Computer Shopping Tips

General Tips

Set a budget (yes, computers are expensive, often hundreds of dollars, I wish they were not). Shop from that budget, maybe allowing yourself to go up or down by $50. Then look for the lightest-weight laptops in that price range, and narrow it down by the technical features (detailed below).

The Best Time to Buy

South Carolina's Tax-Free Weekend is always the first full weekend of August. Make sure to take advantage of this benefit!

Computer manufacturers often have back-to-school sales.

Computer retailers often have black friday sales, and other various monthly sales. Use a price tracker like camelcamelcamel to make sure you are getting a good deal.

Computer Components

While computers are inherently technical, shopping for computers feels 10x more technical. Shopping for a computer is a learning experience. You want a computer that will last, but not one you'll have to pay too much for. So here's my computer components buying guide:

CPU

The primary part that determines the computer's overall speed.

• Choose Intel or AMD which are both perfect. Carefully consider Snapdragon X processors. Avoid MediaTek.
• Get something made in the past 5 years. 2, if possible.
• For Intel, avoid the old Pentium and Celeron names. i3, i5, or i7 are good if newer than 10th generation. Newest models are called "Core Ultra."
• For AMD CPUs, look for the Ryzen AI lineup. You may have to Google search each CPU. You don't want to go older than the 5000 series (5th generation), e.g. 5300U.
• You may have to compare each CPU with its release date (Intel, AMD) to make sure they are current, or check it against public benchmarks. Alternatively, purchase new from a reputable manufacturer (below).

RAM (Memory)

Determines how many things the computer can do at the same time.

• RAM is in short supply this year thanks to AI demand, which pushes the price up significantly.
• 8 GB is the bare minimum, but hasn't been a good amount for a few years.
• 16 GB is good, the normal amount for most PCs this year.
• Higher than 16 GB is fairly rare and usually pretty extreme.

Storage

Larger sizes hold more programs (typically small) and games (typically large), as well as photos and videos.

• The speed matters far more than the size of the disk. Traditional spinning hard drives (HDDs) are extremely slow in comparison to much faster solid state drives (SSDs), however a SSD won't hold nearly as much data as a HDD. The speed boost is far worth the trade - choose SSD over HDD! It's the difference between the computer starting in 5 seconds vs 5 minutes.
• 256 GB SSD is the minimum amount that will work, and it will just barely work.
• I recommend a 512 GB SSD (1/2 TB).
• It's rare to see a laptop SSD over 1 TB (very large), so watch out that you don't accidentally buy a HDD.

GPU (video card)

Determines how well the computer can render pixels in a game or run a local AI LLM.

• Gaming isn't significant for our class, so any built-in GPU that comes with the CPU ("Intel HD" series or "AMD Raden E" series) is good enough.
• GPUs are a significant cost center for PCs, but if you want the computer to play games, get a Nvidia RTX or Radeon RX series GPU.

Accessories

Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor.

• Laptops have all of these built-in, so they aren't required for the class.
• A wireless mouse can often help get things done faster, and you can bring one to class if you want.

Manufacturer

What computers are good?

• Most PC manufacturers are good, given they use genuine parts from known parts manufacturers (Intel, etc.).
• The top manufacturers are Lenovo, HP, Dell, Asus, and Acer. Of those, only HP and Dell are American.
• A few others I recommend are Microsoft (surface laptops) and Framework (DIY).