There is a wide range of laptops available today, offering various sizes, features, and price points to suit different needs and preferences. For some, this can make the process of choosing the perfect laptop slightly daunting. This guide aims to help alleviate some of the stress that comes with trawling through endless options and terms that, at times, can look like gibberish.
Perhaps you are looking for the ultimate entertainment laptop to play games and stream movies on, or perhaps you need one that will keep up with your work or study while you're on the go. Whatever you’re looking for, here at PB Tech, we have a wide range of laptops that offer varying degrees of portability, power and performance that will satisfy your needs and budget. We’ve provided a few tips below to keep in mind when buying your next laptop.
What will you be using this laptop for?
The internal and external specs of a laptop will vary to suit different purposes. These are some things to consider based on what your laptop will be used for.
| Gaming | Business/Work | School/Uni | Home |
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| Gaming Laptops | Work Laptops | Student Laptops | Home Laptops |
Operating System (OS)
First of all, it’s a good idea to identify which operating system (commonly known as OS) you want to go with. You may already have a preference. However, if you’re unsure, take a look below to see some advantages and disadvantages of each of the platforms available.
Microsoft Windows
- The world's most popular OS with the largest range of supported software
- A large range of laptop choices in comparison to Chrome and Mac
- Specially designed features for touchscreens and voice controls
- Typically offers more value for money spec-wise compared to macOS
- Windows 10 support ends on 14th October 2025, so opt for Windows 11.
Apple macOS
- Sleek and stylish design
- Supports cross-functionality with iPhone, Siri, iCloud, Apple Watch, Apple Pay, etc
- Offers a slightly smaller variety of software choices (although most main software is available for macOS)
- Some newer models lack ports, and you may need to pay for additional accessories
- Premium price
Google Chrome OS
- Inexpensive
- Compact and lightweight
- Limited to web apps created by Chrome
- Good battery life
- Portable
- Often durable
- Great for school or a child’s first laptop
Shop by Operating System
Know Your Internal Specs
Looking at spec sheets may be daunting at first, but it’s important to make sure you’re getting the one that best fits your needs. As mentioned above, you need to consider what you plan to do with your laptop, as this will determine which components you need to look out for. For example, if you want to do intensive 3D gaming, more components may be required. See below for common components you should be aware of when purchasing your new Laptop.
CPU
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is essentially the brain of the computer, sometimes referred to as the processor. It facilitates the machine's ability to carry out operations, from simple tasks like browsing to complex processes like heavy-duty gaming or programming. It plays a key role in performance, and there are a few key characteristics to be aware of. Aside from the processor model, the number of cores and clock speed (Gigahertz or GHz) are also worth considering. More cores and higher speed essentially mean it can execute more tasks simultaneously and efficiently.
- Some less expensive laptop models have Intel Celeron or Intel Pentium CPUs, which offer long battery life. However, they tend to struggle with high-performance and productivity tasks. Web surfing and general daily tasks are less demanding, so laptops with these types of processors are ideal for those with light workloads and basic needs.
- If reliable performance across a range of tasks is important to your laptop needs, go for an Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 series processor or higher.
- Those with more demanding needs, such as video editors, graphic designers or engineers, should look for a laptop with a CPU from the Core i7, i9 or Ryzen 7, 9 series or higher.
- If you’re a power user or dedicated gamer with top-notch needs, a Core i9 would be ideal.
NPU
Modern laptops increasingly include Neural Processing Units (NPUs), specialised chips designed to accelerate AI tasks. NPUs help improve performance and battery efficiency by offloading AI workloads from the CPU and GPU.
If you're considering a laptop with AI-enhanced features, NPUs are worth keeping in mind. We'll be exploring NPUs and AI-powered laptops later in the article in more depth. With the direction in which the world is heading, having a laptop that can handle AI tasks is definitely a wise choice.
RAM
RAM (Random Access Memory) plays a huge part in defining the laptop's proficiency. RAM stores the data that is actively being used or processed by the CPU. This means that when you're surfing the web, watching Netflix, or playing games, all of the data the CPU needs for those tasks is stored in the RAM. A higher capacity means more data can be stored for quick access, leading to more efficient multitasking and software operations. Thus, if you are heavily multitasking or using demanding software, you would require more RAM, measured in gigabytes (GB). The type of RAM also matters: DDR4 is still common in many laptops, but DDR5 is the newer standard, offering faster speeds and better energy efficiency.
