It’s been a hot minute since I remembered to write a blog post, and when I thought of one today, it had to be brief and cover things quickly. The joy of chronic illness is finding those pockets of time you can use. Tech and its uses are something I do know a bit more about than my usual writing tips. Mostly in what you do and do not need. It is also ever-evolving so there’s always lots to cover.
I’m going to write this based on the idea that you, the reader, are a writer who knows their way around a laptop. If you have read my other posts, you’ll know I actually prefer pen and paper for first drafts and having minimal interaction with tech until editing and publishing and whatnot. But that isn’t for everyone.
Laptops: To go Fancy or Basic?
Laptops are a lifeblood for many writers. The portability alone is what helps many writers take their writing out of their dark caves and into the sun. Or a cafe, whatever floats your boat. But my thoughts likely will not surprise anyone. Do not, please and for the love of all gods there are in existence, buy a machine so high-priced that you gasp at the register or online checkout and squeeze your eyes shut considering how much Mr. Noodles you’ll be eating (but honestly. College era noodles were amazing).
That Macbook Pro? Super fancy. Does all the things! That Dell laptop that is the most new of new? Also does the things! Retina displays, RAM, storage, all of it? Look real hard at your needs.
Why shouldn’t I go fancy?
The reason I say to go basic if you are only going to be writing and researching on the laptop is that the more fancy, the higher the price tag. As a designer and developer as well as a writer, my computer has to do the fancy stuff most people don’t need. While I never recommend cheaping out on storage space, remember you can use Cloud storage or USB backup drives. If you are dead set on an Apple, part of what you are paying for is aesthetic, not performance; because I would bet money you weren’t thinking performance when you started looking at them.
looking at you broke college student begging their parents for one for English classes (oh younger me, you do project so).
Not Fancy? Fine. What then?
If your goal is just writing and internet browsing, you can remove a huge bulk of your price tag by really paring down the excess. This can mean looking more at battery life, RAM, screen resolution, SSD/HDD, and processor.
RAM Boost Tips
Of everything, look for this stat on your purchase of writing laptops. People think it doesn’t matter but it really does. If you are using browsers for research and web-based apps for writing, you will be using a lot of RAM, far more than you may realize. Chrome was for a long time noted as a giant beast for RAM consumption and if you like to use Spotify/Apple Music/YouTube at the same time… you’re gonna need it.
Generally, I’ve seen people use about 2GB – 4GB for writing laptops and they’re fine. 4GB is the minimum for what I would use with my work but I tend to go well over it (by a lot). Part of why you need to really think this through is that some laptops will not allow you to upgrade your RAM; this can mean smaller laptops for example. It is better to overdo it on RAM than it is to underdo it and regret it later.
SSD or HDD
This is a thing I never thought of till recently for laptops. If you want to learn about the big differences, visit PC Mag’s article here but I’ll try to wrap it in terms I had to tell my mom once.
SSD drives are solid-state drives that act as the boot drive. HDD is a hard disk drive that really was favoured at one point though many have moved to SSD. SSD is great for speed and is durable to a point, and doesn’t fragment files. HDD is great for storage and has a better price point.
I use a mixture of the two for my work computer and work laptop. But if I was buying just for writing and browsing (general use) I’d go with SSD and you may want to too. The price of SSDs is coming down as far as I can tell so the price point may soon be a moot point.
Also, remember you need backup storage. I also use an external HDD drive and an external SSD and backup daily as part of my nightly routine (I’m a boring person, is it obvious?).
Processor Tip
Look for processors such as Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processor or cheaper options of AMD processor or Intel Pentium/Celeron/Atom. I’ve noticed not much difference in the cores but you will see some speed increases, which if you are researching and writing, you will need.
Battery Life Tips
Battery life is remarkably controversial. Back in my graphic design days, a huge pain point for designers with laptops was the battery life was awful on Macbooks of all kinds. Look for a battery life you can live with. Are you really going to write for 12 hours straight? No, I doubt it. But you might take the laptop with you on a trip and need intermittent use. Be practical. You can get a lot of use with long battery life but you no longer need to pay a huge amount to get it.
Remember battery life will be affected by what you do. A simple word processing program will be different than multiple browser windows + tabs, music playing, streaming movies, photo editing, etc. Take everything into account and decide what you will most likely do daily.
Screen Resolution Tips
Seriously, rejoice that having a really bad display isn’t a necessary evil. You can get some very nice screens and going for a higher-res screen may add to your cost but it will be worth it. Aim for about 1920×1080 and full high definition, if you can. If not, aim for something that if you try it in the store, it is easy on the eyes.
The negative about less expensive laptops is that their screens won’t look great in high amounts of sun if you like to write outside (not impossible to fix).
Well… what should I do? Buy at Big Box stores? Amazon?
Sure, you can shop at big stores or Amazon. I am lucky enough to be right near a seller/reseller for Apple named Mac OutPost and if you check out their website, you will see what I mean by options. They do sell all sorts but they also sell refurbished models and used models that simply are not as new as some people like. This example shows how you can find many resellers who are reputable. Do not just fall for a quick sale online and check out all reviews and, if you can, Better Business Bureau reviews. They need to have a history with computers and aren’t just drop-ship sellers. Check out reputable and longer-running websites that review tech to get a better idea of what to check out.
If you are able, go into the store and try the laptop you want. Or talk to your friends and see what they like. Trying it out will be the only way to know if you like it. For example, I absolutely despised using this one Microsoft laptop I had to use for my one job but didn’t know it till I had projects to do. It was clunky and awkward and its fan buzzed all the time even though nothing was happening, even in its backend. I prefer certain things, and so will you.
If you have a favourite type of laptop, let me know in the comments. I’ve got a slew but I want to hear other people’s favourites.