It happens that a person buys a laptop “just to have it.” This is not very reasonable. Unless you have a clear reason for purchasing it, a brand new laptop will most likely be collecting dust somewhere on a table or a distant shelf.

A versatile laptop for every day

Dell XPS 13

This category includes laptops from the middle and high price categories. Productive and balanced hardware allows such laptops to cope with a wide range of tasks, including not too demanding games at medium and even high settings. Thus, gamers who do not prioritize graphics can save themselves from significant expenses on a full-fledged gaming laptop with a powerful discrete graphics card.

The best laptops of 2017 according to TechRadar:

1. Dell XPS 13.
2. Asus ZenBook UX305.
3. Razer Blade Stealth.
4. Asus Chromebook Flip.
5. HP Specter x360.
6. Razer Blade.
7. Samsung Notebook 7 Spin.
8. Acer Aspire S 13.
9. Samsung Notebook 9.
10. Surface Book.
11. HP Specter x360 15.
12. MacBook.
13. Asus ZenBook Flip UX360.
14. Apple MacBook Pro 15.
15. Lenovo Yoga 910.

The rating of the best laptop manufacturers was compiled by Laptop Mag based on a combination of six key criteria: reviewers’ ratings, design, quality of technical support and support, innovation, range of laptops offered, and loyalty of warranty conditions.

1. Lenovo.
2. Asus.
3. Dell.
4. Acer.
5. Apple.
6. Razer.
7. Samsung.
8. Microsoft.

For serious games

Razer Blade

Gaming laptops are very powerful and very expensive. This feature allows you to use gaming laptops for any work, including design, video editing, 3D graphics and engineering.

The video card is the most important part. In 2016, Nvidia introduced the tenth series of GeForce GTX video cards, which are not only much more productive than previous generations, but are also great for installation in laptops because they do not require a bulky cooling system.

If Nvidia previously released heavily stripped-down mobile GeForce GTXs with the letter M in the name for laptops, now you can install a full-fledged video card in a laptop: like in a desktop PC, but with slightly lower frequencies.

That is, if you buy a gaming laptop with a GeForce GTX 1050, 1050 Ti, 1060, 1070, 1080 or 1080 Ti, you will get the performance of a desktop gaming PC with a similar graphics card.

The problem is that there are still a lot of outdated gaming laptops in electronics stores, and they cost as good as new, and sometimes are even more expensive. The consultant may try to sell you such a laptop. Don't give in to persuasion and choose a gaming laptop only with GeForce GTX tenth series.

The older models of Intel Core i5 (for GTX 1050 and 1060), base Core i7 (for GTX 1070) and older Core i7 (for GTX 1080) are traditionally chosen as a processor for a gaming laptop. The amount of RAM usually ranges from 8 to 32 GB.

Top 10 gaming laptops according to TechRadar:

1. Razer Blade.
2. Asus ROG Strix GL502.
3. Alienware 13 R3.
4. Razer Blade Pro.
5. Gigabyte Aero 14.
6. Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming.
7. HP Omen 17.
8. Origin EVO15-S.
9. Gigabyte Aero 15.
10. Origin EON17-X.

For maximum mobility

If your lifestyle or the nature of your work forces you to constantly move, then mobility comes to the fore when choosing a laptop. The smaller, lighter and thinner the better. Such laptops are often called ultrabooks.

Top 10 ultrabooks according to TechRadar:

1. Dell XPS 13.
2. Asus ZenBook UX30.
3. Razer Blade Stealth.
4. HP Specter x360.
5. Samsung Notebook 9.
6. Acer Aspire S 13.
7. Surface Book.
8. Acer Swift 7.
9. Lenovo Yoga 910.
10. HP Spectre.

For maximum autonomy

If you spend most of your time away from a power outlet, then the determining factor when choosing a laptop is the battery life.

We bring to your attention the rating of the most “long-lasting” laptops according to Laptop Mag. The indicated operating time is valid for constant web surfing in a browser via Wi-Fi without using other resource-intensive applications.

1. Lenovo ThinkPad T470 - 17 hours.
2. MacBook Air 13 - 14 hours.
3. Microsoft Surface Book - 12 hours.
4. Dell Latitude 7280 - 12 hours.
5. Lenovo Miix 310 - 12 hours.
6. Dell Latitude 5280 - 12 hours.
7. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon - 12 hours.
8. Dell XPS 13 - 11 hours.
9. Dell Latitude 5480 - 11 hours.
10. Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming - 11 hours.
11. Acer ChromeBook R 13 - 11 hours.
12. Lenovo Yoga 910 - 10 hours.
13. Apple MacBook Pro 15 - 10 hours.
14. Asus ZenBook UX330UA - 10 hours.
15. HP Specter x360 - 10 hours.

