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00:00How the heck do you figure out what laptop you should buy whether you're spending a couple of hundred a couple of thousands
00:05Well, hopefully by the end of this video where I share with you my top 12 tech chap tips for buying a new laptop
00:11You'll have a better idea
00:11and if you do enjoy the video a cheeky like and subscribe will be
00:14Fantastic and also leave a link to some of my favorite recommended laptops right now in the description below and with that out of the way
00:20Let's move on to tip number one and it's pretty straightforward really figure out what you're gonna be using it for
00:25Is it just basic home office stuff browsing studying shopping watching TV movies?
00:30Because honestly then you don't need to spend more than maybe 350 pounds $400
00:35That's a good starting point for a basic Windows 11 laptop
00:38Of course spending more will get you better performance nicer screens and smarter designs
00:42But even cheap and cheerful laptops like this will do the basics
00:46Although I would say if your budget is under 250 pounds
00:50I would definitely look at a Chromebook although I'll talk more about these in a second in either case though
00:55Even basic machines can play demanding games
00:57Although only via cloud gaming services like geforce now or xbox cloud gaming and of course, these are subscription services
01:03So you have to pay for them and you will need pretty fast and reliable internet
01:06But it does allow you to play games on pretty rubbish laptops
01:10However, if you've got a bit more money to spend I still maintain the best all-round laptop right now is the macbook air
01:16Not because i'm a tim cook fanboy, but simply because there's no better combination of performance battery life screen quality and arguably price
01:25So I like a mac
01:26But it's not for everyone and you have tons of windows alternatives and in that sort of premium thin and light space
01:31You've got your dell xps. This is the xps 13 plus which still looks incredibly space age
01:37And I really really like this guy. You've got asus zenbooks. You've got the microsoft surface laptop
01:41You've got samsung galaxy books and even the lg gram range. This is the lg gram style
01:46I've got the 16 inch model here, which is a beautiful laptop, but also pretty expensive
01:51Really you are paying a premium here for that sort of thin and light form factor
01:55And so one thing I really do love about windows laptops is the sheer variety you can pick and choose whatever you want
02:00It can be a bit overwhelming to start with but once you sort of narrow down what you want
02:04There's lots of options at lots of different price points, which is great
02:07You don't really have as many options on the mac side
02:10And obviously if you're a big gamer
02:11Yes, you have the apple arcade and you can also do cloud game streaming with the mac
02:16But really for proper gaming you're going to want a windows laptop because it gives you access to all the game stores
02:20And the performance in these guys particularly if you have a dedicated graphics card and we'll come on to this in a second
02:25That and also the screen quality like the refresh rate is also very important for gamers
02:30A lot of gaming laptops can also double as workstations
02:33If you are doing fancy rendering or editing or designing then definitely look into a high-end either gaming laptop or workstation style laptop
02:41So to sum up tip number one if you're on a super tight budget
02:44As I say you can get away with spending like 350 pounds 400 dollars on a basic windows laptop
02:48Which is fine or a chromebook definitely recommend a chromebook if you can spend a little bit more around the sort of
02:53Thousand pound mark or so than a macbook a even a basic m1 from a few years ago
02:58It's still a fantastic laptop or a sort of windows alternative to that gaming laptops
03:03Genuinely, you can get decent ones that start around a grand as well with something like a rtx 3060 or an rtx 4050
03:09That's pretty good for a basic gaming laptop
03:11But really for top-end gaming laptops with the best screens best performance and all that stuff
03:16You can be looking at over three thousand. It can be a lot of money
03:19So the first thing is to figure out what you're going to be using it for before you end up spending more money than you
03:23Need the second thing to consider is the different form factors the different designs of laptops if you need a little bit more flexibility
03:30Literally in this case then how about a two-in-one flip where you can literally flip the screen and transform it into a touchscreen tablet
03:38Which is great for doodling and drawing or making notes with a stylus or just your finger
03:42Or even just propping it open to watch a movie or reviewing some documents
03:46Or even how about a tablet with a detachable keyboard gives you the option of having a lightweight dedicated tablet
03:51With the option of becoming a laptop when you need it a couple of my favorite are the microsoft surface pro series
03:57And of course the ipad which you can pair with a keyboard not for everyone
04:00I wouldn't say it's a proper laptop replacement, but it's worth considering tip number three pick your os your operating system
04:08Do you want to use windows mac or chrome os chances are you already know which one you like?
