How to Choose The Best Laptop for Work

With hundreds of laptops released every year, the lines between working and everyday use laptops are blurring.

This has made selecting the best laptop for work be like navigating a minefield.

Laptops vary so much with features like drive storage, RAM, CPU version and speed, Graphics capabilities, among others.

To lift the burden of finding the best laptop for work, we have compiled a list of things to look into before making up your mind.

1. Decide on the Operating System

Before you start looking for a working laptop, you should decide on the operating system that you want to use.

This is important because not all applications will run on every operating system. It is pointless to invest several bucks in a laptop only to learn that your work software won’t install.

There are four major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, and Linux. Each of them has its advantages and limitations.

Windows is the most common operating system around. It is a good choice if your will be working with most Microsoft apps like MS office.

macOS is more beginner-friendly but is not the best for sharing with other companies. For instance, it connects with phones like iPhone and iPad only.

Chrome OS is the best laptop for work that mainly involves using a browser. It is also very affordable compared to the rest.

On the other hand, Linux can be a good choice if you don’t need to use MS Office and don’t mind the learning curve.

2. RAM Size

RAM, an abbreviation for Random Access Memory, holds data as your processor does its work. The more RAM size, the merrier your work will be.

Since it holds all the data you are currently working on, it means that the bigger the RAM, the more applications you can run simultaneously.

If you’re working with heavy applications that require pairing with others like graphics, then you should be thinking of 8GB RAM or higher. 

3. Storage Space

This is where you store all your data.

There are two types of hard drives; the SSD and Spinning Drive.

Solid State Storage (SSD) drives are the most modern and quality but expensive than Spinning drive ones.

SSD drives can retrieve and store data at high speed and is the best option if speed is your priority.

4. Graphics cards

Technically, every laptop has a graphic card. There are two types of graphic cards; discreet and GPU. Whereas some laptops have graphics mounted to the motherboard, some will allow you to input a graphic card of your choice.

For jobs like browsing and typing, you will be okay with or without a discrete graphics card. However, the best laptop for work like video editing and gaming will require a much powerful separate graphic card. A good example is the AMD or the Nvidia cards.

5. CPU

The central processing unit is a very crucial component to consider whenever you want to buy a laptop.

The intel core-based CPUs, for instance, core i2, core i3, core i5, and Core i7, will determine the performance of your computer.

Core i7 is the latest and the best but the most expensive of all. Again, this will boil down to the nature of your work and your budget.

6. Battery Life

Determining the battery life that you will need, many factors come into play. Some of the practices that will drain your battery include high screen brightness, the number of apps running in the background, the operating system, whether you will be working online, among others. 

Every laptop battery is rated either in Watt-hours (Wh) or in Milliamp-hours (mAh). Large figures in any of these mean a long battery life. 

7. Biometric Security

What is the sensitivity of the work you want to do with your laptop? If the answer is very sensitive, then biometrics security is an excellent way to secure your data. 

Modern laptops have fingerprint security and facial recognition. Fingerprints can never be easy to guess compared to passwords. 

Discussed above are the major factors to consider while buying the best laptop for work.

However, there are many other essential features, including the Wi-fi speed, the pots, make quality and others that you should look at. 

I hope that this information will help you to invest your money wisely.