Instead of a tablet

HP Specter x360

Nowadays, transformers that combine a laptop and a tablet are very popular. The design of this hybrid allows you to unfasten the keyboard, rotate the top cover, or literally turn the device inside out so that the screen is on top. A mandatory attribute of the transformer is a touch display. “2 in 1” laptops are very compact, lightweight and can completely replace a tablet.

Top 10 convertible laptops according to TechRadar:

1. HP Specter x360.
2. Microsoft Surface Book i7.
3. Samsung Notebook 7 Spin.
4. Microsoft Surface Book.
5. Asus ZenBook Flip UX360.
6. HP Specter x360 15.
7. Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1.
8. Lenovo Yoga 910.
9. Lenovo Yoga 900S.
10. HP Elite x2 1012 G1.

To work on the Internet

If you only use a browser, then pay attention to Chromebooks - more affordable laptops designed for working on the Internet.

1. Asus Chromebook Flip.
2. Samsung Chromebook Pro.
3. Dell Chromebook 11.
4. Acer Chromebook 15.
5. Acer Chromebook R11.
6. HP Chromebook 14.
7. HP Chromebook 13.

As a more compact and aesthetic replacement for a desktop computer

A large system unit, monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers and a bunch of tangled wires do not add beauty to the interior and take up a lot of space. The laptop solves the problem easily and gracefully.

Undrey/Shutterstock.com

The configuration and cost of such a laptop will depend on what you usually did on the old desktop computer and what you plan to do on the new one.

For special work

This includes design, video editing, sound work, 3D graphics, engineering and other specialized activities.

The configurations of such laptops greatly depend on the tasks being solved and the software used, and the cost ranges from tens to several hundred thousand rubles.

If you need just such a professional laptop, then this guide is unlikely to be useful to you. It is better to look for information about the correct configurations for narrow-profile laptops on the relevant sites and forums. Only there you will find experienced specialists ready to help with advice.

What's worth paying extra for?

Now you will learn about really useful things that justify every ruble invested in them.

Latest generation processor from Intel

There are no good laptop processors from AMD yet. Perhaps the situation will change with the advent of the Ryzen mobile line, but now the only reasonable solution is to buy a laptop with Intel Kaby Lake on board (Core i5 7xxx or Core i7 7xxx).

You can buy a laptop with a previous generation Core i5 or Core i7 (fifth or sixth) and get slightly less performance, but the trick is that the cost difference between them is minimal or non-existent. Accordingly, it is better to choose the latest technology.

A powerful processor turns the laptop into a multitasking machine that not only works quickly, but also allows you to play not too demanding games, do video editing, graphics, and so on.

SSD instead of HDD

In order not to burden you with unnecessary words, we will simply leave here the indicators of the time required to launch some applications on a laptop with an HDD and SSD, all other characteristics being equal.

8 GB RAM

You've probably heard how memory-hungry the Chrome browser is, and it's not the only program that requires a lot of resources to run quickly.

RAM is cheap and greatly affects the performance of the computer. Don't skimp on it.

Full HD screen

A laptop with a Full HD screen at a standard distance from it makes the pixels invisible to the human eye. Thanks to this, the picture becomes much better. Full HD accommodates more content, making working with desktop applications and the Internet more comfortable and convenient. High-resolution matrices, as a rule, are manufactured using more advanced technologies and have better characteristics than their younger HD counterparts.

GeForce GTX tenth series video card

If you are buying a laptop with an eye on new games, then choose a model with a discrete graphics card GeForce GTX 1050, 1050 Ti, 1060, 1070, 1080 or 1080 Ti - depending on your budget.

Do not under any circumstances purchase laptops with GeForce GTX series nine or earlier. Saving just a little money will get you a much less powerful laptop with no power reserves for the future and no proper VR support.

Wi-Fi 5 GHz

Now Wi-Fi points are everywhere, but a side effect of such a ubiquitous presence is a drop in the quality and speed of communication. Roughly speaking, wireless routers jam each other.

The solution may be to move to the 5-gigahertz Wi-Fi band, known as 802.11ac.

Unfortunately, to use 5 GHz Wi-Fi you also need a router that supports this technology, but as a reward for spending extra money you will get super-fast and stable wireless Internet.

By the way, 5 GHz Wi-Fi support is useful not only for a laptop, but also for a smartphone.

USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 connectors

USB-C is the inevitable future, coming sooner than you think. In the next few years, this standard will become the only universal interface for charging and connecting any peripherals to a laptop.

The symmetrical design allows you to connect USB-C from either side, and therefore the familiar problem of “doesn’t fit, turned it upside down - doesn’t fit” will become a thing of the past.

The famous USB paradox

Advanced Thunderbolt 3, in addition to being compatible with USB-C, has sufficient bandwidth to connect a 4K monitor, an external drive with read and write speeds comparable to an SSD, as well as a full-fledged external video card.

