Help me find a laptop

[sweepstakes]

Looking to get a replacement for this dinosaur. My price range is, say, $0-1500, but if I get into 4 digits it better be buttery smooth (and hold its value at least a little). I'm open to used as long as it's not clunky and slow. My main machine is a 2009 Macbook and it's tolerable for the most part but I'm getting sick of that feeling when I have too many tabs open and I don't realize it before it's too late.

 

I don't know how many cores I really need, or how much memory (I'm guessing 8 gigs is probably enough for what I'm doing?). Said Macbook is dual core 2.1 GHz w/ 4GB RAM so probably more than that, or maybe Snow Leopard is just really slow?

I probably won't play many games on it, if any. Realistically I'm gonna be:

- Opening like 30 tabs at a time in Chrome, one of which will be streaming music from Google Music, Bandcamp, Spotify, or YouTube, and 5 of which will be WATMM threads

- Working in the command line a lot

- Max/MSP patching

- Maybe running an IDE like Eclipse or Visual Studio

 

What's important to me is:
- Solid performance

- Comfortable keys

- Virtualization support

- Decent display

- Fairly compact (but not cramped)

- More than 2 USB ports

- User-serviceable parts (memory, HD) would be nice.

 

I'm interested in Thinkpads for their clit pointers - I haven't quite got the hang of how to use them (I have access to one at work but it's a locked-down client machine that I rarely use) but not taking my fingers off the home row to move around the pointer is attractive. Anyone want to weigh in on those?

 

I've played with a couple HPs and Dells and wasn't too impressed with them, but this was like 10 years ago.

I'm not sure I want to buy another OSX machine - maybe a Mac Mini eventually but really the only thing I really like about OSX is being able to do low-latency audio from multiple applications (ASIO sucks hard and Jack is such a bitch to set up). Apple is creepy, though. If I don't get a MacBook I will probably be dual booting Windows and Linux, or running one in a VM on the other, so, yeah, good virtualization support would be very helpful.

 

Not interested in surface pro or whatever it's called nowadays. I was at a bar yesterday talking with this kind of douchey designer guy that had one and it was pretty but it seemed very tablet-like/touch-screen-oriented, and I want something very keyboard-oriented. If I set up a Linux partition I will probably be using one of those minimal tiling WMs.

 

Links to laptop buyer guides, etc. are also appreciated... My google-fu is failing me in these unfamiliar waters.

 

Thanks ! !

[AAAAh]

no do your own research you lazy workshy goodfornothing

[Guest]

whatever you do, do not buy one of the current Macbook Pros - wait a month until WWDC where with high likelihood new MBPs will be released. entry-level new Macbook Pro will probably fit your price range (just so).

 

got no experience with non-apple laptops...

 

personally saving up for one of the new MBPs myself...

 

been "running" stuff on a 2011 Macbook Air with staggering 2GB RAM and 64GB SSD - it gets really frustrating when Xcode blows up memory usage and the entire system grinds to a halt....

 

so RAM... 8 should be ok for now, but better go with 16 imo.

 

 

for a budget, I would maybe recommend a Macbook Air 11 or 13 inch from 2014 up... but it doesn't have a nice screen. Otherwise, the portability makes it an excellent machine. Been very happy with my olden one, it just doesn't have enough RAM and it can't be upgraded.

 

and for used Apple laptops, waiting for WWDC might also be sensible as a ton of people will get rid of their "old" MBPs from last year...

[usagi]

we just got these for everyone at work, as their main work machines (no more desktop machines, moving towards more flexible working arrangements)



Acer Aspire R13s. so far they're proving pretty good. powerful, flexible, lightweight, and I don't think they're too expensive.

[MadameChaos]

[Adieu]

I personally would not buy any other laptop than an Asus laptop or a Macbook. They are high quality and they last a long time.

 

I would not ever fuck with a Dell again personally. They might have upgraded their quality in the last 10 years, but they used to be so shit. It's not worth the risk IMO.

 

As far as Asus is concerned, the touchpads are not the greatest, Macbooks have always been the gold standard of touchpads, but I use external mice all the time so I do not care.

 

Asus is high quality and the products always last. I've had Asus laptops for 6 years that still run fine with a SSD upgrade. I have Asus motherboards that have lasted 10 years. In my main Desktop build right now I have an Asus Motherboard.

