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 What to consider while buying a laptop/desktop


Between a laptop and Desktop

If you need moblility with your device then laptop is the way to go, otherwise a desktop is suited as a standalone device in a dedicated work room. 

If my requirement is limited to creating documents, like word, excel, or using the internet for educational or entertainment , then entry level system will be sufficient. If i need to install and develop heavier software applications or for faster gaming experiences then i5 might be the right choice. For video content creation probably i7 would suffice.  

AMD or intel: In intel i3 is the entry level processor range (normally dualcore). (what does 11th-13th Gen??). i5 and i7 is mid range and i9 for high end users.

in AMD??

Which model: 

Budget and Requirement: The entry level system would fall between

RAM/Memory: Explain what is RAM? and Why it matters.

Random access memory is like the brain(frontal lobe precisely) of the computer. All execution of  software is done in RAM. The operating system is loaded into RAM after computer boot and programs are loaded into RAM for execution. if the RAM size is small, it can significantly affect speed of your device, even browsing the internet and opening large documents. so our system should have at least 8GB of RAM.  Also check for extra slots, in case you would need to add more RAM in future. Normally we have 2 slots for RAM and they would be occupied by 4MB RAM slots.  





Storage: SSD or Hard Drive: A solid state drive or SSD is generally the preferred secondary storage medium for a laptop, since its much lighter and 3 to 4 times faster. But its life span is less than a hard drive and cost might be double or triple the HDD. A hard drive might be more suited for a desktop since the added weight is not a consideration. A HDD can afford large storage and good speed at lower cost than a Solid state drive. But the cost discrepancy between a HDD and SDD is coming down.

How a large secondary storage improves speed? How is virtual memory n paging done using hard disk.


The drives come in a capacity of 256 GB, 512 GB or 1024 GB or 1 TB and even more. 

Entry level users might not need more than 256 GB or 512 GB. 

Processor/Speed/Number of Cores:

The entry level computers are mostly dual core now which means two cores on a single chip. 


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