![]() However, the "embedded" in eMMC usually means it's soldered directly onto the motherboard. The abbreviation stands for Embedded MultiMediaCard, and it's what you'll find in phones, tablets, and some laptops (especially Chromebooks). This is still billed as an SSD (which it is), but it's a little different than the NVMe and PCIe SSDs. If you're shopping for a budget laptop, you may run across eMMC storage. Again, if you're programming and compiling software or editing video clips, two tasks that require a lot of RAM, you'll want 16 GB at minimum, and you'll probably be happier with 32 GB if you can afford it. If it is, you won't be able to upgrade the RAM yourself. One thing to investigate before you buy is whether the RAM is soldered to the motherboard. Eventually, your laptop will freeze up and need to be restarted.Įight gigabytes of RAM should be plenty for the average Windows user, though upgrading to 16 GB will make your laptop much more capable (and is a necessity for gaming). In the same way, if you run out of RAM, you won't be able to open any more browser tabs or finish compiling your video. If your desk is too small, things fall off and you can't work on them. All the things you're working on right now should be able to fit on your desk. The more the merrier! Random-access memory, known as RAM, is what your laptop uses to hold data while the processor does things with it. (A 3000- or 4000-level card will be more powerful but may have worse battery life.) The Max-Q cards are generally about 15 to 25 percent less powerful than the desktop versions but are still plenty powerful for gaming and video editing. They are usually labeled with the card name, then Max-Q: for example, the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q. Most Intel-based laptops will be paired with an Nvidia graphics card in the GeForce line, usually one of the Max-Q cards, which is the power-efficient, laptop-friendly spin-off of Nvidia's desktop cards. AMD and Nvidia make most of the graphics cards you'll find on laptops. If you're a gamer or do a lot of video editing, you'll want a laptop with a discrete graphics card-a separate and much more powerful graphics card. You’ll be able to watch HD movies and even play casual games without issue. This approach, known as “integrated graphics,” is fine for most users. But if you're hoping to run Android apps or install Linux apps on your Chromebook, the Celeron processors will struggle and will likely frustrate you.Īll laptops technically have graphics cards (also called “discrete” graphics and GPU), but most are bundled into the motherboard with the processor. If your needs are very minimal and you'll never do anything more than lightly browse the web, the Celerons will do. The cheapest Chromebooks still use Intel's Celeron series processors. We haven't had a chance to test these extensively yet, but they should be a good addition to the lower-end Chromebook market, offering more power than Intel's Celeron without the extra battery drain of Core-series processors. The good news is that these are not much more expensive than the older models.Īt the other end of the spectrum, there are also an increasing number of Chromebooks with Qualcomm's Snapdragon series chips, which offer a good compromise between power and price. Most that we've tested have had Intel i3 or better, along with more memory, more storage, and better video cameras than traditional Chromebooks. The “Plus” means these models are more powerful. This year Google introduced a new class of Chromebook called Chromebook Plus. While both 3-series chips are fine for Chromebooks and minimal Linux setups, Windows users are better off with an Intel i5 or Ryzen 5 chip. The experience in my testing has been frustratingly slow, with frequent, loud fan noise. ![]() We generally recommend avoiding Intel Core i3 (and by extension AMD Ryzen 3) chips with Windows 11. Likewise, for the average user, the AMD Ryzen 5000 series will suffice, but the Ryzen 7000 makes a nice upgrade-again at the cost of battery life. A gaming laptop, for instance, would use an i7 (or i9) chip, but an i5 is usually fine for less demanding tasks. The extra power often means shorter battery life though, so you'll need to balance that with your needs. If you can afford it, an Intel i7 chip makes a nice upgrade and will make your laptop feel snappier. That would be displayed something like “Intel Core i5-10350U.” If you're a typical user who runs a web browser, Microsoft's Office Suite, and perhaps even some photo editing software, we recommend a laptop with an Intel Core i5 10th-generation or later processor.
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