Choosing Laptop Parts: Memory, Storage, Screen, Charger
Practical advice for configuring a laptop: how much memory and storage you need, which screen size suits you, and how the charger rating is worked out.
In short: Pick the chassis size first, then the mainboard for performance, memory as a matched pair (16 GB for most people, 32 GB for heavier work), at least 1 TB of storage if you keep files locally, and let the builder size the charger for you.
A configurator is only as good as the choices you make in it. This guide goes through the builder in the order that makes sense, with plain advice for each step. The builder will stop you from choosing parts that do not fit, so the question here is not what works, but what is right for you.
Start with the chassis
The chassis sets the size, the screen options, the keyboard and how many ports you get. Think about where the laptop will live.
- 13.5 inch: light and easy to carry, with fewer port bays.
- 14 inch: the all-rounder for most people.
- 16 inch: a bigger screen, more room, and the only chassis with a bay for the optional graphics module.
Pick the size first. Everything after it follows from it.
Then the mainboard
The mainboard decides the processor, the type of memory, how many storage drives fit and how much power the laptop draws. A more capable board costs more and needs a bigger charger. If you mostly browse, write and video call, you do not need the top one. If you edit video, compile code or run virtual machines, spend here before you spend anywhere else.
Memory
- 16 GB is a comfortable default for everyday work.
- 32 GB suits heavy multitasking, development and creative work.
- Two modules beat one. A pair runs faster than a single module of the same total size, so choose two when you can. The builder warns you if you pick one.
Your board takes one type of memory only, and the builder shows only that type.
Storage
Fast NVMe drives are the standard. 500 GB is a minimum, 1 TB is comfortable, and more is cheap relative to how annoying a full drive is. The number of drives you can add depends on the board, so check how many slots it has if you want a second one for backups or large projects.
Screen
Choose by how you work. Resolution and refresh rate matter, but so does size: a 14 inch screen at a sharp resolution often beats a 16 inch one at a basic resolution for reading text. The builder offers only the screens made for your chassis.
Keyboard
Pick the layout for the language you type in: US English, UK English, German or French. The 16 inch chassis also offers versions with a number pad. The builder shows only the keyboards that fit the chassis you chose.
Expansion cards: your ports
Each card gives you one kind of port, and the chassis has a fixed number of bays. Two USB-C and one USB-A suits most people. Add HDMI or DisplayPort if you connect to monitors, the microSD reader if you move files from a camera or a drone, and Ethernet if you work on a wired network. Nothing is locked in: you can swap a card later.
The charger
The builder works out the minimum for you: the board's power draw, plus the graphics module if you chose one, plus 30 W for the screen, storage and ports, rounded up. It never goes below the graphics module's own requirement. A charger smaller than that is blocked.
A bigger charger than the minimum is fine, and a smaller one is not.
The operating system
Choose the one you will actually use. We install it and test that the laptop starts and runs before it ships.
Before you check out
Look at the summary. If a part feels like a stretch, it probably is. Spend where you will notice it every day (memory, storage, screen) and save where you will not.
Ready? Open the builder or start from a preset. To pay, see the guides for Bitcoin and Monero, or the coins page.