What you shouldn't overpay for

Not all manufacturers are distinguished by their ability to create balanced laptops. In addition, some of the features found in laptops are often downright useless.

Backlit keyboard

The laptop is a complete device, and its screen always illuminates the keyboard. Accordingly, additional backlighting of the keys is not needed.

The only reason to choose a backlit model or to pay extra for this modification is the habit of working in complete darkness with minimum screen brightness.

Screen with resolution higher than Full HD

The capabilities of the human eye are limited. With sufficient pixel density, we will not see them from a distance typical for working with a specific device. Such screens are best known as those used in Apple products.

For a laptop with a 13-inch screen diagonal and Full HD resolution, the distance from which the pixels cease to be distinguishable is 51 centimeters. Our eyes are approximately at this distance when working on a laptop. Thus, increasing the screen resolution, and therefore the pixel density, does not make sense.

If someone persistently tries to prove to you that QHD and even more so Ultra HD (almost the same as 4K) are cool and necessary, then either you are dealing with a consultant in an electronics store, or you are faced with a victim of marketing.

In addition to being pointless in terms of picture quality, displays with excessive resolution consume more battery power and require much more resources to render the picture, which negatively affects performance.

Mandatory Intel Core i7

The latest generation Intel Core i7 is a really cool processor, but there is such a thing as sufficient performance.

Simply put, you don't need a Nissan GTR if you use the car for commuting to Auchan and on congested roads.

Core i7 is good for heavy computing, video editing, graphics work and top-end gaming computers. The average user will not use even a fifth of its performance, but will pay the full price.

Required discrete graphics card

A separate video card is needed for hardcore gamers who want to play new games with cool graphics, as well as for individual specialists. For web surfing, office work and watching movies, the power offered by the integrated graphics is sufficient.

32 GB RAM or more

If you don't know why you need so much RAM, then you don't need that much RAM.

If you are not a gamer, then 8 GB of RAM is enough for you, and if you play heavy games, then 16 GB is enough.

Fingerprint's scanner

It is now fashionable to install fingerprint scanners in laptops as a more convenient alternative to entering a password. It may save you an extra second, but is it worth the money that manufacturers are asking for this feature?

Touch screen in an ordinary laptop

A touch screen is required for transformers - hybrid devices with a removable keyboard that combine a tablet and a laptop.

For an ordinary laptop, a touchscreen is not only useless, but also a downright harmful excess, increasing the cost of the device, battery consumption and sometimes worsening the quality characteristics of the screen itself.

Other guides to choosing equipment from Lifehacker.

With this article, our portal begins a whole series of useful materials, the purpose of which will be to make it easier to choose any product from the thousands of options offered on the market. Agree, choosing a specific model of a gadget always takes a lot of time, which can be spent usefully. In today's material we will talk about choosing the right laptop - for work, for study or for entertainment.

What do you need a laptop for?

First you need to decide what you will use the laptop for. There are several options:

Working with office applications and studying

Even the cheapest laptop is suitable for these tasks. The only condition that must be met is that such a laptop must be of high quality and durable in order to serve you as long as possible. Pay attention to the manufacturer (it is best to choose laptops from well-known brands) and the ease of use of the device’s keyboard. There are no more delays here - you don’t need a powerful processor (even the weakest, more or less new laptop will be able to play music and movies), or a powerful video card (you’re planning to study and work, right?), or a large hard drive (documents and tutorials) take up very little space).

Replacement desktop computer, laptop for home

Such a laptop should fulfill the wishes of all family members at an acceptable level: help parents with work, entertain children and keep grandma in touch with her friends. Here it is also worth paying attention to the strength of the case (when purchasing, look at how it bends when not pressed too hard). In addition, it is worth buying a laptop with a capacious hard drive (500 gigabytes is the minimum) and a large set of ports (for connecting all possible home devices). The processor, memory and video card should also not be the weakest, but you shouldn’t chase top-end characteristics.

Ultraportable laptop (ultrabook) for travel and business trips

Here, the weight of the laptop, its thickness (no more than two centimeters) and battery life are at the forefront. It's also worth considering options with an SSD rather than an HDD (more on that later) - the extra speed on the road won't hurt. Ultraportable laptop cases are often made of metal or carbon fiber - this will be a nice bonus. There is no need to pay attention to the video card and extra ports here. Note that in some cases, ultrabooks do not have a standard port for a network cable - you will have to use Wi-Fi or purchase an adapter.

Powerful laptop for games and multimedia tasks

Such a laptop must have a large and high-quality screen (both games and work in multimedia programs require this), powerful internals (processor, RAM and video card) and a capacious hard drive. Unfortunately, you will have to forget about autonomy and portability: even the best and most expensive models of gaming laptops (with the exception of some exceptions) will be heavy and quite thick, and their battery is unlikely to withstand more than a couple of hours of intensive use of all systems.

