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

> I'm not eager to buy an Intel processor

May I ask why?

Good on-site warranty support and/or spare part availability whether it's from the OEM or Ebay.

that is a loaded question because the way people use their computers varies too much. for example, i have abandoned desktop because of the noise and size. so notebook/laptop/.. sits on my desk, closed, hooked up to external monitor, keyboard and mouse. so it is like a compact desktop with a backup screen and keyboard. so for this use, i need dedicated graphics card(just for games), rj45 to hook up internet or lan, microphone and headphones jack, bt if i want to use wireless headphones, wifi if i don't have cable available. all NBs have replaceable hdd and ram so those will be immediately upgraded(ie. they should be ignored when buying). hence the graphics card, cpu and available ports is what matters the most because they are fixed. i have been taking my NB to work for 5+ years, every day, so the durability of connectors is important. you won't know until you keep using them(ie. plugging the hdmi cable twice a day, usb keyboard and mouse too). if you move the computer often, the charger is the biggest issue since it is large and heavy. having a small one should be priority, otherwise it does not matter(or buy a second one). overall weight and dimensions should be considered as well if travel will take place often(i would recommend dedicated travel NB in that case). also it is good to have two hdds, just in case. i have swapped my dvd-rom for hdd with a special tray. lastly, drivers. after so many years, i recommend you back up all drivers somewhere because if you reinstall the OS you might not find some important driver anymore or you will have some issues(in my case, the fan was not working properly so i had to find a special utility that i need to run after each start). some brands are better at long-term support than others, but again, you just won't know until you need it. i don't think brand matters. not today. i bought MSI, plastic case, but with good specs. most people would not even look at that brand when it comes to NBs but it has served me 8 years without missing a beat. lastly, in my case, i cannot hook up 4k monitor because of outdated graphics card. that should not be a problem but tech is something one might look at to future-proof the computer's long-term usability. also the limits of replaceable hw should be considered. you might be ok with 16gb ram or 32gb ram but one day you might NEED 64gb or more and you might not be able to hook it up. same goes for hdd and the supported speeds or interface. again, future-proofing is something to consider if you are not the type of person that buys new hw every other year.

1. S3 Standby/suspend support.

If your laptop supports that, you can close the lid and it will power ~everything except the RAM down (sometimes a USB port still charges). In 'new' laptops, including almost everything Tiger lake and Intel, S3 is being phased out for Microsoft's "Modern Standby", known as S0ix (or sometimes InstantGo). This is much more like a mobile phone, where it stays on but attempts to use as little battery as possible.

So, peripherals might shut down, but you might still be able to get critical Windows Updates or receive an important notification -- all while your laptop is unplugged, lid closed, in your bag overnight. This is pretty bad for heat, battery, and often not what you might expect. My new laptop uses about 15% battery overnight, just doing nothing.

In the future, perhaps this mode will work as well as S3 used to for battery life, but finding your laptop fans on while it's closed inside your bag and getting really hot is not fun. This applies to lots of laptops currently.

2. A good screen. Brightness that goes high enough to be seen outside (400, or more) - and it'll usually auto turn down the rest of the time to save battery. Hard to go wrong on a Mac, but really variable screen quality across other brands and models. You'll spend a lot of time looking at the screen.

Being able to upgrade the memory or storage also dramatically extends the useable life of a laptop.