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We live in a world where smartphones are ubiquitous, tablets are commonplace, and even smartwatches are a thing that people talk about on the regular. But throughout all of these advances, the humble laptop has persevered, and for good reason. When it comes time to actually get something done, whether that’s editing photos, writing a lot of emails, composing documents, or staying in touch with colleagues and family, the laptop is often the ideal device for the job.

That isn’t to say there haven’t been advancements in the world of laptops or notebook computers. We don’t have to deal with inch-plus-thick clunkers that weighed upwards of seven pounds and lasted less than two hours away from an outlet. The modern laptop is lightweight, sleek, efficient, easily portable, and powerful enough to get most any computing task done.

It’s getting harder to buy a truly bad laptop, but what separates a good laptop from a great one is how it balances power, efficiency, portability, and comfort. It should have a fantastic keyboard and trackpad — after all, those are the two biggest reasons you’d choose a laptop over a smartphone or tablet. Its display should be easy on the eyes, bright, and sharp enough that you aren’t distracted by jagged edges and visible pixels. It should be powerful enough for almost anything short of intensive video editing and advanced gaming. It should be easy to carry around from place to place, and it should be able to last all day without needing to be plugged in.

Naming “the best laptop” is a little different than naming the best phone or tablet. People’s needs for their laptop can vary widely. Some people need to do intense video editing and should pony up for a pro machine. Others just need a reliable keyboard and a few windows, so something less powerful will do. Some might want a super light laptop that can sometimes double as a tablet. Here, we’re talking about the best all-around product: a traditional laptop that will work well at most things for most people, and even stretch to handle more intensive tasks on occasion.

There are a lot of laptops that have some of those qualities, but if you’re looking for a laptop that hits enough of those marks, the obvious choice turns out to be the right one.

This article will be continually updated as new laptops are released and reviewed, so be sure to check back if you’re not in the market right now.

THE BEST LAPTOP RIGHT NOW: MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP

Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop is the best laptop for most people because it blends power, portability, and battery life better than any other computer. It has a great keyboard and trackpad; a beautiful, high-resolution touchscreen; and comes in four different colors. It uses Intel’s latest processors and can be specced out with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Surface Laptop isn’t cheap — the model most people should get runs for $1,299 — but it feels like a premium computer should, and if you spend most of your day working on a computer, you should spend a little more to get a good one.

The one big drawback to the Surface Laptop is it comes with Windows 10S, Microsoft’s limited version of Windows that only allows apps from the Windows Store to be installed. You can easily upgrade the Surface Laptop to Windows 10 Pro, however, and then you can run any Windows app you can find. That upgrade is free through at least the end of the year. Microsoft says it will charge $50 for it at some point in the future, but has not specified exactly when.

THE MAC OPTION: APPLE MACBOOK PRO

If you don’t like the Surface Laptop’s fun colors or the fact that it runs Windows, the best laptop for you is Apple’s MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro has a compact and light design, premium build quality, and the largest trackpad we’ve ever seen on a laptop.

The MacBook Pro comes in a variety of flavors, but most people should go with the 13-inch model that starts at $1,299. It has a standard keyboard and lacks the controversial Touch Bar found on the more expensive versions, but we don’t think that’s a big loss, as the Touch Bar hasn’t yet proven its worth. The one thing that the higher-end MacBook Pros offer is more USB ports. The entry-level version only comes with two USB Type-C ports, which means plugging in accessories will likely require an adapter or two, so be prepared to spend money on at least one dongle.

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Have you ever been curious and tried to check features in the settings section? Or looked for secret codes and buttons?

Here are some tricks that can change the way you use your iPhone.

Easily Change your PIN

**04*Old PIN Code*New PIN Code*New PIN Code# The short code that allows you to quickly change your PIN. Just type it on your phone and press the call key. For Old PIN Code enter your current PIN code and for New PIN Code enter the new PIN code you want to have. Remember it has to be a four-digit PIN code.

Shake, shake, shake!

Your iPhone, to Undo Typing.

Save your battery.

Most of us know that if you put your phone on airplane mode it charges faster, but did you know that you can save battery by using Grayscale mode? Open Settings>General>Accessibility, and turn Grayscale on. Don’t forget to disable connections, and to lower brightness!

Ask Siri to do something for you!

Tell Siri to “Read your email” and she will. Or ask her “What flights are overhead?” to see what planes are above you.

