Computers are essential devices in our daily life but the dizzying array of choices, along with an alphabet soup of abbreviations, can make buying a laptop feel overwhelming. It’s important to understand your computing needs and select a machine with tech specs to match.

10 Things to Look for When Buying a Laptop

With help from my friends at MSI, I’ve put together this helpful laptop buying guide to educate and empower you choose a laptop that’s right for you and your budget.

Below I break down what CPUs and GPUs are, along with why it’s important to pay attention to the amount of RAM, storage, and ports. Keep reading to answer questions about battery life and screen quality. Since price is a factor in any buying decision, I’ll help you think about the long-term investment in build quality. If you’re waiting to buy a laptop until prices go down, keep reading for my honest opinion about why prices are only going to go up!

Why should I get a laptop instead of a desktop?

There was a time when desktop computers used to be preferred due to separate components (screen, hard drive, and accessories) and the ability to upgrade things like RAM. As laptops have gotten better, more powerful, and the need for portable computing has increased, the market has changed.

When you think about a laptop, it’s an all-in-one machine that serves as your workspace, research tool, communication hub, and entertainment device.

A laptop enables us to telework. Students can take it to class, the library, a coffee shop, or a friend’s place to study. For families watching their budgets, it also means one purchase instead of several— no separate monitor, keyboard, mouse, or tower to buy and find space for.

Understanding the Alphabet Soup of Terms When Buying a Laptop

But what should you look for when buying a laptop? Keep reading to better understand the alphabet soup of computer terminology.

What is a CPU?

The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the core of your laptop and are often made by Intel or AMD. Think of the CPU as the decision-maker— the faster and more capable the CPU, the more tasks your laptop can handle at once.

The CPU is responsible for every action your laptop takes, whether loading a webpage, running a spreadsheet or editing video. If your computer is freezing or takes a long time to open programs, the CPU is struggling with the demand being put on it and showing signs of being overworked.

Certain software places a higher demand on the CPU. Engineering tools, video editors, and coding environments, put sustained demand on the chip. Since you often get what you pay for, look for the most current models of CPUs when shopping for a new laptop.

Tip: Buying a generation or two behind current CPU models might seem like a good idea to save money. However, an older chip at the same price will almost always underperform a current mid-rance option within a year or two of regular use.

What is a GPU?

While the CPU manages general processing tasks, the GPU, or Graphics Processing Unit handles the visual side of computing. Often called the graphics or video card, the GPU works to render images, video, and anything that requires heavy graphical output.

When buying a laptop, the question isn’t which GPU to get, it’s whether you need a dedicated one at all. Dedicated graphics cards are separate components with their own memory and processing power, built for demanding workloads such as: gaming, 3D modeling, video production, and increasingly, AI-accelerated tasks. If you’re studying architecture, animation, game design, or are a serious gamer, plan to game seriously on the side, a dedicated GPU is worth the additional cost.

Integrated graphics are built directly into the processor chip and share system memory. They handle everyday tasks like video calls, streaming, browsing, and basic photo editing without any issues.

If you’re buying a laptop for academic or professional productivity, an integrated GPU is best and will help extend battery life.

Tip: Laptops with dedicated graphics cards tend to run hotter, drain your battery faster, and cost more. Only pay for what you’ll use.

What is RAM?

RAM (Random Access Memory) is your laptop’s short-term workspace. It holds data so you can edit a document, stream a video, and switch between browser tabs quickly. It helps your laptop multitask and lets you move between tasks instantly. When your laptop starts feeling sluggish with too many things open, insufficient RAM is usually the culprit.

RAM comes in gigabytes or GB. Here’s what to know about how much RAM you might need when buying a laptop:

• 8GB is the minimum RAM found in any laptop purchased today. It’s fine for light use but its limitations will be realized quickly
• 16GB is the comfortable standard for students and working adults who multitask regularly
• 32GB makes sense for anyone doing video editing, running virtual machines, or working with large design files

Tip: RAM in many modern laptops is soldered directly to the laptop’s motherboard, meaning it cannot be upgraded later. With the price of RAM skyrocketing due to AI, investing in enough RAM now can save more money down the line since the only way to upgrade would be to buy a new machine.

How much storage do I need?

Gone are the days of hard disk drives that used spinning magnetic discs for data storage. These days computer storage is mostly SSDs, or solid state drives with no moving parts.

Laptops need permanent storage for the operating system, applications, files, photos, and projects. Unlike RAM which is short term storage that is forgotten when a laptop is turned off, items in permanent storage stay intact when the laptop is powered off.

Tip: Like RAM, storage is measured in gigabytes (GB). 512GB is a workable starting point for most students. 1TB is the smarter long-term choice for anyone storing media, large projects, or a significant software library.

What type of display do I need?

The display, or screen, is the component you interact with the most but is the most overlooked feature when buying a laptop. Screen quality has a direct impact on eye comfort during long study sessions, the accuracy of colors in creative work, and the usability of the laptop in conditions with varying light.

