Need suggestion buying laptop.

Confused_nerd

Confused_nerd

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(Sorry if this thread doesn't belong here, I didn't know where else to post this.)

So I have been presented with an opportunity to buy a laptop, and considering I will be using this machine for at least the next 4 years, I don't want to screw this up. Hence, I am looking for suggestions. Some of the things you should know:

1. Budget is about 1000 USD, although I do not live in the US. I reside in India.
2. I will exclusively be using linux, so no need for windows to be pre installed. I would actually prefer DOS as that way I don't have to pay for windows only to dump it.
3. Some (possibly all) of the things I will be using it for are: Light web browsing (just reading articles, blogs and sending some emails), possibly listening to some music (not highly likely, but once in a while :), little photo editing and learning to program/making computer programs. Clearly the last one is the most significant of all.
4. Some things I want are: RAM should be 16 GB minimum or should be expandable to that. Monitor should have IPS display to say the least, I don't want my eyes to get worse than they already have, and a good build that can last for the time I will be using it. Good processor.
5. I don't know much about this but since it seems really important, I want a graphics card (dedicated or integrated, I don't know) that won't have any problems with linux.

That's it. Fire away you suggestions. I currently think a thinkpad E14 would be best, but feel free to suggest other things.

I would also like to know what laptops/PCs you guys are using even if it doesn't satisfy my criteria.

Edit:
Thanks for your suggestions guys, right now I am considering buying this:
lenovo laptop . Can you guys please review this or at least tell me if this hardware is good for my purposes? Thanks again.
 
Last edited:


Purism's Librem 14 comes to mind: https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/ It's $1,570, which is more expensive than what you asked for, but I did see they do accept coupons and other discounts. Other than that, the description of it sounds like it matches what you're looking for. Be aware that it's going to take a while to ship because of current supply chain issues.
 
SpongebobFan1994 said:
Purism's Librem 14 comes to mind: https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/ It's $1,570, which is more expensive than what you asked for, but I did see they do accept coupons and other discounts. Other than that, the description of it sounds like it matches what you're looking for. Be aware that it's going to take a while to ship because of current supply chain issues.
Click to expand...
I'll look into it, thanks for suggestion.
 
alternatively you could look at a 3-5 yr old dell with I5 cpu and integrated Intel graphics usually 8gb ram] as I see no point in more for running linux and doing what you propose , you will not get anywhere near using it all.
 
SpongebobFan1994 said:
Purism's Librem 14 comes to mind: https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/ It's $1,570, which is more expensive than what you asked for, but I did see they do accept coupons and other discounts. Other than that, the description of it sounds like it matches what you're looking for. Be aware that it's going to take a while to ship because of current supply chain issues.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I may have bought it if it was just for &$1570, but the additional charges make it unaffordable for me.
 
Confused_nerd said:
I would also like to know what laptops/PCs you guys are using even if it doesn't satisfy my criteria.
Click to expand...
ok in daily use I have an HP prodesk [basicaly a laptop in a box intell I5 with 8gb ram]] My dell insperon 2010 vintage [intel core 2 duo +4gb ram] an acer netbook [2008 vintage 32 bit only 1.5gb ram atom 1.6 - 32bit cpu] and for emergencies a now 21yr old Acer [32 bit intel celeron 1.5 cpu and 2gb ram]
 
I moved this to the hardware sub-forum.

I recently purchased this:

www.newegg.com

MSI Modern 15 10th Gen Home and Business Laptop (Intel i5-10210U 4-Core, 32GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080), Intel UHD, Wifi, Bluetooth, Webcam, 1xUSB 3.2, 1xHDMI, Win 10 Pro) - Newegg.com

Buy MSI Modern 15 10th Gen Home and Business Laptop (Intel i5-10210U 4-Core, 32GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080), Intel UHD, Wifi, Bluetooth, Webcam, 1xUSB 3.2, 1xHDMI, Win 10 Pro) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com

It was on sale for under $800. It required zero special drivers - everything just works right straight out of the box. It's plenty fast.

You can probably shop around and find it for around that price.
 
KGIII said:
I moved this to the hardware sub-forum.

I recently purchased this:

www.newegg.com

MSI Modern 15 10th Gen Home and Business Laptop (Intel i5-10210U 4-Core, 32GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080), Intel UHD, Wifi, Bluetooth, Webcam, 1xUSB 3.2, 1xHDMI, Win 10 Pro) - Newegg.com

Buy MSI Modern 15 10th Gen Home and Business Laptop (Intel i5-10210U 4-Core, 32GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080), Intel UHD, Wifi, Bluetooth, Webcam, 1xUSB 3.2, 1xHDMI, Win 10 Pro) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com

It was on sale for under $800. It required zero special drivers - everything just works right straight out of the box. It's plenty fast.

You can probably shop around and find it for around that price.
Click to expand...
Thanks, this looks really good. I'll try and find it.
 
Look for a laptop with an Intel or AMD GPU.

I say that because sometimes Linux does not play well with Nvidia graphics cards.
And it can be challenging to install the Nvidia drivers when you are new to Linux.
 
