Laptops

Choosing the Right Laptop for Your Content Creation

May 16, 2023 by Paul Schwegler

Are you an influencer? Or do you aspire to join the more than 50 million people making content for YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram? If you want to be a content creator, don’t struggle with a computer that isn’t up to the task. Considering these factors can help you land the best laptop for your needs.

Yes, the average person can take a video on their smartphone and post it for friends to enjoy, but when you’re serious about your video editing or creating high-quality, long-form content, you’ll need more.

To make your content look professional, pay attention to these factors. It will help you choose the laptop that sets you up to be the next Spielberg.

Video card

Pay attention to the video card. Also known as a graphics card, this is the piece of the computer that renders images on the display.

A laptop typically has a less robust video card than a desktop. That’s because laptops are often thinner. For the benefit of mobility, you compromise on the space available for a beefier graphics card. The card may also run slower because the card needs to be efficient without setting the laptop on fire.

So, when selecting a laptop with plans to edit video, do your research. You can easily find rankings for “laptops with good graphic cards” online. You can get away with an RTX 2080 (that’s a few generations old). Ideally, though, you’ll want the RTX 3080 or Intel Iris Xe.

Processing power

The laptop’s processing power can also play a role in your video editing success. A lot of video editing software needs multi-core processors. You can think of it as having many arms to get different things done at once.

For a PC laptop, go for at least an Intel i9 CPU. For Mac, a modern Macbook Pro with an M2 Pro CPU is a good choice.

Memory

For your laptop to be able to do many things at once, you also need powerful memory. Random access memory (RAM) is what you’ll be comparing here. RAM loads the operating system, runs video editing software, and performs other background functions.

At minimum, you’ll want 16GB of RAM, but the more you have, the better. Obviously, the budget will factor in here.

Storage

Your storage capacity also impacts how efficiently you can do all that you want to do.

If you’re working in Full HD (1920 × 1080), you could have some big project files to move around. The more storage you have, the easier this will be.

You’ll be choosing between hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs). SSDs are good for working on the fly. They can run faster, as they don’t use any mechanical parts, but they can cost more.

A good idea is to work off your SSD for your current editing needs. Meanwhile, you can store archived videos and completed footage on a second hard drive. This can be on the laptop if there’s space, or you can attach an external HDD.

Display

Whether you are the star of your content or someone else is, you’ll also want to consider laptop display size. There are two main display types: Twisted Nematic (TN) and In-Plane Switching (IPS) panels.

TN panels cost less, but you can lose color accuracy on angles. The IPS panels give you more color at more angles, but they cost a little more.

Connectivity

You might want to attach an external HDD or connect to a larger desktop monitor. In that case, look for accessory ports and external display connectivity.

Need help deciding on the laptop that best suits your content creation needs? Our experts are here to help. Connect with us today at (515)422-1995

Why is My Brand New Laptop So Slow?

July 28, 2020 by Paul Schwegler

Your old computer is beginning to slow down. So, you invest in a shiny new laptop. The clouds part and the sun shines down on this bright and lovely new device. Everything will be faster and easier. Only, from the first day, the new laptop is lagging. Why is it running so slow? One of these might be the reason.

#1 Not enough computing power.

In many cases, the laptop doesn’t have enough RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM is the computer’s main memory. This helps your computer do more at once. Information from the operating system, application programs and data are kept here, when in use, for quicker processing.

RAM is like the computer’s short-term memory, while the hard drive is the long-term memory. Just as the human brain can’t hold everything in short-term memory, RAM can get overloaded too. When this happens on your laptop, the computer processor needs to go to the hard drive. This slows things down.

Resolution: You might see 4GB, 8GB, 16GB or more of RAM available. How much you need is going to depend on what you plan on doing with the computer. For a laptop with Windows 10, we recommend at least 8GB of RAM, but 16GB is more comfortable for a better experience.

Not all laptops will let you access the RAM. When you can, though, upgrading memory can be quick and affordable.

#2 Mechanical hard drive.

Often a single part is letting you down. With a less expensive computer, manufacturers skimp. While it’s less common these days, some laptops will come with a mechanical hard drive. You might think of this like a record player with a needle reading the vinyl album. Since something is moving to find data, the laptop runs slower than it would with a Solid State Drive (SSD), which has no moving parts.

Resolution: In many cases, a mechanical hard drive can be easily upgraded to an SSD. However, some super slim laptops have limited upgradability.

#3 Bloatware.

