How to choose
What's worth knowing before you buy: running costs, sizes, differences between technologies and which option suits your case. Straight answers, no padding.
25 topics · See all guides with products →
Computing
- Should I buy a laptop or a desktop PC to work from home? For most home office work — documents, browser, video calls, light design — a laptop plus an external monitor, keyboard and mouse is the sweet spot: you get portability and good posture at once. A desktop only wins if you never move, want the most power per peso, or do heavy work like video editing, 3D or gaming.
- Is a mechanical keyboard worth it for working from home? If you type for hours every day, yes: a mechanical keyboard lasts longer, feels more comfortable and, being separate from the laptop, lets you sit properly. But it won't make you faster or fix a bad posture on its own, and the noise can be a problem on video calls. If you type little or share a room, a good scissor-switch keyboard is enough.
- What do I need to look and sound good on video calls? In order of impact: light (face a window or a lamp, never with your back to it), then audio (headphones with a mic beat the laptop's mic and kill echo), then camera height (raise the laptop so the camera is at eye level). Those three, most of them free, matter more than any webcam. Buy a webcam or a ring light only after you've fixed them.
- Is a curved or a flat monitor better for working? For a normal 24 to 27-inch monitor, flat is the safe choice: it's cheaper, distortion-free for text and spreadsheets, and you won't notice the curve anyway. Curved only earns its keep on wide screens — 34 inches and up, especially ultrawides — where it wraps the edges toward you and cuts down eye and neck movement. Below that, don't pay extra for the curve.
- Is a second monitor worth it for working from home? If your work means looking at two things at once — writing while reading a source, coding while testing, being on a call while taking notes — a second monitor is one of the cheapest real productivity upgrades: you stop losing time switching windows. If you focus on one task at a time, or your desk is tight, it's clutter you don't need. An ultrawide is the alternative when you want the space without the middle bezel.
- What height should my monitor and chair be? Monitor: the top of the screen at or just below eye level, about an arm's length away, tilted slightly up. Chair: feet flat on the floor, knees around 90°, hips level with or just above the knees, and elbows at about 90° when your hands are on the desk (desk height around 72–75 cm). If your feet don't reach the floor, use a footrest; if the monitor is too low, raise it with a stand or a stack of books.
- Should I get an ergonomic office chair or a gaming chair for long work hours? For eight hours of work a day, an ergonomic office chair is usually better: breathable mesh back, adjustable lumbar support and an upright posture. The gaming chair is comfortable, cheaper and looks great, but its reclined race-car back and padded 'winged' seat are made for gaming, not for sitting up straight and typing all day. If it's your only chair and you do a bit of everything, a good-quality gaming chair works; if you work long hours, prioritize the ergonomic one.
- How do I set up an ergonomic home office without spending a fortune? Spend in this order: first the chair (it's the only problem you can't fix with a hack), then monitor height (often free, with a stack of books), and only then a separate keyboard and mouse. Those three points define your posture; the fancy desk and nice accessories come much later.
- What monitor do I need for a home office? For work, the sweet spot is a 24 to 27-inch monitor with Full HD (24") or QHD/1440p (27") resolution, an IPS panel and — crucially — adjustable height to raise it to eye level. Bigger than 27" on a normal desk makes you move your head; 4K only makes sense at 27" and up. Prioritize height adjustment over inches or refresh rate.
- What WiFi router do I need for my home? For a flat or a small house, a dual-band router is enough. For a large house, two storeys or thick walls, a mesh system of several nodes beats a single router, because there the problem isn't power but coverage. And if you use the router your provider left you, replacing it usually improves the signal noticeably.
- How much RAM do I need in a laptop? For work, 16 GB is today's reasonable minimum: a browser with several tabs, a video-call app and a spreadsheet already use 7 to 8 GB. With 8 GB you'll always be at the limit; 16 GB keeps the laptop comfortable for years and is the upgrade with the best price-to-benefit ratio.
Appliances
- How much electricity does an air conditioner use per hour? A 12,000 BTU split uses between 0.9 and 1.4 kWh per hour depending on its efficiency, but only while the compressor is working. That's the key: a conventional unit switches on and off at full power, while an inverter lowers its output once it reaches temperature and so uses considerably less over long sessions.
- How many litres of fridge do I need? The practical reference is about 100 to 150 litres for the first two people, plus around 50 per additional person: 250 to 300 litres for one or two people, 350 to 400 for a family of four, and 450 or more for five or if you cook a lot at home. Before deciding, measure the gap where it goes, because a fridge that won't fit through the door is the most expensive mistake.
- How many watts of microwave do I need? For normal use — reheating food, defrosting, making a coffee — between 700 and 900 watts is plenty. Those of 1000 watts or more heat faster and more evenly, useful if you cook a lot in the microwave, but they aren't necessary for typical use. More important than the watts for most people is the size in litres, which decides which containers fit.
- Is a dishwasher worth it? Contrary to what many believe, a modern dishwasher uses considerably less water than washing by hand under a running tap, and it washes at a higher temperature, so it sanitises better. It's worth it especially with three or more people or if you cook a lot. The downside is the cost of the machine, that it takes up space, and that you have to load it well for it to wash properly.
- What washing machine capacity do I need for my household? The practical rule is about 1.5 to 2 kg of capacity per person: 6 kg for one or two people, 7 to 8 kg for a family of three or four, and 9 kg or more for five or if you wash bulky items like duvets. But the kilos aren't the only thing: the spin RPM decides how damp the laundry comes out.
- How many BTU do I need for my room? The base rule is 200 BTU per square metre (50 frigorías) in a normal room: 9000 BTU for 45 m², 12,000 BTU for 60 m². Add 20-30% if the room gets direct sun, has large windows, an uninsulated roof, or is on the top floor.
- How much does an electric heater cost to run per hour? An electric heater uses exactly its rated power: a 2000 W unit uses 2 kWh for every hour it runs at full output. To find the cost, multiply the kW by the hours of use and by the price per kWh printed on your electricity bill.
- Spin dryer vs. tumble dryer: what's the difference? A spin dryer does NOT dry with heat: it spins at high speed and pulls water out by centrifugal force, so clothes come out damp but ready to hang and dry far faster. A hot-air (tumble) dryer really does dry: clothes come out ready to put away, but it costs more, is bigger and uses considerably more power.
- Tank or tankless water heater: which one should I get? A tankless heater heats water on demand and never runs out, but flow drops if you open two taps at once. A storage heater keeps a tank of already-hot water: it holds pressure across several taps simultaneously, but once it's empty you wait for it to reheat. For one or two people with one bathroom, tankless; for a family with more than one bathroom, a tank.
TV and Video
- How many lumens does a projector need? In a fully dark room, 1000 to 1500 ANSI lumens is enough. With some ambient light you need 2000 to 3000, and to watch in daylight with the blinds open you need 3500 or more. Careful: budget projectors advertise 'LED lumens' or 'source lumens', which run 3 to 5 times higher than real ANSI figures.
- What's the difference between LED, QLED and OLED? LED and QLED are the same underlying technology (an LCD panel lit from behind); QLED adds a quantum dot layer that gives it more brightness and more vivid colour. OLED is something else entirely: each pixel makes its own light, so it can switch off completely and achieve perfect blacks and a contrast neither of the other two can match.