Alexzee said:
Look for a laptop with an Intel or AMD GPU.

I say that because sometimes Linux does not play well with Nvidia graphics cards.
And it can be challenging to install the Nvidia drivers when you are new to Linux.
Click to expand...
All right.
 
i know your buy a laptop but hp has linux friendly things . the computers and printer always work on linux. the hp laptop/computer aspecailly works if it has amd graphics. get 16gb of ram or high you will thank me
 
jpnilson said:
if you go on the cheap I really like this one. I have used one of these in the past Its under 40000(530 US) Approximately ... math in my head which is a terrible place to store anything.

Click to expand...
OMG, this is great! However I have decided to go to a physical store in town and look at what they have to offer too.
 
I use an old E6430. I had a much nicer machine but my dog spilled a cup of coffee on my wifes machine and she confiscated mine...;) I found that adding a solid state drive and taking the ram from the newly destroyed machine bringing ram up to 16 gig it works well. The big problem is the GPU in the old machine makes it run very hot. I did read that there can be problems with Nvidia cards but I have never encountered it myself. They are very common unfortunately. I would look at what ever you buy with the ability to upgrade. Typically you will not be able to upgrade video in a laptop so get the best you can find. Newest CPU you can afford as well. If you do that everything else can likely be upgraded easily. Its the best way to insure you will have a machine that will work for you for many years.
 
I have a second hand Dell Latitude E7450-7358 which I use for when I am traveling or going somewhere when I am on call for work so I can login remotely. I'm Very satisfied with it so I'm sure that E7450 is a good laptop!
 
the main problems people have with desktop and laptop that the newest are wifi driver and kernel. if your laptop too new your not going to be able to run generic kernel. you might need to run edge verion if you chooice mint or non lts version if you chooice arch or another version
 
I'll just give you some General things to look for and a few to avoid. I've been a big fan of Lenovo Thinkpads. I'm using my T450 right now It's old but rugged and just works with Linux. You can find them for $300. 00 or so refurbished from New Egg and others. I recommend getting something with intel graphic avoid Nvidia unless you need it for gaming. Get it with and SSD Drive and 16 gbs. Ram. Avoid anything with realtek wifi Again intel wifi or some others work well. But realtek can be a pain to get going. Make sure it comes with usb ports (some today do not) an Ethernet port also.
Dell, Lenovo and HP are all good candidates. Good luck in the search.
 
Confused_nerd said:
(Sorry if this thread doesn't belong here, I didn't know where else to post this.)

So I have been presented with an opportunity to buy a laptop, and considering I will be using this machine for at least the next 4 years, I don't want to screw this up. Hence, I am looking for suggestions. Some of the things you should know:

1. Budget is about 1000 USD, although I do not live in the US. I reside in India.
2. I will exclusively be using linux, so no need for windows to be pre installed. I would actually prefer DOS as that way I don't have to pay for windows only to dump it.
3. Some (possibly all) of the things I will be using it for are: Light web browsing (just reading articles, blogs and sending some emails), possibly listening to some music (not highly likely, but once in a while :), little photo editing and learning to program/making computer programs. Clearly the last one is the most significant of all.
4. Some things I want are: RAM should be 16 GB minimum or should be expandable to that. Monitor should have IPS display to say the least, I don't want my eyes to get worse than they already have, and a good build that can last for the time I will be using it. Good processor.
5. I don't know much about this but since it seems really important, I want a graphics card (dedicated or integrated, I don't know) that won't have any problems with linux.

That's it. Fire away you suggestions. I currently think a thinkpad E14 would be best, but feel free to suggest other things.

I would also like to know what laptops/PCs you guys are using even if it doesn't satisfy my criteria.

Edit:
Thanks for your suggestions guys, right now I am considering buying this:
lenovo laptop . Can you guys please review this or at least tell me if this hardware is good for my purposes? Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Made an edit to the post, the price of the lappy in question is about 938 USD.
 
Pity you don't live in South Africa. While most stuff is expensive here, Woot is pretty good in fighting the good fight and things are temporarily cheap (judt my luck while I'm penniless). Woot offer you custom options on laptop builds. You could get a decent machine in the link below. (Hint: $1000 = R16000)
www.wootware.co.za

WootBook Metal 15 AMD Ryzen 5 4600H 4.00GHz Boost 6-Core 15.6" (1920x1080) IPS Space Black Laptop

Buy WootBook Metal 15 AMD Ryzen 5 4600H 4.00GHz Boost 6-Core 15.6" (1920x1080) IPS Space Black Laptop at Wootware with fast shipping & superb service.
www.wootware.co.za www.wootware.co.za

Amounts to ~985 USD with 512GB storage and 16GB memory option. OS is optional. Only drawback: no number pad on keyboard.
I wonder if you could organise international shipping. If shipping and duties amounted to a little more than the 1k budget, still may be worth it (you could circumvent the duties if you know someone in SA and they can recieve it, repackage it, and forward it to you). Woot no longer accept collections (so your courier couldn't pick it up), but they may make an exception for a courier or international shipping.

Just a thought. IDK.
 
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