Computers serve many different purposes in our everyday life. It is hard to imagine a world without laptops because they are the most convenient computers you can use today. According to the 2019 estimates by Statista.com, about 50% of all private households have a computer.
How to Make a Right Choice
Many people want a machine that can do office work while others invest in gaming computers. Others want to work and play using the same computer. If you work in an office, you might want to go online to play casino games and claim a lucrative True Blue no deposit bonus after work. The big question is, how do you know the right laptop to purchase for office work and gaming?
You must pay attention to the following:
- CPU – cores, threads, and clock speed
- The amount of internal storage required
- The size of RAM
- GPU and screen features
Keep the Processor in Mind
The processor is one of the key building blocks of any computing device. This part is known as the central processing unit (CPU) simply because it is the computer’s brain. For someone who wants to use a laptop for simple office tasks such as word processing and printing, virtually all modern processors can do the work with no notable glitches.
Computer users looking for a gaming laptop require a processor that can handle multiple processes and run complex software seamlessly. They must pay attention to the number of cores, threads, and clock speed (GHz). The more the number of cores and threads there are, the more the tasks the computer can handle, and the clock speed determines how first things get done. If you wish to buy a laptop for office work only, clock speeds above 2GHz are great. But the best gaming computers today have processors with clock speeds above 3GHz.
Computers with the latest versions of Intel processors such as Core i7 and Core i9 are good for both office and gaming purposes. However, it seems AMD-based processors are increasingly becoming popular in the gaming CPU market. For example, the latest variants of AMD Ryzen can handle almost every office task and play the most popular video games perfectly, thanks to their relatively high base close speeds of 3GHz and above. The Apple M1 chip is another incredible option because it delivers on performance by integrating the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine.
Internal Storage – How Much Disk Space Do You Need?
The size of your laptop’s internal storage is another crucial factor to bear in mind before purchasing. Again, this may not be a problem with most of the computers you can buy today if you are just looking for a machine that can execute simple office tasks. The problem comes when you need a device that can store huge software programs or files. A few years ago, simple office software programs would only need a few gigabytes (GB) or megabytes (MB) of space. These days, we have video games and computer applications that require 10s to 100s of gigabytes to store. This means you need terabytes of disk space to store many programs and files.
When it comes to the type of internal storage, you want to go for the one that allows you to write and retrieve data fast. Many companies are still designing laptops with hard disk drives (HDDs), but experienced computer users know that solid-state drives (SSDs) are the best. HDDs are generally heavy and are known to produce heat and noise. In contrast, SSDs are silent, faster, and lighter. The price is the only challenge you have as a buyer because SSDs are more expensive than HDDs.
Random Access Memory (RAM) Size Matters
The amount of RAM installed on a laptop will have a significant impact on speed and performance. A computer RAM is also known as the working memory because its work is to store and access the information you are actively using. So, whenever you load a video or game, it goes to the RAM for you to access it quickly until when you decide to close the application.
The size of RAM will depend on your office or gaming needs. You will need at least 2 GB of RAM for basic computing, but memory-intensive programs like some video editors require 8 GB or more. Lucky for you, most laptop computers come with pre-installed RAM of between 4 and 12 GB. This means that they can play many of the leading video games. If you are a gamer, you should check the recommended minimum requirements to determine if you need to add more RAM.
Check the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Screen Features
Last but not least, you should never ignore the GPU, especially if you are buying a laptop for gaming purposes. The GPU of a computer is a specialised processor for accelerating graphic rendering by processing a lot of data simultaneously. It is particularly an important feature to consider if you are looking for a laptop for video editing and gaming. Although the newest versions of Intel GPU can work well, AMD’s Radeon and Nvidia’s GeForce variants are by far the best options.
Remember, you also need to get the right GPU memory, screen dimensions, and resolution based on your needs. For an office laptop, a 13.3- or 14-inch HD display is enough. But you will need a 15-inch Full HD display or more for the best gaming experience when playing high-quality computer games.
Summary
Purchasing a laptop for office work and gaming is one of the most important decisions you have to make these days. The best approach to purchasing the right laptop computer for both purposes is to know what you need in terms of processor speed, storage space, RAM, and graphics. With this information beforehand, you can purchase a laptop with the right features or upgrade your current device to suit your changing office or gaming needs.
