Deepakkumar
Full Stack · AI · Robotics
August 20, 2024•18 min read

How to Choose a Laptop in 2024 Without Getting Trapped by Marketing Buzzwords

laptops
buyers-guide
productivity
students
editing

I still remember going with a relative to buy a “college laptop” a few years back.

Shopkeeper:

“Sir, this is i7, very powerful, best for engineering. You can do anything.”

I looked at the sticker.

  • Dual core
  • Low TDP
  • Slow HDD
  • TN panel

Technically “i7”, practically struggle 7.

This is exactly how many people get trapped:

  • by buzzwords,
  • by big numbers,
  • by latest tag,
  • by sales language.

So this post is my complete, honest laptop buying guide for 2024, written especially with Tamil students, IT employees, editors, and casual users in mind.

I’ll explain what actually matters - not just which brand logo shines strongest.

1. First Question: “What Will You Do With This Laptop?”

Before I look at any spec, I ask:

  • Are you a student (coding, browsing, online classes)?
  • Are you a developer (VS Code, Docker, multiple tabs)?
  • Are you a video editor/creator (Premiere, DaVinci, After Effects)?
  • Are you a gamer?
  • Or do you just need a home use laptop (office work, finance, movies)?

Because each use case needs different components.

2. CPU: i3/i5/i7 vs Ryzen – The Real Story

Marketing tells you:

“i7 is always better than i5.”

Reality:

  • An old 2-core i7 can be worse than a new 6-core i5.
  • A 15W low power CPU behaves very differently from a 45W performance CPU.

Basic Rule of Thumb

For students / home / office:

  • Intel:
    • i3 12th gen and above (U series) is okay for light use.
    • i5 12th+ gen is ideal for most people.
  • AMD:
    • Ryzen 5 5500U / 5600U / 7000 series for smooth daily use.

For developers:

  • i5 H series or Ryzen 5/7 H series (with good cooling).
  • 16GB RAM minimum.

For editors / heavy creators / gamers:

  • i7 / Ryzen 7 H series or above.
  • Paired with a decent GPU.
  • Strong cooling system.

3. RAM: 8GB vs 16GB vs 32GB

Forget the old “8GB is enough for everybody” line.

  • 8GB:

    • Browsing
    • Office tools
    • Light use
    • Online classes

  • 16GB:

    • Ideal modern baseline for:
      • devs,
      • students running multiple apps,
      • light editing,
      • occasional VMs.

  • 32GB:

    • Video editing,
    • heavy Photoshop,
    • serious dev with Docker + databases + multiple apps,
    • running VMs.

Also check:

  • Is RAM soldered?
  • Is there at least one slot to upgrade later?

4. Storage: SSD or Suffer

HDD-only laptops in 2024 should be banned from student areas.

You want:

  • NVMe SSD – 512GB ideal, 256GB minimum.
  • Optional secondary HDD only for storing large files (movies, backups).

SSD is what makes the laptop feel:

  • responsive,
  • quick to boot,
  • instant app launch.

5. Display: The Thing You Stare At All Day

Specs often hide panel type behind:

  • “Anti-glare”
  • “FHD”
  • “LED”

What you really want to know:

  • Resolution:
    • 1920x1080 (Full HD) is minimum.
  • Panel:
    • IPS is preferable.
    • TN is cheaper and worse.
  • Brightness:
    • 250 nits = just okay indoors.
    • 300+ nits = better.
  • Color:
    • For editing: look for 100% sRGB or better.

6. GPU: Do You Actually Need It?

You don’t need dedicated GPU for:

  • Excel,
  • coding basics,
  • browsing,
  • OTT watching.

You do need GPU for:

  • 3D,
  • video editing,
  • high-end gaming,
  • some ML/AI workloads.

But here’s the tricky part:

  • Many “gaming laptops” have poor cooling and thermal throttle.
  • Some creator-focused machines with mid-range GPU + good screen are better value.

7. Battery, Weight & Build – The Daily Life Factors

Specs won’t tell you:

  • how it feels inside a backpack,
  • how the hinge ages over time,
  • how the keyboard feels at 11 PM during assignment panic.

Some things I always look at:

  • Weight:

    • Under 1.5kg → great for students and travel.
    • 1.5–2kg → okay.
    • Above 2kg → only if you really need the power.

  • Battery rating & reviews:

    • Don’t trust just “52Wh” or “70Wh”.
    • Check real user + reviewer battery tests:
      • coding,
      • video watching,
      • brightness level.

  • Keyboard & Trackpad:

    • Good key travel.
    • No flex in keyboard deck.
    • Big, accurate trackpad.

  • Ports:

    • At least 2 x USB-A,
    • 1 x USB-C,
    • HDMI,
    • audio jack,
    • maybe SD card (nice for creators).

8. The One-Line Summary

When buying a laptop:

First decide what you do,
then find the machine that fits that life,
not the logo that fits Instagram.