- Basic tasks (web browsing, email, word processing): 8GB is the new minimum for smooth performance.
- Multitasking and productivity apps (e.g., spreadsheets, light photo editing): 16GB is ideal.
- Gaming, video editing, 3D rendering, or software development: 16GB - 32GB or more, depending on workload.
Solid State Drives (SSDs)
Storage is an essential part of any laptop, housing all of your files, applications, operating system, and everything else that you will be saving or installing on your device. SSDs (Solid State Drives) have become the norm in modern laptops, and it's for good reason. They're much faster than the older HDDs (Hard Disk Drives); with no moving parts, they have faster read and write speeds, which leads to faster boot times, file transfers, and application response times. Ultimately, the SSD determines how much data your laptop can hold.
Recommended SSD Sizes by Use Case:
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- Basic tasks (web browsing, documents, cloud-based work): 64GB - 128GB (common in Chromebooks and budget laptops).
- Every day, home, or student use: 256GB is a good balance of space and cost.
- Media-heavy users (photos, videos, music): 512GB or more is recommended.
- Creative professionals or gamers: 1 TB+ is ideal for handling large files and software.
Tip: If you don’t need constant access to all your files, consider using an external hard drive or cloud storage to supplement your SSD.
Battery Life
If you're buying a large and bulky laptop that will only be used near a power outlet, you don't need to worry as much about battery life. However, if you’ll be using your laptop away from an outlet, and often out and about, you’ll want a laptop that has a good battery life. You should look for one that can last at least an entire school or work day of 9 hours plus. Battery life will vary between models and depend on screen brightness as well as the tasks you perform on your laptop, so it’s good to think about how you will be using your laptop when considering battery life. Typically, powerful laptops will have less battery life. So if you're going for a high-spec laptop for gaming or other intensive tasks, you should be prepared to compromise a little on battery life.
- As a bare minimum, the laptop should offer at least 6 hours of battery life.
- If you need to be fairly mobile with your laptop, such as using it to work on the go or at university, you should look for a laptop that offers 9 hours or more of battery life.
Tip: Features like fast charging and USB-C power delivery can also make a big difference in day-to-day convenience.
GPU (Graphics Card)
The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is responsible for rendering images, video, and animations. It’s especially important for gaming, video editing, 3D rendering, and AI workloads.
Integrated vs. Dedicated GPUs:
Integrated GPUs (e.g., Intel Iris Xe, AMD Radeon Vega) are built into the CPU and share system memory. They’re fine for everyday tasks, streaming, and light gaming.
Dedicated GPUs (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX, AMD Radeon RX) have their own memory and deliver significantly better performance for demanding applications.
Who Needs a Dedicated GPU?
- Gamers who want smooth frame rates and high-quality visuals.
- Creatives working in Adobe Premiere Pro, Blender, or DaVinci Resolve.
- Engineers and developers who are using CAD, simulations, or machine learning tools.
Know Your External Specs
Display Resolution
The display is pretty important when it comes to user experience. It impacts how you view the content that's on your screen, whether it's for work, study, gaming or media consumption. The two fundamental aspects to consider in your display are the resolution and screen size. The resolution refers to the number of pixels displayed on the screen. The greater the number of pixels, the more detail and clarity you will see.
Recommended Resolutions by Use Case:
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FHD (Full HD) - 1920×1080 pixels (1080p)
A great all-around option that balances clarity, performance, and battery life. Ideal for most users. -
QHD (Quad HD) - 2560×1440 pixels (1440p or “2K”)
Offers sharper visuals than FHD. Great for gamers, designers, and anyone who values premium image quality. -
UHD (Ultra HD) - 3840×2160 pixels (4K)
Delivers ultra-high detail, perfect for professional photo/video editing or high-end gaming. Keep in mind: 4K displays consume more battery and may be overkill for casual users.
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Tip: If you're buying a laptop for creative work or gaming, also consider the refresh rate (e.g., 120Hz or 144Hz) and panel type (IPS or OLED) for better colour accuracy and smoother visuals.
Display Size
Choosing the right-sized laptop screen is also important. It ultimately comes down to how portable you need your laptop to be and how much screen real estate you need. Generally, laptops are categorised by their display sizes, see below:
11-12 inches: An 11-12 inch laptop is the lightest and thinnest system. This size typically weighs 1-1.5 kgs. As this is the smallest size, the screen and keyboard may be too confined for some users. However, devices of this size may be perfect for children who need a laptop to take to school.
