Advice

LAPTOP BUYING GUIDE

Quick Customer Advisory

The right laptop is not necessarily the one with the highest specification — it is the one that best matches the customer's needs, budget and intended use.

1. IDENTIFY THE CUSTOMER

Customer Type	What to Prioritise
Student	Value, portability, battery life, 8–16 GB RAM, 256–512 GB SSD
Home / Personal	Easy everyday use, good display, 8–16 GB RAM, SSD, battery life
Small Business	Reliability, security, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, support & warranty
Corporate	Security, manageability, reliability, business-class hardware, Windows Pro
Gamer	Dedicated GPU, strong CPU, 16 GB+ RAM, 512 GB–1 TB+ SSD, high-refresh display
Professional / Creator	Strong CPU, 16–32 GB+ RAM, dedicated GPU where required, 1 TB+ SSD

2. KEY SPECIFICATIONS

CPU / Processor
Determines overall processing performance. Look at the generation and model, not just labels such as "i5" or "i7".

RAM / Memory

8 GB: Basic everyday use
16 GB: Recommended for most customers
32 GB+: Demanding workloads, professional applications and content creation

Storage
SSD storage provides fast performance.

256 GB: Basic
512 GB: Good general-purpose target
1 TB+: Gamers, professionals and customers with large files

Display
Consider screen size, resolution, brightness, colour quality and refresh rate — not resolution alone.

Battery Life
Especially important for students, travellers and mobile professionals.

Graphics / GPU
A dedicated GPU may be required for gaming, CAD, 3D work, video editing and other graphics-intensive applications.

Build & Support
Business users should consider durability, warranty, reliability, security and after-sales support — not just price.

3. WINDOWS HOME vs WINDOWS PRO

Windows Home

Generally suitable for:

Home & personal users
Students
General productivity
Browsing, Office & entertainment

Windows Pro

Adds features aimed at business and professional environments, including:

BitLocker / Device Encryption
Business security & management
Hyper-V
Windows Sandbox
Remote Desktop hosting
Organisational management capabilities

Important: Windows Pro does not make the laptop physically faster. It provides additional features and capabilities. Do not automatically recommend Pro to every customer.

4. SIMPLE SALES RULE

Ask the customer:

1. What will you use the laptop for?
2. Will you travel with it?
3. Which applications do you need?
4. How long do you want it to last?
5. What is your budget?

Then recommend:

The laptop offering the best balance of performance, portability, reliability and value for that customer's needs.

THE BEST LAPTOP IS NOT THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONE — IT IS THE ONE THAT IS RIGHT FOR THE CUSTOMER'S NEEDS.