Screen resolution determines sharpness. Full HD at 1920×1080 is the acceptable minimum, but a 2K or 2.5K display offers noticeably crisper text and images. Having a higher resolution screen makes a huge difference when reading dense academic papers or reviewing detailed work.

Here are 3 things to know about displays when buying a laptop:

• Panel type— In-Plane Switching (IPS) panels offer accurate colors and wide viewing angles, making them the standard for most quality laptops. Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) offer richer contrast and more vibrant color than IPS panels and typically appear on higher-priced machines.
• Refresh rate— Refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz) and determines how smoothly motion appears on screen. 60Hz is fine for everyday use and coursework. 120Hz and above is primarily relevant for gaming.
• Brightness— Measured in nits, a display’s brightness affects visibility in different environments. 300 nits works well indoors, while anything above 400 nits becomes important if you regularly work near windows or in bright spaces.

Tip: Since the display directly impacts eye comfort and cannot be upgraded after purchase, it’s wise to invest in a high-quality display. I always look for Corning Gorilla Glass, the gold standard for display glass in any device.

How long should a battery last?

A laptop’s battery determines whether it lives up to the promise of portability. For students who need to get through a full day of classes, a laptop rated at 12 or more hours gives a comfortable buffer for actual mixed use. Independent reviews that include real-world battery benchmarks are the most reliable source for this information. Companies like MSI test real-world battery by continually playing video on a laptop to gauge battery life.

The MSI Prestige 16 Flip AI+ C3M delivers up to 24 hours of battery life thanks to the efficiency of its Intel® Core™ Ultra X9 processor, and when it runs low, it charges quickly via 100W PD 3.0 fast charging.

Since I’ve been discussing tech specs, the MSI Prestige 16 Flip AI+ C3M is worth looking into because the specs are everything a business professional or student majoring in a STEM field would need it. Click here to test your knowledge of tech specs to see how it checks all the boxes and more thanks to the versatile flip design, sleek form, stunning display, and aluminum alloy chassis. Spoiler: The build quality of the MSI Prestige 16 Flip AI+ C3M  is amazing and keep reading to learn about the importance of build quality below!

Tip: If you plan on taking the laptop with you on an airplane, TSA guidelines limits capacity of lithium-ion batteries to 100Wh for carry-on bags (larger batteries may be accepted with prior approval). To get the best battery life while traveling, it’s best to pick a laptop that has a battery capacity that’s close to, but not exceeding, 100Whr.

Is good build quality worth paying more for?

Build quality is the physical durability and construction of the laptop itself. It covers the materials used for the chassis, outer housing, frame, or shell that holds all internal components together. It also includes the precision of the assembly and how well components like hinges and ports hold up to daily wear.

It’s one of the hardest things to evaluate from a product listing when buying a laptop but one of the most important for long-term value.

Plastic chassis are the most common in budget laptops. Plastic keeps costs down but is prone to flexing, cracking over time, and feel insubstantial. Aluminum alloy is the standard in mid-range and premium machines. It tends to be rigid, scratch-resistant, and more durable for daily use. Magnesium alloy offers a lighter alternative with similar rigidity. It’s often found in business-class laptops where weight savings are a priority.

Tip: For students who carry their laptop to and from class and take it in and out of a backpack multiple times every day, a well-built chassis is essential. It’s the difference between having a laptop that holds up for four years and one that starts to feel worn out after twelve months.

What ports do I need for my laptop? 

Ports are one of the easiest things to overlook and one of the most annoying things to discover you’re missing after buying a laptop.

A laptop with a minimal port selection might look sleek, but often means carrying a hub or adapter to do basic things like connecting a flash drive, hooking up to a projector, or charging a second device.

The most useful ports to look for are:

• USB-A for standard accessories
• USB-C or Thunderbolt 4 for fast data transfer and display output
• HDMI for projectors and external monitors
• Headphone and microphone jack for audio as a backup to Bluetooth connected devices
• SD card slot is a bonus for anyone who works with a camera regularly

Why are laptop prices going up?

Most buying guides skip over the reality that laptop prices are going up but this matters for anyone trying to make a smart financial decision right now. The components inside laptops, particularly memory and solid-state storage, have been getting more expensive. This is due to a combination of rising global demand, constrained manufacturing capacity, and trade tariff policies that affect semiconductor supply chains.

Technology such as NAND flash (inside every SSD) and LPDDR5X RAM, the current standard for laptop memory, are produced by a small number of manufacturers. When production costs rise or supply tightens, those increases flow directly into the retail price of finished devices.

Tip: Prioritize the components that have the most impact on daily use and longevity. A fast processor, sufficient RAM, an NVMe SSD, and a quality display will serve you far better over four years than a machine that cuts corners on any of those to hit a lower price point.

In a market where costs are rising and budgets are tight, spending deliberately on the right things is more important than ever.

All recommendations in this guide reflect general purchasing guidance. Specific specs and pricing vary by brand, model, and availability. MSI provided content for this piece but all opinions are my own.