 

I have not used the zenbook series myself, but I'd really like to get one soon. They are sort of like Asus's answer to the Macbook. Lighter and smaller than most PC laptops with a sleek aluminum shell. You can get them with 4k displays.

 

Most Asus laptops have accessible RAM and HD so you can upgrade as you desire.

 

https://www.asus.com/us/Notebooks/Zenbook-Series-Products/

 

Maybe the zenbook touchpads are upgraded from standar Asus laptops. They are selling it as such.

 

 

The Power of TouchThe smarter touchpad

Featuring the same 16:9 aspect ratio as the 4K/UHD display, the large glass-coated multi-touch touchpad on ZenBook Pro is designed to be as intuitive and accurate as possible. Smart Gestures simulate many of Windows 10 touchscreen function on the touchpad and also work in a wide range of applications.

[juiceciuj]

been eyeing the various pc macbook knockoffs including zenbook (hate osx and definitely not interested in paying the apple premium). i wish the zenbook pros came in something besides 4k displays because that's fucking ridiculous and a completely unnecessary battery drain. macbooks do feel amazing though and i've never touched a zenbook irl so i wonder how it compares

oh fyi my wife used a thinkpad for 5 ysr at her last job and loved the clit pointer

meanwhile i hated the thing and had no idea what i was doing with it...

[QQQ]

make sure you don't use it on the train when you get it, it'll piss watmm off.

[MadameChaos]

don't buy a Toshiba

[ambermonk]

Lenovo Y50 is what I've had for the past year and a half and it's still a beast. But then again, you know I'm kinda the gamer type. It's also cheaper and more aesthetically sleek than that cornball Alienware shit.

If you poke around on Amazon you should find some pretty good deals. Got this one for just under a grand. But there are probably other good laptops out there too of the Lenovo brand that might fit your criteria.

[BCM]

as long as you don't use it on the train i don't care

[viscosity]

I have a non-touch Dell XPS 9350. Has a Skylake i5 processor and 8 GB ram, non-upgradeable. Stuck a 500GB HDD in it though. Has two USB jacks and a USB-C port which makes e-gpu possible. Other then that, my only gripe is that there is no ethernet jack without an adapter. But that's fairly standard with these small carbon-fiber laptops. Running Fedora as my primary OS.

[Entorwellian]

Got a MSI Apache GE62 gaming laptop for 1500 CAN. It's really good so far but it comes installed with a lot of bloatware.

If you see yourself doing any video stuff down the line I would recommend it.

[ambermonk]

Now that you mention it I had that same issue when I first got the Lenovo. Had to uninstall a bunch of stupid apps right off the bat, but since then it's been a solid machine.

[sweepstakes]

Hey thanks for all the info, good people of WATMM! I will dig a little deeper now that you've given me some leads.

 

waiting for WWDC might also be sensible as a ton of people will get rid of their "old" MBPs from last year...

EXCELLENT point; did not even consider this. My gut feeling is that I need to just shovel out more money to our Cupertino overlords.

 

I personally would not buy any other laptop than an Asus laptop or a Macbook. They are high quality and they last a long time.

...

Asus is high quality and the products always last. I've had Asus laptops for 6 years that still run fine with a SSD upgrade. I have Asus motherboards that have lasted 10 years. In my main Desktop build right now I have an Asus Motherboard.

This is interesting; I had an Asus Eee 10" (PC-1001HE I think?) - I -loved- the form factor, but the processor was an underpowered piece of shit. I actually really liked the keyboard as well though at one point I spilt a potable on it and had to replace it. No biggie; $25 and maybe an hour's worth of work and problem solved. I spilt another potable on it later on though and its fate was sealed :(

 

we just got these for everyone at work, as their main work machines (no more desktop machines, moving towards more flexible working arrangements)



Acer Aspire R13s. so far they're proving pretty good. powerful, flexible, lightweight, and I don't think they're too expensive.

This kind of form factor is... interesting. The hinges look fragile, though. The more I think about it, though, the tilted screen is a nice idea. Although I'd probably get neck cramps from peering down at the thing.

 

been eyeing the various pc macbook knockoffs including zenbook (hate osx and definitely not interested in paying the apple premium). i wish the zenbook pros came in something besides 4k displays because that's fucking ridiculous and a completely unnecessary battery drain. macbooks do feel amazing though and i've never touched a zenbook irl so i wonder how it compares

oh fyi my wife used a thinkpad for 5 ysr at her last job and loved the clit pointer

meanwhile i hated the thing and had no idea what i was doing with it...

