Good Laptop for on the go programming.

[Codymm03]

So recently I recently updated my old laptop that was given to me. With the up date to Windows 10 it idles between 40 to 60% and watching youtube with no other tabs it is 70 to 80%. So when trying to debug my games and software it doesn't work so well. 

 

My Requirements

1. Under or around 1,100
2. 13.3" or smaller
3. A separate GPU would be preferred
4. Don't want business stuff like surface or 2 in 1 

[Codymm03]

Location?

US 

[Codymm03]

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-17-3-Inch-Touchscreen-External-Windows/dp/B00MCJQ6MI/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1438478010&sr=1-6&keywords=laptops&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A7817231011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A2289793011%7C2289792011%2Cp_n_feature_three_browse-bin%3A9647486011 get a y50 or y70.

My bag wouldn't be able to fit them to big is their like a y40

[Codymm03]

Yes, but it is 14 inches.  Really you just want a laptop with an i5m or i7m 4-5th gen with a Nvidia or AMD card, and that would measure in that range.  Amazon isn't filtering well.  

so would i be better off with like a dell xps 13

[Philosobyte]

notebookcheck.net - the ultimate place for laptop/smartphone reviews and my most used resource.

cpubenchmark.net - the ultimate place for any processor/graphics card comparison (except comparing AMD and Intel is impossible. For some reason AMD gets higher scores than a comparable Intel processor). 

 

Business laptops (not Surface or 2 in 1) have nice tactile keyboards which include keys like End that are convenient for programming. 

They also tend to have Trackpoints/Accupoints/etc. which allow you to click places without taking your hands off your keyboard (although they take a week or two to get used to, even after playing with settings). 

 

I have a Thinkpad L440 with a Core i3-4000m - I could only afford the low-end model. That generation's trackpoint was awful without separate trackpoint buttons (new generation re-added the buttons).  I also don't like that after a couple years of purchasing the laptop, constant use has rubbed the touchpad and keyboard's texturing off, rendering the surfaces smooth and shiny. 

 

Other than the acquired shininess, though, the laptop has been exceptional. Any processor with a CPUbenchmark passmark score of over 3000 will definitely suffice for moderate multi-tasking, i.e. two instances of IntelliJ Idea and 20 tabs of chrome, some of which are YouTube. 

 

However, shininess bothers me, so I recommend the Dell Latitude E7000 series. I haven't personally owned one, but based on Notebookcheck, build quality is a notch above Thinkpads. HP Elitebook also has similar build quality (possibly better?), but Elitebooks are also considerably more expensive. 

 

I considered the Dell XPS 13, but the lack of an End key bothers me to no end. The missing trackpoint also hinders productivity. I now realize that with tools like keytweak, I can change the mapping of the Insert key (which I never use) to the Delete key. The lack of a trackpoint is bearable, although still undesirable. 

[Philosobyte]

My L440 is 5 pounds, just heavy enough to make me slightly uncomfortable when carrying it along with schoolbooks in my backpack. When I personally purchase another laptop, I would prefer a weight of 3.5 pounds, although 4 pounds wouldn't be a dealbreaker. 

 

If you don't like the Latitudes or Elitebooks, I would still recommend Thinkpads (possibly the X1 Carbon?) though. Shininess, a cosmetic flaw, is a fair trade for the productivity gains achieved by a good keyboard and trackpoint. 

 

Edit: Also, if you haven't jumped on the SSD train yet, I highly recommend buying one and offloading most data to an external hard drive. I don't know how I can ever use HDD machines again now that I've gotten used to SSDs. 

[Codymm03]

 

Edit: Also, if you haven't jumped on the SSD train yet, I highly recommend buying one and offloading most data to an external hard drive. I don't know how I can ever use HDD machines again now that I've gotten used to SSDs. 

 

I know i just recently switched 

[Philosobyte]

I know i just recently switched 

Also if you think "business stuff" consists of the Microsoft Surface and other consumer 2-in-1s advertised for business, you're getting the wrong impression and missing out on the real stuff. Not many programmers would use the Surface because of its non-full-size, lackluster keyboard and touchpad. 

 

It's true that business laptops gets you less raw performance for your money. They're really only for people who are willing to dish out extra dough for the keyboard, trackpad, and good aging. If you don't prioritize those things, my suggestions obviously don't work for you. It looks like that's the case, based on your lackluster response