The Complete Laptop Buying Guide: Desktop vs. Laptop, CPU, RAM, GPU, and More
I will teach you how you can get a very good laptop within your budget. And by the end of this, I will also give you a sheet from which you can pick laptops. you will become educated on which laptop you should buy. There is a famous Chinese proverb of Lao Tzu, in which he said: You give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. I do not just want to give you links, I actually want to teach you how to pick a laptop. Whether to use a desktop or a laptop in short, complete knowledge.
💡 The First Doubt: Laptop or Desktop?
Portability: Why is a Laptop Better for Students?
The Biggest Advantage of a Desktop: Customization
My General Advice: Focus on Your Primary Goal, Avoid the Trouble of Building a PC
So the first doubt people have is whether to take a laptop or a desktop. Look, if you want portability, then take a laptop. Only one thing that a laptop has is portability. This in itself is the biggest reason for people to take a laptop, as opposed to a desktop. Now, if you are a student, then it becomes very convenient for you to carry it here and there.
Sometimes your internship is in another city, sometimes you are home, sometimes you are college, sometimes you are somewhere else, so taking a laptop becomes very convenient for you. That is why I suggest laptops to most students, unless you want to play around. If you are not a PC ninja, then don't build a PC. If you are going to college or are in college, don't build a PC, don't get into too much trouble, just take a laptop. This is my general advice.
But the biggest advantage in a PC is that you can make customizations. There are many slots inside, you can change the CPU whenever you feel like it, you can change the GPU whenever you feel like it. So, you get to see very high levels of customizations like this. But the question is, do you even need these customizations or not? When you go to college, your goals are bigger. You don't just want to become a PC repair person, you want to become a very big person.
🧐 What to Look for in a Laptop? Essential Things Before Buying
The Purpose of Purchase: Gaming, Video Editing, AI/ML Programs, or General Use?
RAM (Random Access Memory): How Important is it for Multitasking?
DDR5 vs. DDR4: Which is Faster and Better?
Megahertz (MHz): The Importance of RAM Speed.
That is why I advise most people that they should not get involved in these troubles. Don't learn to build a PC, don't learn to open a laptop. It is not a very big deal. I know how to do it, and even after that, I am saying this it is not a very big deal. Focus on your primary, big goal.
Now, the second thing, the reason I write this: what do you need to see in a laptop? Now we have decided that we have to take a laptop, so I will mostly focus on the laptop. The very first thing you need to see is what your purpose is. Now, suppose you are a very big YouTuber, that too a gaming one, and you have to do gaming morning and evening.
Maybe I will not suggest the laptop that I would suggest to a student. So, keep the purpose in mind first before buying a laptop: do you have to do gaming? Do you have to run AI/ML programs? Do you have to do video editing? Do you have to run Android Studio? You should have the answers to these questions broadly.
The second thing you will look at is RAM. What is RAM? It stands for Random Access Memory. The more RAM, the more programs you can run simultaneously. Now, RAM is also of different types. There is DDR5 RAM, there is DDR4 RAM. DDR4 is old, DDR5 is new and faster. So, know only this much about RAM: DDR5 is better than DDR4. And the megahertz (MHz), which is the clock speed, which is also called the cycles per second of your RAM, the higher it is, the faster your RAM will be.
That means there will be fast data transfer between the RAM and the CPU. I will not go into too many technicalities. More megahertz, better RAM. DDR5 is better than DDR4. You should not take DDR3 at all, unless there is a very big reason, your budget is very tight, you are taking a very old laptop, you are getting it through a lot of (workaround/hack) I am keeping those things aside. I am talking about the general population: don't take DDR3.
🔌 Essential Ports and Other Features: The Things Often Overlooked
After this, which CPU is better? Look, Intel has i3, i7, and i9. Ryzen has Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7. Ryzen 7 is better than Ryzen 5; Ryzen 5 is better than Ryzen 3. i7 is better than i3; i9 is better than i7. But here is a catch, both in Ryzen and in Intel: the catch of generation. Now, if you are taking an i5 13th Gen, and someone is giving you an i5, let us say, of the 8th Gen, then the 8th Gen i5 is completely useless. The 8th Gen i7 is worse than today's i5. So you will have to look at these things. And for comparisons like this, you can search and compare on Google.
