Laptop Suggestion for My Wife as a Developer - Budget $2000

ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 12:50
Last edited 11/02/2023 - 18:03 by 1 other user

My wife is looking for a laptop for Full stack Web developer work (not Macbook).

1/ Play nice with Ubuntu
2/ Prefer new or refurbish from branch (such as Dell Refurbish)
3/ Good screen and good media (sound)
4/ Lightweight.
5/ She does not know much about the specs, but I assume she need at least 16GB RAM to run IDE/docker/VM.
6/ Budget: Ideally 1500 but can go up to 2k. But I prefer cheapest possible.

She demands the looks / screen / media quality over the specs so any suggestion are welcome.

EDIT: Thanks everyone for suggestion. I read all comments below and here something I would like to clarify.
1/ Hardware is not her interests and does not mean she is a bad developer. She is also not a geek/hard-core developer by any mean.
2/ Macbook is really a good choice but my wife got some problem in the past so she wants to stay away from that.
3/ Look and screen are important because no motivation for her to work if she does not like the tool she working with.
At the end of the day, it comes down to the personal choice and it is what she looks for.
I will be looking at some of the option:
Dell XPS, Lenovo Thinkpad - not the T series, etc and possible Macbook

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • boomramada on 09/02/2023 - 13:11
    +2

    Surface Pro or Dell XPS

    • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 13:32

      I had DellXPS and really like it. Just dont know how it going to play with Ubuntu

      • Krankite on 09/02/2023 - 13:40

        What do you mean by "Play nice" with Ubuntu, Microsoft has done a really good job of supporting Ubuntu through Hyper-V which I have works really well regardless of the underlying hardware. Or does she want to Dual-boot / get rid of windows entirely?

        • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 13:40
          +2

          Will install ubuntu and remove Window completely

          • Krankite on 09/02/2023 - 13:52
            +5

            @ComputerPC: Cool, Dell offers a range of Linux Laptops but not in Australia, if you check the specs of them and then order the equivalent Aus model you should be all sweet.
            Dell-US

    • HeWhoKnows on 10/02/2023 - 07:36
      +6

      If wife is a developer surely the wife would know more about her PC requirements than any of us

      • OhNoUShiz on 10/02/2023 - 16:32
        -1

        Maybe a mill degree….

  • AdamFury on 09/02/2023 - 13:15
    +2

    Lenovo ThinkPad

    • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 13:30

      Great suggestion but she had one at work and did not like it looks :(

      • kiitos on 09/02/2023 - 15:09
        +5

        What specifically didn't ß she like about the looks? After she's covered it with tech stickers from meetups, it'll look like any other full stack Dev laptop…

    • FirstWizard on 09/02/2023 - 16:21
      +1

      I've used a Dell Lattitude 7000 series laptop from 2016-2021 with Ubuntu 18.04-20.04 without any issues. Good driver support, It was one that had an NVIDIA GeForce card.

      Currently(since 2021) using a Thinkpad P53 with Debian Bullseye.

      That works well too. I'll go for 32GB+ if there's a VM involved. My VS Code is super memory hungry as well. But I'll happily feed it all I've got because it's great :P

    • skillet on 10/02/2023 - 16:31
      -1

      Stay away from Lenovo they maybe using low temp solder which will cause lots of problem in a few years time.

  • GG57 on 09/02/2023 - 13:18

    Budget: Ideally 1500 but can go up to 2k. But I prefer cheapest possible

    Are you buying it or is your wife buying it?

    • SF3 on 09/02/2023 - 13:24
      +5

      Only this mattered

      She demands the looks / screen / media quality over the specs

    • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 13:39
      +4

      She buys it but from our bank account

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 09/02/2023 - 13:19
    +5

    Dell or Lenovo

    Intel CPU only
    Intel network\wifi\BT only (if you see realtek, run away)
    Preferably no discrete GPU

    Highly recommend a Thinkpad.

  • ozyhsk on 09/02/2023 - 13:20
    -2

    Macbook Air

    as a developer you can never go wrong with an Apple

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 09/02/2023 - 13:24
      +7

      Apple Pippin, iPhone 4…. plenty of examples of you can go wrong with Apple.

