As business owners, you have to admit that employees don’t just use their laptops for work-related purposes. Many employees who don’t have a laptop only rely on the office laptop for online shopping, daily tasks, or other semi-work-related tasks. This is especially true with start-ups that rent/buy countless laptops.
I have often observed that employees in the creative industry struggle to create quality content, especially when you provide budget laptops, as they don’t have the necessary specs. The same goes for regular office professionals who do simple browsing and use spreadsheet software. This is why I am writing this guide to help businesses get the right kind of laptops for their employees.
Try going for core ultra processors
This section is going to be very important for non-tech-savvy business owners. It’s better to pay attention now if you think you’re one of those.
The laptops with Intel’s “i” series processors are really old and are certainly a bad choice and not a good fit for long-term use. Therefore, it’s better to get laptops with the Intel Core Ultra series processors. For those who don’t know: They are able to handle multitasking activities and background AI tasks pretty efficiently.
Main takeaways:
- Prioritize laptops with the latest CPUs if your employees fit in this category: graphic design, video editing, programming, or 3D animation.
- What I mean by old “i” series processors: Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7. If you see these specifications on laptops means they are from an old CPU lineup.
- Modern CPUs to look for in laptops: Intel Core Ultra 5, 7, or 9.
Always check for enough RAM
Believe me… the days of 8 GB RAM laptops being enough are over. I know that the lower prices for these laptops might look attractive at first, but you’ll end up regretting it later when they slow down. And either way, you’ll be overpaying for these laptops due to the inflated prices due to the RAM crisis.
Minimum amount of RAM needed: 16 GB
Tasks where RAM is very important: Running large applications such as Adobe software, virtualization, data science tasks, and heavy programming. If none of your employees will be doing this, it would be better to rent 8 GB RAM laptops.
Key highlights:
- It is better to rent 16 GB RAM laptops if they’re too expensive for you.
- 8 GB RAM laptops are not suited for heavy tasks. They might’ve worked 5 years ago but definitely not today.
- The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is a great choice that meets the RAM and CPU requirements that we discussed earlier. Don’t forget to use verified coupons at checkout so that you get lower prices.
Should you get MacBooks?
MacBooks actually make great work laptops for your employees, especially for long-term use. But I wouldn’t recommend them right now, as the premium price tag plus the RAM crisis leads to an even higher price tag. Hence, they are not worth the investment as of now. Anyway… if you’re really stuck on getting these, then it’s better to get the recently launched MacBook Neo.
Key takeaways:
- It’s best to choose Windows laptops if you prioritize Copilot AI features.
- MacBooks are generally more expensive than Windows laptops.
- Apple MacBook Pro laptops cost way more than MacBook Air and MacBook Neo.
Regular vs gaming laptops
Most non-tech-savvy people mistake “Gaming” laptops as devices designed for gaming only. The word “gaming” is primarily used as a marketing term, and these laptops aren’t only used for gaming.
They are great at handling creative tasks such as video editing, 3D modelling, and graphic design tasks. If you have a content creation agency or a marketing department that does heavy-duty tasks, then these might be your best bet. Regular laptops, on the other hand, are capable of handling slightly less resource-intensive tasks.
Main highlights:
- You might notice the prices for some gaming laptops are close to custom gaming PCs these days. Hence, it might be a better idea to get PCs if your company policy doesn’t allow employees to take their laptops home.
- It is better to rent laptops if you’ve got more than 30 employees with job roles related to content creation.
Only get laptops with latest GPUs
In simple language, you could say a GPU is a device that determines how good the visuals on your device are and the total FPS(frames per second) on the screen. If possible, I’d recommend getting laptops with RTX graphics cards rather than GTX graphics cards. Just look for labels like RTX 5090 and RTX 3050.
Regular laptops don’t have dedicated graphics such as RTX or GTX GPUs, but feature integrated graphics, resulting in budget-friendly prices. This is one of the reasons why regular laptops cost way less than laptops with dedicated graphics.
Key takeaways:
- The laptops with GTX series GPUs are outdated and may struggle.
- Buy/rent the RTX 20 series laptops if you’re on a strict budget.
- Laptops with integrated graphics are great for employees in HR, sales, and accounting.
- Don’t forget to get essential items like screen protectors and cloud storage to make their daily tasks easy.
Ending thoughts
The main question business owners should ask themselves is whether they’re comfortable with buying laptops or renting laptops. Renting budget laptops with at least 16 GB RAM is a good idea if you’re in a startup. Many medium-sized to big companies rent as well as buy laptops, depending on how fast they want to grow their workforce.
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