Need a laptop that’s fast, portable and won’t drill a hole in your pocket? You should get an ultrabook. What exactly is an ultrabook? It is a laptop designed for speed and portability. It also has a better than average battery life. It can also run most tasks fast, due to its powerful internal hardware.
Portability is one of the key goals manufacturers have for ultrabooks. They integrate compact hardware and high-capacity batteries. You can work on the go, without the need to keep the ultrabook plugged into a wall socket.
Due to their compact nature, you will hardly notice an ultrabook when carrying it around. They are great laptop choices for business individuals, engineers and college students. These notebooks work well for busy individuals that are always on the move.
What kind of performance should you expect from an ultrabook? Well, depending on their setup, most of them can run stock and even demanding software. Their hardware recipe provides a high-performance notebook without adding more weight.
Let’s move on to what internal components you should expect to find on these ultrabooks.
CPU
The CPU needs to be powerful. You should aim for a Core i5 or Core i7 processor with your ultrabook choice. Also, they should be from the 4th generation up to the 6th generation. Newer generation CPUs offer even faster performance and decreased power consumption. You’ll have an increased battery life. Also, you’ll enjoy higher system speed than with older generation laptops.
RAM
RAM, or system memory, helps the processor get work done. The more you have, the better your device will perform. The ideal range for an ultrabook is between 6GB and 16GB of system memory. This component helps when dealing with large software or opening up many tabs in your browser. Also, if you decide to opt for minimalistic memory laptop, then you should change the way you work. You have to get used to opening up fewer applications at the same time. This practice will decrease memory requirements. At the same time, it will offer snappier performance.
Storage
You need to store and retrieve information from your notebook. The hard drive plays a significant role. The type of storage you’re using impacts performance. You have two choices here: HDDs or SSDs. Getting an ultrabook with a regular HDD means massive storage capabilities, but decreased speeds. While HDDs used to be the norm, they are getting replaced by SSDs. An SSD uses flash memory to store information. They don’t rely on spinning disks, so they’re faster than traditional HDDs by up to ten times.
GPU
This component relates to the visual side of things. More, to how well your computer can render software interfaces or game worlds. You have two options to go with here: integrated GPU or dedicated GPU. An integrated GPU works fine for most everyday tasks. It can even allow you to play online games without any problems. But if you want to play modern 3D games, you will have to find an ultrabook with a dedicated graphics card. These games eat up a lot of resources, so your laptop has to handle this type of workload.
Now that you have a good idea of what an ultrabook should carry, you can make an informed buying decision.