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Sorry in advance for the huge post. After leaving my previous job and relinquishing my work 13" MBP , I'm in the market to buy a laptop for personal use. My needs in priority order are: - Productivity like email, web browsing, the usual. Almost not worth mentioning because basically all laptops will do this fine enough I guess - Coding, specifically bringing into interviews and small personal projects/experiments. My field is mostly web development and infrastructure management. I'm not IDE dependent and I'll probably be writing and running a lot of Docker images for the foreseeable future and I'm comfortable coding in Ubuntu and MacOS. - 6+ hour battery life on productivity use and USB-C charging. I like not needing a specific, proprietary charger for commuting and travel, and being able to charge off USB-C PD power banks if necessary is very alluring. - Bright screen and PPI around the MBP 13" level (which was around 217 IIRC) - Light gaming (and therefore almost certainly dual-booting), like Minecraft with my brother, Slay the Spire, Stardew Valley, I'm not explicitly in the market for dedicated GPU, I do most gaming on my PC at home. I've specifically been looking at buying new, because I'd like to put a 2 year coverage plan on whatever I buy and plan on having it for longer than that. The three units I've been looking at, with various pros/cons I've noticed, are: X1 Carbon Gen 7 + Lightest by a small margin + Linux support with a decent track record + Best build quality track record + Best variety of input options. + Great, mostly standard keyboard + Most modularly serviceable, maybe even by myself + 10 gen Intel Comet Lake CPU - Smallest trackpack, though I don't mind the nub navigation - Apparently there's a screen manufacturer roulette with 1080p screen upon ordering. There's lower nits on 2560x1440 screens, and the 4k screen's power usage dips me slightly below the 6 hour threshold. Price: ~$2000 (10th gen CPU, 16GB LPDDR3 ram, 512 GB NVME SSD, 4k screen). I think I just missed a sale because they were something like ~1.7k a few days ago. Dell XPS 13 + Ubuntu support seems great out the box due to their Developer Edition offering (I'd get a Windows one dual boot) + Cheapest of three in desired configuration + Smallest in dimensions + 10 gen Intel Comet Lake CPU - Keyboard looks cramped horizontally. The tiny tilde/backtick key gives me concern, I wish they didn't squash (apparently) on account of the fingerprint reader/power button. - Unclear track record with servicing, whereas I've had experience with the other two manufacturers. Price: ~$1600 (10th gen CPU, 16 GB LPDDR3 ram, 512 GB SSD, 4k screen) Macbook Pro 16" + 16:10 aspect ratio is really alluring. + Best trackpack by far + Fastest servicing if things go wrong via my local Apple Store + Dedicated GPU if I change my mind about gaming on the machine + Mostly standard keyboard now that the escape key is physical + Best battery life as configured (reportedly hits 10h easily while the Carbon and XPS 13 are around 5.5 and 8 respectively. + DDR4 RAM, up to 64GB + The new hotness - Priciest as configured - Heaviest and biggest - Overkill for just productivity use at the cost of being gaming versatile - As configured not 4k - Bootcamp for dual booting, which I've never worked with before Price: $3299 (the higher end model upgraded with 32GB RAM, upgraded GPU) The 16" MBP is kind of an outlier in the graphical needs and overall cost, but I'm pretty flexible on price and it's just got a solid set of features that I'm willing to pay out for seeing as I plan on holding onto this thing for 2+ years, maybe even 4. I'm hesitate to pick up a 13" MBP now with the 16" just released and the possible future of a better keyboard. I guess I'm asking here for any personal experiences, other laptops to check out, or recommendations, even if they're just wait and see (maybe through CES?). I think I would have pulled the trigger on the 7th gen Carbon a week ago if its 2560x1440 panel was the same brightness as its 1080p and 4k options and they were still running the sale prices I saw. My absolute dream would be a 13 or 14" laptop with ~2560x1440 resolution, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD at most $1.5K USD that's still in the 2.5-3.5lb range. Apologies for the lack of specific question or request, I've been neck deep in trying to figure out what I necessarily want and it's been almost a decade since I last needed to know anything about the laptop market
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Dec 28, 2019 00:42
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Via Lenovo's Outlet I found a refurb X1 Carbon 7th Generation with basically my desired configuration (4k screen, i7-8565U instead of a Comet Lake, 16GB RAMand 512 GB SSD) for $1.3k shipped. After looking into some benchmarks and thinking for a while longer I decided a Comet Lake s definitely overkill, and even with it being a refurb that price was too good not to pull the trigger. I'm still anxious about the battery life under the 4k screen and only a 1 year depot warranty, but I'm excited nontheless.