04:13It's the one you've been using forever
04:15But it's worth considering if one of the others might be a better fit
04:18Windows 11 laptops have by far the most options. So you have a lot of choice plus it's windows
04:23So chances are you've used it your parents have used it your kids are using it and it's compatible with literally millions of apps and programs
04:30Mac os on macbooks does a similar job but goes about it in a slightly different way
04:34And it can feel a little bit jarring if you're coming from windows, but I would argue it's a simpler but
04:40Smoother and more premium experience and still with great app compatibility
04:44Except for well games plus if you have an iphone you can take advantage of imessage and airdrop
04:49Although considering the cheapest macbook air starts at just under a grand that might make your decision for you
04:54Then there's chrome os which is google's operating system for chromebooks, which are some of the best value laptops around
05:01This one cost me just 200 pounds and it gets a full 360 hinge with a touchscreen
05:06And in my opinion it is far better than a similarly priced windows machine
05:10So chromebooks are designed for students and everyday work tasks and battery life is usually enough to get you through a full day
05:16The downside is chromebooks are generally meant to be used with the internet
05:20They're sort of cloud books if you will terminals to use the internet
05:23But it's not going to be for everyone and if you don't work out of the browser most of the time
05:27Then you may want to stick with a macro windows machine
05:30Tip number four let's talk about the hardware the specs and while this can be a bit overwhelming bear with me
05:36So there's basically five key things you need to keep in mind
05:39The processor the graphics the ram the storage and then other stuff like the screen and the ports and things like that
05:46But high level a good all-round spec
05:48You'd be looking at an intel core i3 or an amd ryzen 3 processor
05:528 gigabytes of ram is still a sweet spot and then probably 256 gigs of storage that will do
05:56Beyond that you can look at the graphics card and the screen quality and the ports and everything else
06:00But that's like a good starting point now for the processor in intel's case
06:04We've got u series chips
06:06Which are the lowest wattage and meant for entry-level or ultra thin and light machines
06:11Then above that we have the p series which are a little bit higher wattage and more powerful
06:15But again mostly still for thin and light machines and then we have h and then hx
06:19Which are their most powerful chips and it's a similar story with amd
06:23So for a mid-spec machine you'd be looking at an i5 perhaps a pu and h series
06:27Are from intel or ryzen 5 from amd and then probably 16 gigs of ram 512 storage
06:33And one of these may also come with a dedicated graphics card like a rtx
06:373050 or a 4050 and to be honest
06:39You don't need anything more powerful than that unless you are doing some proper high-end gaming
06:43Or if you have any intensive 4k video editing or 3d rendering tasks
06:48What do I use?
06:49Well that guy a macbook pro 16, uh, which costs quite a lot of money
06:53They start from about 1800 pounds or so. You can get a small 14 inch as well
06:57I absolutely love that thing, but it is an awful lot of money and also obviously not very good for gaming
07:03Speaking of which tip number five. Let's talk about the graphics card, which you do need for games as a whack that
07:09For gaming or for high-end workstation tasks
07:12And while there are tons of options any gpu will make a huge difference to your frame rates and your performance
07:17Versus your processor's integrated graphics
07:20so for occasional or sort of lower to mid-range gaming something along the lines of an nvidia rtx 4050 or an older
07:273060 or an amd radeon rx 6500m will be perfectly fine for gaming at 1080p
07:33Although right now i'd say the sweet spot for mobile graphics is either the rtx 4060 or 4070
07:39These are much more capable and allow you to play at higher frame rates
07:42And if you've got a high refresh display take full advantage of it without jumping ahead too much
07:47There are two things to consider about the screen when it comes to gaming the refresh rate and the resolution now
07:52Most laptops are 1080p full hd, but a lot of gaming laptops, especially high-end models are 1440p and 4k
07:59Now because you then have so many more pixels to push if you will
08:03You also need more powerful hardware alongside it to get those high frame rates
08:06So if you are gaming at 1440, I would suggest an rtx 4070 or equivalent
08:11But then we have the refresh rate and we'll talk more about this in a second
08:14But essentially there's no point getting 200 frames per second in your game
08:18If your screen is only 60 hertz now almost all gaming laptops have higher
08:23144 165 240 even 360 hertz refresh rates
08:27But then of course to take advantage of your high refresh rate
08:30You need a high frame rate
08:31Which is where that sort of balance between the hardware specs and the performance and the display come in
08:36Which brings me to tip number six the display and it is so important to get a good screen because after all this is what?
