The holiday season is prime time for the purchase of new computers. Gifts, prepping students for the next semester, or setting up businesses to hit the ground running in the new year — are all high on the list for many folks. Black Friday has passed, but deals still abound in brick-and-mortar stores. And Cyber Monday has turned into Cyber Week and even Cyber Season. What should folks look for?
Laptops
With the advent of remote work, laptops are typically the choice for organizations, and even home users appreciate the portability. Desktops are increasingly being relegated to specialty use, such as workstations shared by multiple users over multiple shifts.
Despite being the operating system that folks love to hate, Windows-based computers still dominate the landscape. Although market share has declined slightly, by most accounts over 70% of laptops run Windows.
While there are many cheap options for Windows-based computers, most if not all of those are underpowered. Windows 11 requires at least 16 gigabytes of RAM to run and still provide a decent user experience. Given just that requirement, one would be hard-pressed to find a laptop for less than $500. Expect to pay at least $800 for business-grade models.
As far as brands go, major manufacturers such as Dell, Lenovo and HP are pretty much interchangeable in terms of reliability. Smaller companies such as Asus or MSI also fit into the same strata. The general advice is to buy computers from companies that make … computers. If their flagship line is phones or TVs or even software, the computer hardware often leaves something to be desired.
Processors
Intel has taken a lot of hits from a business perspective, but its processor line still dominates the market, roughly 2-to-1 over AMD. AMD has proved to be a reliable alternative and is less expensive, so most folks should not rule it out just “because.” One oddity is the capability of systems seemingly beyond the processor. For example, for those looking at higher-resolution video or more than a couple of external displays, review the specs to ensure the system will support your specific needs.
AMD has done a good job of matching its branding to Intel’s to get a good comparison. The AMD Ryzen 5 competes with the Intel Core i5, the Ryzen 7 competes with the i7, etc. Both manufacturers’ 3 series is a bit underpowered but still tolerable.
This might go without saying, but don’t buy anything with an old-school hard disk drive, or HDD. Such models are few and far between these days; still, make sure to get a solid state drive, or SSD. And if your current computer still has an HDD, it’s time to think about upgrading.
Macs
With its market share slightly increasing, Macs have about 20% of the laptop market. In recent years a surprising word is being used to describe Macs: “affordable,” especially when compared with similarly powered Windows models. For example, a Macbook Air with 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and an M2 chip can be had for $799, while a similar model with an M3 chip is $100 more.
Apple switched over to its M-chip line in 2020, with the introduction of the M1. The current model is the M4. An M2 is fine for home or lower-end users; the M1 has largely been discontinued. Older Macs using an Intel chip are no longer available through official channels and should be avoided.
Historically, when Apple has changed chip lines, support for the older model goes away pretty quickly. So if you have an Intel-based Mac, consider upgrading soon. Apple probably will not support those models past 2026, and even if they are “officially” supported, chances are good that there will be issues with the Intel-based Macs versus M-based ones.
Other operating systems
Windows and Macs comprise more than 90% of what’s out there. Linux pulls about 5%, but its user base is quite fervent. In the information technology world, the joke is, “How do you know someone runs Linux? Wait five minutes and they’ll tell you.” Chromebooks now make up less than 2% of the market and will soon be relegated to the annals of “Do you remember?” in computing, going the way of Next, MySpace and the Windows phone.
Artificial intelligence
Finally, we have to mention AI, as that’s a requirement for every technology column today. Windows computers have specific requirements to support Microsoft’s CoPilot AI tool. Typically, “CoPilot Ready” or similar verbiage is included in the specs. For Apple Intelligence, all M-processor models support it. Look for a discussion on the state of AI in future columns.
John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 25 years of information technology experience in Hawaii and around the world. He can be reached at jagsalud@live.com.
