Thin and Light laptop for programming/light data visualization

[just_a_coder]

Hi all, 

I am looking to get a thin and light laptop to do vscode/vim programming and ssh'ing to set up simulations. I also will be doing light data visualization using OVITO.

I have a gaming laptop Dell Inspiron 15 7559 but its definitely something bulky and heavy and gets hot.

I don't see myself doing much CUDA programming in the future so nvidia graphics card isn't necessary.

I would like to have long battery life, not heavy, num pad if possible though not, that's fine. Preferably not a Mac since I've been using Windows/Linux environment for a while.

 

I wandered around MicroCenter today looking at laptops but was absolutely overwhelmed by the choices there.

 

Budget: Pretty flexible.

Main uses: Mostly coding in vscode and netflix, with some visualization using OVITO.

 

Thanks in advance!

[OrangeSunshine]

Honestly, as much as I hate to recommend surface products, what about like a surface laptop? or maybe an Lg gram? Those are pretty slim and decently powerful. You also shouldn't have a ton of problems with getting linux on them either.

[just_a_coder]

Hadn't seriously considered the surface line before? Are they actually good now? I remember some of the original surfaces being just all right and my perception hasn't really changed since then.

[AMD A10-9600P]

The new Surface Laptops are available to pre order and look nice, you can get either Intel or AMD. Have a look at the ASUS ZenBook line, I'd definitely recommend them, I have one with an extra screen for the trackpad which can act as a numpad if you need it to, thin and light too with good battery.

 

If you're getting this as a secondary laptop to use along side your Inspiron then it might not be worth going for the higher end, and you could settle for a Ryzen 5 laptop, but if you're going to replace the Inspiron, it will be worth looking at the more premium end, so i7/Ryzen 7, Razer, ASUS Zen series, HP Spectre, Surface laptop. Avoid the Dell XPS 13, as it has horrendous battery life and very bad quality control, a lot of people receive malfunctioning laptops that suddenly shut off entirely, and often with flickering displays. The XPS 15 and 17 seem to be easier to recommend based on reviews I've watched.

[just_a_coder]

Ahhh, sorry. I should have mentioned that my daily driver is a desktop. HP Envy Phoenix https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04072036 (I know that 4th gen i7 is old, but hey it's still kicking)

I've upgraded it to a 1660 Ti and installed a couple of SSD's which has made it usable over the past few years. The initial load times on the HDD of about 5 minutes was killing me until I went SSD.

[just_a_coder]

@AMD A10-9600P what are your thoughts on the extra screen? It seems like a gimmick more than anything that you would use a second screen. Have you foudnit to be productive/useful in your use?

 

[AMD A10-9600P]

11 minutes ago, just_a_coder said:

@AMD A10-9600P what are your thoughts on the extra screen? It seems like a gimmick more than anything that you would use a second screen. Have you foudnit to be productive/useful in your use?

 

It really depends on what you're doing. It can be useful for music and referencing, and it's nice to have if you need a numpad, but don't want to lug around a 15" laptop, but for most people it would be a gimmick. The main reason I chose the laptop was due to its design and 14" screen (a nice balance between 13" which I found too small, and I'd had 15" laptops before that were a bit too big now), for me the ScreenPad is really just a bonus; luckily it doesn't seem to add a premium to the price, as I compared it with the XPS 13 for £50 less at the same shop (although Dell sells it themselves for about £700 more...), and with that £50 premium I got a larger 14" display, same powerful CPU and iGPU, bigger battery, lifting hinge (improves typing position and cooling), bigger keyboard, ScreenPad, dedicated MX450 GPU, Intel Optane accelerated SSD, and many more ports. ASUS do make ZenBooks with a more traditional design though, and those I would definitely also recommend, as the only difference between mine and those would be the touchpad, the more traditional 13" ZenBooks also offer longer battery lives, with both AMD and Intel offerings, but be warned, they sometimes do not have headphone jacks (although mine does have one). Their normal touchpads also offer a numpad functionality, which could potentially be useful.

 

Make a list of the most important things you want in a new laptop, then shop around, keeping an eye out for things that appeal to you, honestly, you'll be spoilt for choice. I'd also recommend doing something like this to compare the laptops you like: (if you're spending a lot, then this is worth the time. I find it helps to sort out the laptops that look good on the surface, but may be worse deals, and helps you to find the perfect machine. Regarding the battery, don't take the manufacturers claim for it, watch video reviews and list different runtimes that people have got, next to the manufacturers claim)

 

Dell XPS 13 2 in 1 - £1799 at Dell, £1249 at John Lewis

• i7-1165G7 4c8t, Xe iGPU - list the CPU and iGPU
• 16GB, 512GB - list RAM and storage
• 51Wh battery, only lasts 4h in reviews, Dell claims are full on lies - list battery capacity, OEM claims, and video review runtimes
• 4K 13" touch display - list size and resolution (4K is not ideal for battery life, 1080p is ideal, has high enough pixel density)
• 2 in 1 convertible - list any unique features

ASUS ZenBook 14 UX435 - £1099 on sale, usually £1299 at John Lewis

• i7-1165G7 4c8t, Xe iGPU
• 16GB, 512GB with 32GB Optane cache
• 63Wh battery, lasts over 8h in reviews, ASUS claims 12h
• 1080p 14" touch display
• MX450 2GB dGPU
• ScreenPad trackpad, ergonomic lifting hinge helps tying position and cooling

 

Also, one last thing, if you don't care about a touchscreen at all, look into the LG Gram. They're not very rigid, but are lightweight, thin and have great battery lives.

[just_a_coder]

Thanks for feedback @AMD A10-9600P!