Core Laptop Hardware Guide

You want a laptop, but you don’t know what to choose. Sure, you know there’s a processor, a display and all of that basic stuff. Think of selling your old laptop before buying a new one.

If you want to be knowledgeable though, you have to dig deeper, especially if you’re going to invest a lot of money into buying a nice laptop. For those who don’t know anything about laptops, then check out this guide.

This is a short walkthrough on parts you should watch out for when it comes to purchasing.

CPU

The CPU, or central processing unit, is the brain of the laptop. Basically, this is where all of the computing happens. Things that require a lot of rendering, such as creating videos, are handled by the processor. Basically, everything you input, the processor turns into output.

If you want a powerful processor, you go with Intel. They’re basically the biggest chip manufacturer on Earth. For those who are on a budget, AMD has great offerings too, but they’re not as popular.

Regarding the number of cores, today dual – core CPU’s are a standard and that’s more than enough.

GPU

The GPU, or graphics processing unit, is responsible for everything about visuals. The GPU basically does all the visual computing and requires a separate chip. The GPU works together with the CPU to provide impressive gaming performance.

For those who are looking to play games on their laptop comfortably, investing in a powerful GPU is the key, especially for longevity. You want to future – proof your laptop so it doesn’t get left behind when newer hardware generations are introduced.

For GPU, there are only two brands to choose from – NVIDIA and AMD. NVIDIA provides great support, while AMD is more affordable, but just as powerful. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses.

It depends on the game being played, because some games prefer NVIDIA while others prefer AMD, so there’s really no clear winner between the two.

Display

When it comes to display sizes, it’s a subjective topic. Some like smaller displays because the laptop is more portable, and some like it big because… who wouldn’t want a bigger screen? That being said, you get a heavy laptop.

Also, the quality of hardware installed affects the display resolution. The higher resolution you have, the better looking the screen in terms of sharpness.

Memory

Memory is basically what allows you to multitask. All programs that have been opened require memory. These programs store commands in the RAM so that when you open them again, it immediately pops up, instead of having to load the whole thing again.,/p>

Of course, bigger memory means better multitasking, but you also get a higher price tag.

Storage

Sometimes, you think a laptop feels slow because it uses slow processors and low memory. That’s partly correct, but the type of storage device used also plays a role.

Typically, hard disk drives are used for storage. It has a platter where information is written and it has a set number of revolutions. A high RPM equates to high loading speeds, at the cost of size and weight.

Solid state drives are better, but more expensive. They’re small and reduce boot times significantly. You might want to check them out.

Conclusion

These are the core parts that you have to watch out for when purchasing a laptop. They’re not really hard to get as long as you put in the time to read about them.

About Misha Williams: Misha Williams is a 23-year old writer/blogger from Las Vegas, Nevada who loves to write articles about technology and the Internet. She writes for CashSmartphones.com, a site where you can sell used cell phones for great cash. Find her on Google+. View author profile.