Which Laptop/Desktop is the best for SMB Entrepreneurs? -

Looking for a new Computer or a Laptop for your new business? It’s good to be overwhelmed with information, but extra information like the deep technical stuff will be difficult for you to understand. To get your work done, you will have to select the right computer for your business, let it be a high powered desktop workstation or an ultra light laptop. This article will explain which computer or laptop is best suitable for your business. It is very important to see the features of the laptop which is benefited to SMBs. The less time you spend on maintenance the more time you will get to concentrate on growing you small business.

hp-spectre-13-3_right-facing-paired-with-wireless-mouse — HP Spectre x360

Laptop/Desktop Type

The first thing to be kept in mind is that what do you need? A desktop for the employees who sit in the office at their desks. Or any Director of the company who will need a laptop for the amount of work he has. He also has to travel for work and take his laptop for meetings and presentations. So therefore he will need a laptop.

Durability

A heavy investment on the breakdown of a laptop only after a limited usage is of no use. A solid constructed laptop will save a lot of money in the long run. The case of the laptop is to be selected depending on how the use of the laptop is going to be. Plastic case cannot be used for travelling as it flexes too much specially the thin and light laptops. Many vendors suggest magnesium and aluminium material laptops which are more rugged and not flex too much. Metals also shed chip-killing heat which is far better than plastic.

Keyboard

The modern trend of breathable keyboards, it allows heat to escape which keeps the laptop cool. But it is also a disadvantage, where air can go liquid can go too. In such cases remove the battery of the laptop immediately so that the liquid does not affect the battery and then let the laptop dry on its own. The most important thing in this case to remember is DO NOT SWITCH ON the laptop is any liquid enters it.

Processor

Processor of a laptop is the most important thing to make note of in a laptop while purchasing one. Processors are all about numbers, the more ‘cores’ it has the better the processor and it can process more data. The higher the processors clock speed the faster it will run, the clock speed of the processor is measured in Gigahertz or GHz. For word processing, online banking, basic e-commerce and all other basic things that can be done, slow processor will be enough. But if you have heavy production, rendering, or heavy data management requires fast processing to maximize function and productivity. For example, Laptops with Intel dual-core i7 2.90GHz chip are super fast laptops.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Random Access Memory (RAM) is the storage that is required while running programs on the laptop. The more the RAM storage the faster the programs will run. But the more the RAM storage the costlier the laptop will be. The key factor of seeing the RAM storage is to see whether the laptop can be upgraded more, which will increase the life of a laptop and the functionality of the laptop.

Storage

Digital storage is not the question of quantity but also of the speed, a Solid State Drive (SSD) is very fast and you can access your information quickly. Unlike Hard Disk Drives (HHDs), SSDs do not contain moving parts and store all the information on microchips. They are more energy efficient so SSD is more popular in laptops than desktops. But having external hard drives have their own importance, they can be carried anywhere and also come at a low cost. Laptops provide shock insulation for hard drives and also a sensor that can detect a fall and park the heads in the hard drive of a laptop and can prevent the hard drive from damage if it falls.

Operating System

Selecting a cheaper Home version of Microsoft Windows Operating System by small businesses is common and that is a big mistake a SMB can make. The home version of Microsoft Windows lack encryption, don’t play well on network domains, wont back up without the help of a third party Software. Business Productivity Software like Microsoft Office, etc come pre-installed for the laptop and the use of it can be worthwhile.

Graphics, Ports & Connectivity

A different graphics card is not necessary, the basic graphics card offered by Intel and AMD are more than enough for business tasks. There are some exceptions like atom processors found in netbooks, which do not give a proper output of a 1080p video smoothly.

Video Output: The graphics card and external monitor ports should match up with the projects which will be used for presentations. There is VGA port and HDMI port which are used for external displaying. The Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a 15 pin ports which is given on laptops, monitors, projectors, etc. A High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port is similar to a VGA but with a way better picture quality. A high speed HDMI cable can stream videos of 4K resolution.

Data Ports: A USB 3.0 port speeds back up of huge amount of data on external hard drives. Or else USB 2.0 will work fine for basic transfers.

Bluetooth: It connects your laptop to any other Bluetooth enabled device.

Broadband: When wifi is not available broadband connection is very useful. Some laptops have inbuilt broadband antennas so you can use an internal adapter, or an USB dongle will be needed for the services you use.

SDHC/MMC: Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) and Multi Media Card (MMC) slots are the slots which are given in a laptop which supports the memory card. If you want to transfer photos from a camera memory card slot is the fastest form to transfer.

All the above ports, connections can be implemented easily via appropriate USB adapters.

Peripherals

There are many peripherals which are available and can be very useful while using a laptop, especially when you are travelling.

There are many people who face a difficulty in using the track-pad on the laptop, so therefore a mouse is available for such customers. Headphones are also available for use if you are using the laptop in a noisy environment.

Optical drive: Majority or the laptops provide an optical drive, which are a must for installing some software or watching movies on a DVD or Blu-ray Discs. But these days as many people stream movies online/ download movies online the concept of CDs, DVDs is slowly fading. Also softwares can be downloaded and set up on the laptop without the use of the optical drive.

computer-accessories-equipment — Peripherals

Parts availability & platform stability

It is very difficult for customers to find any part which they require just after a short time of buying the product. This happens because if a laptop is released, and then if the upgraded version of the same laptop is released with minute changes then it is very difficult to find its parts of the previous model. Vendors are extra careful to provide their customers what laptop parts that they need in a short span of time.

Warranty

Majority of the business laptop companies offer warranties that are way more than the usual warranty which is offered to normal customers. The laptop companies offer a standard 3 year warranty which goes up to 5 years.

Service

Corporate offices generally rely on their own IT departments for service, but smaller businesses need vendor-provided 24/7 telephone support, as well as depot and on-site service. These kinds of service are especially important for users who travel frequently, and are not available with a consumer laptop, except as provided by the reseller, few of whom have any international scope.

Which Laptop to Buy?

There are many entry level laptops/desktops available in the market which are useful for SMBs.

Here are the specifications of a laptop and a desktop: