How Much Should I Spend on a Laptop?
With the world getting more and more advanced, laptops have become part of the essential equipment for many – especially when it comes to school or work.
We play games, we study, we use social media, we do our work on them – most activities can be done on a laptop in one way or another.
If you compare the situation today to as little as 20 years ago, you will notice that not everyone could afford to buy a good-quality laptop back then, as the prices were somewhere around $1000.
Nowadays, you can find many laptops for under $300.
Isn’t it crazy?
What’s more, among the best budget laptops, you can find some with very good specifications, that will serve you for years.
Despite that, many people have doubts about whether budget laptops are really worth it, or if it’s better to spend a little more money on a higher-end kind of laptop. There’s also the question – how much for a laptop is too much?
While we cannot really help you with the first question, as everything depends on how and for how long you will be using a laptop, we certainly can answer the second question. Want to know more? Then keep reading. Without any further ado, let’s just jump right into.
How Much Should I Spend on a Laptop?
Truth be told, there isn’t a specific answer to this question, as everything depends on how often you use your laptop, and for what, e.g., work, gaming, school, etc. Based on your laptop’s main purpose, you will look for different features – for example, if you use the laptop for gaming, you’d probably want one that has a great display and comes with a graphic card.
One thing we can tell you, though, is that you should never buy a device that isn’t within your budget. Unfortunately, some people are so fixed on buying a specific laptop, that instead of waiting a little bit until they save enough money, they take a loan. This is only one of the most common buying mistakes that you should steer clear from.
Most Common Buying Mistakes
When it comes to buying a laptop, it is easy to make a mistake – even if you already purchased a few in your life. Here are some tips that will help you avoid them so that you won’t spend money on something that you might regret buying in the future.
Buying the Cheapest Laptop
We understand that not everyone has an unlimited budget – and that’s completely fine. However, when buying a budget laptop, you need to think about the specifications first – after all, what’s the point of purchasing a laptop that will not work properly?
Example – let’s say that you have two laptops to choose from – one is a dual-core, and the other is a quad-core. The dual one costs less. You are someone who likes to have several apps open at once because they need them. If you focus on the price and buy the dual-core laptop, you will be unsatisfied, as it will not meet your needs – it will be slugging.
Is saving a few dollars worth dealing with a laptop that does not meet your demands?
Buying the Most Expensive Model
Similarly, you shouldn’t buy the most expensive laptop model out there – unless it’s really what you need. If it isn’t, then you will only be wasting money that could be spent on other things, and not on features that you might never use.
Take as an example, a gaming laptop – if you are a gamer, then buying one is fine. However, if you are someone who only plays games available on social media like Facebook from time to time, then you don’t really need it – especially since they tend to be more expensive than normal ones. What’s more, you also shouldn’t pay more for larger storage, as it is likely that you will never use it. Besides, there are other alternatives, such as Cloud storage or an external hard drive.
Before buying, answer yourself – Do I really need all those features?
Buying a Laptop With the Highest Resolution
There’s no denying that the display is an important feature to consider when choosing a laptop, but do you really need a 4K display? Sure, it gives impressive quality, but the smaller screens, like the laptop ones, will not let you see the full benefit anyways. Also, it will definitely impact your battery life – not in a good way.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there isn’t a specific answer to how much you should spend on a laptop, as there are some factors that might influence it.
However, one thing is for sure – do not buy a device that you cannot afford, as, after a while, you might realize that it wasn’t worth going into depth.