Processor (CPU)

The Central Processing Unit or CPU is the brains of the operation, and the single most important part when it comes to what your laptop is capable of. There are two main brands of CPU: Intel and AMD. While both companies make superb CPUs (the brain of a laptop) there are differences.

AMD CPUs tend to be less expensive, and slightly lower in graphics performance than their Intel equivalents. AMD chips can save you money while still giving you plenty of power for your day-to-day tasks – our ThinkPad E495 (14") is a perfect example of a budget-friendly, yet fully featured business laptop.

Top of the line CPUs like Intel Core i7 and i9 are perfect for demanding tasks like photo and video editing, or running CAD software, but plenty of popular apps will run just fine on mid-range processors too.

Learn about the differences between Intel and AMD processors.

RAM & Memory

What is RAM? RAM stands for Random Access Memory, and it’s where the CPU places the files it’s currently working with, like the operating system, and any apps you’ve got open. The greater the amount of RAM, the more apps you can run simultaneously, and the faster your overall system performance will be. For many people, a bigger investment in RAM will offer a more noticeable increase in performance than buying a faster processor.

Read more on what you should know about RAM when shopping for a laptop.

Storage

Hard drives: Laptops will use either a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD) for storage – sometimes both! SSDs are tiny and weigh almost nothing. These drives are much faster at reading and writing data than HDDs – plus SSD-equipped laptops boot up in seconds.

However, SSDs cost a lot more per GB of storage than the larger and slower HDDs, so the tradeoff between these two technologies is storage capacity vs. price. Storage capacity on an SSD costs about double what the same space would cost on an HDD.

That said, the advantages of SSDs are well worth the tradeoff, and we strongly recommend you consider whether or not you can live with its lower capacity before you buy a laptop with an HDD.

External hard drives: With external hard drives (HDDs) being so affordable and portable, you may find that you can easily keep your daily files within a 128GB SSD, while keeping your very large, or seldom used documents elsewhere. Some laptops offer both SSD and HDD, in a hybrid arrangement. These laptops give you the speed of an SSD, with the storage of an HDD, but they are more expensive, and they will be heavier than a model that uses just an SSD.

Curious to learn more about laptop hard drives? Read our full explainer.

GPU & Graphics

The graphics processing unit (GPU) is a separate CPU that is dedicated to one task: Making sure that the graphics on your screen appear as quickly as possible, with lots of detail, and fast refresh rates.

If you’re thinking this would help with gaming, you’re right. Gamers, and people who work with professional graphics software, get a big bump in performance from a laptop with a discrete GPU. A discrete GPU is also the key to unlocking virtual reality (VR) capabilities. The rest of us can get by just fine with integrated graphics – the graphics capability built into all modern CPUs. For a complete overview of the differences between laptop graphics cards, check out our deep-dive into graphic cards for gaming computers

As helpful as a great GPU is, it still has to work in tandem with your CPU and RAM. Having a top-of-the-line GPU won’t help much without an equivalent bump in the capabilities of your CPU and memory -- all three components need to compliment one another for the best results.

The recommended specs of your favourite games are your best guide here: NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1080 is an incredible discrete GPU, but unless you want to play first-person shooter games, like Crysis 3, at the highest resolutions and frame rates, it’s probably overkill.

The Display

Display size: How big should your laptop’s display be? On the one hand, a bigger display (14 inches or more) means a bigger space for your content, or movies, and it’s easier on the eyes. But a bigger display means larger overall dimensions for the laptop. Bigger, higher-resolution displays also drain juice from the battery quicker than smaller ones. On the other hand, smaller displays (10-12 inches) usually have lower resolutions, so not only is content on the screen physically smaller, it won’t be as crisp.

As with so many laptop choices, it comes down to how you see yourself using a laptop most of the time. If it’s going to be a desktop replacement, then go big; you’ll really appreciate the larger display. If ultimate portability matters most to you, consider staying at 14 inches or smaller. You can still get a premium, full-featured laptop at this size, but it will be much easier to fit into a briefcase, or backpack, and will weigh less too.

Resolution: A higher resolution display is ideal for tasks like photo and video editing, being able to see two applications side-by-side, and significantly improving the readability of text. Some premium laptops offer up to 4K UHD resolution, which is four times more detailed than standard Full HD displays. This level of detail isn’t a necessity, however. For daily computing, and all but the most demanding game settings, Full HD, or 1920 x 1080 resolution, is plenty and helps you keep your budget in check if you’re looking for a way to spend a little less. Still not sure what’s going to work for you? It’s worth a trip to your local electronics retailer to see different sized displays side-by-side, running at different resolutions.