Secret buttons for taking photos!

Use the shutter button to automatically activate burst mode. And the volume buttons, or your headphones, to take photos.

Reveal Timestamp.

Simply slide the text bubbles to the left on the screen of the message.

Apps

Speaking of apps, you can easily search for one you already have on your phone by swiping down anywhere on the home screen, and type its name. Plug your app holes: Settings>General>Reset>Reset Home Screen Layout.  That will make the gaps disappear, and arrange your apps in alphabetical order.  Avoid doing it if you want to keep your folders!

Hide history

Want to keep your browsing history private? Just go to Settings>Safari>Private Browsing.

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The world is very familiar with WiFi technology, but how acquainted are you with the term LiFi’. While WiFi is a technology which is local-area wireless network-based internet service, LiFi is fully-connected as well as a bidirectional wireless communication technology that is very similar to WiFi in functionality and in many other ways.

What is LiFi?

Li-Fi is a wireless-optical networking technology that makes use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) to transmit data. Li-Fi is built to use LEDs bulbs that are similar to those presently being used by many energy-conscious offices and offices. However, Li-Fi bulbs are fitted with chips that imperceptibly modulate the light for optical transmission of data. Just like you can flash a torch Morse code to send a message, LiFi sends binary flashes of light to transmit data. To the naked eye it looks just like a regular bulb, but in reality it is flashing thousands of times per second.

The early developmental models of Li-Fi were capable of 150-megabits per second (Mbps). Today, some commercial kits that still enable that speed are already available in the market. With different technology and stronger LEDs in the lab, researchers have enabled 10-gigabits per second (Gbps) that is quicker than 801.11ad. Imagine just turning on your lights and downloading a movie in a second.

Why is LiFi faster than WiFi?

Based on the pure frequency of the transmission, light waves are 10,000 times more denser than WiFi signals so the potential to pack more in the same space is huge.

Some of the best Li-Fi benefits include:

• Higher speeds than WiFi
• 10000-times the frequency radio spectrum
• More secure as data can’t be altered or accessed without a vivid and clear sight line
• Prevents piggy-backing
• Eliminates neighboring network interference
• Unimpeded by radio interference.
• Doesn’t create any interference in very sensitive electronics, thus making it ideal for use in environments such as aircraft and hospitals.

Some of the disadvantages of LiFi

• You need to keep the lights on, alright for the office but not so practical or eco friendly for home use.
• You need a receiver box or device with LiFi already installed.

Remind me, what is Wi-Fi?

WiFi works without any physical wired connection between the receiver and sender by making use of radio frequency technology – a frequency associated with radio-wave propagation and within the electromagnetic spectrum. When a radio frequency current is supplied to antennas, electromagnetic fields are created thus being able to spread through space.

The keystone of any wireless networks is an access point. The main job of access points is to propagate wireless signals that computers can sense and tune’ into. In order to connect with access points and join wireless networks, devices and computers must be outfitted with a wireless network adapter.

Some major benefits of WiFi technology are:

• Currently More Cost Effective.
• Already supported by devices.
• Well known and understood by the public.
• Eliminates wiring and cabling for PC’s.

Why make the change?

When we begin considering smart home and the internet of things LiFi has a huge advantage that there will be no interference from other neighbors or nearby devices. Currently the drawback is lack of exposure and supported hardware as it seems a step back to have to connect your computer back to a LiFi receiver. For most of us regular WiFi is not the bottleneck the actual internet speed is, so a faster connection internally will have little effect of the actual speed.

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Qi – the Chinese term for ‘energy flow’, pronounced as ‘chee’ in ‘cheese’ is the widespread standard for wireless charging of the battery operated gadgets such as mobile phones, iPods, Mp3’s and cameras. With this particular technology the electromagnetic coils that send out and receive the charge are specifically safeguarded to lessen electromagnetic rays.

Electromagnetic Induction – Basic Principle of Qi Wireless Charging

The wireless power transfer happens via electromagnetic induction. With the inductive charging the necessary power gets to the device not through the conventional cable but instead wirelessly with the use of electromagnetic fields.

