The pandemic took all of us by surprise as shops closed, businesses closed, and people are forced into their homes. Jobs suddenly became doable from home, as well as school. Amidst all of this, the clamor for a PC that can handle business, education, and entertainment at the same time grew.
If you’re one of those who prefer using a PC for all your needs, then the pandemic has been easy to ride out for you. You might’ve completed a game or two, watched some movies, or even finished school or office work on it. It’s no biggie, but you need to understand that your laptop or PC isn’t immortal.
Chip manufacturing notwithstanding, PCs are built to last at least a few years before you have to buy another one or upgrade it. Have you checked your PC lately? Lakeside Manufacturing and other trusted companies share a nifty guide on how to future-proof your PC.
Choosing the Processor
The processor, or the CPU, is an integral choice for someone building a future-proof PC. There are two choices usually — AMD or Intel. If you don’t have the money for it, lean towards a single-core system with the option to upgrade later. There will always come a time when you need to upgrade, and with each improvement CPUs always become more affordable.
The choice between Intel and AMD can be made simpler if you know what you’re going to use the PC or laptop for. AMD is known for its use in gaming PCs, but Intel is fast catching up in that department.
Motherboard Choices
Again, the choice of motherboard matters when you’re making a decision between heavy media use or for documentary purposes only. Nowadays, most laptop and desktop motherboards installed can handle all but the heaviest requirements for watching movies, gaming, and other internet-heavy uses.
Perhaps one point of interest you should remember are the ports on a laptop or PC motherboard. These ports should account for the rapid changes in technology. Today, most motherboards have Type-C ports as well as a Thunderbolt provision, but in a few years or a bit later, there’ll be another round of changes in ports. It’s hard to foresee these changes but all you can do is to open your desktop or laptop as much as possible for replacements.
Choosing the Memory
There was a time when 4 GB RAM was already big. Nowadays, the standard for a decent laptop or desktop stands at 8 GB. The premise here is that if you can afford it, go buy it. Going from 8 GB to 16 GB RAM quickly is not unheard of. Most games or apps that run on current systems are heavy on the RAM.
Even as of the moment, advanced cards are being developed. Most laptops already come standard with an 8 GB card. The option to upgrade is cheap too and some laptops are even upgradeable up to 32 GB.
What About the Graphics Options?
Unless you’re building a super gaming computer, graphics card installation is based on choice. A well-made laptop will always have either an onboard or separately boarded GPU, while PCs are easier to install GPUs on.
In gaming cases, GPUs run the gamut of buying for the minimum settings of a game to going for the heavy-hitters — these are GPUs that can run games at the Ultra settings. If you’re building a gaming PC, go for a GPU that will fit into your gaming choices (modern GPUs for modern gaming). A standard GPU will fit if you’re not going to heavily rely on gaming, though.
Final Thought — SSDs and Hard Drives
Another modern innovation, SSDs work like USBs. They fit right into the M.2 slots of modern systems and are better options than traditional hard drives. The latter uses discs to record information; SSDs store information on a chip and is rather quicker to use.
Modern laptop setups feature SSDs in their setups, among others, while it is quickly catching on with the PC crowd. Again, remember how quick files are read when using an SSD as compared to a hard drive. If you’re a heavy gamer, then using SSDs to load large game files is better than just using an HD to play.
When you’re building a PC or buying a laptop, all you really need to pay attention to is the CPU, the storage, and battery life. What you plan to use the PC or laptop for goes into the account. When you know what you want to use the machine for, though, what kind of build you’re looking for will become clearer.
