Best laptop for a programmer

[Dude]

Hey guys,

So some stuff (long story) has led to the point where I am gonna need a laptop. This will primarily be for programming, maybe a movie or two when I'm on the road.

I would prefer a high resolution display and a display size above 14" and I would imagine the budget is around 550 GBP. Bonus points if you find one with a Blu-Ray drive.

[seabass9990]

You probably want a full size keyboard if your a programmer

[Dude]

You probably want a full size keyboard if your a programmer

^ This also. I knew I was forgetting something.

[AustinB]

You probably want a full size keyboard if your a programmer

You can always plug-in Keyboard.

[Snickerzz]

You can always plug-in Keyboard.

then whats the point of the laptop?

[Dude]

then whats the point of the laptop?

Yeah, I would only really like to plug in three things; ethernet cable (when required), headphones and mouse.

[RelentlessAF]

Pretty much just something comfortable. It doesn't really need to be too powerful depending on what you compile. You could probably head to your local electronics store (if you have one) and just kind of browse their laptop section for something that feels nice to type on.

[juretrn]

Depends on your projects. If you need to compile really big ones, a quad core i7 would probably be a good idea. If not, nearly anything would suffice, maybe consider getting something with a good screen if you have to use it a lot. 

[Dude]

Depends on your projects. If you need to compile really big ones, a quad core i7 would probably be a good idea. If not, nearly anything would suffice, maybe consider getting something with a good screen if you have to use it a lot.

I would probably be using it quite a bit. These projects would be made in languages such as Java, Python, Ruby, C# and possibly a few others.

[juretrn]

Do you have a preferred retailer and link their store?

[seabass9990]

all laptops are crappy imo unless you spend a lot of money

No a laptop is fine for anything you if you aren't doing anything resource intensive. so internet browsing, documents, or programming small amounts of code

[Dude]

Do you have a preferred retailer and link their store?

Well, I am British so I use either eBuyer, Amazon UK, Scan, Aria or Overclockers. I am on mobile and it's time consuming to attempt to copy and paste links, especially while using the full site on mobile.

[seabass9990]

i meant from a quality standpoint hardware is fine i should have been more clear

Dunno my Insperon 14z is almost completely metal, and is quite durable.

[seabass9990]

i have noticed dell has been stepping up but my hp laptop that i spent close to 1k on is garbage.

800 bucks on sale for mine