Laptop recommendations?

[FadeRemix]

Hey all,

 

Ive been looking at buying a laptop recently and I'm not too sure what would be a good choice. I want a 16in preferably but anything down to 14 will work. I’m wanting to just use it from time to time and bring it out with me to edit photos, and just use it as a laptop, no gaming or anything. 

 

I was looking at getting a MacBook but some applications I run on my desktop don’t have Mac support but I saw somewhere you could dual boot but if I can’t what would be a good windows laptop?

 

any help is appreciated, thank you.

[dizmo]

Budget, location would both be helpful with any kind of suggestion.

[johnt]

What software do you use that doesn't have Mac support?

[FadeRemix]

4 hours ago, dizmo said:

Budget, location would both be helpful with any kind of suggestion.

meant to include this sorry! max would be around 1.5k give or take 2-3 hundred 

not sure with what you mean by location?

[FadeRemix]

3 hours ago, johnt said:

What software do you use that doesn't have Mac support?

a lot of applications on Github dont support mac

[Darkseth]

Which ones do you use? How often do you use?
Is it like once per week? Do you use multiple Applications daily?

 

If you don't need that often, a Mac could work. Forget Dual Boot, inconvenient af, even if it was possible. Windows 11 ARM VM with parallels or Vmware for example, and you can run most Windows Applications, despite them running inside a VM on Windows for ARM which emulates x86 Applications to ARM.

 

I did this for a bunch of Busines Intelligence Applications with Parallels (i used Standard settrings with 4 Cores and 6gb Ram, no issues. Felt like native Windows).

It's rare, when any application doesn't want to install or Run, mostly some very niche special things.

But even bad programmed small tools, like a Rom-patcher for GBA Roms worked perfectly fine, Emulators ran.

 

With Parallels, they also have a "coherence mode", that means the Applications inside the Windows-VM can run in their own extra-Window.

That means, you can start Windows-Application-1 inside it's own Window within MacOS, and it looks like a MacOS Application. It isn't "stuck" inside the Windows VM-Window.

 

It needs some testing if your Applications do run inside the VM, but that's a great option.

 

If you use more Windows Applicationst han MacOS itself, then a Windows Laptop does make more sense probably - unless you do benefit otherwise from a Macbook (iPhone User maybe).

 

 

Good Windows Laptops.. I recommend JustJosh on youtube, he has among the best Laptop Reviews out there.

Solid choices are Elitebook 845 (14") and 865 series with Ryzen Zen4 for example, Thinkpad Z16 maybe, or XPS lineup.

 

Really depends on the Applications you want to run, how your workflow looks like, what specs are important etc.

[denco101]

Came here to recommend Parallels, but seems I was beaten to the punch