When you need to buy a new laptop or desktop you often get bombarded by the sales rep with stuffs you don’t know! They use all the technical jargon to confuse and manipulate you into buying a more costly product. Well this is because they are trained to tell all this and very few of the salesmen actually know the real computer specifications! In this post we will look at the most common specifications that you come across while buying a laptop or desktop or even a tablet. We will also see which configurations suits which types of users.
When you try to buy a laptop/desktop online or from any store you will always get this basic specifications.
product specifications
So let’s try to break and analyse the stuffs included in product details and understand what they really mean and how much of it do you need.
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Processor (intel/amd X.X GHz)
Processor is the first thing any company mentions in its product specifications. Why? Because it is the brain of ANY electronic device, not just your laptops or desktops but also your smart-phones and tablets.
Processor carries out mathematical calculations inside it and gives the result to the intended recipient.
The two leading companies in processors are Intel and AMD processors.
Intel has processors from core2duo, dual-core, i3, i5 and i7. Some processors also have multiple cores (Dual core, quad core, octa core) inside them to help it run efficiently.
MHz or GHz is the unit to measure a processor’s speed.
If you have a 2.4 GHz processor, it means your processor can do 2.4 BILLION mathematical operations in 1 second, if you have 700 MHz processor, it means it can do 700 MILLION mathematical operations in 1 second.USERS:
– If you’re a normal user, using your laptop/desktop for surfing and office stuffs and watching movies, an i3 processor with 1.5-2GHz is more than enough for you. Don’t go for 2.5 GHz or 2.7 GHz for basic things.
– If you’re a gamer or run heavy applications like AutoCad, Pro E, Photoshop and softwares that requires a large piece of memory, go for i5 or i7 and anything more than 2.3 GHz is enough! -
RAM
You can read everything about RAM here!
In short RAM is the memory next to your processor which loads the stuffs you are currently running or want to run, inside itself.
If you open Browser, it is loaded in the RAM, if you open Powerpoint, it is loaded in RAM.
If you want to run a lot of applications simultaneously, you need more RAM to control them. So more RAM gives you freedom to run more stuffs smoothly.
RAM has various types like DDR, DDR2, DDR3 (refer: RAM in detail). The point to remember here is, if you buy a DDR2 RAM and you need to add more RAM later, you’ll have to buy a DDR2 RAM only. DDR3 won’t fit in the slot. So always check which type of RAM you have.USERS:
– Normal or Business user 2GB RAM is enough, at most 3GB. Don’t waste your money on 4/6/8 GB RAM because you won’t be using that much memory and it will only be a waste of money.
– A gamer, with all the High Graphics game coming out these days, 4-6 GB RAM is a must for you.
– If you’re one of the computer geeks running many Virtual machines, or creating and running servers along with your Operating system, 8GB RAM is all you need. -
Hard-Disk
All the stuffs that is now present in your machine is in your hard disk. You’ll normally see SATA 5400rpm hard disk in the specifications after the size. SATA stands for Serial ATA disk which tells you the type of connector it uses to connect to the motherboard. 5400rpm means the hard disk rotates 5400 times per minutes. More rotations, more data transfer speed and more money. 5400 is the standard and enough for normal use. But if you have money to spend go for 7200rpm which will increase the speed of transferring the data.
USERS:
– If you’re a normal/business user, 320 GB hard disk is more than enough.
– If you’re the type of collector saving all movies and sitcoms and games in your hard-disk, go for 500 GB.
– If you don’t care about money, and you think 500 GB is not enough only then go for 750 GB or 1 TB. -
Screen Size
The next specification is screen size. 15″-16″ is works perfectly fine with all types of users. If you want a big screen go for it but 15.6″ is the standard and most recommended size.
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Operating System
Today Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 being the new operating systems are pre-installed in all new laptops.
Sometimes you might find Windows 7. If you’re planning to by Windows 7 look for the various editions of Windows 7.
Windows Ultimate is the most costly version where as Windows 7 home is the basic version.
If you’re going to use Windows for home use don’t go for an Ultimate version.
Lets sum it up now.
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For a normal or a business user
– i3 Processor (2nd or 3rd Generation).
– 2-3 GB RAM.
– 320/500 GB SATA hard-disk.
– Windows 7/8. -
For a gamer
– Intel i5 processor (3rd generation) or any amd processor.
– 4/6 GB RAM.
– 500 GB SATA hard-disk.
– Windows 7 (Windows 8 and windows 8.1 still have some serious game issues). -
For a Geek
– Intel i7 processor.
– 6/8 GB RAM.
– 500 or more GB hard-disk.
– Windows 8/8.1
You can view System’s configuration in Control panel –> System and current status of RAM, processor and Hard-disk can be seen in your task manager!
System configuration
Current System Status