What PC Specs Do You Actually Need?

People message me with links to laptops asking if they're any good. Or they come in with a printout from Currys. They've stared at a wall of specs — processor model numbers, RAM figures, storage sizes — and have no idea what any of it means in practice. Half the specs on the shelf label don't matter much. A couple matter a lot. And with a few of them, what's enough today and what'll keep the machine feeling quick in four or five years are different numbers. Here's which is which.

The spec that matters most: SSD vs hard drive

More than RAM, more than the processor, the single most important thing in a laptop is whether the storage is a solid-state drive (SSD) or a spinning hard drive (HDD). This is not a subtle difference. An old 2015 laptop with an SSD will feel faster than a brand new budget laptop with a spinning disk for the things most people do — opening the browser, starting Word, loading files.

Look for "SSD" explicitly in the storage specification. If the listing just says "1TB" or "500GB" without saying SSD, check — it might be a spinning hard drive. "512GB SSD" is what you want to see. "1TB HDD" or just "1TB" without further detail is a warning sign. Some listings bury this or make it hard to find. Worth the minute to check before you buy.

How much RAM do you need?

• 4GB — don't buy it. Windows 11 needs the better part of this just to run. You'll feel the shortage immediately in everyday use.
• 8GB — fine for email, web browsing, video calls, Word and Excel. This covers the majority of people.
• 16GB — worth having if you work with photos, run a lot of applications at once, or do light gaming. The step up from 8GB is noticeable if you push the machine.
• 32GB — video editing, 3D software, heavy multitasking. Most people will never need this.

Here's the thing with RAM though. What works today isn't what'll work in three years. Windows and Chrome both get greedier with each update — look at how 4GB went from comfortable to unusable in about five years. 8GB is heading the same way. If you're spending £500+ on a laptop and want it to last past 2029, spend the extra £30-50 for 16GB. That's the real sweet spot between not overspending and not fighting the machine in year four.

Processor: generation beats clock speed

The GHz number is mostly a distraction. A higher clock speed doesn't mean a faster processor — processor design and generation matter much more. An Intel Core i5 12th generation at 1.8GHz is significantly faster than an Intel Core i5 7th generation at 3.1GHz. The gap between generations is that large.

The generation number is in the model number. For Intel Core processors, the first two digits after the "i5-" (or i7-, i3-) tell you the generation — so a Core i5-1235U is 12th generation, a Core i5-7200U is 7th generation. For Ryzen, the first digit after "Ryzen 5 " or "Ryzen 7 " does the same job — Ryzen 5 7530U is 7th generation, Ryzen 5 3500U is 3rd.

As a rough guide: aim for Intel 12th generation or newer, or AMD Ryzen 5000 series or newer. Anything below that is getting old enough to think carefully about.

This matters for longevity too. Microsoft already hard-blocked Intel 7th gen and older from running Windows 11 — no workaround, no override. The further back you go in processor generations, the sooner you'll hit a wall where your chip can't run the current version of Windows. Software requirements creep up every year. Buying a recent generation buys you time before that wall arrives.

Storage size

256GB is the practical minimum for a machine you're actually going to live on. Windows 11 takes about 50-60GB. Your applications, documents, photos, and downloads eat the rest. 128GB will run out in a year. 512GB is what I'd recommend if you want the machine to last — after three or four years of updates, photos and accumulated files, 256GB gets tight. 1TB is plenty and means you'll never think about storage again.

But as covered above: what it is matters more than how much of it there is. 512GB SSD beats 1TB HDD for everyday use, every time.

Graphics

For everything except gaming, the graphics chip built into the processor is fine. Intel Iris Xe, Intel Arc, AMD Radeon built-in — all handle video calls, photo editing, streaming, and normal office work without any issues. You don't need to pay extra for a dedicated graphics card unless you game.

For gaming: you need a dedicated GPU. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 laptop chip is the minimum I'd suggest for modern games — below that and you'll be running games on lower settings or struggling with newer titles. AMD has equivalents (the RX 7600M area). Don't let a salesperson sell you a "gaming laptop" with an RTX 3050 or GTX 1650 and expect it to handle current games well.

What this looks like in practice

For email, web, streaming, video calls, Word/Excel: Intel Core i3 12th gen or Ryzen 3 7000 series, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD. Budget: £450-650. Don't go under £400 — at that price point the build quality and components suffer in ways that show up within a year.

For photos, video calls, general use with some headroom: Core i5 12th/13th gen or Ryzen 5 7000 series, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD. Budget: £650-900.

For gaming: the GPU dictates the budget. RTX 4060 laptop minimum for modern gaming. Pair with a Ryzen 5 7000 or Core i5 13th/14th gen, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD. Budget: £900 upwards. The GPU is where the money goes.

If your budget is flexible and you want the machine to last as long as possible, the middle tier is where the value sits. Stepping from 8GB to 16GB RAM and from 256GB to 512GB SSD adds maybe £50-80 to the price and typically adds two or three years to how long the machine feels comfortable. That's the cheapest insurance against "it was fine when I bought it but now it's slow."

Spec traps to watch for

"1TB storage" without specifying SSD. Check before you buy.

eMMC storage — a type of flash storage used in cheap tablets and some budget education laptops. Even slower than a spinning hard drive for most tasks. It'll say "eMMC" or sometimes just "flash" in the fine print. Avoid.

"32GB + 1TB" dual storage — some budget laptops advertise this as though it's a generous spec. It means 32GB of eMMC (where Windows lives and has no room to breathe) plus a 1TB spinning hard drive. Avoid entirely.

1366x768 display — this resolution still appears on cheap laptops and looks blurry on anything over 13 inches. 1920x1080 (Full HD) is the minimum worth accepting.

Refurbished laptops are worth considering. A 2-3 year old business laptop from a reputable seller with a 12-month warranty and an SSD fitted often represents better value than a new budget machine at the same price. Check the seller's warranty terms before buying.

If you're looking at a specific model and want a second opinion, I'm happy to have a look — either send me the link or bring a printout in to my computer repair shop in St Helens.

Mark

Mark has been fixing computers since the late '90s and went self-employed in 2008. Based in St Helens since 2013, he works evenings and weekends from his home in Laffak — friendly, affordable repairs for PCs, laptops, and Macs. See reviews on Google