Work station

Such laptops are used in work that requires a lot of computing power. They differ from gaming ones in that they usually do not require a good video card (unless one is needed to perform specific work tasks), but they do need all possible ports for connecting peripherals. If you don’t need to work with graphic materials, you can neglect the screen.

Hybrid 2-in-1

The recently popular hybrids are often a real minefield. At the moment, it is best to choose an ultrabook and a tablet - two separate devices. If you want to combine them, then there are not many options - pay attention to recent models of this form factor from Lenovo, Microsoft, Asus and Dell.

Which laptop screen is right for you?

The size of a laptop's screen is one of the most important factors that influences the user experience. You need to decide on these indicators immediately after determining the tasks that your future laptop will perform:

10-12 inches

The lightest and thinnest laptops, weighing no more than 1.2 kg. For many users, their compact keyboards won't suit them, and they simply don't have multimedia applications. But laptops with such screens are best transported and used for short work sessions on the road.

13-14 inches

A good balance between portability and convenience. Their keyboards are usually quite large and weigh less than 2 kg - a good option for those who spend a lot of time on the road but prefer to work in greater comfort.

15-16 inches

Most popular size. Such laptops can weigh up to 2.5 kg and are already able to accommodate good components that will be sufficient not only for work, but also for entertainment.

17 inches or more

Huge laptops, which usually contain the most powerful processors, the most powerful video cards and the most capacious hard drives. An ideal option for a laptop that will not leave your apartment or house.

Matte or glossy?

A laptop screen can be either matte or glossy, and choosing one is a matter of personal preference. The best way to look at a laptop with your own eyes is on the store counter. Let's put it this way: glossy displays have brighter and more saturated colors, but reflections are very noticeable on them (in the worst case, direct sunlight from a window or on the street). Matte screens make colors less pronounced, but they are protected from glare by a special coating. Note that Apple MacBook screens are glossy in most cases.

How to understand the characteristics of a laptop?

A lot of incomprehensible abbreviations, names of unknown brands and unclear numbers can confuse anyone. In this section we will talk about RAM, CPU and other GPUs.

Screen resolution

The more pixels you fit on a display, the sharper the image becomes (but also the more processing power required). It’s not worth considering options with a resolution lower than 1366x768 pixels (it seems they don’t make them anymore anyway), but it’s better to focus on something more impressive. 1600x900, 1920x1080 or higher is already very good. Naturally, in the case of small screens, you will have to settle for a low resolution, and for clearer screens you will usually have to pay a hundred or two more dollars. Apple MacBook screens have Retina resolutions - for example, the 15-inch MacBook Pro has a resolution of 2880x1800 pixels. This is also a very good indicator.

Processor (CPU)

The most budget models are now equipped with AMD E and Intel Celeron / Pentium processors. They are not designed for tasks more complex than working with email, editing documents, watching movies or listening to music. The next step is Intel Core i3 and AMD A. These processors should provide acceptable performance in multimedia tasks, but for games and serious work it is better to choose a laptop with Intel Core i5 (preferably the fourth generation, codenamed Haswell; the names of such processors look like “ Core i5-4xxx"). And finally, the most productive and expensive laptop models are equipped with Intel Core i7. You can also find expensive models with AMD processors, but at the moment these solutions are losing performance to Intel processors quite seriously. The latest rating of mobile processors can be found.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

For everyday work with documents and other “light” tasks, 4 gigabytes will be enough. Games and work with large software packages will require at least 8 gigabytes.

Hard drive (HDD/SSD)

Buying a laptop with a hard drive of less than 500 GB can be justified in two cases: 1) it is small and portable; 2) it is equipped with an SSD disk. Often these cases are combined. In addition, more expensive models can be equipped with a hybrid disk, most of which is mechanical (HDD), and the smaller part is chip-based (SSD). SSD drives provide very high data read and write speeds and also consume less energy, but are significantly more expensive than mechanical drives.

Video card (GPU)

This point is important only for those who are going to play games on a laptop - for the rest, any chip built into a modern laptop will do. Players are better off paying attention to high-performance options from AMD and Nvidia - Radeon R9 and GeForce GTX 9xxM. It is also necessary to take into account that such discrete video cards require much more battery power. The latest rating of mobile video cards can be found.

Ports

Pay attention to the number of USB ports and their standard (you should buy a laptop with USB 2.0 only as a last resort, look for options with USB 3.0), the presence of an HDMI or VGA output for connecting to a TV or external monitor, as well as the presence of specific ports to connect the peripherals you need in your work.

Optical drive

In most cases, you won’t need it - the digital future and high-speed network access allows you not to use outdated optical drives and, if necessary, use USB flash drives. We advise you to save as much money as possible on this component - you will not need to burn DVDs, much less Blu-ray (unless, of course, you do this for work).

