A laptop isn’t the most expensive thing that you’re going to ever buy, but it can certainly cost a lot if you’re not careful about researching them beforehand. Laptops can easily exceed the £1,000 mark, especially if you’re looking to buy something branded like a MacBook or a powerful laptop for your child that can also be good for video games.
However, you don’t need to spend this much money to get a fairly good laptop. With a bit of research and knowledge about these mobile computers, you could save a huge amount of money and still get a fantastic product that will last a long time.
So without further ado, here are a couple of tips to help you be smarter with your laptop purchase and save a lot of money.
How to decide what kind of laptop you need
So before we look at specific kinds of laptops and how to get them cheaper, it’s a good idea to learn a bit more about the type of laptop you should be looking for.
What is the laptop going to be used for?
First, decide what the laptop is going to be used for. Here are a couple of good examples:
- It’s a laptop for university that your child will be using.
- It will be a family computer that everyone will use.
- It’s a gaming laptop for yourself.
- It’ll mainly be used for social media and watching Netflix.
- It’s the first computer for your child.
There are many great reasons to get a laptop, but everyone should have a use for it in mind. This helps immensely when it comes to choosing laptop specs and decisions will be a lot easier to make.
Who is going to use the laptop?
You might also need to consider who the main user of the laptop will be. For instance, if it’s your child using it, then you might be a little more cautious about buying an expensive MacBook. If the laptop is going to be designed for university use, then you might be able to get a student discount.
How powerful does the laptop need to be?
If a laptop is going to be used for gaming then it really needs to have a dedicated graphics card. You’ll usually see this as a “GTX” or “RTX” graphics card in most laptops, but there are also Radeon graphics cards. If the laptop isn’t going to be used for games at all, then a graphics card isn’t really needed and it can save a considerable amount of money.
However, if your laptop will be used for tasks like video production and photo editing, then you’ll want a rather powerful processor and a lot of RAM. You should ideally look at reviews of the laptop that you’re considering as it’ll give you a much better understanding of what it’s capable of.
What operating system do you need?
There are two main operating systems in use today; macOS and Windows. Windows is generally seen as the more widely used operating system and has plenty of customisation. There are plenty of programs available and it’s also got the best compatibility with video games. The other option is macOS which is typically used in professional applications such as graphics design.
Both operating systems are excellent for general use and the only major difference to consider is if you plan to play video games or not. If you want to play games, check that the games are compatible with the macOS operating system by doing a quick Google search. If they are, then you can safely buy a MacBook or other macOS laptop and use that for games. If you’re not sure or also want to play video games that have yet to be released, then Windows is a much safer option for game compatibility.
Lastly, you might also want to consider if you’re using the Apple ecosystem. If you have an iPhone, Apple Watch, or iPad, then a macOS laptop can sync with those devices and offer extra features such as taking phone calls on your laptop or sharing WiFi passwords between devices.
How to save a lot of money with your laptop purchase
Now let’s take a look at some of the best ways to save money on your laptop purchase.
Learn how to keep your laptop clean
Keeping your laptop clean means both physically and with the programs and files you have. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use cleaning programs. There are cleaners for Mac and Windows that remove temporary and old files that you no longer use. They also make suggestions like removing old programs that you don’t use anymore. This can help keep your laptop speedy and ensures that you don’t need to upgrade anytime soon.
Keeping your laptop clean physically is also a good way to ensure that it’s not getting clogged with dust. Dust can raise the temperature of the laptop’s internals which can slowly degrade the laptop and may cause it to run slower, prompting you to potentially upgrade it in the near future.
Buy refurbished
There’s really nothing wrong with a refurbished laptop. Refurbished generally means that the internals have been replaced with new parts and issues like cooling have been fixed. A refurbished laptop may have a few surface scratches and other cosmetic damage, but they’re generally great value for money and you should definitely consider buying one to save a lot.
Choosing the right laptop components
One of the most confusing things to understand about laptops are the specifications. If you’re familiar with technology then you might understand basic things like storage space, processing power and RAM. However, what these mean in the context of a laptop might be hard to understand if you’re not familiar with using computers.
Thankfully, we have an easy solution. While it won’t give much context on how well it performs, you can use benchmarking websites to quickly and easily compare different processors and other pieces of hardware. It’s really easy to tell which processor is better because they’re rated with a score and there are graphs to look at. There are even options to sort by best value as well. This is a great way to compare two different laptops that are similar in price but might be drastically different in performance.