The common problem that plagues the mind of any programmers or aspiring developer is always the issue of what computer to get in other to be able to dispense coding optimally.
But thank goodness we now live in an age that has turned the world into a global village, thereby making it easy for us to sit in the comfort of our homes and order a computer from anywhere in the world.
But then, another issue presents itself, even though the world is now a global village, there is the problem of credibility, security, and over-saturation of information.
So how then can we order for a computer from a reliable source? And secondly, what should we be on the lookout for when buying a computer for coding?
For the first question, look no further, for inside-tech is not only a reliable source but also a one-stop e-commerce store all your computer needs. And for the latter, read on to gain some insights.
Display
For most programmers, this is not an issue, unless you are involved in very heavy graphics or video editing, then you might be inclined to go for something with a 4k display which is as of now the best form of monitor out there, followed by ultra-HD, and LCD.
Generally speaking, any display should be fine for coding, but you want to bear in mind that if you decide to go for the LCD display, make sure you go for the one with an In-plane Switching (IPS).
What this basically does is to enable you to see all the images and figures on your screen even when viewed from an angle, because a traditional LCD does become blurred or disfigured when viewed from an angle.
Screen Size
The size of your screen boils down to your personal preference. Some people have eye problems and would rather work on a big screen, but if you don’t mind working on a small screen then, by all means, go for it.
But from a programmers point of view and from personal experience, the bigger the better, one because you will be able to distinctly see all your coding plus whenever there is an error, and you are evaluating your program for a bug or two, you most definitely will appreciate a big screen as it will be easy to spot your errors and fix them.
Graphics
As a programmer, graphic isn’t a big deal at all except maybe you have other hobbies like gaming in which you will have to go for a very strong rendering graphics card that can support heavy gaming environment.
But if the sole purpose of your computer is coding, then don’t pay much attention to getting an advanced graphic-card. A standard graphic processing unit (GPU) will do.
Mobility
Depending on whether you are cut out for sitting down for long hours or you are the one who likes to change positions very often and more so if you intend to travel a lot and code from different parts of the world.
Then you know you will probably have to go for a laptop for easy mobility. There are uncountable laptops out there that are very suitable for programming. The only downside though, is that it comes with a moderately higher price tag when compared with their desktop counterparts.
Processing Speed
This is something you might want to pay attention to. Now depending on the programming language, the size of the program you intend to write and the number of programs you intend to execute (run). You might need a processor with a lot of processing power anywhere from two cores to 8 cores.
The advantage of having a processing unit with a higher speed and a lot of cores is that sometimes you might be writing or developing two or three different programs at the same time and the final stage might involve the fusion of all three separate programs to form one holistic unit.
It trickles down to what you intend to do. There are different coding languages out there and various applications as well. Do your homework and know what language you will be specializing in, and what applications you want to be writing!
Ram
Random-access memory (RAM) is basically responsible for the speed at which applications are accessed on your computer. So yes, you should consider getting a computer with not too high a ram and not too low a ram.
You should aim for 8 gigabytes of ram and above. Any below 8 for the ram size, will not be palatable—not that you cannot work with that—but you might have glitches from time to time. And I don’t need to tell you how irritating that can be for a programmer. You can read more at this link.
Storage
Most modern computers now come with a solid-state drive (SSD), which as the name implies, is a solid device and does not have any moving part embedded in it. Which unlike its predecessor—hard disk drive (HDD) that came with a spinning disk inside the storage unit by which data was stored.
Now the advantage of having a solid-state drive is that data and application are stored efficiently and rapidly because there are no moving parts within it, thereby increasing the average runtime speed. Not just that, an SSD makes for easy access and opening of programs, folders, or information that is stored on it.
Battery
This part is not really important if you live in an already developed nation with uninterrupted power supply. But if some reason you live in a country without a constant supply of power, then you either want to go for a UPS station that gives you ample time to conclude whatever it is you are doing on the system and shut down.
Or better still just go for a laptop that has long battery life.
Like we talked about earlier on, If you are someone who lives in a developed nation, and knows that you have an affinity for traveling or camping. Then the best bet will be to go for a laptop that is equipped with long-lasting battery life.
Brand
Nothing can be made to perfection without costing too much money, and because of that singular reason is why we have things like warranty, so that in the event that a component or system application breaks down, there is always some form of insurance to cover it.
So you might want to do a little research and look for brands that not only offer an extended warranty but also has aftermarket OEM parts and components—so that you can either upgrade or repair if your warranty expires.
But you should know that if you opt for a notebook, there wouldn’t be much you can do to upgrade aside from changing ram and SSD.
Finally
The last but not the least–-Operating system—! This has always been an issue of contention amongst programmers. There is always the argument of which operating system one should opt for in terms of Windows, Linux, Mac, and Chrome.
The answer to this is very simple. It depends on the code you are writing. If you specialize in dot.net code, which is a platform on which Microsoft operates, then, by all means, use a windows operating system. The same thing applies to other operating systems.
