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Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

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Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#131

Post by SuchAnonMuchWow »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #18

> two fast external storage ports At least 4 USB ports (2-3 USB-B, 1-2 USB-C). At least one of them full USB-4 Thunderbolt unless the computer is very cheap. 100% USB-C with no USB-B is a serious annoyance. Lack of a head-set jack is an extreme annoyance I would only excuse if the computer is really great otherwise. Built-in Ethernet port is very nice to have but not necessary. Built-in SD card reader is also very ni…

Don't you mean USB-A instead of USB-B ? I don't think I've ever seen a laptop with USB-B ports.

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#132

Post by crooked-v »

foobarbaz33 wrote: post #119

> if I'm missing on any new developments since 2015 Yes, you missed something huge. Apple Silicon M1 or nothing. It's just too good. Low power consumption allows the laptop to actually be used as a laptop. The power use-to-performance ratio is unmatched by anything on the market. Apple is breaking us free from decades of stagnation on the hardware front. Nothing else on the market comes close. I expect this to change…

Also, the M1X laptops (probably) release Monday and will be even more ridiculous.

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#133

Post by crooked-v »

andrei_says_ wrote: post #124
nottaylorswift wrote: post #123

If it has the Apple logo you'll be fine. Seriously though, the Intel 16 inch MBP or the M1X 16 inch due to be released in a few days are the best choice hands down, if you can afford it. Sounds like you could also benefit from an iPad Pro M1 plus pencil and LTE, which I can't recommend enough. I would say since 2015, the premium laptops have improved further still, the display and battery life specs are outstanding a…

For me what matters is that it runs macOS reliably. I’m spoiled by its ergonomics and I run Adobe and other graphics intensive software which doesn’t run on Linux. My 2015 MacBook pro still runs. I’m not looking forward to giving up the USB ports, the MagSafe, the hdmi and sdcard ports. That said, I'm excited about the new generation - if I can use one laptop for coding, image processing and video editing, that would…

> I’m not looking forward to giving up the USB ports, the MagSafe, the hdmi and sdcard ports.

Rumors are that the ones being announced on the 18th will bring back most or all of those, along with getting rid of the Touch Bar.

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#134

Post by Underphil »

foobarbaz33 wrote: post #119

> if I'm missing on any new developments since 2015 Yes, you missed something huge. Apple Silicon M1 or nothing. It's just too good. Low power consumption allows the laptop to actually be used as a laptop. The power use-to-performance ratio is unmatched by anything on the market. Apple is breaking us free from decades of stagnation on the hardware front. Nothing else on the market comes close. I expect this to change…

Like so many people, I love the hardware but hate the software. Hoping that once Linux is solid on there, I'll be able to get one.

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#135

Post by crooked-v »

codegeek wrote: post #69
random_kris wrote: post #2

M1 MacBook pro no competition

Does M1 come with a 15 inch like the Macbook Pro Retina Mid 2014 ? I am interested in M1 but my current Macbook Pro runs like butter and really not interested in replacing it until something much better comes along.

The ones to really look at will the M1X models that will (probably) be announced on the 18th, which will bump up the screens to 14/16 inch in the same overall form factor (smaller bezels) and have even more absurd performance than the M1 laptops people keep raving about.

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#137

Post by google234123 »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #62
utucuro wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Manufacturers probably prefer extra USB ports to a dedicated SD slot since it occupies less internal space than an SD slot and is not single purpose.

Doesn't seem so to me. They just rarely put more than 3 USB ports and there doesn't seem to be any obvious correlation between the number and lack/presence of the SD port.

Are usb sticks typically faster and cheaper than SD cards or am I remembering this wrong?

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#138

Post by google234123 »

nottaylorswift wrote: post #123

If it has the Apple logo you'll be fine. Seriously though, the Intel 16 inch MBP or the M1X 16 inch due to be released in a few days are the best choice hands down, if you can afford it. Sounds like you could also benefit from an iPad Pro M1 plus pencil and LTE, which I can't recommend enough. I would say since 2015, the premium laptops have improved further still, the display and battery life specs are outstanding a…

Intel 16 inch is NOT good. Runs too hot and throttles.

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#139

Post by glenarma »

allwein wrote: post #114
grandpoobah wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was going to post the same thing (albeit far more poorly explained). Isn't Microsoft embarrassed about this? This has been an issue for my last two laptops over the last 5 years. How is it acceptable for this problem to still exist? My Lenovo supports S3 sleep, but I didn't discover it until probably a year into having bought it, so at that point my battery's ability to hold charge had already been sufficiently degra…

> and if Visual Studio ran on Mac I'd probably switch my PC out also Not sure if it supports all the features you need, but it exists. https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/mac/

That’s just a rebranded Xamarin IDE - but for .NET development on Mac, I’ve found JetBrains Rider does most of what the full Visual Studio package does

Re: Ask HN: What does one look for in a laptop these days?

#140

Post by google234123 »

dna_polymerase wrote: post #59
schleck8 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm not eager to buy an Intel processor May I ask why?

As good as they started over the past decades they made many shady business moves which eventually put them in the place of being the (de-facto) only CPU option around. Then they blew it all with Spectre. It's not like I especially like AMD, but I'd love to support a little more competition in the x86 market. Eventually I'd love to see consumer grade ARM available for non-Apple devices. Their premiums and lockin just…

Spectre effects all cpus, though…
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