It’s tempting to get a new laptop when you’re sick of your old one, or when it starts to slow down. Some people love getting the latest technology even when they don’t need it. It may seem superfluous, but there are legitimate reasons for upgrading your laptop before you have to. Most notably, the right laptop can make you more productive, especially if you’re struggling with your current one. How exactly can a better laptop improve your productivity?
What Is the “Right” Laptop?
When you need a laptop, it can feel intimidating even to look at the options available to you. That’s because there are so many different types of laptops, with so many different internal components controlling and influencing their functionality. If you’re not super familiar with these components, or if you’re relatively new to the world of buying a laptop, you may not even know where to start.
If this sounds like you, you will need to do some research and due diligence before you can make an effective decision. But you can also rest easy knowing that the right laptop for you depends heavily on your personal preferences and unique needs. A laptop capable of boosting your productivity may not work for someone else in a different situation, so consider your unique individual needs when making your decision.
With that in mind, how exactly can the right laptop improve your productivity and performance?
Overall Speed and Performance
For starters, the right laptop improve your productivity with the speed and performance of your machine. When your laptop is faster, more responsive, and capable of launching and running better apps, you can get a lot more done in a lot less time.
These are some of the most important components to consider in pursuit of this goal:
1. CPU:
The central processing unit (CPU) of your laptop is the processing center of the machine. It’s what’s going to dictate the speed at which the machine can run and what types of tasks it can handle. If you have a superior CPU in place, your machine will be able to do more, it will be able to multitask more effectively, and it will do almost everything faster.
2. GPU:
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized type of processor that is extremely fast at rendering graphics and executing similarly repetitive functions. It’s not necessary for every laptop to have a GPU, but an upgraded GPU can make your laptop faster at rendering video, video gaming, and crypto mining, along with certain other tasks. Without a sufficiently modern GPU, your laptop may struggle with these applications.
3. RAM:
Random access memory (RAM) is a place where your computer can store information in the short term, not unlike the short-term memory of the human brain. Having more available RAM means your computer will be able to store more information, which can support it in certain applications and allow it to multitask more effectively. Depending on which software applications you primarily use and how often you multitask, upgraded RAM could make you much more productive.
4. Hard drive:
The type of hard drive you have and the available space on it can also dictate the speed and performance of your laptop. For example, SSD hard drives are much faster to load than HDD hard drives. As you might imagine, faster hard drives are more expensive, but it might be worth the investment if it means a laptop improve your productivity.
Compatibility and Utility
A newer laptop is also going to have more compatibility and utility. It’s going to have the upgraded components and modern technology necessary to run and support new applications. It’s also going to receive more support from the original manufacturer. This gives you a broader range of operating systems and software platforms to work with, thereby enabling you to take advantage of more productivity tools.
Battery Life and Health
The average laptop battery has a lifespan of about 2 to 4 years with typical use. As you get closer to the end of that natural lifespan, the battery is probably going to become less capable of holding a charge. If you have a laptop with a better, longer-lasting battery, you can do more work unplugged. Just keep in mind that you might be able to achieve similar results by replacing the battery in your current laptop.
Personal Enjoyment
Finally, remember that upgrading your laptop could lead you to more personal enjoyment. For a variety of reasons, some of which may very well be superficial, you may prefer this new laptop. Liking and enjoying your machine can increase your morale, thereby helping your laptop improve your productivity in yet another way.
If your laptop is currently struggling with performance issues, or if it just isn’t a good fit for your needs, consider upgrading it or replacing it with a new model. If you get a laptop that’s a better fit for your needs, you’ll naturally become more productive.
