What do laptops come with

All systems have their good and bad points, but it's important for you to choose a side, because it affects your software choices and possibly your hardware decisions too. This is definitely the case with Apple products and Chrome OS in particular.

Chrome OS runs on laptops, mini PC desktops and PC sticks that are specifically designed for it, usually of a relatively lightweight configuration that is meant to be internet-connected most of the time. Even outside enterprise users, Windows has several versions, with Home being the consumer version, Pro for more serious users and Windows 10 in S mode for lightweight laptops aimed at being an alternative to Chromebooks. These days Windows and Chrome OS have a much greater degree of interoperability with Android, though not to the same degree as Apple's tightly integrated hardware-software ecosystems.

Android is also outgrowing its phone-centric roots to also be seen as a stand-alone OS for tablets, most notably by Samsung and Lenovo.

Windows software has the lion's share of the market, with the widest range of programs available. New Windows computers will either come with Windows 10 or the new Windows 11, released in October and rolling out to PCs across the workd into Both versions of Windows are designed to work across a wide range of devices including tablets and which comes with touchscreen support built-in.

Many older computers that could run Windows 10 are not able to run Windows 11 due to some strict hardware requirements. However, Windows 10 will be supported well into Many programs for Windows have macOS versions and many macOS-only programs offer file-format compatibility with Windows programs so you can open the Mac version of the file using the Windows version of the program that created it.

This will let you run Windows natively on the Mac hardware without any software emulation, to give you full performance. These programs also let you install other operating systems such as Linux. Whether you use Boot Camp or a virtualisation program, you'll need to purchase the Windows operating system separately. Linux is generally free, as are most Linux programs, and it can run on a wide range of PCs as an alternative to Windows.

There are many flavours of Linux, with the most popular being Mint and Ubuntu. You can install various flavours of Linux on any decent Windows PC, though few manufacturers and retailers make this option available.

For the most part, it's a DIY activity, but it's something that can be done by anybody with a moderate amount of technical knowledge. See our guide on how to get started. There are numerous Linux distributions popularly called distros available for Linux free, including several popular ones that have a reputation for being easy to use, such as Mint and Ubuntu in particular.

Also, some Linux distros are particularly lightweight and useful for running on older PCs, such as Puppy Linux and Lubuntu. Some are also designed for privacy. Traditionally, you would install Linux on a separate drive or partition, but the latest Windows 10 even includes a real Linux kernel, rather than just a compatibility layer, in WSL2 windows subsystem layer 2.

This allows the use of Linux distros available through the Microsoft Store online. Chrome OS is based on Linux and is designed to work primarily with Cloud storage, though some on-device storage can be used for offline work. Perhaps the main limitation is that apps need to be available from the Chrome Web Store, though recent model Chromebooks can also run Android apps, adding an extra layer of versatility.

Chrome OS devices are known for simplicity and security no backup or malware worries , relatively low hardware overhead CPU etc and long battery life. Just log in to your Chrome OS device with your Google account and everything is synchronised with the cloud.

Chromebooks are popular in some schools, as many cheaper models are available and their minimal configuration offers easier centralised administration and security. Chrome OS laptops can do pretty much everything that most people want to do, without being weighed down by the complexity and excessive add-ons and bundled software that often comes with Windows devices. For more information, go to Google's official Chromebook info page.

This is the brain of your computer. The number of cores, processing power and price range is a good indicator of the overall level of CPU power on offer. Be careful in comparing the Intel family of CPUs with those from AMD — their main competitor — as quoted speed figures aren't directly comparable. The same goes for the sub-families of each brand — for example, Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and i9 are increasingly high performance, even at the same quoted frequency figure in GHz; likewise with the M series processors designed for highly mobile computers.

The same goes for AMD's Ryzen series of processors. Each new generation of processors is usually faster than the previous generation, even at the same chip frequency. Thus, you can expect a 2. A lack of RAM will slow your computer when running multiple programs, using a lot of web browser tabs or performing labour-intensive tasks, such as image processing.

Expect a minimum of 4GB gigabytes even in a budget Windows system, but ideally aim for at least 8GB for most general-use laptops and 16GB or more for high-end models.

A small screen means a smaller laptop that's generally going to be lighter, but larger and particularly higher resolution screens are better for graphics, gaming or watching movies. Regardless of physical size, many lower-cost laptops only have relatively low-resolution screens of x pixels.

Check before buying. More laptops aimed at the mid-range market have a screen with at least full-HD p, or x pixels , but higher resolution screens are available in high-end laptops. Don't underestimate how much space you'll need.

Unless you intend to make extensive use of Cloud-only storage, make sure you have enough room for all your current programs and files, as well as the fast-growing collection of videos and music that most people now tend to accumulate. Laptop memory and storage can be difficult or impossible to upgrade after purchase, so choose a model with enough RAM and SSD storage capacity to last you a long time. These days the solid-state drive SSD has replaced hard drives as the preferred storage medium in most laptops, due to falling SSD prices which have made this super-fast storage medium more affordable.