Wireless Charging is not a real brand-new technology. Electric tooth brushes have used the concepts of inductive charging for several years. Qi Wireless Charging runs on the resonant inductive combining between sender i.e., the charging station and the recipient i.e., the mobile device. A normal test “ping” signal is sent by the charger to check  for devices and a ping is sent back, informing the Qi enabled charger platform that a Qi appropriate cell phone exists. The charger inspects the phone to see if it is compatible to the Qi standard. As soon as Qi compatibility and the power speed is determined, the induction charging starts. While charging the charger and phone stay in contact and will automatically go into standby mode as soon as the battery is completely charged.

Advantages of Qi Wireless Charging

The most significant benefit of Qi Wireless Charging technology is that cellular phones and battery chargers from various manufactures are suitable. The solely requirement is which both the parts – the sender and the receiver – complete the Qi requirements. Hence, each Qi enabled gadgets are suitable with every single Qi charging transmitter, irrespective of the producer or make of the device. The amount of enabled devices is continuously increasing as Qi wireless charging technologies are incorporated by an ever growing list of makers. This enables us to charge the numerous battery operated electronic digital devices with merely a single charging station.

Qi chargers are also energy efficient and only trigger and exchange energy when an enabled device requesting charging is positioned near the charger.

Is my phone compatible?

There is a growing number of phone available that support Qi, the latest Samsung and Xiaomi phones have this built in. There is an official list of Qi enabled phones.; if you do not have one of the phones listed you might be able to add the function, there are universal Qi charging modules that can be installed behind the battery, some Samsung phones have their own easy to install charger and iPhone 6 can enable the function with a charger case.

What charger can i use?

Any Qi labeled charger is compatible with all Qi devices so there is no hassle with compatibility. When it come so chargers there is an increasing number of styles.

Dedicated charger: A Qi charger pad or platform that you can place the phone on, there are many of these available and come in a wide variety of styles.

Embedded Qi Charger: A charger integrated into another appliance such as your desk lamp. Qi embedded chargers are still rare but gaining traction.

DIY Integration: If you are technical minded you can grab a Qi charger coil and install it into your desk, table or even inside another appliance. For example you can hollow out a section underneath your desk and install the charger. Then when your phone is in the right place on the desk it will charge. From the top the desk looks normal, but underneath is the charger.

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Having a new phone is delightful but transferring data can be an initial hurdle. Here are 3 ways to transfer the data from your old phone to your new phone.

By Google Account

Backing-up and restoring data by Google account might be the method most people know. Supported by the backing-up and restoring of an Android system, users can transfer their data including Google Calendar, WiFi account and password, desktop setting, Gmail, screen settings, language setting and some of the apps. It is by far the easiest way to replicate your basic system data.

The exact path is entered into the “setting>back up and restore”, unlock the backup set and choose a Google account.

As to the new phone, when you log in the account you have chosen in the former step, you will find everything will be restored as you choose. As this method uses the internet, the time to setup your new phone will depend on the internet connection speed.

In-house solutions

If you buy the same brand as your old phone, there is an effective way most people ignore, many brands themselves have a backup/restore tool for transferring data to new phones. Check your phone settings or jump onto Goole to see if an app is available.

This method can save time if you have a large amount of data as you do not require the internet to copy the data across to other devices.

Tap & Go: A New function of Android

Android’s Tap & Go service arrived with the Android 5.0 Lolipop system launched a few years ago.

You can transmit data (including apps and apps data) through the NFC and Bluetooth. This method will work if both devices have NFC and Bluetooth.

Transferring apps to your new phone with tap and go

1. When you turn on your new phone, please unlock your old phone and open NFC. Put these 2 phones back to back.
2. You will receive the notice of adding a new account on your old phone.
3. When the screen on your old device says,”Copy accounts and data from this device?” tap “ok”.
4. Enter your Google account and password, then set your new phone as a new device and the transfer will start.

The key advantage to this method is you can choose what apps you want to copy so it is ideal if you are wanting to leave some older or unused apps behind.

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Windows have an unimaginable number of hot keys, we dived through them and unearthed this golden collection. Join us now and discover what we brought back from the depths, you wont become a pro keyboarder overnight but this is a small and solid starting point.

Internet Browsing

Ctrl+Enter – Automatically enter the .com to a web address!

Ctrl+Shift+N – New Incognito window.

Ctl+T – Open new tab in browser.

Ctl+L – Select web address for current page.

 System Hot-Keys

Win Key +E – Opens File Explorer.

Win Key +R –Opens Run.

Win Key +L – Instantly locks your PC.

Win Key +F – Opens file search window.

Alt + Space – Opens the title bar menu of the page.

