How much should I spend for a Laptop in 2024?
Global sales for laptops reached the 64 million laptop mark, almost as much as the record high of Q4/2011, when 64.6 million notebooks were shipped. Because of the Corona pandemic, many companies have made longer-term investments in remote work and have employees working in home offices. Shipments of laptops and mobile workstations increased by 28.3% year-on-year.
Laptops remain the most popular work devices, as they combine mobility with performance and flexibility. The range is more differentiated than ever: From the inexpensive entry-level model for $200 to the powerful device for over $3000, a large number of variants are available. But what do laptops offer in the individual price ranges? And how much should you spend on a laptop?
Is a gaming laptop worth it?
Gaming laptops aren’t just for gaming. If you’re on the go a lot and also need plenty of computing power when traveling, you’d be well advised to buy such a laptop. However, such devices are usually much more expensive than gaming PCs with comparable equipment. However, the investment is worth it, since processors and graphics chips cannot be replaced with up-to-date hardware later on. Even worse: SSD and RAM are often soldered to the motherboard and cannot be replaced with better components.
How expensive is a good gaming laptop?
If you have low demands, you can already buy a gaming laptop for $800, but if you want the best of the best, you have to set aside a high budget. Models for the highest demands are available for up to $3500, including elements like a case light.
Can you work with a gaming laptop?
The gaming laptop is used for gaming, but also for working. Besides the usual office applications, image and video editing programs also regularly get their use time. So, the laptop has to have a decent speed even outside of video games.
What kind of processor for gaming laptop?
The processor equipment is decisive for the overall performance of a gaming laptop. Therefore, the minimum requirement for occasional gaming and office jobs are four- or eight-core CPUs like Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5. Core i7 or Ryzen 7 would be better. Check out our Intel Core i5 vs i7 comparison for gaming.
How much does a laptop cost?
Let’s get back to the individual price ranges and ask: What should you spend on a laptop?
Laptops up to $200 – entry-level models
There are already laptops in the price range up to $200, which can be used for mobile or stationary work. However, the processors are among the weakest variants, so that only simple internet and office applications can be run without problems. 3D games, video editing or complex calculations are out of place here.
This is also due to the comparatively low mass storage. Instead of a hard drive, manufacturers in this price category usually install flash memory – and only 32-128 GB of it. That is not enough for larger image collections. The screen usually only measures eleven inches diagonally. The keyboard is correspondingly small.
That sounds like massive limitations. But as a second device for information and e-mail retrieval or as a typewriter, the entry-level models are perfectly suitable.
Laptops up to $300 – little performance, decent equipment
If you spend a bit more money, you’ll get a lot more laptop. In the price range up to $300, manufacturers already install screens in the 15 inch category, which altogether makes a larger laptop with a standard sized keyboard possible. The resolution is comparatively low. You also have to make concessions in terms of performance, because powerful and energy-saving processors are not yet available in this price range. In return, a 500 GB hard drive is standard and even an optical drive like a DVD burner is possible.
However, such devices are not optimized in terms of weight and size. Video editing and 3D games are better left out here as well. Otherwise, there are hardly any restrictions – like with Lenovo’s “B50”.
Laptops up to $500 – the middle class
Most laptops are sold in the price range between $300 and $500. No wonder, because for this price there are versatile devices that hardly demand any restrictions from the user. The installed processors are powerful and energy-saving. The screen usually measures 15.6 inches. The cheaper the model, the lower the resolution. The capacities of work and mass storage are also suitable for everyday use. More and more often, there is a solid state drive instead of a hard drive. This speeds up data access and system startup.
However, an additional graphics chip is usually missing in this price range, so laptops in this category are not recommended for 3D and architecture applications. Gaming fans don’t get their money’s worth here either. Last but not least, the devices are not optimized in terms of dimensions, weight and looks.
Typical representatives are the series from Hewlett-Packard, numerous “Travelmate” and “Aspire” models from Acer, the “IdeaPad” from Lenovo and various devices from the direct seller Dell.
Laptops up to $900 – The more upscale models
If you spend above average money, you also get above average: Laptops in this price range are not only powerful and optimized in terms of energy consumption, they are usually also comparatively slim and light. Most models are also particularly visually appealing, since they serve as lifestyle objects if nothing else. Apple has shown this with its “MacBook Air” – and manufacturers like Asus with its “Zenbook” are following suit. At the same time, they are cheaper than Apple.
Power-saving processors ensure long battery runtimes of up to ten hours in this price range. And a solid state drive is just as standard here as a high, eye-friendly screen resolution.
Laptops up to $1500 – devices for professionals
Attractive design, powerful and energy-saving processors as well as a screen with an eye-friendly, high resolution are a matter of course in this price range. Today, laptops beyond the $1000 mark have to offer even more. That is either Apple’s MacOS as operating system, which is exclusively used in Apple devices, or particularly powerful single components. That is either a solid state drive with a particularly high capacity, a powerful graphics chip or a particularly high-resolution screen.
Typical devices in this price range are the “MacBook Air” from Apple, various “Elitebook” models from HP, “Thinkpad” models from Lenovo or the “Latitude” series from Dell.
