Requirements

You need to answer very important questions before you go to the notebook store. I call them frequently asked questions (FAQ). You can find my answers below. I’d suggest to write down yours on a sheet of paper.

1. What type of activities will I do?
   • Browse all types of web sites (including social media ones) at the same time.
   • Watch TV streams, movies offline and online.
   • Listen to music.
   • Use office applications - word, excel, powerpoint.
   • Keep lots of media files offline - music, pictures, movies.
   • Play games very rarely - puzzles, quests, adventure games.
2. How much cash am I willing to spend for a new notebook? - I’d advice you to put an upper threshold e.g. 750 EUR. Seek notebooks that are priced in last one third of its price. Value ranges between 500-750 EUR in my example.
3. Where will I operate with the notebook? - I will use the notebook mostly on Power AC adapter, but I’d expect to have a long battery life also, at least 3 hours long with normal usage.
4. How long do I want to use the new notebook? - The real answer is - it depends. Manufacturers say an average notebook’s life follows its warranty duration. I use notebooks much longer than that. My 2 last home notebooks are 13 years and 7 years old.
5. Can I upgrade the notebook easily?
   • RAM - I always look for enough memory slots. You can buy initially a notebook with less memory and extend memory size easily in the future. You need to buy just a new memory board with a particular size. For instance, I buy a notebook with 4 GB RAM integrated in the motherboard and 1 available memory slot which supports up to 32 GB size. I use the notebook first year with the initial memory. Then I decide to start developing software, I can buy additional 16 GB memory right away.
   • Hard storage (SSD/HDD) - Let’s say you buy 1 SSD. It will be a good option to add a second SATA hard drive at some point. For instance, you can use the second disk for storing large media files.
6. Do I need DVD/CD optical device? - No, I haven’t used DVDs/CDs the last 15 years. I always prefer to buy a second hard drive instead of DVD optical device.
7. Do I need fast and stable network connection? - Wireless network is sufficient if you don’t have a particular requirement. You can watch movies and listen to music online without any problem. If you want to multi-play with others on a modern game with rich graphics, better use wired network connection (Ethernet input port).
8. How much noise does it make? - I work from quite some time with a noisy notebook. It was fine at the beginning, but it puts now my nervous system to its upper limits. I’d highly recommend to pay attention to this aspect.
9. What display type should I look for? - I’m aware of selecting between IPS and TN (cheaper) display types. As you may think TN provides worse quality than IPS in terms of colors, view angles. IPS display type is one of my key requirements for buying a new notebook. I share a few links as a starting point to understand what are the exact differences:
   1. Windows Central: IPS vs TN display
   2. Display Panel Type Differences Defined - TN vs. IPS, PLS, VA, & More
10. What display size should I look for? - I usually use ~15.6 inch (ca. 40 cm) display size.
11. What screen resolution should I look for? - A common standard nowadays is Full HD resolution - 1920x1080 pixels.
12. What OS do I want to use? - Most people use the latest stable version of Windows 10. I do also honor Ubuntu Linux distribution.
13. Am I willing to pay for OS license? - No. I prefer to use Ubuntu. If you’re not a technical person I’d highly recommend to use Windows 10.
14. Which brand do I choose? - There’s no answer to this philosophical question. I have a good experience with Dell, Asus, Lenovo brands.
15. How much does a notebook weigh? - I prefer slim books for an entertainment entry-level notebooks. They weigh between 1.5 - 2.5 kg.
16. Where do I buy it from? - Find the best retailer in your region. Most notebook makers provide options to buy directly from them or from their trusted partners. PC’s makers list their partners very often on their official site. I use Laptop.bg online store in Bulgaria.

I feel responsible to address the needs for playing modern games. I cannot give you exhaustive advice. Definitely you need to buy a notebook with a discrete GPU (separate dedicated video card). The biggest players on GPU market are Nvidia and AMD.

Hooray. Now you know what you want from your new notebook.

Hardware specification

I share directly a notebook model which complies very well to the answers above - Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15IIL05 (link is in Bulgarian). This notebook is an entry-level model. It’s best used for entertainment, education, business.

Brand name	Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15IIL05
CPU	Intel Core i5-1035G4 4 cores / 8 threads
Motherboard Model	LENOVO LNVNB161216
Motherboard Chipset	Intel 495 (Ice Lake-U PCH-LP Premium)
GPU (graphical card)	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 940 (integrated into motherboard)
GPU memory	1 GB
Memory (RAM)	4 GB DDR4 integrated module + up to 32 GB memory slot = 36 GB total
SSD (hard disk)	NVMe Drive Model: KINGSTON SA2000M8250G
SSD capacity	at least 250 GB
HDD (hard disk)	SATA 6 Gb/s, at least 5400 rpm, drive model: TOSHIBA MQ04ABF100
HDD capacity	at least 1000 GB
USB port	2x USB 3.1, 1x USB 2.0
Ethernet port (RJ45)	No. Most slim books (even Apple-based) don’t provide a built-in port.
Battery life	4-5 hours
Display	15.6 inch (ca. 39.62 cm), IPS, 1920x1080 (Full HD)
Display port	1 HDMI 1.4b
SD card reader	1 available
Audio/Sound	1 Combined jack for both speakers/headphones and microphone
Weigh	1.7 kg
Price	~570 EUR for 12 GB memory size

If you are a curious geek and want to know more about the hardware specification, your are in luck. I’ve generated a detailed report with all tiny details.