 Window Tricks

Win Key +Arrow Up – Maximize the current window.

Win Key +Arrow Down – If in a maximized window it makes it into a smaller window. Pres it again and the window will be minimized.

Win Key +Arrow Left or Right – Moves window to the left or right of the display and also can be used into multiple monitors.

Win Key +Shift Key + Arrow Up – vertically maximizes the window.

Win Key +Tab – Cycles through the open apps, and release tab to select the app to open.

Win Key + Ctrl +Tab –Allows you to navigate through open apps using the up/down arrow keys.

 Use a multi screen setup?

Win Key +P – If you have multiple monitors connected use to choose duplicate or extended .

Win Key +Shift Key + Arrow Left/Right – Moves window to the primary or secondary monitor.

How do shortcuts save time?

Hotkeys are like a dripping tap; a dripping tap slowly collects water, hot keys slowly collect time. They replace slower mouse movements and clicks, use them everyday in the office and in a week you will have collected a decent bucket of time. Add this to your favourites and show off your Microsoft proficiency. It will save you time and is also is a great way to impress your co-workers.

Don’t own a keyboard?

Well hopefully you have a PC and then you can get one of our mechanical keyboards for the best way to type and game. If you want to go totally custom you can even buy key caps and make your own unique key design.

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With over 100 years of combined technology experience, Hewlett-Packard and Acer have established themselves as technology innovators. Both of these brands have a reputation for selling great products, but which one provides the biggest bang for your buck with a laptop? Each offers different options for users across a range of product needs and interests, and selecting the best is a matter of matching your own needs against point-by-point comparisons.

Least Expensive

Both HP and Acer offer laptops with a starting price around $400. The laptops in this category have some similar hardware, including 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. As of early 2016, the fastest HP computer in this category is the Pavilion 14z-b100 Sleekbook and the fastest Acer laptop is the Aspire V5-171-6675. While these laptops both have similar RAM and hard-drive specifications, the Acer Aspire V5-171-667 gives you a faster processor (Intel Core i3-2377M processor vs. dual-core 1200+ AMD processor) and the HP Pavilion 14z-b100 Sleekbook gives you a larger screen (14-inch LED display vs. 11.6-inch LED display). If you are deciding between the HP or Acer at a $400 starting price, pick whether you’d want the faster Acer laptop or the HP laptop with a larger screen.

Top Rated: Around $500

As of early 2016, the best rated HP laptop around $500 is the Pavilion g6t-2300 Select Edition; the best Acer laptop in that range is the Aspire V5-571-6662. The hardware differs greatly, but they have the same sized 15.6-inch LED display. The HP laptop includes an Intel Core i5-2450 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. The Acer uses an Intel Core i3-2365M processor, 6GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. If you are deciding between these two machines, you would need to select whether you value speed or storage. While the HP laptop gives you a faster processor, the Acer laptop includes one-and-a-half times the storage capacity, as well as an additional 2GB of RAM over the HP laptop.

Top Rated: Around $1,000

As of early 2016, both HP and Acer offer 4 laptops priced around $1,000. One of the four laptops for each brand includes a solid-state drive. SSDs allow computers to start in mere seconds after pressing the power button and are less prone to damage. Traditional hard drives use moving parts, where SSD drives do not. The HP Spectre XT Ultrabook 13t-2100 and the Acer Aspire S5-391-6419 Ultra book both use a 128GB SSD, Intel Core i5-3317U processor, 4GB of RAM and a 13.3-inch LED display. While these laptops are almost identical as far as specifications are concerned, the Spectre XT includes a two-year manufacturer warranty, and the Acer Aspire only includes a one-year warranty. The non-SSD laptops in this category can differ greatly in hardware specifications. Some have larger screens, but slower processors, while others have smaller screens and faster processors.

Most Expensive

The most expensive Acer and HP laptops in early 2016 are the Acer Aspire S7-391-9839 Ultrabook, starting at roughly $1,600, and the HP EliteBook 8770w Mobile Workstation, starting at around $2,300. While the Aspire S7-391-9839 Ultrabook is fast, the HP EliteBook 8770w Mobile Workstation is considerably faster. Both laptops offer an Intel Core i7 processor; however, the HP laptop’s processor can provide additional horsepower and speed when multitasking or using processor-heavy applications such as Adobe Photoshop or AutoCAD. The Acer laptop, although slower than the HP, has a 256GB SSD and 13.3-inch screen, making it perfect for travel while still being fast. The HP laptop at this price has double the RAM and two hard drives (a 128GB SSD for its primary hard drive and a 500GB SATA hard drive for its secondary drive), a 17.3-inch LED display and includes a three-year manufacturer warranty. In this price range, HP has a far better selection of laptops in different sizes, speed and varying prices.

