Need a laptop recommendation

1,487 Views | 25 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by FatZilla
XXXVII
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Max budget before taxes = $1500
Must haves are at least 16 GB RAM and at least a 512 GB SSD.

I saw that there are some Microsoft Surface 4 laptops that would meet my requirements. Are these worth getting or is there something else I should consider?

FancyKetchup14
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AG
Suped up MacBook Air with 16gb of Ram should come in around $1500.
FatZilla
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AG
If you are used to windows, stay away from mac. They are overpriced for the hardware you get.

What would you use this laptop for? Computing/rendering like CAD? Gaming? Just daily office work like spreadsheets and running macros? Depending on this, we can tailor the laptop to fit better.
HossAg
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AG
Macbook Airs are not overpriced these days for the hardware you get. Especially when the chassis is better than every other laptop out there. If he's looking at a Surface Laptop, he might as well go MBA unless he doesn't want MacOS.

The Macbook Pros are definitely getting overpriced, but the Macbook Air is pretty much unrivaled for the build quality and specs you get at that price point.
techno-ag
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Yup. My old MacBook Air is still going strong at 10 years. Highly recommended.
FatZilla
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AG
HossAg said:

Macbook Airs are not overpriced these days for the hardware you get. Especially when the chassis is better than every other laptop out there. If he's looking at a Surface Laptop, he might as well go MBA unless he doesn't want MacOS.

The Macbook Pros are definitely getting overpriced, but the Macbook Air is pretty much unrivaled for the build quality and specs you get at that price point.


They are still overpriced, just not as much as they used to be. For the same money, a decked out XPS is a much better option.

We also still need to know what this laptops primary use will be. A budget of 1500 might be way overkill and the airs only start at 1k for base models while windows laptops can be had much lower.
HossAg
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AG
I disagree with that. The XPS 13 is the same price or more for the same specs, the build quality is a wash, the track pad is better on the Mac, battery is better on the Mac, and the aspect ratio of the XPS 13 screen makes it feel much smaller than the MBA 13" screen.
FatZilla
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HossAg said:

I disagree with that. The XPS 13 is the same price or more for the same specs, the build quality is a wash, the track pad is better on the Mac, battery is better on the Mac, and the aspect ratio of the XPS 13 screen makes it feel much smaller than the MBA 13" screen.


The xps 15 is in play if you shop around. Its sitting right around 1500 atm.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1578225-REG/dell_n3hyd_xps_15_i7_10750h_16gb_512gb_ssd_gtx1650ti_windows_10.html
HossAg
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AG
I guess it just depends on your priorities. If you need a 15" screen, then that's probably a better option. Otherwise, the processor is 2 years old and is worse than the M1 in like every metric, and the battery life is significantly worse due to the included (very old) GPU that's serving no real purpose.

I personally stick with smaller laptops with the tall aspect ratio for battery life and portability. That 1650 ti won't be very useful for gaming, but it'll introduce way more heat and eat through the battery life. That $1500 is much better spent on an XPS 13, MBA, or Surface Laptop imo.
XXXVII
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Dang, I should have specified no macbooks. I'm only looking for Windows laptops.

Primary using this so I can run Daedalus (Cardano wallet/node software) and also do things like Photoshop, MS Office tasks, and just general entertainment while traveling like movies, and very light gaming. I do not need a dedicated graphics card.
FatZilla
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Do you want touchscreen? How often would you use it for videos? A nice OLED screen on a ryzen zen 3 with integrated gfx might be a goid fit. Whats your preferred screen size? Do you want a dedicated number pad on the keyboard?
XXXVII
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FatZilla said:

Do you want touchscreen? How often would you use it for videos? A nice OLED screen on a ryzen zen 3 with integrated gfx might be a goid fit. Whats your preferred screen size? Do you want a dedicated number pad on the keyboard?


Touch screen not required. A 13 to 15 inch screen size works. Number pad is not a requirement. Video use is probably not often. I would mostly watch videos while traveling which is maybe 3 times a year.
lb3
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Here is an Lenovo (formerly IBM) IdeaPad for $850 with a 15" screen, 512 GB SSD, 16GB or Ram and an AMD Ryzen 7 5700 processor.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/641404/lenovo-ideapad-5-156-laptop-computer-blue

Lenovo is the sweet spot in the market for price/performance imo.
FatZilla
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XXXVII said:

FatZilla said:

Do you want touchscreen? How often would you use it for videos? A nice OLED screen on a ryzen zen 3 with integrated gfx might be a goid fit. Whats your preferred screen size? Do you want a dedicated number pad on the keyboard?


Touch screen not required. A 13 to 15 inch screen size works. Number pad is not a requirement. Video use is probably not often. I would mostly watch videos while traveling which is maybe 3 times a year.


Can do more searching later but this is a starting point. More than you would need and will last a long while.

