Some very honest opinions about buying a new laptop/computer.

It is a really confusing market out there about laptops, especially with the so-called review influencers on YouTube who make it even more confusing! Any engineering student needs a robust machine which is powerful enough to drive through all the coursework and yet be effective in pricing. Although, being said that, the goal should not be to minimize the cost while picking up all the necessary features; but also to look for a machine that is sufficiently up-to-date and provides a greater value in the long run. It might be confusing when I say greater value, like any device when bought depreciates in value. Though here what I mean is to be able to sustain with your configuration for all your needs. The common questions that may arise when you decide to buy a computer -

How much RAM is sufficient?

What should be the screen size?

Should I get a model with an SSD? Is HDD sufficient?

What processor is a good processor?

Should I get a Windows laptop or a Macbook?

Is a Graphics card necessary?

…

And the list might go on. But before we answer any of these questions, Lets demystify some basic concepts !

1. RAM — Random Access Memory : This is a volatile memory that resides very close to the processor with data access frequency range 6.25GB/s to 18.25 GB/s baseline. (You can read more on this here https://www.crucial.in/support/memory-speeds-compatability )

However, more importantly, this memory holds the programs that you are running and thus is responsible for how many applications you can run parallely at the same time. Here’s how your RAM is used up when your computer starts -

a. Operating System — Typically about 1 GB of the RAM gets used up when your computer starts up and loads a modern OS. It loads all the basic utilities and what-nots to welcome you to a pleasant familiar screen from where you can get started with your work.

b. Startup Programs — A few 100s of megabytes might get used up when you have installed a lot of programs in your system. Ever noticed that your computer becomes slower with time and all you think of is reinstalling your OS to speed it up! Well it’s just a pile of junk startup programs that you need to disable instead of going through the install.

c. Browser — The most common browser i.e. Chrome takes a hefty 1 GB out of RAM when you open it up! And mind you, it takes more and more as you open tabs, browse the web and stream videos.

d. Engineering applications — You might need to use heavy engineering tools depending on the specialisation you want to focus on. Rendering tools, Simulation tools, heavy IDEs, emulators, etc. require a good amount of RAM to load in the first place. Such programs can take space from 4GB to 8GB in RAM depending on the workload or sometimes even the application itself.

So, to sum it up if you do not intend to use your laptop only for browsing; definitely you need to consider at least 8GB. The recommended future proof RAM size would be 16GB.

2. SSD vs HDD: SSD is solid state drive and HDD is hard disk. SSD is based on flash memory i.e. data is stored electronically whereas HDD is based on spinning disk memory i.e. data is stored magnetically. What matters to you is SPEED! A typical SSD operates at 10x read speed and 20x write speeds than a traditional HDD. So how does this influence your computing experience? The answer is simple. All your programs and files are stored on this memory (also called “secondary” or “non-volatile” memory). Whenever your computer tries to load a program or a file, it copies the data of that program from your secondary memory into the RAM and then runs it! So you get it, when you open your Chrome, it takes a second or two to open up ! It’s due to the latency of your secondary memory. If you have an SSD, it will enable faster multitasking owing to higher switching speeds of data with your RAM (known as “paging” mechanism). This also means that you will have a smoother experience when you are working with multiple applications at the same time. ( Read how SSDs work here https://www.crucial.in/articles/about-ssd/ssd-vs-hdd )

NOTE — Do not confuse a smoother experience with the size of RAM. The larger size of RAM allows to hold more data of the running programs in the memory, but a lot of data exchange happens between RAM and secondary memory which leads to slowing the user experience. With an SSD, having the greater speeds, this experience boosts significantly.

However, there is a tradeoff in costing and amount of memory when choosing between SSDs and HDDs. SSDs are EXPENSIVE. Well, consider it as a premium that you should pay to avoid frustration later. You don’t need TBs of secondary memory because you are not building a server (Unless you are :P). Considering you will use it for your entire engineering and beyond, 128GB of SSD will be too less. However club it with a HDD ( a hybrid laptop ) and you are good to go. So you can get a 128GB SSD + 512GB/1TB HDD model or just a 256GB SSD model or go for a HDD model and separately add SSD. Whatever be the case, definitely get a SSD. You can always opt for external drives when you feel short of memory.

3. Processor — You would usually see this as the most priority item in any laptop checklist. However, I have got it down just to draw attention to the above two items first! This is because a good processor is NO USE without a good primary (RAM) and secondary (SSD) memory. Anyways now lets talk about processors!

So there are several variants of processors and you can identify it by the last letter in the processor model. Here are two screenshots :

U series processor at 1.6GHz base frequency

H series processor at 2.1 GHz base frequency

Notice that, in the first screenshot the ending letter is U whereas in second screenshot the ending letter is H. Further notice the base frequency for the U model is 1.6GHz and for H model it is 2.1GHz and finally there is some Turbo Boost frequency which is about 2–3 times the base frequency. Lets understand this in detail.

So the letter naming follows some conventions, despite of the brand, which signifies the processor power and features. The most commonly seen “Product Line Suffixes” are as follows -

1. U — Mobile power efficient — Good for basic usage
2. G1-G7 — Intel Integrated Graphics Level — Good for medium load usage and media consumption
3. H — High performance optimized for mobile — Good for heavy work
4. K — Unlocked — For overclocking and extreme cases

( You can read about the processor product line naming here https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/processor-numbers.html )

So we definitely want to avoid low power models and hence definitely look for laptops with “H” letter suffix. Understand that with great power comes great responsibility (Sorry, just kidding xD). But yep, with a high power processor in the machine, you will definitely get lesser battery backup. So just keep that in mind.

