Laptop buying guide: find the right notebook

Notebook sales consultants

Find the right notebook class for office, study, mobile work, creative projects or gaming – tailored to use, mobility, display and budget.

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Calculate notebook recommendations

Choose what really matters. The result indicates a reasonable minimum configuration and the appropriate device class.




Recommended class:
Reasonable minimum configuration:

The most important purchase criteria

  • Memory: 16 GB is the reasonable standard; for large media projects, virtual machines or CAD, 32 GB is often useful.
  • SSD: 512 GB is suitable for most users. 1 TB is worthwhile for many photos, videos, games or local projects.
  • Display: Pay attention to at least Full HD, sufficient brightness and an anti-reflective surface. For image processing, good color space coverage is more important than extremely high resolution.
  • Connections: Check USB-C with charging, external monitors, card readers, HDMI and docking compatibility before purchasing.
  • Reparability: Replaceable storage, accessible SSD, available spare parts and a good warranty extend the useful life.

Appropriate Notebook Classes

All-round Notebook

For office, web, streaming and video conferencing. Important are 16 GB of RAM, a 512-GB SSD and a solid IPS display.

Price-conscious · 14–15 inches · good everyday usability

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Mobile Business Notebook

For commuters, study and hybrid work. Prefer a robust 13- or 14-inch device with long runtime, good keyboard and USB-C docking.

Mobile · robust · dockable

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Creator Notebook

For development, photo, video and CAD. 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB SSD, high color display and, depending on the software, a dedicated GPU plan.

Powerful · true to color · lots of memory

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Gaming Notebook

For games and GPU workloads. More important than a thin case are a current graphics card, good cooling, upgradeable RAM and a fast display.

High graphics performance · 144 Hz or more · Good cooling

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Apple MacBook Air

A quiet and mobile choice for macOS users. The current MacBook Air with M5 starts with 16 GB of shared memory and 512 GB of SSD.

macOS · silent · high mobility

Watch MacBook Air *

Linux-ready notebook

For Linux, check WLAN in advance, fingerprint sensor, energy-saving functions and docking. Business series usually have the more reliable documentation.

Check compatibility · Prefer a Business Series

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Fast orientation

Use RAM SSD Processor and graphics
Office and everyday life 16 GB 512 GB Current mid-range processor, integrated graphics
Study and mobile work 16 GB 512 GB Efficient processor, long battery life
Photo, video, development 32 GB 1 TB Powerful CPU, Dedicated GPU When Needed
Gaming and 3D 32 GB 1 TB Current Dedicated GPU and Powerful Cooling

Frequent questions

Is 8 GB of memory still enough?

This may suffice for a cheap second device. For several years of use, modern browsers and parallel applications, we recommend 16 GB.

Is a shiny OLED display always better?

OLED offers strong contrast but can mirror and require more energy depending on the model. For long office work, brightness, anti-reflection and ergonomics are often more important.

When is a dedicated graphics card worth it?

Especially for gaming, 3D, certain CAD applications, local AI workloads and sophisticated video editing. For Office and Web, integrated graphics are usually sufficient.

Status: 18. August 2026. The consultant provides a pre-selection. Before purchasing, check the specific model number, keyboard assignment, connections, display variant, upgradeability and warranty. At Apple, the MacBook Air M5 is officially available with 13- and 15-inch display, 16 to 32 GB of shared storage and 512 GB to 4 TB SSD; Lenovo lists the ThinkPad E14 Gen 7 AMD as an up-to-date, expandable business notebook.