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Five years ago, there was not much competition between computer manufacturers. If you were going to buy a laptop, it would have been an HP, Dell, Gateway or Apple. Now, there are tons of companies who make quality laptop computers. They all offer some quality products.

Apple

Apple computers have come a long way in the last couple of years. The biggest change that they made was the introduction of the MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops. Rather then using Apple’s traditional Power PC processors, these laptops use Intel processors. This has made them much more popular in the eyes of consumers. By using Intel processors, Apple laptops can run both OS X and Windows. Apple laptops have received great reviews from major tech reviewers such as CNet, as well as great reviews from everyday consumers. Based upon overall ratings from resale sites such as Best Buy, Amazon and MacMall, Apple laptops have received some of the highest approvals. These sites feature ratings from actual product buyers, who tell their own pros and cons about the laptops.

Dell Inspiron Computers

Dell released their first Inspiron computer way back in 1998. Since then, Dell Inspiron laptops have continued to receive overall good reviews. One strong benefit of Inspiron computers is the price. Dell has some of the best bang for your buck laptop computers on the market. Also, because Dell is such a big company, their warranties are often hard to beat. Dell Inspiron computers have received great reviews by major tech sites such as CNet, as well as many good consumer reviews. If you were to scan product ratings for Inspiron laptops at sites such as Best Buy and Dell.com, you will find that most of the Inspiron laptops configurations receive a rating of at least 4 stars out of 5. Reviews from actual buyers are very helpful when determining product quality.

HP Laptops

HP laptops are another brand that has been around for a long time. The design of HP laptops used to be somewhat ugly. However, they introduced their DV laptop line in 2006, which was much more visually appealing. Since then, HP has continued to make quality, good-looking laptops at very reasonable prices. HP has also developed Lightscribe disc labeling which is a feature only available in their laptops. HP laptops have received a lot of praise from reviewers such as PC World and CNet. Also, many consumers who purchase HP laptops seem to be happy with their purchases as stated on sites such as BestBuy.com.

Asus EEE Laptops

Asus is a newer brand that has gained great credibility at a quick rate. Asus’s EEE laptop line is what brought the company to popularity in laptop computers. For a while, the Asus EEE laptops were the cheapest mainstream laptops on the market. They were also receiving great reviews, which is what brought much consumer attention to Asus. Since, then Asus has continued to manufacture the cheaper, more affordable EEE PCs along with higher end laptops with better specs. Reviews for Asus laptops on sites such as CNet and PC World have been good overall. Tech reviewers often praise Asus for delivering a quality laptop at a great price. Reviews from consumers have also been generally good.

Acer Laptops

Acer laptops have gained much attention lately due to the good reviews on their netbooks. Acer was one of the first companies to mass produce netbooks. Acer does not have as many laptops computers to choose from in their product line. However, the ones that they do have seem to be quality products. There are not a lot of editors picks for Acer laptops on sites such as CNet. However, many buyers seem very happy with their purchases. You can check out more reviews on sites such as Best Buy and PC World.

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As of March 2017, Acer laptops are generally less expensive than their competition. That is one of the reasons why consumers are drawn to the simple, no-frills machines. But that doesn’t mean that Acer laptops are less reliable than other better-known laptop brands. Before purchasing an Acer laptop, ensure that it has all of the features and software that you need in your day-to-day computer usage. You may find that it has just the right amount of features, memory and functionality for the price.

Cost

As of 2017, most Acer laptops are priced between $400 and $800, but you can also find them on deep discounts during the holiday seasons and on sale throughout the year. The relatively low price can lead some to believe that Acer laptops are unreliable or lack basic features, but keeping the Acer brand in the lower-price range helps entice buyers past the less-than-recognizable name and lack of styling. Acer proves that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get a quality laptop.

Price

As of 2017, most Acer laptops are priced between $400 and $800, but you can also find them on deep discounts during the holiday seasons and on sale throughout the year. The relatively low price can lead some to believe that Acer laptops are unreliable or lack basic features, but keeping the Acer brand in the lower-price range helps to entice buyers past the less-than-recognizable name and lack of styling. Acer proves that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get a quality laptop.

