Laptops used to be more expensive than desktop computers and ranked low in terms of price to performance ratio. That is no longer a valid statement in all situations. Nowadays both have their own niche markets and cost-effectiveness is a variable depending on who is buying the computer and for what purpose.
For most business executives and office employees, laptops do make a better alternative to the traditional desktop but that alone is not enough to narrow down the options. There are so many models available from multiple manufacturers and many of them target office workers. To sort through the confusion and find what you may actually find value in, here’s all you need to know about buying a new laptop for work.
Define “Work” First
OEMs and retailers tend to treat the term “work laptop” as if it means anything without additional details. Unless we can define exactly what kind of work the laptop is suited for, we cannot choose a computer that will help us with our work. For example, the needs of a software tester will be vastly different from what a digital artist will require form their laptop. Yet, they are both professionals looking for a laptop to help with their work. Define what work is to you, before ending up with a PC that looks sophisticated enough to belong to a CEO but hangs up every time you layer three UHD images on top of each other!
How Important is the Processor for Your Work?
The processor is the single-most important PC component inside your laptop, and you need to make sure that whatever you buy comes with at least a Core-i5 or a Ryzen 5 processor. In fact, you can play it safe and go with a core-i7 or Ryzen 7 processor instead if you have the budget. The Ryzen 9 and Core-i9 processors are obviously going to be even faster, but there’s a point where you need to assess the cost-efficiency of your investment into the work computer once again. Is your work CPU-intensive enough to require a Core-i9 or a Ryzen 9 CPU? It can be of course, especially if you need to render high resolution videos often as part of the job. For the most part though, a Core-i7 or a Ryzen 7 can get the job done.
How Important is the GPU for Your Work?
Intel has come a long way with their integrated graphics processing units and if you are buying a laptop with Intel graphics, you do not need to invest extra money in a discreet GPU at all. To know more about the effectiveness of modern Intel UHD and Iris XE iGPUs in almost all GPU-intensive workloads, check this post on Lenovo.com. Whether you are marketing executive, a business leader, or a graphic artist, Intel’s APUs are more than capable of handling most workloads with surprising ease.
As is always the case, there are exceptions of course. Professionals working in AI development, game development, software testing, and a few other niche sectors do require discreet graphics solutions to meet their needs. In that case, you may want to find a laptop with a Quadro-series graphics card from NVIDIA.