You can compare i5 8th Gen with, let's say, i3 7th Gen. Do all the comparisons that come to your mind, and you will find out which CPU is better. Nowadays, you will find comparison websites that give them a score. So, you can find out which CPU is better among two CPUs just by a Google search. Now, the CPU is the single most important thing that is the brain of the computer and is the most important. In general, we can say that the better the CPU, the better the laptop, because the CPU is going to handle most of the tasks. So we need to take a laptop with a good CPU.
CPU (Central Processing Unit): The Brain of the Laptop
Comparing Intel (i3, i5, i7, i9) and Ryzen (R3, R5, R7)
The Generation Catch: Why a Newer i5 is Better Than an Older i7?
Google Search and Scoring Websites for CPU Comparison
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): For Gaming and AI/ML
A Reality Check on GPU Needs: Google Colab for AI/ML Training
Other Benefits of a Good GPU: Multiple Monitors and High Resolution
Now let's talk about the GPU. If you do gaming, then this is the most important component for you. Or if you want to train AI/ML models on your laptop, then this is the most important component. But I want to give you a reality check. You probably won't train AI models on your laptop, or you won't want to. Because, why would you? Your laptop might get damaged.
Why would you give your laptop so much stress? And AI/ML models are not trained so easily, nor are they trained in such a short time. You will use something like Google Colab. And this reality check is received later by many people in AI/ML who do not know that only basic models are trained on the laptop.
Big models like ChatGPT cannot realistically be trained on your laptop. But should you still take a laptop with a good GPU after all this? The answer is yes. Because the better your GPU is, the more multiple monitors your laptop will be able to support.
A laptop with a good GPU will run your laptop well at higher resolutions, it will be able to game well, or if you want to learn Deep Learning/Machine Learning in the future through that laptop, it will be a little easier for you. For example, OpenAI's Whisper model might run on your laptop if it has a good GPU. So yes, occasionally, a good GPU will come in handy. So, the GPU is for multiple monitors, for gaming, and sometimes for training AI models.
Storage: SSD vs. HDD (Essential for Fast Booting)
Why is an SSD Necessary?
Why Keep the C Drive (OS) at 500GB SSD?
Options for Upgrading SSD: M.2 Slot and 2.5-inch SSD
Now I talk about storage. Even today, many modern laptops provide Hard Disk Drives (HDD). But you need an SSD. SSD is fast. Hard Disk Drive is based on old technology. HDD is cheap but slow. You should always keep your operating system in an SSD. And the drive where your operating system is located should be more than 250 GB. It should be at least 500 GB. I am telling you this from experience, because Windows alone takes up 50-60 GB. And then you will install programs, 150 GB will go into that. Nothing will be left in your computer.
You will do some downloads, you will have some personal files, you will install a couple of programs your storage will fill up, and you will remain troubled. It is better to make your Local Disk C 500 GB right from the start. Don't make it less than that. If you can afford it, make the primary C drive at least 500 GB.
After this, if you are getting a laptop very cheaply that has an HDD but is otherwise fine, check if it has a slot for an SSD. If it has an SSD slot, you can buy an SSD separately and install it, which might cost you 5000–6000 rupees for a very good, fast 500 GB SSD. And you can easily get this done by going to a shop. If your laptop does not have an SSD slot, when I say SSD slot, I mean the M.2, which is the thin SSD slot. In such a case, another option you have is to remove your Hard Disk Drive (the big one) and put in the big SSD, which is also called the 2.5-inch SSD.
And you can go to the shopkeeper and say, "Please install this 2.5 GB SSD in this laptop, and give me the HDD coming out of my laptop as an external drive". And you can use it as an external drive, like a huge pen drive, where you can store your data. So your laptop will become fast due to the SSD. SSD does not mean you have to install the M.2, the thin SSD. You can also install the wide 2.5-inch SSD.
Now I will talk about those things that you might forget. Now, one thing is the USB-C port. If you are making a good investment, you will want your laptop to have a USB-C port. And if it has a USB Type-C port, you will want it to support Power Delivery (PD), support data transfer, and along with that, support Thunderbolt and support display.
The overall point is that you should know what it supports and what it does not support. Don't let it happen that you just looked at the port, and you found out it only supports power delivery. Supporting power delivery here is very important if you are spending money and taking a laptop. You can charge via USB-C. If you get a Type-C charger anywhere, you can charge your laptop, if your Type-C port supports Power Delivery.