08:43You're going to be looking at all the time in terms of size
08:46Well bigger screens mean you have more space which is great for multitasking and also your movies and your games are more immersive
08:51And I think a 15 inch display is a good balance for most people
08:55And I also reckon up to 15 inches a full hd 1080p resolution will be absolutely fine
09:00But on anything bigger or if you do want just a sharper display then look for quad hd or qhd plus resolutions
09:06But I do still maintain 4k is overkill unless you really need it perhaps for your photo or video editing
09:12There's also a new trend where screens these days for most laptops are 16 by 10
09:17So they're a little bit taller than the more traditional 16 by 9 that you can still get on a lot of laptops
09:21But I do prefer the slightly taller aspect ratio
09:24Uh, because it just makes your screens particularly on smaller 13 and 14 inch laptops just feel a bit less
09:30Claustrophobic, so if you can make sure your laptop has a 16 by 10 display
09:34But I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker in terms of the panel types
09:37Well, if you really want to go down this rabbit hole, then I would suggest watching my monitor buying guide
09:41Which i'll link at the top right now
09:43But ideally you're looking for an ips screen with at least four or five hundred nits of brightness
09:48Although at the high end
09:49There's really no beating the rich colors and deep blacks of an oled panel
09:52And while you'll pay a premium for a good one like this samsung galaxy book 3 ultra or this asus zenbook
09:58You can actually find some asus vivobook oleds which are surprisingly affordable and i've seen some amazing deals on this
10:0415.6 inch model with an intel core i3 processor
10:07Now I mentioned refresh rates when it came to gaming laptops, which is I think really where it's the priority
10:12But a lot of mainstream laptops do also now offer 90 and 120 hertz refresh
10:17Which makes everything on desktop and whatever you're doing just feel that bit smoother
10:21Although I say every mainstream laptop the macbook airs are still stuck to 60 hertz
10:26You have to go pro if you want their pro motion many laptops also offer touchscreens
10:31Although outside of two-in-ones where they are essential they do usually cost extra and personally
10:36I've never really found myself using touchscreens that much but it all depends on your workflow
10:40Tip number seven and let's talk about the ergonomics the keyboard the trackpad what it feels like to use and actually this xps
10:4713 plus is a really interesting example because it has an edgeless touchpad
10:52You don't actually know where it starts and stops until well
10:55It stops moving and I don't love the idea of that in practice. It looks cool
10:58And also I must admit I don't love this keyboard sometimes form
11:02Goes over function. So unless you can try out a laptop for yourself in person at a store
11:06Then your best option is just checking reviews
11:08See what the reviewers say about the keyboard and trackpad and how comfortable they are
11:12And don't forget if you buy your laptop online
11:14Then in most countries you do have the ability to return it so you could just you know
11:18Buy it see if you like it and then ship it back if it's not your favorite
11:22Tip number eight and let's talk about these guys ports aka connectivity and essentially the more ports you have the more options you have
11:30So an hdmi or a display port is useful for outputting to a monitor or tv
11:34And if you're a gamer than a physical rj45
11:36Wide ethernet port means you can get the fastest internet connection with minimal latency
11:41If you're regularly transferring photos and videos from your camera
11:43Then you'll want probably a full-size sd card reader or a micro sd slot
11:47Which is more common but not quite as useful and then we have the trusty usb port which comes in two flavors
11:53Either usb-a aka this sort of older full-size or this newer smaller and reversible
11:59Usb-c which is arguably the most important port right now and some older or super cheap laptops
12:04Unfortunately don't get this but just be aware that not all usb ports are created equal and the speeds can vary massively
12:10So my suggestion would be if you're going to buy a new laptop
12:13Make sure it has at least one usb-c port and ideally if it's a higher end model
12:17it'll also support either thunderbolt 3 or thunderbolt 4 spec which basically guarantees a certain level of
12:22Speed and bandwidth of the port and allows you to output to the highest resolution highest refresh monitors
12:28But that's not essential for most people just get at least one usb-c port and then tip number nine battery life
