I stopped buying new laptops (2020) • Hacker News Board

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#21

Post by pengaru » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:12 PM UTC

Oh how I miss the form-factor+keyboard of my X40/X60. Seeing that tent of an X60s has me feeling very nostalgic. One of the few devices capable of doing that for me.

It's too bad they had so many flimsy plastic parts until the X220 era, which still tends to crack palmrests and bezels with use.

If someone packaged a modern SoC beneath an X40/X60 keyboard in a rugged light chassis with all the modern display/battery junk I'd be all over it.

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#22

Post by ralfd » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:14 PM UTC

ido wrote: post #5

Nice. Now try to do the same as (some types of) programmer or 3d modeller or video editor. The newest MacBook with an M2 chip compiles and runs my projects drastically faster than the 2015 Dell XPS Skylake-i7 laptop I used to have and the GPU on the M2 is so ridiculously more powerful it's like going from 3dfx voodoo to a modern GPU.

My M1 Mac is the best laptop I ever owned.

But it is also a big step up, I expect my machine to stay viable quite some time and recommend my noob friends to buy used M1/M2 Macbooks (if available).

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#23

Post by cempaka » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:14 PM UTC

I'm still getting great mileage out of a T430 I bought in 2017, and I'm not particularly nice to my laptops. The one frustration I've had recently is that it can't drive my nice 38-inch monitor at its full resolution, so I've started eyeing a T470.

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#24

Post by Casteil » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:16 PM UTC

rpcope1 wrote: post #13

ido wrote: post #5

Nice. Now try to do the same as (some types of) programmer or 3d modeller or video editor. The newest MacBook with an M2 chip compiles and runs my projects drastically faster than the 2015 Dell XPS Skylake-i7 laptop I used to have and the GPU on the M2 is so ridiculously more powerful it's like going from 3dfx voodoo to a modern GPU.

At that point, I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't just step up to a desktop workstation?

Err, mobility? M1 / M2 Pro MBPs pack a serious punch... and they don't have to sacrifice battery life to do so - they smoke virtually all other laptops in terms of battery life.

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#25

Post by dbg31415 » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:16 PM UTC

I mean... you can save a few bucks on a laptop. Sure.

But the real cost is the downtime.

If I have an employee that I value at $100,000 a year, working 1800 hours, that's $55 / hour.

Assuming their work doesn't impact anyone else, it would be silly for me to take that employee out of commission for any expense that costs less than $440 / day.

Way smarter for me to buy a new laptop, which is less likely to have any issues, and then sell the old ones to offset the costs.

And I'd also point out that most people in tech make more than $100,000.

Also I'd point out... the new Apple Silicon is really nice. Battery life is a lot longer. Heat is a lot less. Screens are fantastic. No stupid touch-screen function bar. Great keyboards. MagSafe power... like, honest to god if you haven't got one of the new Apple Silicon laptops you're really doing yourself a disservice. You should get one! (=

(Also... my opinion... every other laptop maker should just quit. Just close shop. They can't touch the new Apple machines. That's how much better the Apple Silicon laptops are. Everything else that's being made is just e-waste by comparison. Even the Intel MacBooks from 3-4 years ago are just dogwater in comparison.)

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#26

Post by madduci » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:16 PM UTC

tristor wrote: post #19

I average 8 years and two batteries for a laptop since I switched to Macbooks, prior it was about 5 years and one battery. MacBooks have a much better lifecycle.

Aren't new models with soldered batteries as well? The lifecycle is a disaster, especially if you would like to change the drive or upgrade the ram, you simply can't

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#27

Post by pmontra » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:17 PM UTC

HP ZBook 15 first gen here, 9.5 yo. I use it to develop with Django, Rails, Phoenix. Docker, psql, Mongo, mysql, whatever js frontend my customers choose. Debian 11. I upgraded it to a double SSD configuration, 32 GB RAM. I replaced worn out keyboards a few times, the battery once a few months ago. It works well and I hope that it keeps going for a while. It still sells second hand for about 600 Euros last time I checked, too much to buy two of them as mines of spare parts.

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#28

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:18 PM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #15

ido wrote: post #5

Nice. Now try to do the same as (some types of) programmer or 3d modeller or video editor. The newest MacBook with an M2 chip compiles and runs my projects drastically faster than the 2015 Dell XPS Skylake-i7 laptop I used to have and the GPU on the M2 is so ridiculously more powerful it's like going from 3dfx voodoo to a modern GPU.

[deleted]

[deleted]

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#29

Post by novaRom » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:19 PM UTC

"Laptops don’t change" - this is most important reason if we're talking about Apple laptops. My 10 years old MacBook Pro is almost absolutely the same as MacBook Air of 2023. Performance, screen, OS, weight, battery, keyboard. And old laptops look even better; look how ugly are new M1/M2 Air cases in comparison with first versions of Airs.

Re: I stopped buying new laptops (2020)

#30

Post by chaostheory » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 6:19 PM UTC

This making sense depends on your career. It makes sense for writers, but not for everyone. Why? Because silicon is cheaper than carbon ie the hourly costs for most machines tends to be far cheaper than my salary. In my case it’s more expensive to buy something cheap and slow, than it is to buy something that allows me to maximize my throughput per hour.