Touchscreens: If you’re buying a 2-in-1 laptop that can pull double-duty as a tablet, a touchscreen is a must. It’s also starting to become standard on traditional laptops, where it can be a handy option, but touchscreens can have an impact on battery life, as well as a glare due to its glossy surface.

Display type: The majority of laptops use LCD display technology, however there are two sub-types: Twisted-Nematic (TN) and In-Plane Switching (IPS). TN panels offer higher brightness and refresh rates, which makes them ideal for very fast-action gaming. IPS panels are better for colour accuracy, and off-angle viewing, yet still provide very good refresh rates.

Ports

Ports, like USB 2.0 and 3.0, USB Type-C, HDMI, Thunderbolt, and Ethernet are how you connect accessories like monitors, printers, external storage, and even external graphics cards. How many (and which type) of ports you need depends on the kind and amount of accessories you think you’ll want to connect simultaneously. When in doubt, remember that you can use WiFi and Bluetooth for audio devices, printing, networking and many other tasks, so a few USB ports and an HDMI port will probably be sufficient.

Weight

If you’re a student, frequent traveller, or just someone who likes to take their laptop with them wherever you go, weight matters. Regardless of whether you need a laptop for basic tasks, or a high performance machine for demanding activities, you’ll find models that put an emphasis on keeping weight to a minimum. Keep in mind, sometimes prioritising weight will mean compromising on other features. Ultralight laptops will have fewer ports, and may not be designed for easy memory or battery upgrades or replacements. These laptops also favour SSDs over HDDs to minimise weight and size, so storage capacities will be smaller.

Design

You’ll find that some laptops are more appealing than others. Whether it’s the materials used, the feel of the main hinge as you open it, or the precision of the laptop keys as you type, we all have preferences when it comes to design. And while a laptop’s design can’t be your only consideration, it’s still an important one. After all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with this machine, so you want one you look forward to using.

For gaming

One of the most demanding activities in the world of consumer computing is gaming. Today’s immersive games feature ultra-realistic graphics, online multiuser interactive gameplay, and some even enter the world of virtual reality (VR). Powering these games takes fast processors, discreet graphics (GPUs), lots of RAM, a Full HD screen, and a keyboard built for gaming. Unless you’re strictly into casual games – which will run well on just about any laptop – you’ll want a machine built specifically to handle gaming.

For work

A business laptop is designed and built to place an emphasis on robustness and reliability. These machines may possess the fastest processors on the planet, and the biggest batteries, or set a record for being thin and light, but the goal is always to make you as productive as possible. If you believe that time is money, and you need a laptop that can keep up with your busy career, there are plenty of models to choose from, at price points that go from entry level to premium. Workstations, as they’re known, are some of the most powerful computers for business users.

Visit the LenovoPRO store for small business

For school

If you’re a student, your laptop is your life. You do everything on it and it goes everywhere with you. You’re hardly ever apart. The best student laptops are built to be highly flexible – in some cases literally – giving you the ability to transition from note taking to movie editing, to gaming, to binge-watching Netflix, all seamlessly, and often on a single battery charge. The student laptop category has a large selection of models, so you’ll need to really focus on what matters to you, and that includes the operating system: It’s no longer just about Windows; the Chromebook’s Chrome OS is now more capable than ever.

EXTERNAL MONITOR

An external monitor is your opportunity to make your laptop look and feel like a desktop. It gives you a much bigger screen to look at, and in some cases more resolution so you can have more apps onscreen at the same time. Monitors used to be expensive accessories, but today you can find large, high-resolution models for less than £200.

Backpack or travel case

Laptops are designed to go places, but when was the last time you saw one with a handle? To protect your investment and make it easier to take with you, a laptop backpack or travel case is the perfect companion. Padded internal compartments cushion your computer, while multiple zippered pockets give you room for everything else that needs to come along.

Mouse

Trackpads are great for when space is at a premium, but when you’ve got a bit more room to work, an external mouse (either wired or wireless) gives your work greater precision, more comfort, and more convenience. No laptop owner should be without one.

External storage

Whether it’s to expand the finite capacity of your laptop’s SSD, or to backup the contents of your HDD – or both – an external hard drive is a must. Current models are smaller than your smartphone and only require one USB cable. What these offer you in flexibility more than offsets their price, which is likely way less than you think.