Laptop for software development

[TheHvidsten]

I have previously been very happy with the Dell XPS series and was considering a new one, but now that they've replaced the F-keys with a touchbar it is now completely out of the question for software development.

 

My needs are a Windows laptop that can run multiple instances of Visual Studio, several containers and/or VMs, could have many other services installed, and generally what you need for software development.

 

The keyboard is also important, and I've never gotten used to a laptop with a keypad on the right (I've never felt comfortable with my hands resting in the middle of the laptop with a keypad).

 

My eyesight is also no longer what it once was, so where 15 inches wa enough in the past I feel like 16 or 17 inches is now more appropriate.

Regarding the display, XPS has scored highly on this in the past with their high resolution OLED displays.

 

I don't need a particularilly powerful graphics card as I won't do much gaming, so a 4090 is too much, but maybe a 4060 could be nice so that 3D-modelling and media handling can go a bit more smoothly (I'm not vehemently opposed to a 4090, though).

 

So which laptop should I pick that fulfills these requirements, but is still nice to look at and not just an ugly angular lump om the living room table?

[Haswellx86]

Tbh, the PC industry right now is in a very messed condition, especially for laptops. Microsoft is pushing AI heavily. New tech is coming soon. Snapdragon X series is making improvements. I suggest to wait for a bit till AI features are refined and the next gen tech comes out like Intel's Lunar Lake and some AMD stuff as well.

 

Still if you want to buy now, systems with Intel Core Ultra or AMD 8000 series are good. Intel 13th gen is still not bad. Some laptops that have these are - Dell XPS 16 9640, HP Omen Transcend 14 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7i. But these laptops might not be totally for coding, and you should check more. I don't have that information about laptop models.

[TheHvidsten]

On 7/2/2024 at 12:46 PM, Gat Pelsinger said:

New tech is coming soon [...] I suggest to wait for a bit

Well, that's the trick, isn't it? There's always new tech coming soon

[Haswellx86]

18 minutes ago, TheHvidsten said:

Well, that's the trick, isn't it? There's always new tech coming soon

Yes and that is why you should only buy when the new tech comes out to increase its longevity. Right now, it's too late, and it's even worse because of AI. For example, if you buy a laptop with Intel Core Ultra 1 series or AMD 8000, they don't even have the enough 40 TOPS of AI performance which is the minimum required to run Microsoft Copilot and possibly other future AI products locally. Snapdragon also started its own competition in the PC market, but it and Microsoft have their own software problems. Right now is a messed up time, but after a few months everything should be settled and also when the new tech comes out.

[debem]

What notebook did you end up getting? I'm thinking of getting the XPS 16 as well

[saintlouisbagels]

16 minutes ago, debem said:

What notebook did you end up getting? I'm thinking of getting the XPS 16 as well

I would try to find a 2023 ASUS Zephyrus G16 laptop IMO if Dell's removal of the F-keys are a dealbreaker.

2023 Zephyrus laptops still let you add more RAM and they are not OLED screens.

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-16-qhd-240hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i9-with-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-1tb-ssd-off-black/6535879.p?skuId=6535879

 

The ASUS Armoury Crate is utter trash, but thankfully ASUS has an official uninstall tool to remove most of their bloatware.

They don't look gamery once all of the dumb LED stuff is disabled. No one bats an eye towards my white 2024 G14.

[debem]

30 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

I would try to find a 2023 ASUS Zephyrus G16 laptop IMO if Dell's removal of the F-keys are a dealbreaker.

2023 Zephyrus laptops still let you add more RAM and they are not OLED screens.

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-16-qhd-240hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i9-with-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-1tb-ssd-off-black/6535879.p?skuId=6535879

 

The ASUS Armoury Crate is utter trash, but thankfully ASUS has an official uninstall tool to remove most of their bloatware.

They don't look gamery once all of the dumb LED stuff is disabled. No one bats an eye towards my white 2024 G14.

The removal of the F-keys isn't that much of a dealbreaker *if* they work consistently.

 

What's the problem with OLED screens?

[saintlouisbagels]

21 minutes ago, debem said:

The removal of the F-keys isn't that much of a dealbreaker *if* they work consistently.

 

What's the problem with OLED screens?

It would suck to have burn in screen elements if this laptop is meant to be your EVERYTHING laptop. Work, Casual, Gaming, etc. Especially when it comes to 'Work" stuff and you constantly have on-screen elements staying in the same spot for hours at a time.

[debem]

Just now, saintlouisbagels said:

It would suck to have burn in screen elements if this laptop is meant to be your EVERYTHING laptop. Work, Casual, Gaming, etc. Especially when it comes to 'Work" stuff and you constantly have on-screen elements staying in the same spot for hours at a time.

Don't OLED screens have burn-in warranties? Especially Dell's EXTENDED WARRANTY (lmao)