13-14 inches: This size provides great portability and usability, and usually weighs around 2kgs, although many are lighter these days. This size will fit comfortably on your lap, in your bag, and still give you generously sized keyboards and screens. This is an ideal size for a student or business worker who wants a device that is portable. For certain applications and interfaces, 13-inch screens may not provide enough screen space, which can become frustrating and detrimental to productivity. Be sure to consider the applications and interfaces you will be using if choosing a screen of this size.
15 inches: 15” is the most popular laptop size and is perfect for those looking for an all-rounder laptop for everyday use. This size tends to work well for a wide range of work purposes, so it is also great for students or business workers who aren't overly concerned with portability (that being said, if you find a slim and lightweight 15" laptop, you can get the best of both worlds).
17-18 inches: If you want to play high-end games or do workstation-level productivity, you may want to consider a 17-18 inch model. Laptops this size can pack in high-speed quad-core CPUs, graphics chips and multiple storage drives. The downside is that laptops of this size tend to be heavier, therefore less portable.
When shopping for a laptop, it’s a good idea to, if allowed, physically handle the display models to get an idea of how heavy the laptop will be. Another idea is to bring a bag that you will be using to carry the laptop in with you to see if the screen size fits the measurements of the bag. Alternatively, measure your bag inside and out and bring these measurements with you. Keep in mind other items you may be carrying with you, like chargers, headphones, personal items, etc.
Durability
If you're frequently on the go, using the laptop in an environment where knocks and bumps are likely (such as children in a classroom), or simply wanting a long-lasting laptop, you should consider the durability of a laptop as well. The construction quality of a laptop can directly influence its lifespan, with the premium laptops often boasting robust and durable builds incorporating aluminium or carbon fibre, while more budget-friendly options may feature plastic casings. Bear in mind, though, that durability often serves as a balancing act against weight and portability - a more rugged laptop might come with added bulk.
- Some laptops are designed to prevent wear and tear with elements such as water-resistant keyboards or rugged designs. Look out for these features if you think your laptop may be prone to being dropped or having food and drink spilt on it.
- If you’ll be using your laptop for strenuous work or running multiple programmes, make sure the laptop has a suitable cooling fan or a passive cooling system. There’s nothing worse than having your laptop overheat on you and losing precious work or data.
- Think about purchasing some additional accessories to protect your new laptop, such as a case or carry bag, keyboard cover and/or screen protector.
Laptop Style - 2-in-1 Hybrids
A number of hybrid 2-in-1 laptops are also available, offering greater versatility in one device. These laptops bring the best of both worlds, doubling as both a laptop and a tablet by using bendable, rotatable, or detachable screens. If you’re regularly going to use your laptop in slate mode or want flexibility to use your laptop as a standalone tablet, you may want to consider these versatile designs. These models offer touch-screen capabilities. We recommend browsing the Microsoft Surface range as it includes some of the best options, but there are great 2-in-1 laptop options from many other brands too!
Other Things to Consider
AI-Powered Laptops
As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into everyday computing, a new generation of AI-powered laptops is emerging. These devices are designed to handle on-device AI tasks more efficiently, offering smarter performance, better battery life, and enhanced user experiences.
What Makes a Laptop “AI-Powered”?
AI-powered laptops typically include:
- A dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for accelerating AI tasks.
- Support for on-device AI features like real-time transcription, background blur, voice isolation, and more.
- Integration with AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot, Windows Studio Effects, or other productivity-enhancing tools.
- Optimisation to run AI workloads locally, meaning they don’t always need to send data to the cloud. This results in faster performance, improved privacy, and reduced battery drain.
Benefits of AI-Powered Laptops
- Smarter multitasking: AI can prioritise background tasks, manage memory, and optimise performance based on your usage.
- Enhanced productivity: Features like live captions, automatic meeting summaries, and intelligent search help streamline your workflow.
- Better battery life: NPUs offload AI tasks from the CPU and GPU, reducing power consumption.
- Creative tools: AI-assisted photo editing, video enhancement, and content generation are becoming standard in creative apps.
Who Should Consider One?
- Students and professionals who use AI-enhanced productivity tools.
- Content creators working with AI in Adobe, Canva, or DaVinci Resolve.
- Remote workers who rely on video calls and collaboration tools.
- Early adopters who want a future-ready device.
What to Look For
- Laptops with Intel Core Ultra, AMD Ryzen AI, or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips.