      • ozyhsk on 09/02/2023 - 13:26
        +1

        not looking for an apple war just gave my opinion being a developer for more than 14 years and used many OS and laptops

        • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 09/02/2023 - 13:28
          +6

          You say that, yet you posted that when OP specifically stated "(not Macbook)."

          • ozyhsk on 09/02/2023 - 13:29

            @Typical16-bitEnjoyer: because Mac is the best imo

            so if i can protect people to self harming why not

            • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 13:44

              @ozyhsk: Macbook is really good and I do see a lot of dev used this. Just my wife have used MAC in the past and didnt like it.

              • boomramada on 09/02/2023 - 14:05

                @ComputerPC: I'm not a apple fan, but if her main OS is Ubuntu, she should go for Macbook Air. just as telling graphic designers to stick with Macbook
                I know few who like Ubuntu, Macbook Air work well for them.

                • kiitos on 09/02/2023 - 15:34
                  +1

                  @boomramada: But wouldn't that be only for Intel airs? Or can it run on apple silicon now?

                  • boomramada on 11/02/2023 - 18:06

                    @kiitos: No idea I dont own any apple products but some of my work mates uses them.

    • ESEMCE on 09/02/2023 - 14:05
      +1

      Good suggestion IMHO, but at the moment there's only Asahi Linux for Apple Silicon (I believe?) Macs.
      Is she happy using "Arch Linux"

    • djsweet on 09/02/2023 - 15:08

      What if you're developing Windows software?

      • ozyhsk on 09/02/2023 - 15:48

        VMs, Docker, dual boot etc

        Also now a days .NET is cross platform so you can develop Windows apps on Mac

    • CoreArchitect on 10/02/2023 - 11:07

      bahahahhaahah

  • jv on 09/02/2023 - 13:25
    +7

    She demands the looks / screen / media quality over the specs

    She is not really a Developer then…

    Maybe look at something like this?

  • cparch on 09/02/2023 - 13:29
    +1

    Definitely Thinkpad if you're going down the linux route.

    Plenty of good deals currently on Clearance between the $1500-2000 range on the Lenovo site.

    • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 13:37

      Will check if they have another style. She hate the thinkpad at work

      • scotty on 09/02/2023 - 13:51

        Which ThinkPad does she use at work? Some models do look quite "chunky". Or she simply doesn't like black laptops? Some ThinkPad models come in silver though.

      • Jasongood on 09/02/2023 - 14:03
        +1

        the x1 carbon is a very good system, light weight yet powerful

      • cparch on 09/02/2023 - 19:09

        Just buy her a sticker pack or some fancy vinyl adhesive to place on the lid and get the best bang for buck.

    • skillet on 10/02/2023 - 16:32
      -1

      Stay away from Lenovo they maybe using low temp solder which will cause lots of problem in a few years time.

  • CascadeHush on 09/02/2023 - 13:42
    +7

    How do you get to be a full stack web developer and not have any idea about what specs you might need to do that?

    • scotty on 09/02/2023 - 13:59
      +2

      When I was at uni almost 30 years ago we do all the programming on shared UltraSparc servers that were hidden somewhere in the building — no idea about the actual specs. Basically you get developers that know the operating system inside out and how all the software pieces fit together, but have no interest in the actual hardware.

  • brendanm on 09/02/2023 - 14:01
    +8

    I'm not an IT person, so if this question is stupid let me know. How can someone who is a developer not know what specs they need for the work they are doing? There have been many posts like this from people who I assume would have to know what they are after to do their jobs?

    • ESEMCE on 09/02/2023 - 14:08

      I'm not a developer, but why should they care outside of having some grunt to minimise compiling time and having something nice to type on and a high quality screen that is easy to look at all day?
      90%+ of their time is reading/typing out code. The hardware requirements for doing have probably never really been an issue.

    • boomramada on 09/02/2023 - 14:13
      +4

      There are tons of developers out there don't know much about hardware. Hardware is just a tool they use or given to them. Ah they definitely know about ram, they not shy on adding more ram than fixing the issue.

      • whatwasherproblem on 09/02/2023 - 17:00
        +6

        Hardware is just a tool they use or given to them.

        100%. My favourite kind of laptop is the 'free' one that work gives me to do work, and I've never really given a damn about the specs since most of my jobs end up being either "Yeah we can do that on 16GB, 4-core old faithful" or "Nope, we're spinning up a 300+GB 64-core cloud VM for this".