The second thing is whether your laptop has an SD card reader or not. Now, this thing is important for people who are content creators or want to create content in the future. Slots like this become very helpful if you are a content creator. Otherwise, you can take an external connector. But when you have slots like this, it becomes very convenient, because you will always forget to take your SD card reader.
After this, before buying a laptop, be sure to check its ports. Like, how many HDMI ports does it have? How many USB ports does it have? Does it have an SD card reader? Does it have a LAN port? Imagine you found out it neither has Wi-Fi 6 (which is fast Wi-Fi) nor a LAN port. Then there will be a problem, won't there? And if you think that there is no such laptop that does not have a LAN port, then you are wrong. So check this thing.
After this, be sure to check the brightness of your laptop. If you are going to use your laptop without an external monitor, which perhaps 90% of people do. Your laptop's brightness should be good. You measure brightness in nits. The higher the nits, the brighter the display you will see. And if you are working in brighter environments, you definitely need a brighter display.
I want to tell you that if one RAM slot in your laptop is empty, and one RAM stick is installed (let's say 16 GB RAM is installed, and one slot is empty), then you can install another 16 GB RAM stick and make your laptop's RAM 32 GB. The advantage is that if you spent ₹60,000 today, in the coming time, you can make that same laptop very fast by investing ₹10,000 more in it, if it has one more RAM slot empty. And if that slot is not empty, or if two sticks of 8 GB each are installed, then you will have to remove both those 8 GB sticks and install 16 GB and 16 GB sticks if you want to increase the RAM. This is also a very big thing.
You can check this by searching on Google for your model name and then writing "tear down video". You can also give the laptop model to ChatGPT and it will tell you whether there is an empty slot or not, and cross-verify it with the tear-down video.
If you have more RAM, you can run more programs. If you want to edit videos, or if you want to run Android Studio along with Chrome, and along with that, you want VS Code to keep running, or your server to keep running in the laptop, then you definitely need more RAM. Or let me frame this thing like this: if you have more RAM, it will be convenient for you.
🔋 Performance, Weight, and Service: Important Practical Considerations
One more thing: the service center near your house. I am not saying it should be there; this is not a dealbreaker. But still, if your laptop gets damaged, having an accessible service center is useful. In my opinion, if you keep the laptop properly, they don't get damaged. But it would also be wrong to say that laptops never get damaged. Laptops do get damaged sometimes; it also depends on luck.
People form an opinion about companies like Dell, HP, or Asus, but these are rare cases. Such cases are seen with laptops of every brand. No brand is very good, no brand is very bad. All these are mainly manufactured in places like China, Taiwan. And they use almost similar state-of-the-art technology.
After this, thermal performance is very important. If you want to run your laptop for a long time and do heavy tasks, then check how its thermal performance is. Look at the reviews on Flipkart or Amazon. If they are saying that the thermal performance is completely useless, and the laptop gets hot, then you might have to take a cooling pad to cool it down.
Carrying a cooling pad in itself is a very troubling task. So, if you want to work on the laptop for a long time, like 5 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours running Android Studio, or training models on the laptop, or gaming for 5 hours then the thermal performance of that laptop becomes very important for you. By the way, every laptop gets a little hot.
If I talk about battery backup, if you are taking a gaming laptop with a heavy GPU installed, then don't expect too much from the battery backup. You will need power. You do get a power port—whether you are in college, or you are travelling, even at the airport or railway stations. But again, this thing can be very important for you if you have a use case where you have to run the laptop on battery.
After this, check the weight of the laptop. There are 2.5 kg laptops, 3 kg laptops, 2.25 to 3 kg laptops. If carrying is a big deal for you, it is difficult to carry a heavy laptop if you travel a lot. If you find your laptop to be 2.5 or 2.25 kg, keep in mind that carrying it will be a bit difficult.
🍏 The MacBook Ecosystem: Pros and Cons
MacBook Pros: Unified Memory and Excellent Battery Life
The Apple Ecosystem Advantage (iPad as Second Monitor, iPhone Webcam)
Criticism of MacBooks: Gaming, Expensive Connectors, and Paid Software
The Biggest Downside: No Upgradability (RAM/Storage)
MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Who Should Choose Which?
