They’ll often give you a good idea of the build quality and performance.

Even if you can’t find a review of a specific configuration, try related models. Also watch out for eMMC storage, which is something we don’t recommend for a Windows laptop but works fine for a Chromebook. We have more explanation in our laptops versus Chromebooks buying guide, as well as in our primer on how to buy a budget laptop without getting screwed. What you want is “Full HD” or “FHD,” which means 1080p.ĭon’t buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage-though on a Chromebook, this configuration is acceptable. If you see a laptop labeled as “HD” resolution that means 1366-by-768 and often isn’t worth your time for a laptop under 13 inches unless the deal is absolutely standout. Our laptop CPU and GPU cheat sheet can help you shop smart.ĭisplay resolution is a gotcha. You’re going to need to pay attention with gaming laptops, too, as some GPUs, like the RTX 3050 Ti, don’t offer much boost over their RTX 2xxx-series cousins, and Nvidia has dropped the Max-Q designation on certain low-power options. Avoid laptops with Pentium or Celeron processors unless it’s a Chromebook (running Chrome OS). Buy laptops with Intel 10-series Core chips or higher, such as the Core i5- 10510U, or the Core i7- 11800H (for even more details see our Intel 10th-gen mobile CPU buying guide) or go with an AMD Ryzen processor (but not an AMD Athlon or A-series chip). If you’ve shopped online before for laptop deals you’re probably aware that there’s a vast range of laptop configurations available.Ī good place to start is with the processor. See the MSI GP66 Leopard at Newegg Laptop deal buying tips Overall, this laptop is a steal and the free headset really sweetens the honey pot. If you want to shave off another $100, you can turn in the mail-in rebate. Newegg even bundled a free MSI gaming headset with this purchase. For ports, it has one Mini DisplayPort, one HDMI, and three USB Type-A. The 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 1920×1080 and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. It has an Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, an RTX 3080 GPU, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. The MSI GP66 Leopard is a solid gaming laptop that promises strong graphics performance.

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