Battery

Be sure to pay attention to the battery life of the device indicated by the manufacturer. At a minimum it should be 6 or 7 hours. The best models (either ultra-portable or heavy and large) can provide up to 10 or even 20 hours of operation. At the same time, manufacturers often lie and overestimate their operating time estimates - it is better to turn to independent tests.

operating system

In fact, it is not the operating system that you have to choose - everything is much simpler. Do you need a MacBook? This short guide will help you understand this issue.

A completely universal operating system that will allow you to perform any task (work with documents, games, watch movies, etc.), but requires more care than OS X. If the laptop will be used by someone who has never used Windows before, it is better pay attention to the next option.

OS X works great with all Apple devices and is suitable for all beginners. In addition, it is a favorite work environment for designers, musicians and other creative people. Unfortunately, it also has its many disadvantages: this OS is not intended for gamers, and only Apple produces laptops with it, which allows it to keep their prices at a fairly high level.

Linux laptops are suitable for those who use Linux for work. Everyone else is advised to consider the previous two options. However, laptops with Linux (and sometimes with DOS) are often cheaper than their Windows counterparts due to the free OS license.

Chrome OS

Laptops running this operating system are popular in the United States, but outside this country they are almost never seen in stores. A good option for those whose work with a laptop occurs entirely in an Internet browser, but in Belarus it is almost useless to buy a Chromebook - for the same money you can buy a full-fledged laptop with Windows.

Additionally

There are still many details left in the matter of buying a laptop, which we will draw your attention to in this section.

Firstly, check the Wi-Fi standard that the laptop's wireless chip supports. All laptops worth buying can handle 802.11 a/b/g/n networks, and many newer and more advanced ones can handle 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. In addition, if you are going to use Wi-Fi Direct, make sure that this technology is supported.

Secondly, pay attention to whether the laptop battery is removable. In many cases, it becomes unusable within a couple of years, and replacement will be much easier if the laptop does not have to be taken to service.

Third, check for an SD card reader. It may be needed to work with photos and videos from external devices.

Fourth, make sure you have a good webcam above the screen (however, it is almost always there). The camera must have at least an HD sensor (1280x720 pixels) - this will be useful for video calls via Skype.

Purchasing process

Have you chosen a model and are ready to call the store? Don't rush, we recommend remembering two simple rules.

Test your laptop before purchasing. Launch a few programs, go online, try using its keyboard and trackpad a little. We also recommend checking the screen and case for cracks and scratches (even the smallest ones) to make sure that the laptop came to you directly from the factory and not from the previous owner.

Check the warranty. Laptops are very complex electronic devices, and many of their parts often become unusable. A long warranty period from a reliable service center will help avoid headaches in the future.

Conclusion

We hope that this article helped you understand the difficult task of choosing your future laptop. Next week we'll help you choose a tablet!

Today, portable electronics will not surprise anyone - not only tablets, players and phones, but even wristwatches and glasses have the right to be called a personal wearable computer.

However, most devices of this type actually have extremely limited functionality. You can talk as much as you like about the capabilities of mobile operating systems, on-screen keyboards and other augmented reality, however, when instead of consuming content it comes to creating it or doing some serious work in general - fashionable electronics immediately turns out to be at least inconvenient, and at maximum - completely incompatible with the task assigned to it.

Tablets and phones, of course, make it possible to watch movies and surf the Internet during a trip, post vacation photos on social networks, and even send a business letter. But when you need to launch and configure equipment that does not have wireless interfaces, adjust and register fuel maps in the car’s control unit, or make urgent corrections to the original layout of a newspaper before sending it to print - alternatives to the good old laptops with a full-fledged desktop OS and a huge amount of compatible software , a full set of physical connectors and, again, a physically existing keyboard, there is simply no such thing.

What should you pay attention to when choosing?

Screen: dimensions, matrix and type of coating

As with all-in-one PCs, it is the screen that determines the ease of use of a laptop. However, here the influence of this factor is much more serious. Screen size = the size of the laptop itself, the comfort of wearing it and... even the purpose of use.

Agree, if you are climbing a cell tower with a backpack on your back to set it up and launch it, or making your way through thickets of wires in a technical room to a cabinet with network equipment, a large and heavy laptop is not the best choice. The opposite situation: if a laptop is needed for sedentary work and is only transported from the office to home and back, it is better to look for models with a large screen, which will accommodate more documents and data, and you will not have to strain your eyes to distinguish small text.

The next important point is the type of screen matrix. There are several options here:

IPS And PLS- options for serious work with graphics. They are distinguished by extremely accurate color reproduction, high-quality display of halftones and wide viewing angles. Among their disadvantages are only the relatively high cost and the glow effect.

