One of the most famous professions that constantly use laptops in their day-to-day activities is the IT field. There are various jobs present within the IT sector, but none of them can function without a laptop. So if you are looking forward to becoming a program developer, tester, and manager in the Information Technology department, then the first thing you need to do is to purchase a laptop. You cannot just go and purchase a simple basic model laptop because, as a person who will develop multiple software in the future, you need to have a professional fit. Even if you are a student, you need to have a laptop to install the programming languages to learn them completely. To purchase a suitable laptop, there are certain requirements like a widescreen so that you can access multiple files, a good processor that supports the programming language software, and a comfortable keyboard so that you can type the code easily without any pain or cramps. Similarly, some certain physical advantages and alterations are required in the laptop like a UV protection screen so that you can work hours on the laptop without worrying about your eyes. To purchase a suitable laptop, you have to consider certain features. Let us now learn about these features in detail.
Products Buying Guide:
Clear screen
The first important feature you need to look into while purchasing a laptop is the screen. The screen is the most important feature because you will be performing continuous coding and designing for creating software. Your screen should be clear enough to display all the codes clear, and the size should be larger. The laptop screen size plays an important role because, as a coder, you will be required to run multiple programs at the same time. In such situations, you will have the necessity to open multiple screens side by side for comfort. Having a laptop with a size of 15 to 17 inches will be comfortable for you to run multiple programs simultaneously and work on them. Having a 14 inches screen will be too small and will prevent you from operating on multiple screens. Even if you are using a single screen, going below the size of 14 inches will cause you to have a vision problem in the future. Having a size 17 laptop will be difficult for you to carry around, but you can adjust if you have a proper transport facility. But if you still feel it is not comfortable, then you can go for a laptop of Size 15 inches or 16 inches.
Resolution
Along with the screen’s size, the clarity is also important because viewing a non HD image on a large screen is pretty useless. So having a screen with a resolution of 1080 p is necessary. Also, when you are purchasing a laptop, go for a LED screen because they are more than sufficient for your requirement. You can also purchase an OLED screen, but they are of high price and practically not required for a programmer. Whatever design and the model you choose, make sure that the laptop has a good quality screen size with a high definition resolution. Along with that, the brightness in the laptop should be adjustable so that if you have any eye pain, you can reduce the brightness for a few hours of work. The screen should be protected with a high-quality UV protector so that you can work for hours without thinking about eye-related problems.
Processor
When you are purchasing a laptop for the IT field, it is an untold necessity to have some programming language software within your laptop. Whether it is a c language or JAVA, if you are installing a programming language within your laptop, then you must have a good processor for working freely. The processor is necessary for processing the input and producing the output. It is directly related to the computer’s speed, and hence choosing a core i7 Processor or core i5 processor will be suitable for your requirements. Try to choose a computer with quad-core technology so that you can operate multiple software at the same time without any interaction. There are various processors available in the market, but the Intel Core processors are more famous among the people in the IT field. But if you want, you can also choose the AMD Ryzen 5 processor for your laptop.
Random Access Memory
The Random Access Memory, which is otherwise popularly known as the RAM, is a feature most people are not aware of. But as a professional IT person or a student, you should be aware of the uses of the RAM. Random Access Memory is why you can work on multiple files at the same time without the computer getting hung in the middle. So purchasing a laptop with the RAM of 4GB will allow you to work on multiple software easily, but when you use more programming languages, there is a chance of the speed slowing down. As a professional, you must use a laptop RAM of 8GB, and if possible, you can go for more. If you are going to use the laptop, especially for programming purposes, including hacking, then go for a RAM of 16 GB. So depending upon the software load in your laptop, choose the appropriate RAM size.
Brand
Along with every other thing available in the market, the laptop’s brand also plays an important role. The only certain branded laptop can be flexible and adapt to all types of situations. If you’re trying to buy a laptop, try to purchase it from a high-quality brand like HP or Dell to modify your laptop software through constant updates according to the surrounding digital environment. Also, most of your colleagues will be purchasing a good branded laptop, so having a brand similar to them will allow you to connect with their laptops easily and work with improved features. Some of the low branded laptops will not have the ability to connect with other computers, which are also a problem in the IT field. It will not only increase your status but also will be useful in terms of quality and servicing. Purchase a laptop of the latest brand and choose a model released in the past year. So now you can expect all the new features to be present on the laptop.
