The biggest reason to buy more than that is if you’ll be playing games or using professional apps like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or Premiere.

Memory: Most people can get by just fine with 8 GB of memory.

These processors are a good baseline if you’re playing 4K video or connecting to 4K monitors, and they have additional processor cores that help when you’re opening lots of tabs or switching between multiple apps at once.

Processor: Look for a tenth-generation or newer Intel Core i5 or i7 processor (Core i5, or i7, followed by a number in the 10000s or higher) or a 3000-, 4000-, or 5000-series AMD Ryzen processor (Ryzen 3, 5, or 7, followed by one of those numbers).

Avoid 1366×768 (also called HD) screens, which look worse and tend to use inferior TN technology. Screen resolution: We prefer laptop screens with a 1920×1080-pixel resolution, also called 1080p or Full HD, but some older laptops might get by with 1440×900 or 1600×900 screens.Used-computer listings don’t always specify the display technology, but 1080p screens are more likely (albeit not guaranteed) to be IPS. Screen type: For notebooks, look for IPS displays, which provide better color reproduction and viewing angles than cheap TN displays (WVA displays, although rarer and not as good as IPS, also usually look okay).But buying a computer with a hard drive and upgrading it to an SSD yourself can allow you to save some money. Storage: A 128 GB or larger solid-state drive is preferable to a larger but slower mechanical hard disk drive, in both reliability and responsiveness.But if you buy a computer with 4 GB, check to see if you can upgrade the memory yourself-you can almost always upgrade a desktop, but lots of laptops don’t allow it. Memory: For basic web browsing and app usage, 4 GB is the absolute minimum.Processor: Choose a seventh-generation or newer Intel Core processor (look for a model number that starts with Core i3, i5, or i7, followed by a number in the 7000s or higher).

Buying used macbook pro