*VA(VA, MVA, PVA) is a compromise between IPS and TN. Laptops with such matrices are noticeably cheaper than IPS, but at the same time they provide no less colorful pictures. Their advantages are deep black color and high contrast, which is very useful when watching movies. The downside is not the most accurate transmission of halftones, small viewing angles and relatively high power consumption.

TN(TN+film) - the simplest and most budget option. In addition, it has the shortest response time, which is useful for watching dynamic movies and games. But for these advantages you have to pay for poor quality color reproduction, low contrast, small viewing angles and, in general, not the best quality image.

The type of screen coverage is also important for a mobile device:

Matte screens- the optimal choice for a device that will have to do a lot of work “on the road”. They provide good picture quality in any lighting conditions.
Glossy screens The brightness is a little better, but in the sun or just near a window on a fine day, such screens convey glare much more clearly than the image itself.

Battery capacity

An extremely important factor for a mobile device, determining how long the laptop will work without a power outlet. Of course, you always need to keep in mind the power consumption of the device itself - a small and weak netbook with a 2000 mAh battery will last as long, or even longer, than a top-end gaming machine with an 8000 mAh battery.
However, all other factors being equal, preference should be given to the laptop with the larger battery. These are not just numbers, but convenience and the ability to work on the device without running with it from outlet to outlet.

Weight

A laptop is a mobile device whose advantage over a desktop PC is its portability. The heavier the laptop, the less noticeable this advantage becomes. And although when choosing, it seems that the difference between 3 and 5.5 kilograms is not at all fundamental - after a full day spent traveling, you will feel these two and a half kilos to the fullest.

The lighter the laptop, the better it is. Weight is not important only if you plan to use a laptop instead of a desktop computer and take it out of the house only when traveling to the country or moving from one apartment to another.

Device type

In addition to classic laptops, as they are commonly thought of, there are at least two types of devices in the laptop computer segment:

Ultrabook(slickbook, etc) - in terms of hardware, it is almost a full-fledged laptop, perhaps without an optical drive and with very modest upgrade capabilities. But, having lost some of its functionality, the ultrabook has become thin, light and, as a rule, very impressive-looking.

Transformer- a laptop that turns into a tablet with a slight turn of the screen. Retains the physical keyboard, but can also be controlled from the screen, which in some cases is very convenient.

Storage configuration and capacity

Not all data can be entrusted to cloud services, even as a backup, and it is not always convenient to carry a bunch of flash drives and portable hard drives with you. Therefore, a laptop, being a wearable device, must be able to store the entire amount of user data. At the same time, it is highly desirable that access to this data is fast, and that read/write operations do not take up too much battery power.

Modern laptops offer the following ways to organize disk space:

HDD only- a solution for budget laptop models. One hard drive means both low speed of the device and relatively quick battery drain.

Hybrid SSHD- intermediate solution. The size of the "solid-state" part of the disk is small: as a rule, it is only 8-16 gigabytes, which is not enough to install the system, but enough to speed up read/write operations.

One HDD + SSD- an optimal scheme when the OS and all the software needed for work are installed on a fast SSD, and files are accumulated on a hard drive, which the laptop accesses only when necessary. The battery power is not wasted on unnecessary spinning of the plates in the hard drive, and in ordinary operations the laptop demonstrates enviable speed.

SSD only- usually found in netbooks, convertibles and ultrabooks. It does not have a large volume, but provides long battery life.

Two SSDs- a circuit found in top gaming and professional laptops. While maintaining energy efficiency, it also provides a large amount of disk space. However, such models are not cheap.

The presence of an optical drive is optional; it is not worth focusing on this parameter today.

Central processor: manufacturer, line, number of cores

Unlike desktop PCs and all-in-one computers, laptops do not require excessive processing power - as a rule, they value battery life more.
However, it is desirable that the processor's capabilities match the user's tasks - a laptop that is beautiful, light and lasts a long time without recharging is not enough, but at the same time does not allow you to perform work tasks. In addition, unlike a desktop PC, in laptops the processors are most often soldered into the motherboard, and it is simply impossible to replace them.

Intel processor lines Atom, Celeron, Pentium, as well as AMD processor lines E1, E2, A4, A6- These are options for netbooks and entry-level laptops. They are distinguished by modest power consumption, but also by equally modest computing capabilities. You shouldn't expect more from them than doing simple office work and surfing the Internet. But you shouldn’t discount them either - in many cases, the performance of these processors is sufficient for the tasks facing the laptop.

AMD processor lines A8/A9 and Intel processor families Core i3/i5 they can already do a little more. AMD in this case brings full-fledged four cores, Intel in most cases (but not always) brings dynamic overclocking and virtual 4 threads. These processors still cannot be called serious gaming devices, but they cope with work tasks much more efficiently than their younger counterparts.

AMD processor families A10/A12/FX and Intel processors Core i7- top models with 4 physical cores and quite high frequencies by laptop standards. They are capable of effectively solving both work and entertainment tasks, but are found exclusively in top-end devices with an appropriate price tag.