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Dec 28, 2019 08:35
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Cugel the Clever posted:I don't suppose there are rumors around when the Thinkpads are getting 10th gen processors? Excepting an X1 that is non-customizable, everything's still listed as 8. I'm teetering on the edge of replacing my 5-year-old T440 refurb, but it's not in such dire need of replacement that I can't wait six months. Maybe during CES (starts Jan 7 I think) they'll announce something, but who knows how long it'll be before they're actually available for order
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Dec 28, 2019 21:26
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Man, the new XPS13 looks way more appealing now that it's 16:10 and has a bigger track pad. I might have to order one too and try to decide whether I prefer it or the carbon...
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Jan 2, 2020 23:10
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Statutory Ape posted:I'm p sure Lenovo already announced ice lake x1 didn't they ? Mid cycle refresh I thought They got options for Comet Lake in the Gen 7 Carbons, but inferring from the announcements I think all Gen 8s will be Comet Lake: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-upgrades-the-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-and-ThinkPad-X1-Yoga-to-Comet-Lake-processors.448602.0.html
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Jan 3, 2020 19:03
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I'm torn, because I got my X1 Carbon 7 and I'm liking it a lot, but with the news of the XPS 13 having a 16:10 screen and fuller sized keyboard, I'm tempted to return it and wait for that since I don't need a laptop in the immediacy. My only concerns of the new 13 are the bottom firing speakers and the keyboard travel, because the X1's feels so good coming from a butterfly MBP 13. I guess if I return this X1C7, by the time the XPS 13 delivers, there will still be cheap X17C via sales or refurbs that I could re-buy.
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Jan 9, 2020 22:07
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EclecticTastes posted:Hey, I've been thinking of finally getting a new laptop (the Thinkpad T430 I got based on the OP of this very megathread* has served me well for about seven to eight years now), and I'm eyeing the T490 with some upgrades (better processor, onboard RAM, IPS screen, and 1TB SSD being the main ones). Thanks to the B&N link the price is looking pretty good, too. But, my question is, if I finally do buy a new laptop, how easily could I transfer over my current laptop's contents, most importantly Windows 7? I don't have boot discs, and there's no way in hell I'm ever using Windows 10. Like the previous poster said, if there's anything you need to transfer over, it's probably better in the long run to do a clean Windows 10 install due to cruft and crap that accumulates within the OS that you may or not remember being the cause of. Just transfer over all your important files via a USB. Collating all your important files for transfer isn't just a good organizational exercise, it also reminds you to stay honest about what poo poo you actually do and don't use on your machine. Even if you've got crappy internet and fear having to redownload huge game files, there's a LOT more literature and support by things like Steam for just moving game files over and pointing clients at the right directories after you transfer.
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Jul 3, 2020 01:30
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Hadlock posted:X1 carbon and XPS 15 are good choices. Both have very good keyboards, but the Thinkpad keyboard is miles better than the XPS. The Thinkpad also has more of a pro vibe than the consumer XPS. Both have platinum level Linux support. The Thinkpad is going to have less weird bios issues. Caveat: You still will deal with some Linux fuckery on an X1 Carbon (tweaking BIOS settings, trying to get deep sleep to work properly), whereas XPS 13's at least can come with Ubuntu installed and working out of the box. It's an upfront and ultimately negligible cost, but something that might matter to you. That said, I bought a 7th Generation Carbon and don't regret it. RAM soldering is pretty normal for "ultrabooks," which both the XPS 13 and X1 Carbon are. Lenovo has sales every once in a while that'll make the X1's price more palatable, and a refurbished shop that's also pretty decent.
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Sep 25, 2020 10:55
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XPS13 seems like overkill for their usage, but it does have great battery life for an Intel processor if you absolutely must have one, though I'm not sure why that's necessary - current AMD processors are comparably performant, less power hungry, and available on cheaper laptops, though they'll probably be less svelte and heavier if that's a concern. Maybe check out the Lenovo Ideapad and Flex lineup? The base model M1 Macbook Air comes in at $999, has amazing battery life, and will handle that usage with ease, but barring Microsoft Outlook integration on Macs (which I have no recent experience with) I'm assuming you or your folks have good reason for staying on Windows.
