In classrooms these days, it's easier to spot students using laptops or tablet PCs instead of writing notes on paper. 

Rather than searching for printers to print course materials, students look for Wi-Fi and power outlets. 

Although laptops are essential for university students, purchasing a new one isn't an easy decision. To help those struggling, here's a guide to make the process easier. 

Understanding laptop specifications

CPU: CPU stands for central processing unit, which interprets program instructions, controls the operation of the computer and handles arithmetic and logical operations. It's usually called the computer’s brain and determines a computer's performance. Companies such as Intel and AMD are famous for their CPUs.

As CPUs are key to a computer's performance, understanding processor names can help you find the best option for you.

Take Intel's CPUs as an example. When looking at its CPU names, you'll see something like this: the Intel Core i5-10210U CPU @ 2.11 GHz.  

The i5 CPU above has a quad-core four-thread processor. Quad-core means there are four actual cores in one CPU, and having four threads means there is one thread per core. There's also a quad-core eight-thread processor, which is faster in processing information as there are two threads per core.

When deciphering the five-digit numbers that come after the processor name, people can look at the numbers in two parts. The first two digits, or 10 in the example above, mean it's a 10th-generation CPU. The number that comes after refers to the detailed performance of the 10th-generation CPU.

The alphabet that comes after the five-digit numbers, or U, is a suffix that represents the CPU's characteristics. For example, H means highest performance, P means performance optimized for thin and light laptops, U means power efficient, Y means extremely low-power efficient. Students can choose from various suffixes according to their desired level of performance, power consumption, and battery efficiency.

The clock pulse, represented by 2.11 GHz in the example above, represents the CPU's speed. But even if the clock speed is fast, the processor class is more important in determining the computer’s overall performance.

RAM: RAM stands for random access memory. It's a volatile memory in which stored content is lost when the power supply is interrupted. It's where the computer temporarily stores necessary information while running programs. The more RAM storage, the better the multitasking ability.

SSD: SSD stands for solid-state drive. It's a nonvolatile memory that can retain stored information even when the power supply is cut off, and it's often referred to as the computer's storage. SSD affects the booting time of the operating system.

GPU: GPU stands for graphics processing unit. It's a computing device for graphics. The GPU reduces CPU load when processing computer graphics or dealing with image and video processing.

Depending on the mounting position of the GPU, the characteristics of the laptop handling graphics are divided into internal graphics and external graphics. For internal graphics, the GPU is in the computer's built-in component. For external graphics, the GPU is in the graphics card plugged into the computer's motherboard's socket.

Personal tips  

If it's still difficult to understand which laptop could be the best for you, here are some personal tips.

For those who will do simple documentation tasks, choosing laptops with an i3 or i5 CPU, 4GB or 8GB RAM, a 128GB or 512 GB SSD, and an internal graphics can be good.

For students majoring in design, architecture and mechanical engineering, and who need to do 3-D modeling, it's good to choose an i5 or i7 CPU and an 8GB or 16GB RAM for multitasking. Choosing a 512GB SSD, as these students will be using large files, and considering an external graphics card is also a good option.

External graphics cards can be good for those playing games, editing videos and doing machine learning work.

Those looking for a coding laptop may want to check keyboard arrangements such as how big the shift and arrow keys are. A screen size of 15 inches or larger is also good.

In addition, students should also check what kind of ports the laptop has. For example, if you have an HDMI port, you can connect to the monitor to see the screen in a big way, if you have a C-type charging port, you can charge it with a light C-type charger, and if you don't have a USB port, it can be cumbersome to connect multiple devices.

Apart from specifications, it's also good to check out websites that offer student discounts.

When choosing brands, keep interoperability with your other devices in mind. Even if you choose to use a laptop that's a different brand from your existing gadgets, using cloud storage can help. 

This article has been contributed by Noh Hyun-jin of The Ajou Globe, an English-language publication from Ajou University.

BY STUDENT REPORTER NOH HYUN-JIN [noh0605@ajou.ac.kr]