Retailers like to tout all the bells and whistles that come with their laptops. So, when you turn on your laptop for the first time, you may notice there’s already a lot of software preloaded. Much of it you’ll probably never use. Maybe there are toolbars you don’t need, games you’ll never use, or stock widgets that you couldn’t care less about. These examples of bloatware slow down your computer.

The third-party applications are a revenue source for the manufacturer, but don’t always help you. Microsoft, for instance, sells a line of computers that come without any pre-installed third-party software. Computerworld reported those PCs “start up 104% faster, shut down 35% faster and have 28 minutes more battery life.”

Resolution: When you get a new laptop, check out the pre-installed software before you add your own. Determine what the existing software will do, and uninstall anything that you won’t want.

If your laptop is slow on the first startup, this may be due to system updates. For instance, a Windows 10 automatic update to bolster the security of the computer. You can’t do much about these, but look on the bright side, your laptop security is current!

Improved speed is a main reason to invest in a new laptop. Don’t let a lagging laptop disrupt your productivity. We can help with a slow running laptop.

Instead of wasting valuable time waiting on a slow computer, give us a call at (515)422-1995!

Is Your Laptop Running Hot and Loud?

February 25, 2020 by Paul Schwegler

Laptop computers commonly heat up a little in normal operation. Electronic components, including large capacity batteries, become warm in use. Your laptop should never become too hot to handle though.

When a laptop turns hot to the touch or starts to sound like a jet engine, it’s likely beginning to overheat.

Modern laptops use nearly silent fans to cool components and keep the system is comfortable and safe to use. In some cases, the sound the computer makes is the best tool you have to diagnose its running condition. Excessive heat causes the fans to work harder and faster to compensate. This jet engine sound is one of the first clues you have to indicate all may not be well.

Why So Hot

Because of their compact size and portability, laptop computers are particularly prone to overheating problems. Their tiny footprint puts electronic parts closer together, creates less room for cooling vents and adds a heat generating battery which introduces more hot air into the system.

Most laptops have small fans that suck in cool air, passing it over metal fins to exchange heat from the case. The resulting hot air exhaust is expelled through vents back into the room. This process prevents heat building up inside the machine. The constant air cycle keeps the laptop running cool no matter the workload placed on it.

This process can be interrupted by any number of factors during operation. Alongside cool air, computer fans can also suck in dust, stray hairs, even cigarette smoke too. Smoke in particular contains thick tar which coats the fins, fan blades, and internal components.

Foreign debris inside the machine prevents components from working at their best. Tar, dust, and hair slows down the internal fan and coats the heat generating components and cooling fins. This coating prevents air exchange and keeping components warm as if they were under a blanket.

Causes of Overheating

Sometimes the way a laptop is used can cause it to overheat too. Resting a laptop on thick carpets, blankets, or soft furnishings can block vents, preventing the fans from sucking cold air in or blowing hot air out.

Leaving the machine running on carpet or furnishings, particularly for extended periods of time, can cause overheating issues and introduce extra dust into the components too.

The best place to rest a laptop while in use is on a hard surface such as a desk, table, or lap tray. This allows air free access to the vents and helps prevent dust and hairs getting inside the machine.

Overheating Results

As the computer starts running hotter for longer, its fan will attempt to compensate by running faster and more often. This results in the “jet engine” noise many users report when their computer is struggling to keep up.

Unfortunately, once dust, hair, or tar has already found its way into the machine it is notoriously difficult to clean out. The only way to reset the machine to run cool and quiet is to disassemble the base and clean out its components.

Much like a car engine, computer components have a designed temperature range in which they can safely and reliably operate without any issues. Extended periods of running above the temperature they are designed for can cause damage, sudden failures, and drastically shorten the designed lifespan of the computer.

Unlikely Causes

Often times seemingly random blue screen computer crashes can be traced back to components that have been overheating inside the computer. As heat builds up, vulnerable components start to fail, sometimes temporarily, in the hotter temperatures.

By the time the computer is rebooted and cooled down the issue is seemingly resolved. Back in operation, the computer heats up once more and eventually crashes again. These irregular crashes are highly inconvenient and can sometimes cause data loss too.

However, these symptoms are minor compared to a complete write-off of the machine. For some users, the first sign that their machine is too hot to run safely is when the motherboard is burnt out or their data storage has been irreparably lost.

If your laptop is running hot to the touch or has started to sound loud or irregular, bring it to us for a thorough clean out. You can also call us at (515)422-1995