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Ask HN: Which is the best laptop for programmers under budget?

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Re: Ask HN: Which is the best laptop for programmers under budget?

#12

Post by beaylott »

franciscop wrote: post #2

I got the Asus UX305CA with Ubuntu LTS a couple of years ago and I love it. But without any more information I cannot recommend it, as it is perfect for me but it might not be for others. Pros: - Light and thin, perfect for carrying everyday. - Decent battery life. - 1080p IPS 13.3" screen, nice keyboard+touchpad. - No fans, no noise. Cons (or not, highly dependends on your use case): - Keyboard is not backlit. - Und…

I got an Asus UX305FA 2 years ago. It was great until some of the keys on the keyboard started to fail just outside of it's 1 year warranty. Despite having tried to reset the ribbon connector on the mobo I can't get it to work. The procedure for replacement isn't fun either.

Will probably get an Thinkpad X240/X250 off work next. They can often be purchased second-hand on ebay with a few years of on-site warranty left. Upgradeable, excellent keyboards, Linux friendly, and built like tanks.

Re: Ask HN: Which is the best laptop for programmers under budget?

#13

Post by golergka »

What kind of programmer?

Are you a web developer? Server-side that needs to work on highload, or just client-side JS? Are you developing games and need to test your builds on a good enough GPU? Or may be you're working with ML? Do you need x86, or would you be comfortable with arm?

Do you work in your office, or travel to customers a lot? Do you develop iOS or MacOS apps, do you need to run Windows (or just prefer Visual Studio), or are you comfortable with one of Linux distributions? Or, may be, you could live on Android?

What's your 'budget'? Is it $200, $500 or $1500?

There's no such thing as an average "programmer".

Re: Ask HN: Which is the best laptop for programmers under budget?

#14

Post by s_kilk »

kk_cz wrote: post #3

It's hard to answer, unless you define the budget, but I'd say refurbished ThinkPad T420 (Last model to has decent keyboard). Put some RAM & SSD inside and you have nicely built and powerful machine.

Second. Refurb Thinkpads are great for anyone requiring power and stability on a budget.

Re: Ask HN: Which is the best laptop for programmers under budget?

#15

Post by hug »

beaylott wrote: post #12
franciscop wrote: post #2

I got the Asus UX305CA with Ubuntu LTS a couple of years ago and I love it. But without any more information I cannot recommend it, as it is perfect for me but it might not be for others. Pros: - Light and thin, perfect for carrying everyday. - Decent battery life. - 1080p IPS 13.3" screen, nice keyboard+touchpad. - No fans, no noise. Cons (or not, highly dependends on your use case): - Keyboard is not backlit. - Und…

I got an Asus UX305FA 2 years ago. It was great until some of the keys on the keyboard started to fail just outside of it's 1 year warranty. Despite having tried to reset the ribbon connector on the mobo I can't get it to work. The procedure for replacement isn't fun either. Will probably get an Thinkpad X240/X250 off work next. They can often be purchased second-hand on ebay with a few years of on-site warranty left…

A word of warning: The 'clickpad' on the X240 is the most unpleasant piece of computing hardware I have ever had the displeasure to use.

The clickpad has a ton of travel, and all of that travel is mushy. It sometimes doesn't even register clicks, and right-clicking is an exercise in frustration.

It was so bad I thought there was something defective about the version I had, so I had it replaced, and it was the same horrible experience.

Re: Ask HN: Which is the best laptop for programmers under budget?

#18

Post by beaylott »

hug wrote: post #15
beaylott wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got an Asus UX305FA 2 years ago. It was great until some of the keys on the keyboard started to fail just outside of it's 1 year warranty. Despite having tried to reset the ribbon connector on the mobo I can't get it to work. The procedure for replacement isn't fun either. Will probably get an Thinkpad X240/X250 off work next. They can often be purchased second-hand on ebay with a few years of on-site warranty left…

A word of warning: The 'clickpad' on the X240 is the most unpleasant piece of computing hardware I have ever had the displeasure to use. The clickpad has a ton of travel, and all of that travel is mushy. It sometimes doesn't even register clicks, and right-clicking is an exercise in frustration. It was so bad I thought there was something defective about the version I had, so I had it replaced, and it was the same ho…

Any better on X250?

Re: Ask HN: Which is the best laptop for programmers under budget?

#19

Post by jomkr »

anc84 wrote: post #17

Define budget... Buy a refurbished or exhibition model, those are up to half-price for state of the art devices with no or minor damage. Also, it might be helpful to know which local market you are on. In Germany I could point you to several stores.

Not OP but I'm in the market and need:

- Windows based as I do mostly .Net

- =< £500

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