How to outsmart your salesperson when laptop shopping
Lisa Du is director of ReadyTechGo, a service that helps people gain the confidence and skills to embrace modern technology.
Muddled by the tech terms used by the salesperson?
Not sure what Ram, SD, Intel means?
From time to time, we hear of clients being sold laptops that are not appropriate, because the sales person used tech terms to glorify a particular laptop, or sell something that is not required.
We're here to help you understand these terms, so that you can choose the most suitable laptop to suit your needs.
What will you be using the laptop for?
We always ask this question, because if you use your laptop to do basic functions such as:
- Browse the internet
- Viewing photos
- Emails
This is very different to someone who is using their laptop for Video Editing or Work. Based on what you use your laptop for, these are the important features you need to consider:
- Choose a PROCESSOR
- Choose RAM Amount
- Check HARD DRIVE storage space
- Find one that you like the look and feel of If
- Have a budget and pick a computer which matches your budget
Processor
Processor is the brains behind your computer.
Choose a processor from: Intel Core i3, i5 or i7.
The processors have different capabilities which you should match to your own usage needs. The numbers refer to their processing power. Core i7s are better than Core i5s, which in turn are better than Core i3s.
AMD Processors are generally cheaper processors, and Intel processors are more powerful.
If you see Intel Dual Core - this is like having two brains!
RAM
RAM stands for Random Access Memory, and is like your brains short term memory.
Your short term memory can only hold so much information, and your computer is the same!
The more RAM in your computer, the more functions your computer can perform. If you find yourself frustrated at how slow your computer is working once you having multiple applications open (such as email, internet and photos), it generally means you don't have much RAM
If you love to multitask (like me! I have over 30 internet tabs opened at once), you definitely need at least 8GB RAM.
Hard Drive
Hard Drive is your computers long term memory. This is where all your computer information is stored.
Think of the hard drive like your stomach. How much food can you fit in?
The larger the hard drive, the more information it stores! (The bigger your stomach, the more food you can fit in!)
If you are someone who loves photos and storing photos... you definitely need a bigger hard drive.
You can buy computers with SSD (solid state) or HDD (hard disk drive).
Both types do the same job. Generally speaking, SSD drives are faster than HDD and more expensive in terms of dollar per gigabyte.
Example: A computer with SSD drive will boot up in less than one minute (often in seconds), whereas a computer with HDD drive will require time to speed up to operate and be slower than SSD during normal use.
The look and feel
Lastly, you need to enjoy using your computer or laptop so aesthetics can be important.
Choose a device that you like the look/size of!
Hope you found this tip helpful when choosing your next computer!