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Jun 2, 2021 06:11
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Are you running Linux on it? I had to do some BIOS changes on my X1 Thinkpad to get Ubuntu to properly sleep when the lid shuts. Arch Linux wiki covers why, something to do with sleep states.
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Sep 22, 2021 19:35
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mA posted:Are there currently any viable options for building your own laptop? (e.g. not insanely expensive, or too technically difficult) If not how far away is the industry from developing a DIY market for laptops like there is for desktop PCs? The Framework laptop is basically as close as you'll get at the moment. Screen, chassis, keyboard, and motherboard are fixed, and on purchase you choose which CPU is soldered to the motherboard. RAM, WiFi card, and NVME drive can all be purchased and installed on your own easily. The ports are customizable in that you buy vendor-specific adapters that slot into the chassis itself, with 4 slots available. There really hasn't been any movement on DIY laptops with installable screen/chassis/mobo/cpu and probably won't be for the foreseeable future due to lack of demand and those parts not being as plug-and-play as in the desktop space. The Framework is promising, and kind of a steal at the price if you can source all the optional components yourself. It's a new product by a new company though (albeit with good transparency), so only time will whether there are deeper problems with its construction beyond the immediately apparent (a little more screen flex and deck flex than some nitpicky tech reviewers would like). Early reviews are pretty effusive though.
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Sep 25, 2021 02:12
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Dennis McClaren posted:I'm using extend display to run an external monitor for gaming from my laptop. But when I boot up a game, it starts running on my laptop screen, and not the external monitor. How do I swap displays so that I use the laptop for browsing/media and the external for just gaming? Or how do I get the games to boot up on the external monitor and not the laptop you could say I think in Windows Displays settings you set which one is #1 and #2, which might help games booting up. Otherwise, if don't have PowerToys's FancyZones installed (or even if you do) there's an option for it to force applications to load in the same zones in the same parts of your layout as they previously were, which might also help
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Oct 21, 2021 23:19
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Rinkles posted:i don't think that's accurate. there are barely any oled monitors, afaik. There might be more, but in the Monitor thread and other PC communities I rarely hear people talk about any outside of LG48 line, and even then people don't seem to use them purely as monitors, are huge for typical monitor use, are cautioned about burn-in, and that they're pretty pricey for what you're getting - and that's for the "consensus pick" if you want OLED.
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Jan 3, 2022 21:07
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It would be cool if by the time 200+ watt PD is available we aren't all wondering when 400+ will land. The turn in the CPU market towards efficiency has me hopeful and I know laptops are only so capable of shedding heat, but marketing based on top end performance metrics consistently moves product and the easiest way to juice those numbers is by shoving power down the gullet of whatever you're trying to sell.
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Mar 22, 2022 18:04
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Sashimi posted:The screen on my gf's laptop is more or less unusable, and she needs a new one. All she uses it for is web browsing and watching videos. Are Thinkpads still the best option from Lenovo, or can she go with something cheaper? Also, how do Intel and AMD mobile processors stack up against eachother now? Latest generation Intels (12th) are the most powerful mobile CPUs at the expense of requiring a lot of power draw to hit those figures, and also aren't too widely available. AMD's from the past year or two are plenty powerful for most work/gaming. Hard to go wrong with either, though previous Intel generations look lackluster given the latest's improvement, though they're still serviceable If usage is exclusively browsing/videos, could you consider a Chromebook? A used Thinkpad T off Ebay is another common suggestion for a cheaper and solid option if Windows is a must.
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Mar 24, 2022 22:05
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I think the XPS line redid their keyboards a year or two ago - expanded their footprint to the entirety of the deck and extended their travel - and at the time people were speaking very highly of it. I typed on an XPS around then and found it about as good as the 7th Gen X1 carbon I eventually bought
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Apr 10, 2022 20:26
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Hadlock posted:
or even further back, between Halo and your Skype call with Chet
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May 6, 2022 06:03
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Lockback posted:If you're comfortable with a smaller screen this laptop is an amazing deal for under $1000 Man this thing is so tempting, even as someone with a gen 6 X1 Carbon that's MOSTLY fine. Insanely good deal.