Now this is someone after my own heart. I was eyeing the MBPs when the retina displays first came out and hoping to get the previous generation because, I don't give a shit about frou frou graphical processing power and all the battery and CPU drain it brings with it, either. It's interesting to me that you also suggest Asus but have similar reservations about the Zenbook. I did not realize Asus had sprouted something of a luxury arm; guess it is time to crawl out from under my rock and stop being a workshy goodfornothing.

 

Lenovo Y50 is what I've had for the past year and a half and it's still a beast. But then again, you know I'm kinda the gamer type. It's also cheaper and more aesthetically sleek than that cornball Alienware shit.

If you poke around on Amazon you should find some pretty good deals. Got this one for just under a grand. But there are probably other good laptops out there too of the Lenovo brand that might fit your criteria.

Interesting that this is the only Lenovo rec so far and you don't mention the clit pointer. As a rational human, I'd certainly prefer to pay less rather than more but frankly that's not a priority; I want a machine that's going to make me feel just a little bit spoiled.

 

Got a MSI Apache GE62 gaming laptop for 1500 CAN. It's really good so far but it comes installed with a lot of bloatware.

If you see yourself doing any video stuff down the line I would recommend it.

MSI, eh? Last time I remember checking out MSI was when they were selling their "Wind", which was another underpowered processor made to compete with the Asus Eee line. Would definitely like to avoid the bloatware, but if I go the non-Apple route, I'm likely to nuke the whole disk and start over from scratch with a fresh Linux partition and a Windows VM, or a dual boot setup.

 

My how the playing field has changed.

[sweepstakes]

don't buy a Toshiba

This is also interesting; I read some of your thoughts on this in another thread. The last time I was pricing laptops, Toshiba was consistently rated near the top for build quality. I guess the might have fallen.

 

Btw, sorry for the pretentious tone; I'm a little buzzed: http://forum.watmm.com/topic/39587-what-are-you-consuming-right-now/page-166?do=findComment&comment=2442937

[Adieu]

Apparently MSI uses good components on their hardware, last I checked on their mobo's at least. Not sure how that translates into full laptops, but I've always liked the idea of the GS30 Dock. Good for people who travel a lot like myself.

 

[sweepstakes]

Apparently MSI uses good components on their hardware, last I checked on their mobo's at least. Not sure how that translates into full laptops, but I've always liked the idea of the GS30 Dock. Good for people who travel a lot like myself.

 

Whoa, that dock is a beast... What's going on under the hood?

[Adieu]

 

Apparently MSI uses good components on their hardware, last I checked on their mobo's at least. Not sure how that translates into full laptops, but I've always liked the idea of the GS30 Dock. Good for people who travel a lot like myself.

 

Whoa, that dock is a beast... What's going on under the hood?

 

 

Whatever GPU, HD, and PSU configuration you put in it.

[cruising for burgers]

 

don't buy a Toshiba

This is also interesting; I read some of your thoughts on this in another thread. The last time I was pricing laptops, Toshiba was consistently rated near the top for build quality. I guess the might have fallen.

 

Btw, sorry for the pretentious tone; I'm a little buzzed: http://forum.watmm.com/topic/39587-what-are-you-consuming-right-now/page-166?do=findComment&comment=2442937

 

buy a TOSHIBA!!!

[caze]

I 2nd the Asus recommendation, my last couple of laptops have been theirs, and just got one for my dad which is quite nice as well. If I had loads of money I'd buy a Sruface/SurfaceBook, but I don't so Asus will have to do.

[usagi]

we just got these for everyone at work, as their main work machines (no more desktop machines, moving towards more flexible working arrangements)

 

 

Acer Aspire R13s. so far they're proving pretty good. powerful, flexible, lightweight, and I don't think they're too expensive.

 

This kind of form factor is... interesting. The hinges look fragile, though. The more I think about it, though, the tilted screen is a nice idea. Although I'd probably get neck cramps from peering down at the thing.

 

just for your fyi, it's not fixed in this position. it folds a number of ways, including in a standard laptop lid fashion, and also a flat tablet kinda thingo. I like it so far.

[chenGOD]

Just buy a MBP and run whatever OS you want to on it.

[Adieu]

Man those surface books look NICE

[cruising for burgers]

any of you guys has experience with said rugged laptops?

i think one might come in handy if i wanna go and record music in the middle of the amazon forest or the andes mountains right?