How to choose the best type of laptop/notebook that meets your needs.

The number of people using laptops/notebooks has increased to a very large extent over the last decade, even to this very moment it’s still increasing. For example, in Nigeria, every mobile phone market that you visit has a dedicated section for laptop/notebook retail shops. They sell both new and fairly used ones. This sudden increase has led to the slow replacement of old desktop computers from various offices and homes especially those that don’t have much space. The high raise for laptop demands has bring into view different laptops and notebooks brands from different manufacturers, this makes it hard for the average buyer to determined which kind of laptop/notebook is best suited for his/her purpose. This article will provide you with some simple guidelines on how to choose the best laptop/notebook and have maximum satisfaction.

What do you need the laptop for
The first thing you need to consider is what do you need the laptop/notebook for, is it gaming, office work, browsing, watching movies. Your current budget should also be considered as the more powerful the laptop/notebook, the more expensive it will be and vice versa. Branded products like apple are very expensive despite having the same processing power with their counterparts on the same filed.

• Professional work

If you happen to require a laptop for professional business, you will require something durable, secured, lightweight and easy to carry around. The majority of work done on this kind of laptop is usually Microsoft office, browsing, chatting etc. The laptop you should aim for should have the following specifications

Hard disk space 500GB

RAM 2-4GB
Processor  Intel dual core-core i3

Modern laptops with these specifications usually have small screens that are about 12 inches and weight at least 5 pounds. Apple, Hp, Acer, Samsung etc. are some of the companies that have manufacture such laptops. They usually cost somewhere between 70-80,000 naira for a brand new one. Fairly used costs at least 50,000 naira when it is clean and hasn’t being used for more than a few months.

• Students

Students that want to buy laptops/notebook for school work and projects, I will recommend those mini-series, they are powerful enough for all school work and multimedia activities. They have long lasting battery (almost 6 hours) and can easily fit into your bags. The most important thing is they are not heavy at all. This laptop is also recommended for parents in case they want to buy it for their kids.

Hard disk space 200-300GB
RAM 1-2GB 

Processor Intel

it only costs 50-60,000 naira for new one, while a clean fairly used one costs 15000-20000 naira. They don’t support high end video games so there won’t be any distractions for students and kids alike. Acer aspire one series and Samsung comes to mind. Apple mac book is also nice, but they are very expensive

• Graphical designers

Latest Graphical design soft wares require some powerful laptops in order to work optimally, efficiently and fast. So if you are an architects, photographer, programmer or any other multimedia professional. The laptop/notebook you need should have at least

Hard disk space 500GB-1TB
RAM 6-8GB
VRAM 500MB-1GB

 It has to be core i5(intel) GeForce or AMD. Laptops in this grade costs about 130,000-200,000 naira for new, fairly used costs 100,000-120,000 naira. Available Models are Hp, dell, Samsung, Acer, Lenovo etc. VRAM is sometime also called dedicated video memory, the larger its in size the better, it significantly help in rendering 3D images at a very fast rate.

• Gamers on Budget

A core gamer should place importance on the type of processors the laptop has, do not go for intel powered laptops unless they have another gaming processor on it like AMD, Nvidia GeForce or ATI. Meaning it is powered by two processors. Latest games have high demand for space and ram so here are the specs you need to look out for, You should note with these specs its impossible to play some games in high or ultra high settings.

Hard disk space 600GB-1TB
RAM 6-8GB
VRAM 1GB

A laptop with the above specs costs 200,000-400,000 naira for new. 120,000-150,000 for fairly used ones. Lenovo should be your best bet.

• Full time Gamers

A full time gamer you need a very powerful laptop,

Hard disk space 1TB-2TB

RAM 8,16-32GB
VRAM 2-4GB

This kind of laptops usually come with dual processors like intel core i7 together with either Nvidia Ge Force or AMD. Models include Alien ware Aurora, Lenovo, Rock extreme etc. These laptops battery don’t last long especially when playing games, it drains fast, so its recommended to connect to an AC power source when playing games. Brand new costs at least 400,000-960,000 naira while fairly used stands at 200,00-300,00. They may seem expensive, but they are worth every single kobo. This kinds of laptops are extremely fast & allow you to play video games at the highest video settings without any lag. The gaming video below is good example

Personally I will advise you to get a tower type latest desktop and build the C.P.U from scratch, this is because, you can easily buy the latest VGA cards and replace it when you find it to be obsolete. 

Note
These prices mentioned above are for the current costs in Nigerian markets. Please comment below if you have any question