Any thoughts on laptop brands?

[nwhitfield]

At the moment, the PC that I do my development work on is a little Acer machine, with 4GB memory and a Celeron processor. It is, needless to say, a bit sluggish at times - especially since it's also running my 3CX phone system 24/7 too.

Since the business has some money spare at the moment, I am considering buying a laptop to use principally for coding in B4X, with the odd excursion into Xojo on days when I either have legacy code to maintain or just feel really, really dirty

I think it would be useful to get one with a touch screen, so I can test how some of the web stuff I do responds to such devices as well. So, most likely one of those convertible systems.

But, it's years since I've looked at the Windows laptop market; what brands (available in the UK) do people rate these days? Dell, HP, Lenovo?

And if you were speccing a system for somthing like this, what would you go for? I'm guessing at least 8GB of RAM, probably 16 if it's affordable, and at least 256GB on SSD. I don't want to spend silly money, and it'll never be used for gaming or anything much at all besides developement work.

 

[BillMeyer]

Dell, 16gB minimum and 1tb ssd. Windows 10 pro. Can't beat this combo.

 

[EnriqueGonzalez]

Look for an HP ryzen 5 16gb 128 ssd + 1tb with radeon graphics, here in Mexico they cost around $550.00

 

[NJDude]

I'd go for a Lenovo Yoga series, solid computers.

 

[f0raster0]

I had (still I have) a Laptop Packard Bell 13", I bought this laptop from the store, from the ones that they use to show to clients, very cheap I was an student and that was my first "new" computer. 11 years ago. My small Laptop travelled (and worked in some cases) around the "globe" Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Russia, New Zealand

Last year I got a Dell XPS 13, very happy with that!

I just bought my laptop last year

:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: after 11 years, I just bought a new laptop but: You are using an old device that is 32 bit. I got it just last December a Dell xps 13 (just 4 months ago o_O ) 😢😢 want to cry maybe can't performance 64bit? edit: ahah...

www.b4x.com

 

[thetahsk]

...

Check this nice overview with touchscreen displays.

https://www.idealo.co.uk/cat/3751F790558/laptops.html

 

[Kaputmorb]

I recommend the apple brand since their laptops are built for quality and performance. I chose this because I make it a habit that when I buy a product I always check for their information and customer's review or feedback. Just like when I chose my scanner from Innova https://bestobd2scanners.com/innova/, I have found it on a review.

 

[ilan]

i like the new notbook with dualscreen like this one:

 

[rabbitBUSH]

i like the new notbook with dualscreen like this one:

I KNEW I should have married my wife for her money !

if you were speccing a system for somthing like this, what would you go for?

You know, I wouldn't worry about brands, though, where I am these tend to be limited. In London you might be more spoiled for choice than you can deal with.

@BillMeyer makes a good offer above #2

I've known guys with 5-digit-value laptops and they've complained. Go figure, the eyes were bigger than the stomach.

SO, you are right speccing something )#1( : but this is how I approached it -

Work out what you think will be the best specification - think broadly ignore what it was when you last looked . Then, find the the brand with the model closest (or the same) with the best price. Basically, there are five or six in the mainstream. In a HiFi system you put money into the speakers - in a laptop you put money into RAM. I'm not that much of a fan of SSDs yet, but, the second thing to put money into is storage (1TB min) (a secondary issue with this is the Windows paging thingy where it stuffs things offline onto the drive (so if the RAM is big enough not used so much - with what you're doing maybe not an issue anyway).

Of course Clock speed is the third thing.

Since you'll be using it for a while, given the evidence of the current machine lifespan, time to make the expenditure count and even stretch it a bit.

Actually, don't discount the gaming machines, they have good specs normally and even a low end one would give you good performance for what you want to use it for.

Happyhunting.

]] PS when you get the new one prepare yourself for the set up woes; the recover all Those account settings and stuff; and, of course the shock of not being able to make tea between uploads of a B4X to that device....... [[

 

[EnriqueGonzalez]

set up woes

I am a Linux distro junkie. And usually windows a bit less but frankly a lot of times per year and this part is the best part, I love to setup computers it is kind of relaxing.

 

[rabbitBUSH]

frankly a lot of times per year and this part is the best part, I love to setup computers it is kind of relaxing.

O Enrique I guess that is Mexican speak for I like running around in circles once a month . . . . At least with Linux we can just clone the thing and it still works on the upgrade.

 

[EnriqueGonzalez]

O Enrique I guess that is Mexican speak for I like running around in circles once a month

Lol you made laugh, yes may be that is what it is.

