Over the last few yars I bought way too many laptops for my own good. I had an idea that I needed them, which was probably untrue – but also it was really rewarding to find the right product for my “needs” so many times.
The good thing about all the laptop purchases is that I was able to come up with a system that helped me to find the perfect laptop for my use cases and that you can replicate to find the perfect laptop for you.
I created this video with a 10 step process for how to make it happen:
Here are the steps I recommend in the video:
1. Don’t stress
If you wanna get something as quickly as possible it’s very likely that you will buy something that is not the perfect long term solution for you. The same goes if you go into a store. You’d probably end up with something that is not the perfect machine for you.
2. Know your use-cases
You need to identify and write down what you will be using the computer for. It will make a lot of difference for what you need in a laptop. There are so many kinds of laptops and they are all appropriate for different use cases.
3. Are you a power user?
Are you using your laptop for heavy video editing in 4k or higher resolution, playing a lot of games or rendering heavy animations? In these cases you will need a much more powerful computer than the average user. You will need to look out for 45w processors that are always marked H, HQ or HK in the end of the processor name. You also want to look out for a GPU that is GTX1650, 2060, 2070 or 2080. If you don’t have a powerful GPU in the laptop you want one with Thunderbolt 3 which enables you to connect an external GPU and run that as part of your desktop setup and have a less powerful laptop on the go.
4. Know your size and price level
The first thing you want to get knowledge about is what size of laptop you want and then roughly how much you are willing to spend. There are laptops in 10 to 17 inch form factors and the size will also give you different opportunities for power & portability. For example you can’t get a really powerful 11 inch computer and it’s really hard to find a not very powerful 17 inch computer. Most people will want to have a 14 or 15 inch as it bridges portability with performance well. 14 inch can be super lightweight but generally much less powerful. 15 inch has big flexibility and can be really powerful. 17 inch is if you want raw power and a big screen.
You are the only one that can know your own budget – so note it down and have it as a guide for yourself.
5. What are the few features you can’t be without?
This is very personal depending on what your use cases are. You will need to think through what your different use cases require from you.
I need 2 USB A ports to be able to DJ. I need an HDMI port to be able to have presentations without being dependant on dongles or adapters. I also really need USB C charging to be able to bring a smaller charger and in case I’d loose the charger – be able to pick up a new one or borrow one without issues. I lost the charger to my 17″ MSI on the train to a meeting once and I had a really big headache trying to find a compatible charger. USB C makes that a breeze.
I also always prefer to have a built in GPU and therefor get extra power in video and image editing plus the occational gaming session on the go.
These are my absoulute requirements in a laptop. Think through which ones you have and preferably list them!
6. Use a price comparison tool to find what laptops fit your needs
I’m using a Swedish price comparison tool called Prisjakt which is also available in the UK called Pricespy. It is a wonderful tool that allows me to filter on exactly what I want in a laptop.
7. Try the laptops in store
If you have a local store that has the models you are interested in stock – go there to see if it meets the needs that you set up. I thought razer blade stealth would be an awesome computer for me – but I went to a store and tried it and realized the keyboard is impossible to type on so I can absolutely not use this as my main laptop given how much I type on my laptop. That would make me dependant on an external keyboard and I don’t want that. Check the keyboard, trackpad, display and overalla quality feel of the laptop to see if it works for you – and if you can BUY from the local stores.
8. Make a watchlist with price monitoring
The price comparison tools also makes it possible to track prices of the laptops I’m interested in so I know when there is a deal to take advantage of. If you are not stressed you are much more likely to find the computer at a great deal. And you’ll get an email when the price is lowered so it sometimes pay off to wait quite a bit.
9. Buy the laptop
When you found the right laptop at the right price – go ahead and purchase it online or in store.
10. Quality control everything
Right away when you get the laptop – make sure you quality control the computer to see if there are any issues with it and immediately take action if there are any issues so that you are not stuck with a machine that won’t do what it’s supposed to do. You wanna look for errors with the screen, hard edges and faulty trackpads + any other thing that is important for you.
I made this video about how to win the Quality control game and don’t have to be too messed up by the quality control issues that many manufacturers have. Know what issues there are and check these things straight away!