12:34Which is probably like the second most important thing for most people when they buy a laptop price battery life performance
12:40I would imagine which is why i've left it till tip number nine
12:43But anyway, it can vary wildly and these guys can last anywhere between five hours and 15 hours give or take
12:50But the biggest drains on your battery life will be if you're using a dedicated graphics card
12:54And if you have a big high resolution screen and also obviously it comes down to the size of the battery as well
12:59But generally what I would say is whatever the manufacturer says you'll get from a laptop whether it's 12 14 hours, whatever
13:06Reduce it by like 50. That's more likely what your everyday use is going to be like
13:10But the battery life is one of the reasons why I do love macbooks so much because these will easily last you
13:1610 15 20 hours depending on how you're using it again
13:19The models will vary but because apple uses their own silicon with the m1 and m2 chips inside their own laptops
13:25And they make their own mac os software. They have that sort of efficient vertical integration
13:30So unfortunately for now windows laptops just can't really compete in terms of that performance and battery life and crucially performance on battery
13:37Because gaming laptops workstations high-end windows laptops if you want to use the gpu in the high-end performance
13:42Then really you need it to be plugged into the charger. You simply don't with macbooks, which again is a real plus for me
13:49Now tip number 10. We're almost there. I promise when should you buy a laptop?
13:53Well, there's no perfect time generally around black friday cyber monday and the run-up to the holiday season
13:59You'll see lots of discounts also when apple release new macbooks
14:03You also often see windows competitors having a bit of a price cut to compete
14:07And also back to school deals, which now we've just kind of missed usually in late august
14:11But to be honest, there's no one perfect time to buy a laptop
14:14I think black friday is probably the best but laptops generally are refreshed every year with the latest processors and maybe better screens or
14:20Updated ports, but remember you don't have to go for a new laptop
14:23Why not go for last year's model or a couple of years ago or a refurbished one?
14:27Sometimes they can be a little hard to find because manufacturers stop selling them
14:31But if you can find a good deal on a used or refurbished model
14:34Generally any laptop from the last two or three years depending what you need it for is going to be absolutely fine
14:39Although and that brings me to tip number 11
14:42Warranties support obviously with a used or refurbished model
14:45You may not have the same warranty and generally the reason you want to go for a bigger
14:50Known brand is that you're more likely to have better support if you call them up or email them or you know
14:54Two-year warranties or whatever and finally tip number 12. I would definitely say read and watch as many reviews as possible
15:01Individual laptop reviews are the best way of gauging how good or how bad a laptop is
15:05And I would actually say in the last five years. You can't really get a bad laptop anymore
15:09It's all variations of good and also of course value for money
15:12And also don't forget you could just upgrade your current one a lot of laptops
15:16Particularly windows laptops allow you to upgrade the storage and maybe even the ram
15:20And if you do have a laptop with an old physical hard disk and hdd if you will then i'm getting that to an ssd
15:25Which isn't particularly difficult or you can get someone at your local computer store to do it for you could transform
15:30Your laptop and mean you don't have to spend four or five hundred pounds on a new model
15:34So consider upgrading your old laptop first
15:36Then perhaps look at some used models or refurbished options that you can get to save some money
15:40And if not, and you are going to go for a new laptop a shiny new device
15:43Then try and get it on some sort of deal
15:46Most laptops at one retailer or another at some point over the course of a couple months should go on sale
15:51The only ones that don't so much are macbooks
15:53But then with these and a couple other companies you do also have the option of an education and teacher discount some offer military
15:59Discounts so it's worth shopping around to save a few quid and breathe
16:03So hopefully that was useful if you've got any questions at all
16:05Let me know in the comments below as I say i'll leave links to these guys in the description
16:09Hit that subscribe button if you enjoyed watching me sweat and struggle to get through this video while it's like 32 degrees outside
16:15And I will see you next time right here on the tech chat. Thanks for watching