- Branding like ‘Copilot+ PC’, ‘AI PC’, or ‘AI-ready’.
- Support for Windows 11 AI features and on-device AI acceleration.
Tip: AI-powered laptops are still evolving, so choosing one now can help future-proof your setup as more apps and operating systems adopt AI features.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The keyboard and trackpad functions are an integral part of how you use your laptop. It’s important to make sure these elements are both comfortable and easy to use.
- Make sure the keyboard is large enough for your hands to easily reach and press all keys, and that the keys aren’t sticking or feel too loose.
- The touchpad should be satisfying to click, easy to grasp, pinch, scroll and click with, and have the ability to adjust touchpad sensitivity to suit your preferences.
- Alternatively, if you prefer to use an external mouse or keyboard, make sure there’s the ability to use wireless accessories or plug in with a USB port.
- Backlit keyboards are a great option for those using their laptop in low-lit areas, such as the bedroom, at night, or gaming with the lights off.
- Smaller laptops (<15 inch) usually don’t include the NUMPAD keys, and this can be an issue for some users.
Ports
Laptop ports allow users to plug in, charge, and use multiple devices on their laptops. It’s a good idea to consider what you’ll be using your laptop for and what type of connections are required from your other devices. Below is a list of ports, what cables/products these would use, and what context they’d be used for.
USB Type-A: The classic rectangular USB port. Used for connecting flash drives, mice, keyboards, external hard drives, and more.
USB Type-C: A modern, reversible port that supports fast data transfer, video output, and charging - all in one.
Most new laptops include at least one USB-C port, and many accessories are shifting to this standard.
Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt 4 and 5 ports look like USB-C but offer much faster speeds and support for high-resolution displays (up to 5K or dual 4K), external GPUs, and ultra-fast storage. Ideal for creative professionals and power users.
HDMI: The go-to for connecting a laptop to a large display, be it a monitor or projector. Great for business use and presentations, equally suited to playing music videos on YouTube through your big screen TV at home.
Ethernet: This connects a laptop to a local area network. Commonly found on modems/routers/powerline adapters, it's great for business, home, or anywhere you want to connect to the internet, and Wi-Fi isn't a viable option. A must-have for frequent travellers and hotel visitors. Many thin laptops no longer include Ethernet ports, but USB-to-Ethernet adapters are available.
Display Port / Mini Display Port: This is similar in many ways to the HDMI option above, but is more commonly found on laptop docking stations, 4K monitors & ultra-fast monitors. It's extremely fast, even at high resolutions, and generally has the bandwidth needed to update the image on screen more rapidly, which is why we see it as a standard on 144Hz Gaming Monitors and above.
Card Reader: Many modern laptops omit this feature, but it's still necessary for some. Usually, laptop card readers are optimal for SD-sized cards, but watch out for extra information in the description for other card sizes too, as many are multi-sized. Having a card reader is great - SD cards are a great slim storage option with a low cost, and that makes them a solid option for storage and backups. A MicroSD card adaptor can also be used to easily insert the memory card from a phone, so you can copy all the photos to your PC easily.
3.5mm Audio Jack: This can either be a single port for both the headset & microphone, or separate ones for each (sometimes coloured pink and green). This port can be used for a range of audio devices, including speaker systems, headsets, earphones and amplifiers. Useful for home & business.
Audio
While most laptops include a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones or earphones, many users prefer to enjoy music, videos, or work without them. If audio quality is important to you, here are some key factors to consider:
What to Look For:
- Does the laptop have built-in speakers, and how is the sound quality?
- Is the audio clear and balanced at different volume levels?
- Can you connect external speakers or headphones (via 3.5mm jack, USB, or Bluetooth)?
- Will sound quality impact your experience? (e.g., Are you a music producer, video editor, or frequent content consumer?)
- Are there any audio enhancements or certifications?
Tip: When shopping online, it can be hard to judge speaker quality. Look for reviews or check the specs for audio certifications.
Audio Certifications/Brands to Look Out For:
- Bang & Olufsen - Often found in HP laptops, known for premium tuning.
- Dolby Audio/Dolby Atmos - Delivers immersive, spatial sound with clarity and depth.
- Harman Kardon - Common in ASUS laptops, designed for rich, full-range audio.
Find Your Perfect Laptop
We hope this guide was helpful in your laptop buying process. To weigh up the different options on the market, head over to our laptops department for NZ's largest range of laptops!