Dell Inspiron Professional Laptop, AMD CPU, AMD Radeon Graphics, Backlit Keyboard https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DDZ9CXY

ASUS ZenBook 14 Professional Laptop, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, 0 Graphics, Slim Design https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LCGRL9V

Dell Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Laptop Laptop, AMD CPU, AMD Radeon Graphics Graphics, Touchscreen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099K9D64P

HP Pavilion Laptop, AMD CPU, AMD Radeon Graphics Graphics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QS7W8G5

Lots to start looking through. Basic search for "ryzen 5000 laptop" and start narrowing what you want. You wont need anything close to 1500 for your daily driver laptop. This gives you plenty of budget for software as well if you need it.
XXXVII
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Thanks for the suggestions. I'm strongly leaning towards that Asus.
fig96
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FatZilla said:

HossAg said:

Macbook Airs are not overpriced these days for the hardware you get. Especially when the chassis is better than every other laptop out there. If he's looking at a Surface Laptop, he might as well go MBA unless he doesn't want MacOS.

The Macbook Pros are definitely getting overpriced, but the Macbook Air is pretty much unrivaled for the build quality and specs you get at that price point.

They are still overpriced, just not as much as they used to be. For the same money, a decked out XPS is a much better option.

We also still need to know what this laptops primary use will be. A budget of 1500 might be way overkill and the airs only start at 1k for base models while windows laptops can be had much lower.
The upfront cost is higher, but they maintain their value and general usability far better and are actually worth something on trade in. I traded in a 6 year old MBP for $700 last year, don't think that 2015 Dell is worth a whole lot.
tfunk02
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I just went through this process for my dad. Ended up getting him the new Dell XPS 13 Plus. You can get it for $1,400 with the base processor, 16Gb of RAM, and a 512Gb SSD. Ordered it yesterday, but it will not be delivered until July 1 due to the supply chain issues and Chinese lockdowns.
XXXVII
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I went with an Asus Zenbook 14 with a Ryzen 9 5900HX, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD for about $1100 after taxes.
AtlAg05
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Nice laptop.

My only advice would have been no Lenovo.
BQ2001
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Doesn't Daedalus run on Mac? I could have sworn it does. Photoshop and Office run on Mac just fine.

I was anti Mac. Then I won a MacBook Air about 13 years ago. My wife is still using it and it runs great still. Now if I want a computer to last more than 5 years I'm getting a Mac.
UmustBKidding
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The current issue is the new wahoo M1's is they either don't run or reliably run some applications. Even in parallels running windows lots of our EDA tools are inoperable or flaky at best. This will improve over time but many applications don't have Mac versions at all and will likely not have ARM windows implementations so will be relegated to emulation. This is fine for most stuff but if you tool just gets by on current gen intel systems its not going to be fun in emulation.
Ya lots of people flog mac's for extended periods, but I have several intel laptops I use routinely that are 10yr old and work fine. I can stand using mac books with junk butterfly keyboards for 10 minutes much less 5 years.
Buy your new totally non upgradeable macbook pro/air Apple needs the help to try to catch up to Aramco.
And your 2012 or older mac is likely one of the "good" ones that at least you can do some upgrades on.


techno-ag
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Never upgraded my old MacBook. Still chugging along on original specs.
UmustBKidding
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Which is fine but when they cost 2x what box with similar ram and disk costs many buy what they can to be part of the in Mac crowd and cry later when they realize they are stuck with a 256G spinning disk or 8G of ram. Then there also is the I poured a coke in it and apple wants 1200 for a motherboard and the independents can't fix the board because apple has forced the chip manufacturer to not sell parts to them when they previously would fix for $120. I routinely help people upgrade pre 2015 macbooks with SSD and ram and they are still viable machines. But the $300 laptop from walmart is likely faster and more capable than a 2016 with 4G ram and 256G hard disk.
Can you still use it, Absolutely. Would you want to, I know I wouldn't.

XXXVII
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BQ2001 said:

Doesn't Daedalus run on Mac? I could have sworn it does. Photoshop and Office run on Mac just fine.

I was anti Mac. Then I won a MacBook Air about 13 years ago. My wife is still using it and it runs great still. Now if I want a computer to last more than 5 years I'm getting a Mac.


It does run on MacBook, and I'm doing that now on my wife's MacBook. My issue with the MacBook we have now is I cannot upgrade the SSD to accommodate the increasing size of the Cardano blockchain.

Also, I HATE the operating system on Macs. I can't easily do a simple thing like browse through a file tree to see installed program files.
XXXVII
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I recieved my ZenBook, and it's really nice. Every time I get a new Windows computer I always wonder if Windows Defender is good enough, or do I need an antivirus program?

Is Windows Defender good enough as long as I'm not visiting sketchy sites?
FatZilla
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XXXVII said:

I recieved my ZenBook, and it's really nice. Every time I get a new Windows computer I always wonder if Windows Defender is good enough, or do I need an antivirus program?

Is Windows Defender good enough as long as I'm not visiting sketchy sites?


WD is fine.
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