Now about base frequency and turbo frequency — lets understand with an analogy. Consider that your laptop is running a marathon race when it is doing some task. So the base frequency is like the minimum speed that it will maintain overall (and it might sometimes fall even below that with thermal throttling and other bottlenecks, but let’s not worry about that now) and the turbo frequency is like the sprint that you might take to get a boost for sometime. So basically your computer will run at turbo frequency just for a few seconds to speed up the program until the processor becomes very hot when it falls back to base frequency and then cools down and again speed up to turbo frequency … yada yada yada … you get the picture! The BASE FREQUENCY matters — your computer will mostly run at this speed. So forget turbo frequency and just select a processor with at least 2–2.4GHz base frequency. That is necessary for that snappy experience you are looking forward to!

Another important aspect of processor selection is the number of cores. The more the better. So what are cores? Basically each CPU internally contains multiple cores, each of which can perform a task in parallel. So the more cores, the more parallel processing. It is recommended to have at least 4 cores.

As far as brand is concerned, it doesn’t matter! They are just a competitive market which we should benefit upon by just selecting the right product as per our needs.

Keeping all the points in mind, a good recommended processor would be at least an Intel i5 — H processor or an AMD Ryzen 5 — H processor ! The higher the generation, the better for sure ! Make sure to read the processor specifications on their brand website for details about the TDP frequencies before finalizing the laptop.

4. Graphics Card — A graphics card is a special co-processor that performs array processing and essentially, graphics processing tasks faster; thus offloading CPUs load and also improving graphics related performance! So do you really need them? The answer is NO, and also YES! For basic workloads like coding you definitely don’t need a GPU. However, for tasks where you need to render graphics such as video editing, gaming, animating, photoshopping; you definitely need a GPU for that! Besides, Machine Learning/ Data Science enthusiasts would better know its importance! Definitely, go for a GPU even if you don’t need it now; you will learn to make use of it later for sure.

5. Macbook or Windows PC: Finally, the question of the hour! Should I get the MACBOOK? And it is a BIG BOLD “NO”. Don’t pay up hefty pricing of the Macbook lineup if you want -

a. Full control of your device — The Apple Hardware and its drivers are proprietary and the hacks around it are not worth the effort! You will feel locked into the system and there is no outing once you get in :(

b. Gaming — Gaming on Macbook is the worst. Despite having capable hardware you cannot make the most of the device because of lack of games on the platform and even if you get Windows on it, you will find random issues on it like — no 120Hz display output or buggy bluetooth driver and what not!

Who should opt for the Apple ecosystem? Those who want to develop for the Apple environment, that’s it.

While as a programming and media creator device, Macbooks are great, but still you can do a lot more with Windows. There are a few hassles here and there, but Windows machines are much more powerful with a CAPABLE HARDWARE configuration and cost a huge lesser than the Mac!

What other things should you look at?Other than the above mentioned, you can further look for

Display options — 13 inch is just too small, though it makes a lightweight laptop; if you are using a single main machine — get a bigger screen. Atleast get a FHD resolution screen. QHD and 4K have even better experience! A higher refresh rate will be awesome — nowadays, 120Hz displays are getting popular. “Do not get a touch screen device whatsoever.”

Port options — Make sure you get decent I/O options like USB-C, USB-A, etc

Connectivity — Dual band WiFi is a must nowadays. Get one with WiFi 6 if possible. Bluetooth v4.2 or v5 is recommended for low latency experiences (especially if you use Bluetooth audio device)

Thermal options — Check reviews about thermal efficiency and design of the laptop. You don’t want to carry a heater with you :P

Enough with the technicalities! Here are a few good baseline recommendations that fall in the range 50–60K -

1. Acer Aspire 7 Ryzen 5 Quad Core 3550H — (8 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650/60 Hz) A715–41G-R6S8 Gaming Laptop (15.6 inch, Charcoal Black, 2.15 kg) https://cutt.ly/okohKb3
2. MSI GF63 Thin Core i5 9th Gen — (8 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q) GF63 Thin 9SCXR-418IN Gaming Laptop (15.6 inch, Black, 1.86 kg) https://cutt.ly/Nkojwk1
3. Acer Aspire 7 Ryzen 7 Quad Core 3750H — (8 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650/60 Hz) A715–41G-R9AE Gaming Laptop (15.6 inch, Charcoal Black, 2.15 kg) https://cutt.ly/ykojx7r
4. Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 Ryzen 5 Hexa Core 4600H — (8 GB/1 TB HDD/256 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650/60 Hz) 15ARH05 Gaming Laptop (15.6 inch, Onyx Black, 2.2 kg) https://cutt.ly/okojIF7
5. Dell Inspiron 5000 Core i5 10th Gen — (8 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/2 GB Graphics) 5593 Laptop (15.6 inch, Silver, 2.2 kg, With MS Office) https://cutt.ly/hkojH9M

I have myself used HP Pavilion x360 Core i3 7th Gen — (4 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home) and Macbook Pro 16 inch and learnt from the experiences of both the devices. I believe that investing in a good machine helps in the long run and a snappy experience allows for a smooth workflow which also enables increased productivity. I hope this post helps you in choosing your machine!