Graphics accelerator type

A good half of laptops come with integrated graphics, and today it is a graphics core built into the central processor. For devices of this type, this is perhaps the best option. A laptop is not the most optimal platform for gaming, so graphics performance is not too important for it. On the other hand, with such a design, there is no extra heating source in the case, the cooling system copes more efficiently, the laptop runs quieter, and the battery power is not wasted on a separate device.

Integrated graphics, being an integral part of processors, come with these processors. Intel CPUs have integrated Intel graphics, AMD CPUs have integrated AMD graphics. Everything is simple here and there is no problem of choice as such.

But no lesser proportion of laptops come in the configuration with built-in and discrete video cards. This does not mean that the laptop will be twice as fast in games: as a rule, such a scheme is used to increase energy efficiency. When idle and under light loads, the built-in graphics core operates, which reduces power consumption and heating of the laptop. Games and other complex tasks use a discrete graphics card.

Only with discrete video card Most often, top-end gaming and professional laptops are supplied, for which energy efficiency and battery life are less important than performance when performing basic tasks. Moreover, the top models may have not one, but two video cards, combined in SLI/Crossfire to improve performance.

Discrete graphics in laptops can be represented by products from the same AMD or Nvidia. AMD graphics chips, in addition to games and multimedia, can speed up calculations in desktop software using OpenCL; Nvidia video cards can do the same using CUDA. The choice of a video card for work in this case is solely a matter of the software used.

As for games, here you need to focus not on the name of the video card, its manufacturer or the amount of video memory, but only and exclusively on tests of laptop video cards in games. And the best way to do this is with large specialized resources. Because reality is always somewhat different from the words of YouTube experts and Internet specialists.

RAM slot configuration

For a laptop, this is perhaps the most important technical parameter. In 90% of cases, it is impossible to replace the processor and video card in it, and the only way to increase the performance of the device is to expand the amount of RAM.

That is why you should focus on laptops that have 2 or 4 slots for RAM. As a rule, only one slot is occupied from the factory, so to upgrade you will only have to purchase and install the required number of modules.

Laptops with one slot At the same time, they will limit the maximum amount of RAM and make the upgrade less profitable: you will have to buy a larger module for a higher price, and the old module will remain on the shelf or will be sold for minimal money.

In laptops with built-in memory, soldered on the board, there is simply nothing to upgrade.

Interfaces and connectors

A laptop implies mobility, but mobility without communication with the outside world... in fact, is possible without a laptop. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have interfaces for wireless Internet access.

WiFi- this is already a standard for mobile devices, its presence is not even discussed. But Wi-Fi networks are not available everywhere, so a built-in one would be a good addition for a laptop. 3G- or 4G-modem. True, they are rare - mainly in “transformers” and some netbooks. However, the ability to access the Internet from anywhere without an external modem or sharing the Internet from a smartphone can be very useful.

Of the “physical” connectors, the connectors are of interest USB Type-C. A laptop, by its very nature, is designed to work a lot with a variety of peripherals, and it is better if these peripherals are connected to it through a modern high-speed interface.

M.2 connector is a new standard for connecting high-speed SSDs in a compact format. It is very nice to have one for upgrading the disk subsystem in the future, especially if the laptop does not have a factory SSD, and installing a standard 2.5-inch drive is impossible or is only possible if you refuse the HDD.

Criteria and selection options:

Having decided on the key parameters and purposes of using the laptop, devices from the DNS directory can be differentiated as follows:

Netbooks with a small screen diagonal are characterized by a relatively low cost; in this segment you can find devices for prices ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 rubles. Of course, you shouldn’t expect huge computing and gaming performance from them, but they are intended for something completely different! The strong point of these devices is long battery life, low weight and dimensions.

Devices like "transformer". While maintaining the same hardware platform, they are slightly more expensive: from 11,000 to 25,000 rubles, however, the price increase is justified by the functionality that combines the advantages of a laptop with a physical keyboard and a tablet with a touch screen.

However, a “transformer” is not always a netbook with a small screen diagonal. Larger devices, also equipped with very productive hardware, can turn into a “large tablet”. However, the price of such devices starts already from 29,000 rubles.

If mobility and battery life are not a priority, in the segment from 11,000 to 25,000 rubles presented cheap office laptops. With not the largest budget, they are able to offer a 14-15.6-inch screen and performance sufficient to solve typical office tasks.

For home needs and undemanding games laptops are suitable from 25,000 to 40,000 rubles, equipped with mid-range processors and a combination of integrated and discrete graphics. The same budget also includes multimedia laptops With IPS or SVA screens.

For serious work with graphics and complex computing tasks will require laptops with powerful quad-core processors, discrete video and, again, a high-quality screen. The budget for the purchase of such models is 40,000 - 60,000 rubles and even more.

