Laptop specs?

princessjas

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Hi there! Am looking at laptops and am unsure of how each component affects my choice, and which is like the thing i should look out for? Am getting a laptop for everyday use!

Stuff that i would like to understand:
1. Processor - GHz and MB? Which is more important? Eg AMD A9-9425 Processor ( 3.10GHz 1MB ) vs AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Processor ( 2.60GHz 1MB ), the A9 one is better since the GHz higher?
2. Memory - if both options are 8GB, does the nimbers at the back change anything? Eg 8.0GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SODIMM 2400MHz vs 8.0GB PC4-17000 DDR4 SODIMM 2133MHz? Whats is the MHz?
3. Other than these, what other specs should i take note of that actually will affect the choice greatly?

Thanks in advance! Tried to google but idk what are those numbers called so idk what exactly to google too sorry
 

s7460597

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What is everyday use for you? Using for school or work?

Portability important? Carrying it out a lot or using mainly at home?

what is your budget?
 

princessjas

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What is everyday use for you? Using for school or work?

Portability important? Carrying it out a lot or using mainly at home?

what is your budget?

Like surfing the web, using Microsoft Word, Excel etc!

Portability isnt that important as im alright with the weight, as long as it isnt too bulky!

Was looking at below $700, but just wanted to understand the different specs and what they mean first before i research further to see which i wanna get hahah
 

86technie

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Hi there! Am looking at laptops and am unsure of how each component affects my choice, and which is like the thing i should look out for? Am getting a laptop for everyday use!

Stuff that i would like to understand:
1. Processor - GHz and MB? Which is more important? Eg AMD A9-9425 Processor ( 3.10GHz 1MB ) vs AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Processor ( 2.60GHz 1MB ), the A9 one is better since the GHz higher?
2. Memory - if both options are 8GB, does the nimbers at the back change anything? Eg 8.0GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SODIMM 2400MHz vs 8.0GB PC4-17000 DDR4 SODIMM 2133MHz? Whats is the MHz?
3. Other than these, what other specs should i take note of that actually will affect the choice greatly?

Thanks in advance! Tried to google but idk what are those numbers called so idk what exactly to google too sorry

I do not know where do you get the specs from or which model you saw:

1) AMD A9-9425 VS AMD Ryzen 3200U
https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-A9-9425-Processor.405946.0.html
https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Ryzen-3-3200U-Processor.391091.0.html

Word of caution don't get AMD A9-9425, that is previous AMD generation
as compare with AMD Ryzen which is newer.
Performance of AMD A9-9425 is comparable with Intel i3.

I saw retailers still carry laptop using this chip but stay away from it.
Ryzen 3 3200u is a dual core, there is HP laptop that uses it.
Normal use is fine but quad core would be preferred these days.
Which mean you should look out for Ryzen 3300u or Ryzen 5 instead.

2) Regardless whether Intel or AMD, notebook ram speed the difference not noticeable. But most notebooks are configured with one stick of RAM thus for better performance add another stick for dual channel memory which
increases performance.


3) Factors like Budget? Usage? Weight?
 

86technie

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Like surfing the web, using Microsoft Word, Excel etc!

Portability isnt that important as im alright with the weight, as long as it isnt too bulky!

Was looking at below $700, but just wanted to understand the different specs and what they mean first before i research further to see which i wanna get hahah

$700 is rather tight for something decent.
You can take a look at second hand/refurbish sets.
Like from PC dreams, Dell factory outlet and etc.

Only PCdream have physical store at SLS.
 

princessjas

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I do not know where do you get the specs from or which model you saw:

1) AMD A9-9425 VS AMD Ryzen 3200U
https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-A9-9425-Processor.405946.0.html
https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Ryzen-3-3200U-Processor.391091.0.html

Word of caution don't get AMD A9-9425, that is previous AMD generation
as compare with AMD Ryzen which is newer.
Performance of AMD A9-9425 is comparable with Intel i3.

I saw retailers still carry laptop using this chip but stay away from it.
Ryzen 3 3200u is a dual core, there is HP laptop that uses it.
Normal use is fine but quad core would be preferred these days.
Which mean you should look out for Ryzen 3300u or Ryzen 5 instead.

