Ask HN: What’s a good laptop for software development at around $2k?

Post by mrek0 » Wed, Apr 20, 2022, 9:19 PM UTC

CoolGuySteve wrote: post #293

jwalton wrote: post #223

Lenovo has some pretty good sales on thinkpad X1s (at least they do in Canada - didn't check the US site). But, if you're in Canada, I just bought this: https://www.newegg.ca/p/N82E16834233446?Description=gigabyte... It's got a gorgeous 4K OLED screen, a quite decent CPU and GPU, and it's currently $350 off + a $300 mail in rebate (there was an additional $350 off over the easter weekend, too). The track pad is not m…

I have a Lenovo X13 Gen 2 with a 16 thread Ryzen 5850U and 32GB of RAM. It’s about the most powerful you can get while still having a power efficient CPU under load. I spend all day compiling with all cores and battery is still around 8-9 hours with a 90% charging cap set in the bios to preserve battery longevity. Linux works great on the AMD chipset but I had to replace the Wi-Fi card with an Intel AX220. After buyi…

Post by scns » Wed, Apr 20, 2022, 9:32 PM UTC

falcolas wrote: post #434

rmbyrro wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why Mac seems to attract so fanatic behavior? They seem to want to push everyone to use Mac, like religious fanatics try to push everyone to their "truth". I think this is a result of some marketing tactics Apple employed for decades, and it only pushes me away from this brand.

> Why Mac seems to attract so fanatic behavior? The same reason console wars exist. If there are multiple choices, and it's not practical to take/use/buy all the options, people feel the need to justify the choice that they did make. When someone's starting from a defensive position, unemotional rationality is uncommon. AKA, it's human nature.

Post by rmbyrro » Wed, Apr 20, 2022, 9:36 PM UTC

MetaWhirledPeas wrote: post #572

rootusrootus wrote: post #516

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why Mac seems to attract so fanatic behavior? That is a good question. But ... > They seem to want to push everyone to use Mac, like religious fanatics try to push everyone to their "truth". As soon as you can adequately explain why there are people that are vehemently anti-Apple, you will have the answer to this question. You make it sound like it's only pro-Apple people that are fanatics.

> As soon as you can adequately explain why there are people that are vehemently anti-Apple, you will have the answer to this question. Oh, oh! I know this one. Apple's devices are extremely closed. This is antithetical to the spirit of personal computing. But this is only one component: what ultimately pushes Apple to generate an anti-Apple crowd is the combination of them being a closed platform, them using every d…

Post by okasaki » Wed, Apr 20, 2022, 10:05 PM UTC

fauigerzigerk wrote: post #732

okasaki wrote: post #653

Earlier quoted context omitted.

M1 Macbook air comes with 8gb soldered memory. In the UK that's 899gbp. If you want 16gb memory you're paying at least 1700gbp. If you want 32gb, it's 2999gbp. Most Windows laptops have upgradable memory and you can buy yourself 32gb ram for ~100gbp.

>M1 Macbook air comes with 8gb soldered memory. In the UK that's 899gbp. If you want 16gb memory you're paying at least 1700gbp A Macbook Air with 16GB memory and 256GB SSD is £1,199 including 20% VAT in the UK.

Post by barbacoa » Wed, Apr 20, 2022, 10:37 PM UTC

swozey wrote: post #405

raxxorraxor wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you might be able to make it work, but the OS simply leaves you less freedom compared to a Linux machine. And you would need to jump through hoops. I am an embedded dev and I have tried. Theoretically it is possible, but you would miss a lot of tooling on the way. I don't really care about performance that much. I have an MB Air with M1 and I like it because the battery and display is very good. But it isn't re…

Unique devices is definitely a concern! I wasn't sure when I got my Garmin watch if I'd be able to update it from my mac. Thankfully I can.