Laptops for more than $1500 – The luxury class
The time of compromises is over here: Fastest processors and graphics chips, high capacities in RAM and solid state drive, long runtimes and an appealing design are mandatory in this price category. Especially for special applications, there are the right models here: Panasonic’s “Toughbook” devices, for example, are designed for outdoor use and under the toughest conditions, the “Alienware” models appeal to gaming fans, and the “MacBook Pro” finds its buyers in the video and media sector. Dell’s “XPS” models are equally convincing.
Why an expensive laptop is better?
Many laptops over $1000 score with speed and beauty. High computing speed and fast response to inputs make working on the laptop much more pleasant. Those who use the laptop professionally will increase their productivity with a fast laptop – the higher purchase price for a high-end laptop is then quickly recouped.
In most high-end laptops, an SSD provides high computing power. In many applications, the flash hard drive provides a greater speed advantage than a faster CPU or more working memory. A laptop with an SSD responds significantly faster, both felt and measured.
The processor, on the other hand, is no longer as decisive for high computing speed: High-end processors are also found in many high-end laptops. You need more cores and a higher clock rate if you want the laptop to perform particularly demanding tasks, such as playing or editing several HD videos at the same time. You will also benefit from a faster CPU if you frequently convert movie and audio formats. However, you will not notice the difference between a Core i7 and a Core i5, which is found in many laptops under $1000, in most programs.
High-end models from AMD and Nvidia are found in expensive gaming laptops. But these laptops are only recommended to real fans who want to experience the 3D performance they know from the PC on the laptop as well.
What are the most important components in laptops?
Screen
Here, the size and resolution mainly determine the price. 15-inch displays are produced most often, which is why they offer the best price-performance ratio. The resolution is decisive: a mediocre 1366 by 768 pixels are standard in the cheapest laptops, a Full HD resolution with 1920 by 1080 pixels is available in the pricey middle class.
Work and mass storage
Here, “the more, the better” applies. Due to the low price differences, 8 GBytes have established themselves as the minimum standard for working memory. 500 GBytes are now considered the lower limit for a classic hard disk. Solid-state drives are a power-saving and noiseless alternative. They enable faster work and especially a fast system start. However, they are still more expensive than a conventional hard disk.
Processor
It mainly determines the performance of a laptop. However, the performance of even inexpensive processors is easily sufficient for office and internet applications. The power consumption has to be considered: Inexpensive processors need a lot of power, which reduces the battery runtime.
Operating system
For most users, the question of the right operating system does not arise: They are used to Microsoft Windows from the workplace and also want to use it at home. MacOS is only available on Apple devices. And they are significantly more expensive than the Windows competition.
What should you look for when buying a laptop?
Screen
Whether 17 or 11 inches – all screens should show content with high contrast and strong, natural colors. Anti-reflective screens often swallow some brilliance, but don’t annoy with reflections. It is also important that the brightness is as high as possible in order to see anything at all on the display outdoors in a lot of sunshine.
Keyboard
If you type a lot, you will appreciate a good keyboard. The keyboard bed should therefore be firm and not give way when typing – certainly not creak or rattle. Furthermore, the key drop should not be too large or too small. Apart from the space bar, shift and enter keys, all keys should be the same size. Manufacturers often squeeze arrow keys onto smaller keys, which makes operation more difficult. An illuminated keyboard is often an advantage.
Touchpad
Operating Windows, working with programs, moving objects or scrolling through long websites with a swipe – the touchpad should be nice and big for this. But size alone does not make a good touchpad – it also has to implement inputs quickly and precisely.
Processor
Whether for simple office and Internet tasks or more complex photo and video editing: Current all-round processors are Intel Core i5 CPUs or AMD’s Ryzen 5 processors.
Working memory
At least 8 gigabytes of the fast DDR4 type should be in the laptop as working memory today. It’s great if the working memory isn’t soldered to the motherboard, but rather on exchangeable modules, like here. This way, the working memory can be expanded later.
Data memory
Manufacturers are currently going two ways when it comes to data storage: In inexpensive laptops, eMMC flash memory modules are often soldered. These are ultimately SD cards that cannot keep up with modern SSDs in terms of transfer rates. However, not only the limited speed is problematic, but also the limited sizes of 32 to 128 GB. An exchange for a larger storage module is not possible.
Beyond these extremely inexpensive laptops, SSDs are the choice; storage sizes of 256 GB are found starting at around $350. If the laptop is to serve as a full-fledged work device, the memory must not be smaller, because otherwise you will quickly come up against limits because the space is hogged by the operating system and the applications.
Battery
The capacity of the battery should not be too tight in mid-range laptops, otherwise the lights go out early. However, a battery of just under 60 watt hours is sufficient. Because even the biggest battery is useless if the laptop does not use the energy stored in the battery efficiently – hardware, Windows and programs should therefore work together perfectly.
Conclusion
When buying a notebook, you usually focus on two aspects: the price on the one hand and the intended use on the other. If you are looking for a laptop that is primarily suitable for surfing the web, video streaming or office work, then a good all-round device at a fair price is probably a good choice for you. Users, on the other hand, who are looking for special features in their laptop, such as a particularly long battery life, low weight or an excellent display, will find what they are looking for in the high-priced all-rounders or the workstation and creator laptops. Gaming laptops are a special category, as they have their own features like a fast processor, a dedicated graphics card and a large working memory.
How much you want to spend on a laptop in the end depends mainly on your requirements and the size of your wallet.