Disk drive
The disk drive is responsible for storing the data on the computer permanently. Whether it is a simple presentation that you need to submit tomorrow or if it is a half-developed software, everything that you need to store will be saved within the disk drive. So when you are trying to purchase a laptop, make sure that it has a good quality disc drive that can store a lot of data. The SSD drive, which is well-known for storing the data securely, is suitable for safe storage, but they are of high price, and the limit of the storage space is only up to 500 GB. So if you are choosing a laptop with SSD storage, remember the storage space will be low, and hence you might have the requirement to back up the remaining data now and then. Simultaneously, if you choose the HDD drive, which is well known for its heavy storage space of 1TB, they are still not safe enough to protect your data because they can be corrupted easily. If there is any damage to the laptop, it will be directly impacted on the disc drive, and they retrieve the data at a slower rate compared to the SSD drive. So while purchasing, make sure to buy a laptop that has an SSD storage of at least 100 GB combined with the HDD storage of 500gb so that you can save a lot of data and Secure the saved data within the SSD drive.
Budget
Purchasing a laptop for a fixed budget price will allow you to make decisions easily. Since you are purchasing the laptop for professional purposes, try to go for the one with quality without worrying about the budget. But if you want to restrict your purchase to a limit, then setting up a budget of at least 80000(1000$) to 100000(1600$) will be suitable for your requirement. But if there is a suitable laptop for a price a bit higher than the budget decided, then don’t hesitate to purchase them. Even if you are a student, choose the laptop with good quality so that you can continue using them even after getting a job.
Touch screen
As a programmer having a touch screen laptop will allow you to work continuously with comfort. Instead of reaching out to your hand for a mouse now and then, purchasing a touchscreen will make your work much easier, and you will feel at ease and more connected to the system while using it. But when you go for the coding part, you will feel more comfortable with the keyboard. So try to purchase a laptop that has a good quality touch screen and equally efficient keyboard so that you can use both at the same time. As a programmer, your requirement for using the keyboard is much more important than the touch screen. Since most of the touchscreen laptops are more costly, if you want your laptop to have more features for the same price, you can choose a normal laptop with extra features than a touch screen laptop.
Keyboard quality
As mentioned above, the keyboard’s quality is much important because nearly 90 percent of your work will be completed using the keyboard. So when you are working on a laptop for hours, you will feel more comfortable using a keyboard with Feather Touch Technology. This will prevent you from getting finger cramps at the end of the day. Try to move away from your sitting position now and then for relaxation since it is necessary for a programmer. Some of the important functions like control, shift, alt, and delete should be present near each other to press them without moving your hand. While purchasing a laptop, check that the keyboard is according to your priority to be easier for you.
Battery life
The next important feature to be noted while purchasing a laptop is the quality of the battery. Battery should have the ability to last for at least 10 hours without charging in the middle. Also, using a battery with fast charging capacity like 60w power will allow you to charge at least 50% of the battery within 30 minutes. These two features will allow you to carry the laptop everywhere all over the day. You can give presentations and travel anywhere without worrying about losing your battery power. The battery should have a proper length so that you can reach far away plugs in public places. Ensure that the battery you are purchasing is insulated so that you will be safe under all the situations.
Web camera
Along with these features, the web camera quality should also be taken into account. As a professional person, you will have the requirement to conduct a sudden meeting with your group members and clients. Having a good quality web camera will allow you to have video chats and conduct classes with your group members to explain the techniques in the project clearly to them. Even though you can’t purchase a laptop with a high-quality audio system like in music laptops, you can choose one with decent audio output and a well-integrated microphone that can easily capture your voice without any disturbances.
Along with these features, certain other features need to be taken into account while purchasing a laptop like external ports. You will need an external port for connecting USB devices like mobile phones and external hard drives. You will also need a perfect audio socket for connecting headsets and an HDMI port for connecting the laptop to projector screens and other laptops. Also, try to purchase a laptop with preinstalled windows, ten software, and Alexa. This will make your work easier and allow you to connect to other Google devices like your mobile phones and your home’s security systems. So purchase a good quality laptop from the market.
If you’re looking for a good quality laptop for your profession, you can always consult the table. We have understood your requirements and collected a set of suitable laptops that you can purchase from online websites like Amazon.