto the machine.

"I think the biggest thing...is to make sure that the industry understands that pre-installed software is not the same thing as software that changes security configurations on your PC," Nash said.

In the eye of the beholder

To be fair, any definition of bloatware is by some degree subjective. Apps like Lenovo Share, for example, may seem extraneous until you need to send a large file quickly to another Thinkpad user.

So-called "trialware"-paid apps that offer a free short-term subscription in an effort to convince you to sign up-is a grayer area. We'd also include a year's subscription to Office 365 as a paid benefit, rather than bloatware.

A free trial of an antimalware package isn't necessarily a bad thing-but it typically nags you to upgrade or subscribe as the free period ends.

But the real gotchas-the apps that affect how your PC behaves-are those that load at startup, quietly operate in the background, and suck up memory and computing resources. Depending on your level of knowledge, you may or may not be able to detect those before you actually make your purchase. But there's good news: We can help you wipe out any bloatware that comes with your PC, with just a few common, free, and easily downloadable tools.

If you do buy from a retailer, be wary of offers to load "special deals" onto your machine, or "free upgrades" to additional apps-as we heard one salesperson offering. Remember, avoiding bloatware is why you're reading this story.

How to avoid bloatware in the first place?

At this point, the short list of surefire ways to ensure a bloatware-free PC are to build it yourself, using an OEM copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8; shop at the Microsoft Store for a Signature PC; or buy from a boutique system builder. The latter option isn't foolproof, but boutique builders are generally obsessed with maximizing performance, and bloatware stands in the way.

Microsoft

Microsoft's visualization of a Signature Edition PC, and a bloatware-filled cousin.

"We don't ship any bloatware. Ever," said Kevin Wasielewski, the chief executive and co-founder of OriginPC, a boutique builder, in an email. "We only ship what our customers request to have installed."

If you have the time, building your own (desktop) PC is another way. You know what's going into the machine, and you'll have to total control over what's loaded onto the hard drive. If you're a little nervous, try talking to your local computer shop about assembling one for you. (Just make sure to point out that you don't want any additional services loaded in without your permission.)

Notebooks, however, currently aren't a build-your-own proposition. If you want a bloatware-free notebook, we'd recommend buying it from Microsoft directly: As with its desktops, its Signature Edition laptops come bloatware-free.

That's the end goal here: Give PC customers a choice. Most consumers would have no problem with HP or Lenovo or Dell offering discounted software directly to their customers, if that software were offered through their respective Web sites, and on an opt-in basis.

Dell and other vendors already provide online repositories for the apps that are pre-installed on PCs. So why can't we make this the norm?

That option exists today. Best Buy already offers a digital download site for customers to download a Trend Micro anti-malware solution on this Lenovo laptop, for example. PC makers-many of which already provide sites to download firmware and their own app updates-could do the same. Or, like Hewlett-Packard, companies could offer a digital downloads page where customers could pick and choose which apps they wished to install.

HP's Nash, however said that a pure download-it-yourself strategy probably wouldn't work. "Could you do it? Sure? Why don't we do it? At the end of the day, I don't think most customers are going to go out there and sort of hunt those things down on that Web site," Nash said.

Maybe bloatware isn't going away anytime soon. Episodes like Lenovo's Superfish scandal, however, show that PC makers aren't immune to user outrage. The more users wise up and steer clear, the sooner bloatware could lose its power for PC makers' bottom lines.

Additional reporting by Gordon Mah Ung.

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If you hate PC bloatware, here are the vendors to avoid

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Lenovo may have publicly buried bloatware, but it's anything but dead. After the company's Superfish scandal, we shopped Best Buy and found it alive and well on major vendors' PC offerings. A little research should save you from the worst of it, though. Here's what we learned.

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How To Build a Custom Laptop | Benefits & Options

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How To Build a Custom Laptop | Benefits & Options

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Home > How To Build a Custom Laptop | Benefits & Options

What are the benefits of building a custom laptop instead of buying pre-configured? What features can I pick when building a customized laptop?

As with any product that can be customized to suit your individual needs, a custom laptop provides a number of unique benefits to consumers. Though pre-configured laptops are capable devices that will meet the needs of most, custom options prove to be a better alternative for a portion of the buying public. The reasons for this are many.

By building a customized laptop, you get exactly what you want and need. You can tailor the device so that it is well-matched for the tasks that you undertake most. You can also add features and hardware components up front so that you don't have to retroactively upgrade your computer down the road. In plain words, you can build the computer that is right for you. If this is what you are looking for in a laptop, then you should consider building a custom device.

Are there any drawbacks to building a customized laptop instead of buying pre-configured?

A pre-configured laptop that is available in store can be purchased, set up, and used in a matter of hours. This is not the case with a customized laptop. One of the drawbacks to building a customized laptop is that the device will require additional time to be built and delivered than one that features standard components.

Additionally, choosing the features and components of your laptop may take time as well, particularly if you don't begin the process already knowing what you want. For the average consumer, it's best to start out with the assumption that a pre-configured device best suits your needs.

Buyers who are interested in building a custom laptop should take build time and availability into consideration. Can you wait for your laptop, or do you need one immediately?

How can I build a custom laptop on Lenovo.com?

The process for building a custom laptop on Lenovo.com is quick and easy. Begin by visiting the Lenovo website and selecting a line of laptops, such as the ThinkPad X series or ThinkPad T series. Once you have selected a product line, you can then choose a specific product. If you intend to build a custom device, it is recommended that you choose a laptop that offers similar capabilities to the one you intend to customize.

After you have arrived on the product or model page, simply look for a button that says "Customize" or "Customize & Add." If a laptop model is able to be customized, this button is often prominently displayed, so it should be easy to find. You can then begin configuring features and specifications. Lenovo enables consumers to specify a wide range of features, including processor, operating system, OS language, display, camera, graphics processor, security software, memory, keyboard, hard drive, battery, broadband type, and more. You can also choose from various software options, such as Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.

Ultrabook, Celeron, Celeron Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, Xeon Phi, and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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How To Build a Custom Laptop | Benefits & Options

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Home > How To Build a Custom Laptop | Benefits & Options As with any product that can be customized to suit your individual needs, a custom laptop provides a number of unique benefits to consumers. Though pre-configured laptops are capable devices that will meet the needs of most, custom options prove to be a better alternative for a portion of the buying public.