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Aug 18, 2022 02:04
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Hadlock posted:That's probably the best looking game I've ever seen at 640x320 Thought you were joking but you weren't, wow. Oldsrocket_27 posted:I'm guessing when the specs just lists "AMD radeon graphics" or "intel UHD graphics" without mentioning a specific card that it's not a discrete card and therefore probably not up to snuff? The official website lists actual GPUs for minimum/recommended specs: https://www.hogwartslegacy.com/en-us/pc-specs. Finding a new laptop with those minimum specs at 500 dollars might be a challenge, but you could check the used markets. Another weird idea - I'm assuming you don't already have a PS4/XBONE otherwise you'd have bought Hogwarts Legacy on that, but you could probably pick up a used one, plus a used/cheap/decent laptop made in the past 8 years which will definitely run MTGO, AND a copy of Hogwarts Legacy for around 500 bucks total?
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Aug 4, 2023 05:00
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Hadlock posted:Apple laptops look like space alien technology compared to everything else out there on the market. There's just no comparison they are Really loving Good at everything they do, especially now since they added back HDMI and SD card slots and headphone jacks To add a personal anecdote to this, I've hosed with writing code on Linux on my desktop and laptops in the past, and after seeing a good deal on a 14" M3 Pro, I finally gave in and bought it for personal use. Every Linux experience of mine has involved trying to get something comfortable to work with (not necessarily working, granted) and still dealing with issues. That includes wrestling with drivers, webcams, HiDPI scaling, display/window server configurations, and even proper laptop sleep states, all because I thought dual booting Windows/Linux on my desktop/laptop would provide the best of both worlds, and I was spending time not just solving these issues but (admittedly hyperfixating on) research on what laptops would be strong enough to play games I was thinking about at the time while also having a Linux distro community large enough to help resolve issues if I ran into them. But Apple Silicon is just so good at everything you'd ask for from a computer - build, battery, processing power under heavy AND light load, and if you buy a laptop, the screen - and they feel like complete products the moment you get your hands on them. I think nowadays the first question for any new laptop seeker with no clear idea where to start should be "why wouldn't an M series Macbook work for you?" There's still plenty of valid reasons not to choose one, like software/hardware needs and price, but if you're knowledgeable enough about those needs, you probably don't need advice on that level. Even price is more negotiable nowadays, thanks to refurbs/second hand Macbooks still being serviceable to very good. I don't really have the need/desire to play games on the go anymore, and after using an Apple Silicon laptop for work, it finally convinced me to just buy one, and experience of using it these first few days absolutely dunks on the experience of first getting my previous Windows laptops and setting them up to be able to dual boot and troubleshoot any related issues. Yeah, my constraints/needs changed, but that's the point - if your needs don't require something that Apple Silicon can't provide at a price you're happy with, it's REALLY hard to beat Apple Silicon. tl;dr gently caress Wayland, the snap package manager, and the S3 sleep state
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Jan 12, 2024 01:27
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A Banana posted:Came into this thread to ask about the current state of Linux on (new) laptops but this has pretty much convinced me to not bother and just look at macbooks FWIW I haven't messed around with Linux in close to 2 years because I had a Macbook for work but prior to that I was using an X1 Carbon 6 or maybe 7 for 2 years, which is where most of my frustrations come from. Both software and hardware have come a long way since then. Proton seems amazing for gaming, and at the time I got the X1 Carbon Intel was the leading CPU option, whereas now I can resolve to never buy a laptop with one and not feel like I'm compromising. I don't want to paint with TOO wide a brush, because I'm definitely not the most knowledgeable about Linux. But IMO the calculus for trying to figure out if a laptop I'm considering adequately supports Linux remains the same. A week or two ago I was in the middle of googling current laptop models and rereading Arch wiki pages to ascertain their Linux viability and I had flashbacks to reading the Arch wiki and blog posts while troubleshooting the S3 sleep state issues I had. Things might be better, but I'm not going to put myself through the possibility of that experience again when I'm happy and willing to pay for a Macbook. I do miss i3 though.
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Jan 14, 2024 01:48
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I immediately started hearing the Factions theme song when I saw this, thanks for the nostalgia trip
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Feb 7, 2024 20:47
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Mantle posted:??? At $600 this is a no brainer. Where can I get a $600 M1 MBA? Amazon and Best Buy have the base models for 650 USD https://www.amazon.com/MacBook-Apple-Memory-256GB-Space/dp/B08PNQTYV2?th=1 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/macbook-air-13-3-laptop-apple-m1-chip-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-space-gray-space-gray/5721600.p?skuId=5721600
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Mar 21, 2024 21:49
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