      • brendanm on 09/02/2023 - 17:08
        +5

        Fair enough, I know about the tools I use, so assumed others would, seems it's not the norm 👍

        • boomramada on 11/02/2023 - 17:54

          Unlike tradies and their power tools, we don't care much about the hardware, unless you into gaming.
          Plus IT tech changes frequently, most of the hardware I use get replaced every 3years.

          For OP, since OP's wife is picky, she could just walk to a HN and grab one that she likes. And deal with the technical issues as a life learn lol

  • sane on 09/02/2023 - 14:25
    +1

    Suggest a good OLED screen, probably 4K, with good accurate colour gamut, if you are doing web type stuff. Compile times are unlikely to be an issue.

    New AMD Phoenix Point laptop CPUs are expected to have good battery life, which helps

    • AwesomeAndrew on 09/02/2023 - 17:57

      Web apps do not need compiling. Also I don't recommend OLED because of burn in issues. A good quality LCD would be more suitable.

      • sane on 09/02/2023 - 18:17

        Talk was of full stack, so the possibility of needing to compile is there, though as I said, not likely to be an issue - therefore no need for the last word in processing cores or speed - you can use the money elsewhere.

        OLED has the major advantage of high dynamic range and good colour accuracy, burn-in isn't a major issue with newer panels, you will likely drop and break the laptop before it becomes an problem.

        Newer chips like the Phoenix Point laptops (which should start to drop soon) will push the battery life to potentially multiple days. Only reason not to get AMD chips is if you desperately need Thunderbolt.

  • pharkurnell on 09/02/2023 - 14:54
    +2

    Is it a fashion item she is after, or a laptop for productivity…?

    • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 17:12

      Good question, she need motivation to do work. It starts with good looking laptop ^^

  • FoxJump on 09/02/2023 - 15:50
    +1

    Will she actually use it as a laptop? or just plug it to a monitor and kb at home? in which case, an SFF / USFF pc would be better

    • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 17:11

      Yes it is. Desktop is not an option as she like to code from bed

      • FoxJump on 09/02/2023 - 18:07
        +4

        enjoy blocked air vents

  • djsweet on 09/02/2023 - 16:04
    +2

    Most manufacturers have machines suitable for serious dev work. Most do not cost under 2k. Lenovo Thinkpad T series / X1, HP Zbook, Dell Latitude. That's basically what you have to choose from.

    • ComputerPC on 09/02/2023 - 17:11

      Thanks I will look into those

  • AndyC1 on 09/02/2023 - 18:40

    A developer who does not know PC specs is not very good.

    Based on the post you will need allot of cores and RAM for your "full stack" buzz words.
    1/ Play nice with Ubuntu
    - Ubuntu 14.04 will not play well with most new laptops.
    - Ubuntu 22.04.1 will play well with new laptops
    2/ Prefer new or refurbish from branch (such as Dell Refurbish)
    - Referb will be cheaper, but how many scatches and missing bits will it have?
    3/ Good screen and good media (sound)
    - Good screen could be a 13" screen due to weight or it could be a 17" UHD. For dev you are better getting a docking station to drive two 23/24" FHD monitors making a total of three screens.
    - Good media (sound) - no built in laptop speakers are good compared to external speakers.
    4/ Lightweight.
    - Sounds like you want an ultralight, which sucks for dev.
    5/ She does not know much about the specs, but I assume she need at least 16GB RAM to run IDE/docker/VM.
    - 16GB was okay 10 years ago.
    - 32GB was okay 5 years ago
    - 64GB is the new norm for hard core dev
    - 8/16 core CPU is now okay for dev, but the more the better
    - 2TB Samsung 980 pro SSD for OS is best for dev and another cheaper SSD/HDD for storage is the go now for hard core dev

    6/ Budget: Ideally 1500 but can go up to 2k. But I prefer cheapest possible.
    - Will struggle to get everything at this price in a laptop for hard core dev.

  • nuker on 09/02/2023 - 19:00
    +1

    not Macbook

    But why?

