Most of us use computers every single day, so it only makes sense that we would want a computer that can handle whatever daily tasks we need to complete. With all of the choices there are, it can be a bit confusing to know what you should get! I've gone through a few computers during my time in school and work, everything from Chromebooks to mac-books and even Alienwares, so I have a decent idea of how all of them preform! Today I will be going over a few different brands and models of laptops, discussing their pros and cons. Hopefully this can help you decide which computer you want to use!
Mac-books
Starting with the laptops I have the least experience with, we have mac-books! While I have never owned a Mac-book personally, I have had to use them frequently throughout my many years in school. The reason I have never personally gotten one is that I grew up with Windows computers and the apple interface just doesn't appeal to me. Aside from that, and some minor compatibility issues in both software and hardware, Mac-books are great for creating and editing documents, videos, and audio files! All in all, Mac-books are pretty great for both classes and your daily work life!
Chromebooks
Out of any computer I have ever used, I have never hated anything as much as the tiny Chromebook I carried around for my freshman year of college. There are a few reasons I dislike the Chromebook so much, in fact, I think I could write an entire book on the thing, but to keep it short I'll only list the major points. First off, The Chromebook runs on an android operating system, which means that it can run anything a phone can, but nothing else. This means that you cannot have executable of any kind that aren't found on the google play store. Another consequence of this is that everything you can do on the Chromebook is limited entirely by the play store. This includes basic functions like printing and casting your screen. Because of Faulty software (the only software available) nine times out of ten I was unable to use the Chromebook to print anything at all! But it only gets worse from here, the second main reason I dropped my Chromebook for a Lenovo is that the Chromebook couldn't even load single page PDF's in under 5 minutes. Anything that took any significant amount of processing power would completely stall out the Chromebook to the point of it needing to be restarted. Because of this, I couldn't even use it to look at articles and blogs online because anytime the adds would refresh, the thing froze up! In short, save your two hundred something dollars and spend a little more to get a laptop that's worth the money.
Standard Laptops
I absolutely adore the Lenovo laptop I have! Out of every PC I've used, this one (I'm currently using it to write this) has been the most useful. It has enough processing power to use any PDF or site while still being light enough to carry anywhere! With the added benefit of being able to moderate how much battery life you use by either turning the performance up when its plugged in or down when its not, you can get an amazingly long life per charge. While I am speaking for specifically a Lenovo right now, I've noticed that many standard laptops do come with similar features and performance. However, you should always check the specifications and reviews on a computer before you buy it, as many things can vary! As far as work and school go though, simple is better, so I highly recommend you stay away from the lighter more gimmicky computers, and just get a reliable normal laptop.
Alienware (Other Gaming or Heavy Duty Laptops)
Finally we come to the monster machines. In my personal experience, it is completely impractical to lug a gaming laptop around with you. Of course, every computer is different, much like every person, and I have seen friends and colleagues make this work. However I just couldn't do it! When I graduated High school I decided to get an Alienware 17-R4, I was thinking that because it was a laptop, I could use it for both school and gaming at home. But, when school finally came around I found that a computer that weighs over fifteen pounds with a seventeen inch screen size is completely impractical to carry around or store! Aside from that, the storage and performance are absolutely amazing, but as a side effect, when the laptop isn't plugged in it has less than an hour of battery life. In short, you can make a gaming laptop your primary computer, but it is a fair bit inconvenient.
Hopefully this guide can be of some use to you if you're deciding on a new computer! Remember that you should always look at the specs and reviews of each computer you consider buying, or else you might get stuck with something you hate!