Laptops with a traditional hard disk drive HDD are still available in cheaper models, usually a 1TB terabyte drive. However, an SSD is much faster than a hard drive and having one can lift the overall performance of a laptop considerably, and thus extend its useful working life. Also, check if the laptop or tablet can be expanded via a microSD card, which can add up to an additional 1TB of solid-state storage. Changes are generally incremental and downloading and installing the updates is easy.

And because there are only a handful of hardware variations, all made by Apple, there are few but not zero compatibility problems. Read more: Who should buy a new Mac now and who should wait. But there have always been legit reasons to keep your old hardware on its current OS and not upgrade. The switch between Windows 7 and Windows 8 was Many people skipped Windows 8 and held out for Windows 10, which was much better. Some of those holdouts even resisted Windows 10, with some valid concerns.

Since its launch in , major Windows 10 updates have all gone smoothly on any PCs I've used or tested. As Windows 11 appears to be a modest overall update , focused in large part on the appearance of menu bars and grouped windows , I -- at this moment -- have no qualms about buying a Windows 10 laptop now and waiting for the free Windows 11 update later this year.

You can also easily stick with Windows 10 for now , if you'd rather. That OS will continue to be supported with updates and patches and most importantly, security updates until at least The gaming updates coming to Windows 11 are mostly based on the Xbox app, and any updates there should come to Windows 10 as well.

And if you upgrade to Windows 11 later, I don't see any reason it should affect gaming hardware. Nvidia's latest series mobile chips started showing up in laptops earlier this year although it's possible the Ti versions of those may show up in laptops at some point. Microsoft further says PC makers including Dell, HP, Lenovo and others are planning "hundreds of new Windows 11 designs" for the holiday season.

Many PC laptops fall into the category of 2-in-1 laptops , hybrid devices that can switch between traditional clamshell mode, tablet mode and other positions in between such as tent or stand modes. Most of these systems are much better at serving one purpose than the other, with bend-backs being laptops first and detachables offering a superior tablet experience.

However, if you don't see the need to use your notebook as a slate, you'll usually get more performance for your money with a traditional clamshell laptop. Before you look at specs or pricing, you need to figure out just how portable you need your laptop to be. Laptops are usually categorized by their display sizes :. The most impressive specs in the world don't mean diddly if the laptop you're shopping for doesn't have good ergonomics.

If you plan to do a lot of work on your computer, make sure the keyboard offers solid tactile feedback, plenty of key travel the distance the key goes down when pressed, usually 1 to 2mm and enough space between the keys. If you're buying a Windows laptop, be sure it has Precision touchpad drivers. Look for an accurate touchpad that doesn't give you a jumpy cursor and responds consistently to multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom.

If you're buying a business laptop, consider getting one with a pointing stick aka nub between the G and H keys so you can navigate around the desktop without lifting your fingers off the keyboard's home row. Notebook components such as processor, hard drive, RAM and graphics chip can confuse even notebook aficionados, so don't feel bad if spec sheets look like alphabet soup to you.

CPU: The "brains" of your computer, the processor has a huge influence on performance, but depending on what you want to do, even the least-expensive model may be good enough.

Here's a rundown:. For most folks, 32GB or more is more than enough while 64GB and above is reserved for power users. If you can afford it and don't need a ton of internal storage, get a laptop with a solid state drive SSD rather than a hard drive, because you'll see at least three times the speed and a much faster laptop overall. Display : The more pixels you have, the more content you can fit on-screen, and the sharper it will look.

Sadly, some budget laptops still have x displays and so do a few business laptops , but if you can afford it, we recommend paying extra for a panel that runs at x , also known as Full HD or p. Higher-end laptops have screens that are x , x or even x 4K , which all look sharp but consume more power, lowering your battery life. Display quality is about much more than resolution. IPS panels range in color and brightness, so read our reviews to find out if the laptop your considering has a good display.

If you want the very best picture quality and don't care about battery life, consider an OLED display. You should also keep an eye out for upcoming display technology to hit laptops, including miniLED. Touch Screen : If you're buying a regular clamshell laptop, rather than a 2-in-1, you won't get much benefit from a touch screen and you will get 1 to 2 hours less battery life. On 2-in-1s, touch screens come standard.

If you still want a touch screen, check out our best touch screen laptops page. Graphics Chip : If you're not playing PC games, creating 3D objects or doing high-res video editing, an integrated graphics chip one that shares system memory will be fine, especially Intel's latest Iris Xe graphics. If you have any of the above needs, though, a discrete graphics processor from Nvidia or AMD is essential.