If you need a laptop for executive purposes and business trips, then you should pay attention to the segment ultrabooks. You shouldn’t expect high graphics performance from them (but there are models with powerful processors); the main emphasis here is on design and quality of materials. In addition, such models are, by definition, lightweight and do not take up much space in your luggage.

Top gaming laptops, carrying powerful processors and flagship video card models, will start from 50,000 rubles and grow further, depending on the requirements and capabilities of the owner.

Flagship gaming laptop models They are not inferior even to powerful desktop PCs, but they come with a very respectable price tag and are comparable to the cost of an inexpensive car.

You can get confused looking at the many models presented. Cost is not a determining factor - you can choose a suitable device taking into account any budget. Therefore, you need to decide on your preferences. Without sufficient experience, it is difficult to understand what qualities and functions you should pay attention to first. Let's figure out what you need to consider to make your purchase as useful and effective as possible.

Frame

The appearance of a laptop is its calling card. A beautiful model may be less technologically advanced, but it looks impressive in any environment and pleases the owner’s eye. However, usually much less attention is paid to design than to technical characteristics for a very understandable reason. The buyer wants to get maximum opportunities with minimal investment. Therefore, often available models are made of plastic, have an impressive weight and a modest finish. Glossy cases look more impressive than utilitarian shells with a matte finish. However, the delicate finish is easily scratched and loses its luster. In addition, fingerprints easily appear on the surface when touched. This is a problem not only with gloss, but also with the metal finish of laptops of a higher class.

Models in higher price categories usually sport unibody cases. This is a monolithic and non-separable design, which deprives the user of any chance of upgrading or repairing on their own. The body of such laptops most often consists of aluminum or alloy.

For example, Lenovo is actively developing a line of carbon fiber laptops. This is a very durable, but at the same time lightweight material. There are other options: Acer uses Gorilla Glass 3 in the finishing of some of its models. The option is beautiful, but you should be very careful with it. Although a fall on the asphalt will end sadly for any laptop, regardless of the finishing material.

In recent years, the class has been actively developing. These are models that can easily transform from a tablet to a laptop or take on some intermediate state. The advantage of this model is that it also has a flexible mechanism that will help you choose a comfortable position for the laptop depending on the current task. Similar devices can now be found from most manufacturers: or they will offer enough options. The prices for such devices are comparable to conventional models without a rotating screen mechanism.

The comfort of a keyboard often depends not on a specific manufacturer, but on the chosen model. Considering the variety of devices on the market, the user can determine the type that is comfortable for him. The travel length of the buttons and their response vary.

Having decided on the size, you need to look at the display resolution. The higher the pixel density, the sharper and better quality the picture will be. If we are talking about this, then a Full HD screen (that is, a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels) will be sufficient. But even a similar aspect ratio will also look very decent.

The vast majority of entry-level models now come with HD screens. The resolution may vary depending on the aspect ratio, but most often it will be a 1366x768 pixel image. This is normal in an inexpensive device. When a similar screen is installed in a multimedia laptop, it is better to look towards other models.

Nowadays, there are mainly models where the screen aspect ratio is 16:9 or 16:10. The first option will be convenient if the laptop is often used to watch movies. In this case, the video on the display is played without black bars at the top and bottom.

Another very important aspect is the type of matrix used. There are also screens. The first ones are good because they have less glare. They are considered more convenient for professional use. However, glossy matrices of the latest generations, thanks to effective anti-reflective coatings, have begun to behave much better than older displays of this type. With their help, you can get a more impressive picture without losing quality.

Sound

Typically, the quality of a sound system directly depends on the size of the device and its price. You should not expect powerful bass and a wide stage from a thin ultrabook; it is not intended to serve as a home media center. But a larger 15- or 17-inch model may offer a more advanced system. Typically, such gadgets are developed in collaboration with a well-known manufacturer: JBL, Beats, Harman/Kardon, Bang&Olufsen and others. To create a comfortable acoustic environment, a number of models are equipped with built-in or external subwoofers.

Battery

The operating time of a laptop is affected by many third-party parameters. Even a balanced system with a capacious battery will not be able to work for long in gaming mode. Don't demand the impossible from your device. Increased heat transfer and high screen brightness can quickly drain an 8-cell battery, not to mention a 4-cell battery.

It is worth considering that when purchasing a Unibody model, the possibility of further battery replacement in the future automatically disappears.

A number of devices have replaceable high-capacity power supplies that significantly increase the operating time of the laptop. Now the record holders for operating time are those from Apple, which are able to last away from the outlet for about 12-14 hours.

operating system

Currently, most of the new models on sale are running . If necessary, this system can be updated to a more recent version free of charge. For the corporate market, devices with Windows 7 inside are still being produced, but their number is very small. However, Microsoft is not the only one developing its own versions of operating systems for customers.