Best For

It’s true that an Acer laptop may under-perform for the experienced gamer or techie, warns “Laptop” magazine. An Acer-brand laptop is ideal as an individual’s first laptop or a secondary computer to another laptop or desktop. While you may miss the customization options that other laptop brands offer, the focus on 2.5 hours of general battery life, large amounts of memory and general functionality are usually enough to please the casual computer user.

Reviews

Acer laptops are heavily reviewed by industry magazines and websites. In general, Acer laptops garner favorable reviews, although each outlet had similar complaints about the lack of styling and customization. However, high points were awarded by “PC” magazine and “PC World” for various Acer models’ keyboards, speed, memory, battery life and general ease of use.

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Laptops are the middle ground of the computer world. Smaller than desktops and larger than tablets, they blend the two and provide a balance between portability and functionality. Even among laptops, there are varying sizes. Traveling professionals may prefer a compact 10-inch netbook, while movie enthusiasts prefer a big, HD 17-inch laptop. If you’re considering a laptop for your next computer purchase, knowing where they shine and fall short enables an educated purchasing decision.

Size

One of the largest advantages laptops hold over desktops is their size. While desktops have similar functionality, they’re difficult to move and traveling with them is highly impractical. While tablets offer more portability than laptops, the small form factor usually limits the quality of the components or their functionality. Netbooks are similar to tablets in that their small size and portability limits the quality, speed and size of components within. The size you see in a laptop’s description or name denotes the size of the screen when measured diagonally. So a 15.1-inch laptop has a 15.1-inch screen across the diagonal. Laptops offer portability and desktop-level functionality for most tasks. Like the porridge in the Goldilocks story, laptops aren’t too big to carry, but aren’t too small to truly limit functionality.

Price

While the price gap between desktops and laptops is getting smaller as technology gets less expensive, laptops are typically pricier. The smaller components required for a laptop often cost more than their larger desktop counterparts since more technology goes into delivering the same quality on a smaller physical scale. That said, if your budget constrains your purchasing options, you can still find inexpensive laptops with lower-end specifications.

Intended Use

For students, office workers and light or average computer users, laptops provide plenty of power, speed and functionality. For PC gamers or people using resource-intensive programs, a laptop might not be the right choice. While some manufacturers offer high-quality gaming laptops, they typically cost more than comparable desktop models.

RAM and Hard Drive

Random Access Memory (RAM) is a large factor in computer speed, while hard drive capacity determines how much space you have on the computer for files, programs, games, music and other data. While desktops used to offer much higher specs in these fields, the gap is closing as technology advances and gets less expensive. That said, it’s still common to find more RAM and a larger hard drive in a desktop when comparing desktops and laptops of similar price. As the two main components you can upgrade on a laptop, it may not be as big of an issue to you if you’re comfortable doing the upgrade yourself. Laptop hard drives are physically smaller than desktop hard drives, but both have high-end capacities in the Terabyte range, or 1,024GB, with the laptop version being a bit more expensive. While you can also upgrade RAM, the space limitations in laptops might limit the computer’s maximum capacity, where a similarly priced desktop might be capable of holding much more.

Customization

Laptops don’t offer nearly as much customization as most desktops. Since desktops are larger, they’re easier to open and alter, allowing you to swap parts and update components. While laptops typically give you access to the computer’s memory and hard drive, other components — like the processor, graphics card and cooling system — aren’t as easy to access and replace. This disadvantage means that when your laptop’s non-customizable components become obsolete, you may have to buy a new laptop to keep up with technology. With desktops, you can switch out the obsolete component by itself for much less money than a new computer, extending the life of your current hardware.

Included Features

While desktops require an external monitor, keyboard and mouse for navigation and use, laptops offer everything you need in one form factor. This advantage means you’ll have to buy less external peripherals, also reducing the clutter caused by the extra cords and pieces of hardware. Laptops also come with built-in speakers and often on-board webcams, further reducing the extra peripherals you’d need to buy if you got a desktop. While it depends on the model, many laptops include ports to connect them to your television or an external monitor when you do need a larger viewing area. If your laptop’s built-in peripherals don’t live up to your expectations, you can always buy external substitutes, like a wireless mouse or keyboard.

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