2) Regardless whether Intel or AMD, notebook ram speed the difference not noticeable. But most notebooks are configured with one stick of RAM thus for better performance add another stick for dual channel memory which
increases performance.


3) Factors like Budget? Usage? Weight?

Oh the specs i got from Lenovo de, the Ideapad L340 and Ideapad S145 hahaha

Ohh the dual channel thing you mentioned is it like 2x 4GB is better than 1x 8GB? However i see when order cant change the layout i think hmm
 

princessjas

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$700 is rather tight for something decent.
You can take a look at second hand/refurbish sets.
Like from PC dreams, Dell factory outlet and etc.

Only PCdream have physical store at SLS.

Ahh i see thank you will check them out too! Just looking for a laptop that helps with studying as i dont play games etc hahah
 

86technie

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Oh the specs i got from Lenovo de, the Ideapad L340 and Ideapad S145 hahaha

Ohh the dual channel thing you mentioned is it like 2x 4GB is better than 1x 8GB? However i see when order cant change the layout i think hmm

Another thing to take note is these laptops uses HDD but not SDD.
Windows 10 will be slow on HDD unlike SSD.
If your budget is $700 than I suggest look for alternative models
with SSD.

Unless if you can stretch your budget to $800 than get the Thinkpad E495.
 

GeekyGecko1

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Hi there! Am looking at laptops and am unsure of how each component affects my choice, and which is like the thing i should look out for? Am getting a laptop for everyday use!

Stuff that i would like to understand:
1. Processor - GHz and MB? Which is more important? Eg AMD A9-9425 Processor ( 3.10GHz 1MB ) vs AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Processor ( 2.60GHz 1MB ), the A9 one is better since the GHz higher?
2. Memory - if both options are 8GB, does the nimbers at the back change anything? Eg 8.0GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SODIMM 2400MHz vs 8.0GB PC4-17000 DDR4 SODIMM 2133MHz? Whats is the MHz?
3. Other than these, what other specs should i take note of that actually will affect the choice greatly?

Thanks in advance! Tried to google but idk what are those numbers called so idk what exactly to google too sorry

You can check this Latitude out, comes with 3 years on site warranty and SSD too for less than 900 SGD. Granted the processer is not the latest but still a pretty good deal with the great build quality also.

https://www.dell.com/en-sg/outlet/ProductDescription?cfID=FD1096998629C83DDBBFDFC25963E646&invID=77308&cyid=3&pid=3&c=sg&l=en&rid=APAC&prdid=&seg=DFB
 

chiaRH

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Hi there! Am looking at laptops and am unsure of how each component affects my choice, and which is like the thing i should look out for? Am getting a laptop for everyday use!

Stuff that i would like to understand:
1. Processor - GHz and MB? Which is more important? Eg AMD A9-9425 Processor ( 3.10GHz 1MB ) vs AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Processor ( 2.60GHz 1MB ), the A9 one is better since the GHz higher?
2. Memory - if both options are 8GB, does the nimbers at the back change anything? Eg 8.0GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SODIMM 2400MHz vs 8.0GB PC4-17000 DDR4 SODIMM 2133MHz? Whats is the MHz?
3. Other than these, what other specs should i take note of that actually will affect the choice greatly?

Thanks in advance! Tried to google but idk what are those numbers called so idk what exactly to google too sorry

Think of it in the same way as buying a smartphone:

if you are getting for everyday use you only need 3 criteria

- how big the screen you want

- how much storage space you want for your data

- how heavy of a weight you are willing to tolerate for carrying around

anything like processor/memory/etc for 'everyday use' is irrelevant in this day and age. Those things have evolved to the point where you can browse internet and use programs like MS Office without breaking a sweat.

Again back to the smartphone analogy: in 2019, many flagship smartphones use the qualcomm 855. it has 8 cores which are actually different cores running at different performance tiers:
four of them run at 1.8 GHz
three of them run at 2.42 GHz
and the last remaining one runs at 2.84 GHz

...and literally nobody gives a damn. Because a phone performing at half that power can already handle whatsapp, chrome, youtube etc. all the 'everyday stuff'

The things that you described for processor and memory are speed related and speed is not a concern to your requirements. They are more for those who have high performance requirements like video editing.
 
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