Laptop Buying Guide: Things You Should Know Before Buying

Choosing the operating system
The two major desktop operating systems in the market are Windows and Chrome OS.

Windows 10 is affordable, most used and supports almost every software in comparison to Chrome OS. It is useful for students, researchers, businesspersons and gamers.

Chrome OS offers fewer features than Windows. If you are looking for a device just for internet browsing, media consumption and completing your assignments, then a Chromebook will be a good choice.

Screen size
Currently, the laptops in the market have screen sizes that range between 11 and 17 inches. Although 15.6 is a standard, laptops with a screen size between 12 and 14 inches are easier to carry around. Not just that, but the resolution matters too. If possible, you should always go for at least 1920×1080 resolution, also called FHD.

CPU, GPU, RAM, Storage
While Intel CPUs were quite famous earlier, AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs have been giving tough competition to them in recent times. If you want to go for an Intel processor, you can choose the latest generation chipsets, and the performance will keep increasing as you go from Celeron to Pentium to Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and also Core i9. Always try to go for the latest generation. If you want AMD’s Ryzen 4000 and Ryzen 5000 series, you will get the same or better performance at a lesser price, as they have been designed to compete with Intel Core i5 and Core i7 at lesser prices.

GPU: If you are not going to play PC games, edit videos/photos or do other graphics-heavy tasks, then an integrated GPU is enough for you to carry on with your daily computing work. However, if you are planning to do gaming and other heavy tasks, then you need GPUs from Nvidia or AMD to deliver the ultimate performance for both gamers and creators.

RAM: A minimum of 8GB of RAM is essential in current times and for gaming and other heavy tasks, try to get 16GB of RAM or more for a smooth experience.

Storage: SSDs are more expensive than HDDs but are up to a hundred times faster and more energy-efficient.

Factors to Consider Before Buying a WiFi Router

Top Five Features to Look for in a Wi-Fi Router

1. A dual-band router with two different frequencies: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. (5 GHz connections offer higher performance, making it ideal for online gaming and streaming, while 2.4 GHz provides better Wi-Fi range)

2. Check your router have Guest Wireless Network and Parental Control options

3. Go with a A router that supports WPA Enterprise provides security through unique authentication encryptions on external servers

4. The router having wireless on off button

5. Router having IPv6 support and USB port

Common types of routers available in the market

• Single Band Router – They can transmit 2.4GHz of frequencies which is very helpful for the home user. This frequency can be easily transmitted through walls and floors. It is available cheap.

• Dual Band Router – This router can enable you to connect with the gadgets between 2.4GHz to 5GHz. This router is very useful when you live in a densely populated area as double band routers are less used by people as compared to a single band router because 5GHz can’t be penetrated through walls and floors. It offers up to 100x the wireless bandwidth (Picks up both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands), dedicated Wi-Fi Network for video and gaming, and has two separate Wi-Fi networks operating simultaneously.

• Tri-Band Router – No. It wo’t add up another frequency layer to it. But, this router will add up one another 5GHz to the layer. The biggest advantage of this router is that it reduces congestion and interference on your Wi-Fi networks even more. Three separate bands means three times more bandwidth. It can dedicate each band to separate devices and supports more devices due to additional wireless bands.

• Mesh Network – Okay, so if you are planning to buy the mesh network WiFi Router, then you need to clear one thing that this router isn’t related to bands. It is mainly related to the extent of WiFi connectivity. Here, one main router is connected to other nodes present at different locations to increase the operational area of the WiFi network. The mesh network is useful for the large house between 2,000 and 4,500 square feet or multiple floor corporate offices.

Different Wireless Standards

• 802.11 used the 2.4GHz band and had a max bandwidth of 2  Mbps

• 802.11b uses the same 2.4GHz band with a max bandwidth of 11 Mbps.

• 802.11a was introduced in 1999, at the same time as 802.11b, but it operates on the 5GHz and supports a maximum bandwidth of 54Mbps.

• 802.11g supports a maximum bandwidth of 54Mbps but operates in the 2.4GHz band.

• 802.11n was introduced in 2009, which operates in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz and supports a bandwidth of up to 300Mbps (or even 450Mbps with three antenna)

• 802.11ac works exclusively in the 5GHz and supports bandwidth between 433Mbps to multiple gigabits per second.