Making Sense of Laptop Specs
CPU/Processor:
This is the primary “brain” of your laptop. Processors have a number of “cores” that can handle multiple tasks in parallel. Some cores have hyper-threading – meaning that two threads work on that core.
GPU/Graphics Card:
The graphics card works to render content and then send to your screen. For streaming and other light graphics workloads, the graphics card is primarily displaying content that has already been generated. However for gaming and professional workloads, the graphics card assembles the images you see from different elements in the program. Virtually all mobile CPU’s have some graphics capability integrated on to the chip, but these iGPUs are usually substantially weaker than contemporary dedicated GPUs. So if you are looking for serious gaming or professional performance, go for discrete (that is separate) GPU’s – i.e. Nvidia’s RTX 4060 mobile or AMD’s RX 7700S for gaming – or Nvidia’s A2000 Ada for professional work. Remember that professional cards are typically much weaker in gaming than consumer cards with similar theoretical performance and specs. Also keep in mind that mobile GPUs tend to be substantially weaker than similarly named desktop counterparts.
RAM/Memory:
RAM, or Random Access Memory, acts as a temporary storage space for data that your laptop needs to access quickly, RAM allows for seamless multitasking and faster processing speeds. The nomenclature for RAM typically refers to its storage capacity, measured in gigabytes (GB). To ensure smooth everyday use, it is recommended to have at least 8GB of RAM for optimal performance. However, for professionals and power users handling resource-intensive tasks, a minimum of 16GB or even 32GB is recommended.
Storage:
The SSD (solid-state drive) or HDD (hard-disk drive) is the storage drive of your computer and provides long-term storage of information and data for you laptop – even when the laptop is turned off or loses power (unlike RAM which only stores data when actively powered). At Laptop Seeker we recommend getting a laptop with an SSD because they are many times faster than HDD’s. SSD’s used to be much more expensive, but have now become quite affordable for lower capacities like those found in laptops. HDD’s are still superior in price for large storage applications though, and are a reasonable option if you need multiple large external drives