  • cngu0803 on 09/02/2023 - 21:50
    +1

    Currently using a lenovo laptop and its quite good. Nice screen and build quality with a metal finish which is quite aesthetic. I think this would suit your wife's purposes and tastes. Currently on sale aswell.

    https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/lenovo-yoga-s7i-pro-evo-1…

  • CascadeHush on 09/02/2023 - 23:33
    -1

    And now we know why, between facebook, twitter, google, Microsoft and Amazon about 50,000 staff have been let go.

    CascadeHush on 09/02/2023 - 23:33 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • zrmx on 10/02/2023 - 07:35
    +1

    Hmm, going by the most important criteria in the OP, Dell Outlet XPS? I can't remember if they can be had at $2k

    Edit: Seems like they are within the $1.5k-2k budget: https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/shop/laptops-tablets?syste…

    Dell Latitude/Precision being business/enterprise focused may be more serviceable than XPS's, and have slightly better looks than ThinkPad too while having a "business" look to see if she's okay. https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/work/shop/laptops-tablets?…

    They list the spec of the display, so shouldn't be too hard to filter out crappier ones (ie go for FHD or higher res, at least 300 nits, touch or no touch up to you, look up reviews etc). The XPS's generally have pretty nice/okay displays.

  • Thinkscape on 10/02/2023 - 08:14
    +1

    I’ll add to the MacBook Air idea. Just sold my old 13” M1 16GB for $1500 (replaced with 64GB M1 Pro ). Outstanding single core performance makes it fly with typical dev tools and builds, multi core is good enough for heavy iOS/Android dev. The 16GB was enough for full stack web dev (with 8gb for Docker with several containers in the background). The MacOS mem management and compression and very fast ssd compensated for 16GB.
    Majority of Linux tools now compile on MacOS (with brew or you can compile from source). What you get is MacOS ecosystem which you can’t get on Linux - better UI, great stability and support, heaps of great 3rd party apps.
    If you stretch you might find a deal for M2 Air with 24GB RAM. There are also good deals on M1 MacBook Pros now, because some people upgrade to M2.

    Btw: the M1 Pro that I got is faster than the M1 in Air, but not radically faster. Builds take similar time, within 15% margin, other apps almost identical. Only big difference is in video processing because of the acceleration and more GPU cores.

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 10/02/2023 - 09:41
      -1

      I'll add to the OP specifically said not macbook idea.

      You lot are confirming the common joke "How do you know if someone is a mac fanboi/gurl? Don't worry - they'll tell you. Loudly and repeatedly."

      • Thinkscape on 12/02/2023 - 17:09

        "you lot"?
        Did apple touch you the wrong way, or just butthurt naturally?

  • Leiothrix on 10/02/2023 - 09:50

    Why on Earth would she want a laptop?

    Get a real computer. Apart from being cheaper and better hardware you can have a real mouse and keyboard and as many monitors as you can fit around you. One could have a laptop and a dock, but if it is going to be docked all of the time then it is a bit of a waste of money.

    For a developer a laptop by itself is better than nothing, but only just barely.

    • Member 0230 on 10/02/2023 - 10:50

      Apparently she prefers to code in bed — not so easy with a desktop.

      For a developer a laptop by itself is better than nothing, but only just barely.

      I hear you. For decades I always preferred (and now need) a big screen for dev/web work of all sorts.

  • mjwills on 10/02/2023 - 10:38
    +1

    NUC M15 - https://www.computeralliance.com.au/intel-nuc-m15-15.6-core-…
    Incredible value for the price.

    Although you'd need to confirm it plays nicely with Linux.

  • CoreArchitect on 10/02/2023 - 11:02

    Interesting Developer she must be that isn't concerned about machine specs and does choose her own machine in the 1st place. I'd like her on my team lol.

  • xuqi on 12/02/2023 - 19:56
    +1

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/756487

    This should do nicely (far below the budget):

    CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P (Up to 4.7GHz Turbo, 12 Cores)
    Memory: 16GB LPDDR5 5200MHz
    Display: 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS Touchscreen 400nits 100% sRGB
    Storage: 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
    Graphics: Intel Xe Graphics
    Wireless: WiFi 6E AX211 + Bluetooth 5.1
    I/O: 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen1, 2x Type-C Thunderbolt 4 (DP), HDMI 2.0b, 3.5mm Audio Combo
    Battery: 73Whr
    Windows 11 Home
    2 Years Limited Warranty

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