There are so many Windows laptops that it’s easy to get confused with them. In addition, the same model can have several modifications – different amounts of RAM, different processors. It is not always clear which characteristics are important and which ones can be ignored if there is no goal of having a fancy model, but the goal is to get a problem-free working laptop.
What do you need to know when choosing a laptop?
Often the price of a laptop varies, say, from 3 to 4K USD, depending on the configuration. At the lowest price, a device with minimal characteristics can be offered – with a small amount of RAM (sometimes it can be expanded), not the most productive processor.
- Pay attention to the presence of an operating system (OS). In devices at the minimum price, the OS may not be installed, that is, the laptop will not work after purchase. Sometimes the devices are equipped with Linux, which may not be very convenient if you are used to Windows.
- The processor is the most important part of the device, which is responsible for performance. High performance means the device will work quickly. Now the market is practically divided between Intel and AMD. The former is more expensive, the latter are cheaper. If you look at the expensive models, you will notice that they contain Intel processors.
- The amount of RAM also affects the speed of the device – if the processor is powerful, but there is not enough RAM, the laptop will work slowly, on the contrary – the same thing. If you need a laptop for more than just searching for information on the Internet, don’t count on the minimum 4 GB. “Considering that the possibility of increasing memory in new models is most likely absent, it is necessary to solve this on the shore.
- The video card is responsible for displaying graphic information on the display; the speed of the device also depends on its power. They can be classified according to many parameters, but primarily video cards are divided into integrated and discrete. Integrated are those built into the processor that do not have their own video memory, but use the device’s RAM. They are less productive than discrete video cards – individual elements of a computer with their own video memory, power supply and cooling systems. Discrete video cards are more expensive and, under certain conditions, have high graphics performance.
When you choose a laptop for work, it is important to look at the characteristics of the screen – you will spend eight to ten hours a day behind it, if your eyes get tired, the performance of the device will become unimportant.
Huawei MateBook D14 and D15
These are the new products of 2020, which are suitable for typical office tasks, where you need to read, watch, write. The devices use an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor, it has more performance than its predecessor Core i5-8250U in the Huawei MateBook d14, it can handle light games.
The D15 and D14 have 8 GB of RAM, the first has an internal storage of 256 GB, the second has 512 GB. Bigger D15 – 15.9 “screen diagonal, D14 – 14”. The D14 has a backlit keyboard while the Matebook d15 does not. The D14 has a slightly more powerful battery. Laptops have two chips: the first is that you won’t find the webcam right away, it is hidden in a key and slides out when pressed. The second is wireless integration with Huawei and Honor smartphones (it is not available with other Android smartphones), you can open the smartphone screen on a laptop, edit files from the phone’s memory in the same place, drag them to the laptop desktop.
Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
Lenovo manufactures many laptops, there are expensive ThinkPad models that are addressed to business, IT professionals, gamers. There is the Idea pad lineup with more budget laptops. The Think Book line has become middling, both in terms of functionality and price.
The laptop is compact and lightweight, screen diagonal – 13.3, weight – 1.32 kg. The maximum version uses an Intel Core i7 processor, the base version uses an Intel Core i5. RAM can be 8 or 16 GB. There are ports: Type-C, HDMI, USB-A – popular connectors for all tasks: charging and data transfer. A nice touch is the fingerprint scanner in the power button.
ASUS VivoBook 15 X512
On the “Market” prices start from $2,000 USD in various modifications. You can choose from an AMD Ryzen or Intel processor, 4GB to 12GB of RAM. There are both built-in and discrete graphics cards. The diagonal of the screen is 15.6 inches, the weight is from 1.6 kg, the screen resolution is FullHD, there are all popular connectors.
Xiaomi RedmiBook 14
Xiaomi is indispensable. The average price on the “Market” is 2 thousand USD. Xiaomi is famous for its affordable solutions, and there is also a good design – a metal gray body – and filling. The diagonal of the screen is 14 inches. In different versions, the maximum RAM is 8 GB, and the drive is 512 GB, processors are from the Intel Core line. It may surprise you that this device does not have a webcam.