At least with Linux we can just clone the thing and it still works on the upgrade.

yes on same distros, but on different just let it go

 

[JackKirk]

Sometime in the late 80's I bought my first private PC having used work ones for several years - my company bought one of the first IBM PC XTs in Australia in about 1984/5.

This private PC was a made to order effort - you would go down to the local hole-in-the-wall PC retailer and pick bits until you had some semblance of a working box.

Next PC was bought while working in the US in about 1990 and I tried Dell - with a much smoother acquisition and usage experience than my original.

Since then I have always used Dell - and recommended them to anyone who was looking - probably in excess of 30 units by now.

They typically die of old age.

My 7 year old Inspirion laptop has just died after about 4-5 hours/day use including many field trips and overseas jaunts - it has been really used.

To replace it I have just ordered

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/del...p/spd/xps-13-7390-2-in-1-laptop/hnx7390n03aub

This is a higher spec than you suggest and in Australia at the moment it is being discounted...

 

[Greg Breinholt]

Razer's gaming laptops make great coding machines (note that I'm biased cause I work for them).

 

[nwhitfield]

I recommend the apple brand, since their laptops are built for quality and performance.

My main machine is a Mac Mini, which I use for web coding, and to run the build server for B4i. I think the current Mac hardware is really not value for money, not to mention it's all going to be obsolete. My desire for a touch screen rules out Mac laptops anyway; I've had many in the past. When I want a Windows laptop, that's what I want.

 

[nwhitfield]

Work out what you think will be the best specification - think broadly ignore what it was when you last looked . Then, find the the brand with the model closest (or the same) with the best price. Basically, there are five or six in the mainstream. In a HiFi system you put money into the speakers - in a laptop you put money into RAM. I'm not that much of a fan of SSDs yet, but, the second thing to put money into is storage (1TB min) (a secondary issue with this is the Windows paging thingy where it stuffs things offline onto the drive (so if the RAM is big enough not used so much - with what you're doing maybe not an issue anyway).

Without wanting to diverge too much, in HiFi, you really should put the money into the source first, especially for things like Vinyl. Hence the Linn Sondek LP-3 and Rega P3 turntables in my living room. What ever speakers you have, they're never going to bring back something that got lost right at the start of the chain. (But, for reference B&W 703 floor standers).

On my previous Mac laptops, especially as they've got older, I've found swapping the hard drive for an SSD has given them a few extra years, and of course increasing the RAM, back in the days when Apple made systems you could actually upgrade easily. In my previous life, I wrote a lot of UK computer magazines, so I definitely agree RAM is the most cost effective way to boost speed, as long as they're still making the right sort of SIMM/DIMMs

 

[JackKirk]

I'm not that much of a fan of SSDs yet

There is an old axiom "if it moves it breaks" - I have been using SSDs for years and avoided fans whenever I can.

I concur with the maximize RAM/minimize paging thought.

 

[nwhitfield]

The websites of some of these brands are shockingly awful. No, I don't want to "get to know your family of brands", I just want to filter all your products by my specs, and I don't give a flying f*** what daft name it has. Saw a really nice looking Asus, but it's impossible to find in their online store. Lenovo's Small Business site is a slow, claggy heap of rubbish.

I think - especially bearing in mind that I shall probably have to buy an iPad at some stage, as users are pestering me to make an optimised version of one of my apps for that - that I'll end up with a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, as there are some reasonable offers on those at the moment, and I can be pretty sure it's going to be well supported.

 

[rabbitBUSH]

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3,

GULP!

'EH if it floats it must be a boat . . . .

Will this help (being spoiled for choice where you are ) must be geek without a web site here somewhere......)

 

[rabbitBUSH]

I have been using SSDs for years and

There is an old axiom "if it moves it breaks"

HEh HEH HEH - I found this popped up in a search :

Mmmmm they left out 'Don't use it - '

BTW not that its relevant : but does Dell still have that thing where if a part needs to be replaced, or, you want to add a board or whatever, it has to be a Dell bit (ie no third party options) that mainly applies to Desktop units I suppose. Hang on, I'm thinking, there are still replaceable parts! OS np not That OS the other OS - a friend once had that problem. . . . . .with a Dell.

Also I have heard that Dell "tweaks" the OS around its proprietary hardware (well maybe they all do). But I recall hearing that Dell is particularly special on this. It seemed that like Windows 10 - you're not quite the administrator you think you are.

BTW I have broken the ice with SSDs despite the MTBF on solid state allegedly having a finite number of read / write cycles. Its just SOOOO much stuff to loose with a REALLY expensive send-away recovery plan. Had to do that with a colleague's HDD a few years ago - Ping and OUCH in the wallet for her.........