M-Series Performance: Why M4 Excels in Machine Learning
Now let's talk about the MacBook. MacBooks are very premium laptops in themselves. But they come with certain challenges. Just imagine you bought a laptop for ₹1 lakh, and its display got damaged. Be prepared for that. If you took a ₹1 lakh laptop, only your display replacement will cost ₹50,000 or ₹40,000. And then you get the warranty for only one year, right? Apple's connectors come expensive. Cheaper connectors also come in the market, but again, they either get damaged or do not perform well. Then, the software for Apple is not easily available, especially the free software.
Now, the new M-series laptops (M1, M2, M3, M4) have the concept of unified memory. Unified memory is shared memory that both your CPU and GPU share. This significantly improves performance. And Machine Learning and AI tasks happen in a very good way on Apple's M-series laptops. Along with that, no laptop can arguably beat Apple laptops' battery life. Period. The ecosystem is very good. If you have an iPad and an iPhone, you will have so much fun.
You can use the iPhone as a webcam. And you can connect the iPad as a second monitor. Then, the noise is almost zero. It makes almost no noise. Apple's laptops remain completely silent. Its cooling system is so good a completely premium laptop.
Now I will criticize Apple a little. Gaming does not happen on Apple laptops. Good gaming does not happen. If you want to play games, you will have to go to Windows. AAA titles don't run. The connectors are very expensive. The local ones get damaged within 6-8 months. Instead of buying them again and again, just take Apple's connector for ₹10,000. You will have to pay for everything. You will have to pay for every software. You will be charged money for the smallest things.
If you have money and are ready to pay, the Mac is the best for you. If you are watching a video tutorial, and the instructor is using Windows, and you have a Mac, then as a beginner, you will get stuck. You will have to figure out yourself how to install certain software on Mac.
The biggest downside is that nothing gets upgraded. Just like you can install and increase RAM in a Windows laptop, you absolutely cannot do it in a Mac. Tampering with Apple is very difficult. Only the very pro players can open it and change something inside.
Now let's talk about whether you should take a MacBook Pro or an Air. The MacBook Air is a very good choice, an affordable choice. You can take it, especially if you are in the Apple ecosystem. But if you take a MacBook Air, good video editing will not happen on it. Android Studio will not run very powerfully.
Its battery runs well, impressively, according to its price. But if you are a Pro user, you need to do editing, you need to do tasks that are slightly more compute-intensive, there you can go with the MacBook Pro. In which you will see good video editing. You can run Machine Learning models. You will see quite decent performance if you take the M1 or the M4. If you are a very strong Machine Learning Engineer, all the work happens well on the M4. Perhaps it might not be that good on Windows laptops even up to the RTX 4090. But because of unified memory, the performance is insane. People tell me that Apple's performance is on a different level.
Now here I want to tell you a myth. Nowadays, terms like "Copilot PC," "AI Laptop," or "GenAI Laptop" are presented as futuristic laptops. This is 90% marketing gimmick and only 10% reality. The 10% reality is that it has NPUs (Neural Processing Units) inside, which are built to do AI-related tasks. Now, NPUs are useless until the supporting software is available.
So, don't get caught up in the hype. Focus on the good things I told you: look at the RAM, CPU, GPU, storage, slots. Don't look at whether "Copilot" is written on it. It is all a marketing gimmick. Experts say that Neural Processing Units are not even used much by software right now, and won't be in the near future either.
📝 Final Advice Before You Buy
Maintenance Tip: Get Your Laptop Cleaned Every 6 Months
Budget Responsibility: Studies Happen Even on Basic Laptops
A Final Plea: Don't Code on Your Phone
I hope I have given you complete knowledge. I will give you a sheet that contains my top picks and configurations. Check the price, as it varies slightly. I told you the basic principles of how you have to select a laptop. Pick two or four models. And compare them based on the things I told you, and take the decision yourself.
Now, before leaving, I will tell you some things. If you have taken a laptop, get it opened and cleaned every 6 months or 1 year. They will use a blower to clean the dust. This improves the performance of your laptop. The biggest enemy of electronics is dust.
If your parents can afford you only a basic laptop and cannot afford a gaming laptop, then don't trouble your parents. Understand your responsibility a little. If they are even getting you a laptop, that is a very big deal for you. Work within the budget you have.
Studies will happen even on a ₹20,000 - ₹25,000 laptop. I just have one small basic requirement: try not to do coding on your phone. Coding happens even on a 20K laptop. And if the budget is 20K, I would say build a PC, don't even take a laptop. Bear the trouble of portability a little.
