How Much Laptop Hardware Do You Need Before you buy?

The three main things you want to think about when you’re shopping for a laptop and trying to match its hardware with the software you need are

The microprocessor is the main chip of a laptop. It is not the “brain”. Your computer program is the mind. It tells the microprocessor what to do. You want to make sure you have a microprocessor that’s fast enough to handle the applications you need tomorrow. It’s worth the extra money to invest in a fast microprocessor now, which extends the useful life of your laptop by ensuring you can run tomorrow’s software before tomorrow comes. Find a laptop with the fastest microprocessor you can afford, and then buy the next and most expensive microprocessor. You will be thankful later.

Memory, or random access memory (RAM), is where the action takes place in the computer, where the work gets done. The more RAM your computer has, the happier it will look, and the more your software will enjoy your computer. Fill your laptop with as much RAM as you can afford right now. For example, if you can afford 1024 MB of RAM, get it. If you can stand 2048MB of RAM, get it.

The hard drive is the electronic locker where your laptop stores your things. Your hard drive should have space for your computer’s operating system, all the software you later get and install, all the data files and junk it collects, plus room to grow (lots of room). Again, the software you plan to use should tell you how much hard drive space it requires in the software box.