Looking for a laptop mainly for practicing programming, running a few windows of YouTube, Udemy, Intellij etc at a time.
Any recommendations will be highly appreciated.
Budget is around $2k, but flexible if some extraordinary value is out there.
I went to school with Needem how is he doing
I also recommend Needem budget…
Have had no issues with mine…
RAM is cruicial, the higher the better,
That is an unusual spec for a work laptop. Are you running some huge models? Your budget will limit you to 64GB, so try going to Amazon, and search filtering on 64GB models.
I keep a few Intellij projects open at a time, Docker running a few containers etc etc.. 64GB will be about right, and will last me 5 odd years..
https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/refurbished-latitude-14-94…
https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/refurbished-latitude-14-74…
https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/refurbished-latitude-14-74…
All factory refurbished with 3 years Pro Support NBD warranty.
Bit pricey when going for that much RAM but maybe have a look at one of the customisable thinkpad models like this? https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/configurator/cto/index.html?bun…
Ask yourself: "Do I want sexy, fancy, pretty (Dell XPS, MacBook Air), or do I want a bog-standard work computer?"
RAM and storage are largely irrelevant. DDR4 SIMMs are $70 - $100 for 32 GB. So even buying an 8 GB computer the upgrade is minimal.
Likewise for the M.2 storage; 1 TB is around $70 - $100.
Re: screen resolution. Unless you are going for a 17" screen, anything higher than FHD (1920x1080) will be teeny-weeny to human eyesight. External monitor is the go here.
Battery life. This is one area you pay the $$$ premium. Like the aforementioned XPS or MacBook Air; sure, they'll get you through a day. Most standard business-level laptops will struggle for 8 hours. If you're just doing text-based (or simple object) development, not such a big concern though. If you are playing videos, watching lots of YT, or playing games, then that will eat battery. Duh.
CPU. Won't matter much. Anything from i5/13th gen upwards will be fine. There's no 3D rendering, etc. And virtualisation needs RAM, more than powerful CPU.
Actually, that refurb Latitude listed above at about $1700 looks pretty good.
But you could even get by with a new 3000 series Latitude @ $1500 or so, and add extra RAM and M.2.
And I only say the Latitude as it is a 'business level' laptop. Solid build, on-site warranty. You could easily go for a $900 - $1000 Inspiron and upgrade yourself if $$$ matter a lot.
My main point is: you don't need anything 'special' nowadays unless you have a very specific, heavy duty need case.
Need to be careful -re RAM as quite a number of new models from OEM's, come with RAM soldered on to the motherboard.
Good battery life.
Apple.
Good built-in keyboard,
Apple/Thinkpad.
The keyboard on my supposedly business Dell Latitude is crap. I would never spend my own $$$ on a Dell laptop.
. I would never spend my own $$$ on a Dell laptop.
I've had several dells over years. And always reliable till next upgrade.
Wouldn't your work usually provide a laptop
This is not for work, but just programming practice and own Admin work.
Might be worth waiting for Intel Lunar Lake laptops to arrive as their battery i meant to be killer.
I am also in the same boat, but I don't have that budget.
So, found out Asus Zenbook 14x 3404. https://au.store.asus.com/zenbook-14x-oled-ux3404.html
see if this helps
Needem budget