buying a new computer

I'm writing this post since I just purchased a new laptop and every time I need to get a new laptop, I find myself asking myself the same five questions: 

1. How much storage do I need? (i.e. what size hard drive do I need?)  
2. How much RAM should I get? 
3. What balance should I strike between RAM vs storage? (i.e. should I go for a larger hard drive or more RAM?)
4. What type of screen should I get? Do I need a really high-end OLED screen?
5. Which version of Windows?

Well the answers to these questions are really about how you intend to use the computer so that should be the one of the first questions. (Even before these questions came into play, I had already chosen which laptop I intended to buy-- more on this later)

How do I use my computer?

So how do I use my computer? Since I'm an academic, I tend to do a lot of writing, researching online (with [way too!] many tabs open), and I sometimes run data analysis programs or work with some very large datasets. Given that work process, how much storage and how much RAM will I need?

Let's start with the storage or hard drive. Hard drive storage is permanent storage on a computer. Things saved to the hard drive stay there even when the computer is turned off . For example, the operating system (OS) and all software programs are installed onto the hard drive. The size of the hard drive is  important for the speed and performance of the computer because the computer needs to easily access the hard drive. So when we start running out of room on a hard drive, performance will be impacted. If you need to install a lot of software (especially big programs such as graphics editing programs) or video games or you save lots of videos and photos on your computer, then you'll need a larger hard drive.

So what about RAM? Think of RAM as quick access and temporary memory-- what your computer needs when it's running software programs. If you're writing a paper on Word, the computer may first go to the hard drive to open the software, but the actual work you're doing on your new document is initially stored in RAM. In general, the more RAM you have, the faster your computer can work. A better example, might this description of working in a resource-heavy program such as SPSS. My SPSS software program might be installed on my hard drive-- but the speed with which I can open SPSS will depend on how full my hard drive but especially on how much RAM I have on my computer; the more RAM my computer has, the faster the program will open. Even more important, the more RAM my computer has, the faster it will be able to run the data analyses. Here's a nice guideline for how much RAM one needs based on uses:

• 8gb RAM: you basically use your laptop to browse the Internet, send email, watch videos (probably how most people use their laptops). 
• 16gb RAM: for those who use their laptops a little more-- in addition to browsing the Internet, sending email, watching videos now and then, but also do writing, multitasking. 
• 32gb RAM: for those who are gaming on their laptops, intensive graphic arts work

Here's a table:  

8gb	Internet browsing, email, listening to music, or watching videos
16gb	Internet browsing, email, Word Processing, spreadsheets, running simple graphics programs, flash games, music, videos or multitasking
32gb	High performance gaming, multimedia editing, high-definition video, graphic design / 3D modelling, intensive multitasking

(view this post to see how to add a responsive table in Blogger) 

So which computer to buy?

I'd already settled on buying my third XPS for a couple of reasons. First, I've always found the XPS's keyboard to be most comfortable of any laptop I've tried. Because the keyboard spans nearly the entire width of the laptop, my hands never feel too squished or positioned oddly (and I have tiny hands!). For example, as I wait for my new laptop, I've been using my 15" HP Envy and because the speakers are situated on either side of the keyboard, I find that the keyboard has considerably less space and typing on it feels very cramped (see image). Worse, I can't seem to get used having the Home key next to the Backspace key and I find myself constantly hitting the Home key when I try to delete something-- which makes any extensive typing a much slower process. I honestly hate this keyboard!

I also chose a 13" laptop over a 15" or even 17" laptop because I wanted a laptop that was superlight (< 3 lbs) and even lightweight 15" laptops tend to be more than 4lbs.

So what configuration should I get?

I terms of storage, I don't install as many software programs as I used to because so many programs are now online. I also do not play video games or store a lot of videos or music on my computer so I thought a 512GB hard drive would be more than enough. (I'm also old enough to remember when my first ever laptop had all of 2GB of hard drive so a 512GB hard drive sounds downright fantastical!)

In terms of RAM, I know from experience that 16gb of RAM is definitely sufficient:  

• My first XPS had 8gb RAM and I thought it worked absolutely fine for my needs. It did run a little slowly when I using SPSS or other data analysis programs. 
• But my second XPS had16gb RAM and I was blown away by the performance difference when running resource-hogs such as SPSS or otherwise working with large datasets. 

With those decisions made, I went on to consider the screen. Touch-screen? What type of screen-- FHD+ or OLED? Again, I tailored my choice of screen to how I actually use my computer. 

• Some people don't use touch screens that much. In my case, I use it all the time since I am of an age when enlarging things is really important. So I decided on YES for a touchscreen.
• FHD+ or OLED? A stunning OLED would be great for watching videos, graphic arts, or playing video games. Of course, such a beautiful screen will eat up battery life. Since I don't usually do any of the former and I prefer a longer battery life, I decided the FHD+ screen was more than sufficient for me.  

Finally, which operating system, Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro? There are some extras with Windows 11 Pro, but to be honest, I don't use the extras enough to warrant getting Windows 11 Pro. I decided, like most people Windows 11 Home would be sufficient.

In summary, I decided an XPS 13.3 with 512GB SSD, 16gb RAM, a FHD+ touchscreen, and Windows 11 Home would be ideal.  

I was ordering from Dell Outlet so I was limited by what laptops they had available. I found that the price difference between 16gb of RAM and 32 gb RAM was relatively small so I settled on a laptop with 32gb of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Then, I noticed that they had another laptop with 1 terabyte of storage for only $20 more! In the end, that's the one I ordered: a Dell XPS 13.3 Plus with 

• 1T SSD, 
• 32gb RAM, 
• a HD+ touch screen, 
• and Windows 11 Home

As an extra, I had an issue with payment and ended up calling Dell Sales and the very nice associate offered an extra 2% off the outlet price-- score!! After I get the laptop, I'll make another post about installation.