I want a good laptop for $400 brand new. Is that too much to ask?

[Zm1TDkSnQkY4KEqskCARSBpk]

This will be used for coding (Python and JS), note taking, web browsing, light gaming (Minecraft is the heaviest game I'll play), school work, light media editing (GIMP, KDEnlive, Audacity), and anything else I'll do in the next 6 years. Here's what I need:

 

A CPU at least as powerful as my i7-740QM with hardware virtualization, preferably a Ryzen 5, avoid Intel if possible.

8 GB of RAM, with the ability to upgrade to 12 or 16 GB later

256 GB of SSD storage, can bump down to 128GB if there is an internal hard drive. Must be removable.

1366x768 11.6 inch screen or 1920x1080 up to 15.6 inch screen. IPS preferred but not required, 14 inches is the best size.

8 hours of battery life

2 in 1 form factor with active stylus strongly preferred but not required

At least one USB-A and full size HDMI, preferably also a USB-C or two with USB-PD and video output

Good keyboard and trackpad

Very good GNU/Linux compatibility (Windows will be replaced with GNU/Linux upon arrival)

 

I'm having trouble finding something good and cheap. Am I asking for too much?

[YoyoConnor]

9 minutes ago, Zm1TDkSnQkY4KEqskCARSBpk said:

This will be used for coding (Python and JS), note taking, web browsing, light gaming (Minecraft is the heaviest game I'll play), school work, light media editing (GIMP, KDEnlive, Audacity), and anything else I'll do in the next 6 years. Here's what I need:

 

A CPU at least as powerful as my i7-740QM with hardware virtualization, preferably a Ryzen 5, avoid Intel if possible.

8 GB of RAM, with the ability to upgrade to 12 or 16 GB later

256 GB of SSD storage, can bump down to 128GB if there is an internal hard drive. Must be removable.

1366x768 11.6 inch screen or 1920x1080 up to 15.6 inch screen. IPS preferred but not required, 14 inches is the best size.

8 hours of battery life

2 in 1 form factor with active stylus strongly preferred but not required

At least one USB-A and full size HDMI, preferably also a USB-C or two with USB-PD and video output

Good keyboard and trackpad

Very good GNU/Linux compatibility (Windows will be replaced with GNU/Linux upon arrival)

 

I'm having trouble finding something good and cheap. Am I asking for too much?

May want to look at chromebooks, as those are signifigantly less expenisve, because you wont need to pay for windows.

[Sat1600]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-Ideapad-330s-15-6-Laptop-Windows-10-AMD-Ryzen-5-2500U-Quad-Core-Processor-8GB-Memory-256GB-Storage-Platinum-Grey-81FB00HKUS/273186587

 

Or

 

https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/7842346/Lenovo-IdeaPad-S145-Laptop-156-Screen/

[BobZHAO]

You can try Lenovo store at this time(be quick, is cyber Monday) 

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/d/deals/laptops?sort=price-asc&currentResultsLayoutType=grid

 

I saw some pretty good prices right now. 

[Zm1TDkSnQkY4KEqskCARSBpk]

YoyoConnor: The keyboard layout on chromebooks sucks. Even if I was willing to live with that, almost all chromebooks I can find are either super low end celeron/4GB/32GB machines or, if you can find one with proper specs, you pay way too much for Google Pixel branding. I'll try to find a chromebook that doesn't suck and isn't overpriced, but are there any other options?

 

Sat1600: The 330s is listed as having a maximum supported RAM of 8GB. Does this mean if I put 12GB in, it will only see 8? And what about the battery capacity in WHr? And what is the difference between it and the S145?

[GDRRiley]

Id say a used thinkpad carbon X1 gen 3.

To get a decent laptop with an R5 or R7 is going to be closer to 550 or so for a 1080P screen. 250GB ssd, 8-16gb ram.

[Sat1600]

4 minutes ago, Zm1TDkSnQkY4KEqskCARSBpk said:

YoyoConnor: The keyboard layout on chromebooks sucks. Even if I was willing to live with that, almost all chromebooks I can find are either super low end celeron/4GB/32GB machines or, if you can find one with proper specs, you pay way too much for Google Pixel branding. I'll try to find a chromebook that doesn't suck and isn't overpriced, but are there any other options?

 

Sat1600: The 330s is listed as having a maximum supported RAM of 8GB. Does this mean if I put 12GB in, it will only see 8? And what about the battery capacity in WHr? And what is the difference between it and the S145?

The s145 has:

Ryzen 5 3500U instead of 2500U ( 0.1 GHz difference )

TN 220 nits instead of IPS 250 nits

Bluetooth 4.2 instead of 4.1

Plastic case instead of aluminum top

480p camera instead of 720p

Mono microphone instead of dual array

35 Wh battery instead of 30 Wh

65W power brick instead of 45 pl

 

Not sure about the resolution on the 330s. It's unclear. Manufacturers page says 1920x1080 but it could be Walmart has a slighty different version

[Zm1TDkSnQkY4KEqskCARSBpk]

The s145 is cheaper by about $30, and from that list the only thing that appears significant is the TN/IPS difference. Is it an OK TN screen or a disgusting one? 

 

And are the batteries really that tiny? How am I supposed to believe that 30-35 WHr is supposed to last a 15.6 inch laptop 8 hours?

[Zm1TDkSnQkY4KEqskCARSBpk]

Is there something like the 330S except with a much larger battery? Like maybe 60 or 100 WHr? It appears that, just as I predicted, 30 WHr does not last 8 hours. Even my 10 inch tablet has a battery fairly close to 30 WHr, so putting something bigger in a 15.6in laptop shouldn't be hard.