Thoughts on Laptop Specs for Programming

[Light1c3]

Hey!

 

I just join the community and figured I'd get some thoughts on my current dilemma. I'm a software developer looking for a new laptop to program on. I already have a custom built computer I made so the laptop doesn't really need to have any gaming capabilities other than minecraft haha ( if it can't run that, we have a different issue  ). I've been a developer for a few years now, and have been working with hardware for over 10 so I'd consider myself very knowledgeable in the field.

 

I sadly don't have much money to spend on laptop, but I know I at least need a i5, 8gb RAM & an SSD. I know ideally I'd want an i7 and 16gb of RAM, but with my current budget, that's just not possible. I'm trying to work my way through college so money is extremely tight, so I've been playing around with the idea of selling my gaming computer so I can afford a better laptop for school/work (I freelance for web and app development). I'd rather not sell my desktop if I really don't need to so any suggestions on good laptops that are on the lower endside would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you so much,

Light

[gtx1060=value]

Do you mind if you link your portfolio so i can see what you're developing? But either way. i recommend the thinkpads, they are blazing fast and amazing portable workstations, plus, their battery life is amazing considering the amount of hardware that's jam packed into them

[Prysin]

3 minutes ago, Light1c3 said:

Hey!

 

I just join the community and figured I'd get some thoughts on my current dilemma. I'm a software developer looking for a new laptop to program on. I already have a custom built computer I made so the laptop doesn't really need to have any gaming capabilities other than minecraft haha ( if it can't run that, we have a different issue  ). I've been a developer for a few years now, and have been working with hardware for over 10 so I'd consider myself very knowledgeable in the field.

 

I sadly don't have much money to spend on laptop, but I know I at least need a i5, 8gb RAM & an SSD. I know ideally I'd want an i7 and 16gb of RAM, but with my current budget, that's just not possible. I'm trying to work my way through college so money is extremely tight, so I've been playing around with the idea of selling my gaming computer so I can afford a better laptop for school/work (I freelance for web and app development). I'd rather not sell my desktop if I really don't need to so any suggestions on good laptops that are on the lower endside would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you so much,

Light

you want a quad core and or powerful GPU.

 

stay clear of Intel i5s, go for i7 HQ versions, or if budget is an issue. try find a AMD A12 "Pro" APU. These are meant for "Business/Professionals" and offer a very powerful iGPU that can be used for accelerating workloads.

[Clanscorpia]

2 minutes ago, Prysin said:

you want a quad core and or powerful GPU.

 

 

I understand the quad core but why the powerful GPU? He's web developing he's not rendering

[pagani123]

3 minutes ago, Prysin said:

you want a quad core and or powerful GPU.

 

stay clear of Intel i5s, go for i7 HQ versions, or if budget is an issue. try find a AMD A12 "Pro" APU. These are meant for "Business/Professionals" and offer a very powerful iGPU that can be used for accelerating workloads.

why would he need a powerful gpu?

[Prysin]

Just now, Clanscorpia said:

I understand the quad core but why the powerful GPU? He's web developing he's not rendering

you can use GPUs to accelerate many types of workloads. If using graphical design or even just HTML5 code, you can in many cases accelerate this using a GPU. If the GPU drivers support it

[Clanscorpia]

1 minute ago, Prysin said:

you can use GPUs to accelerate many types of workloads. If using graphical design or even just HTML5 code, you can in many cases accelerate this using a GPU. If the GPU drivers support it

HTML can be written in notepad. Its takes 0 time render. It only does when opening a webpage. Why would it need to be accelerated?

[Prysin]

1 minute ago, Maybach123 said:

why would he need a powerful gpu?

see my reply above this post.

 

It all comes down to practical uses. For Adobe, Autocad and similar software suits, you can actually use GPUs to accelerate certain software functions to decrease work time.

 

That and the AMD APU laptops are usually quite cheap whilst being surprisingly comparable to Intel products. A12 9000 series is comparable to a Skylake quad core i5. All whilst having a MUCH stronger GPU, and most of the time, much cheaper laptop "package"

[Nineshadow]

You really don't need a powerful computer to do programming. Heck, if we can do it at schools on crap computers from 2005 you could probably do it on almost any laptop these days.

 

Anyway, you'll want an SSD for its snappines; it makes a huge difference, but it's not exactly necessary. And...that's about it. The rest won't matter that much.

 

I recommend you get an ultrabook or something along those lines. The battery life will make a much bigger difference in the end than a quad core CPU would make up in performance. Especially if you're using it in college.

 

I haven't been in the market for a laptop for a bit over a year so I don't have anything to recommend. What exactly is your price range?

[Prysin]

@Light1c3

look at these:
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-310-Windows-80ST000KUS/dp/B01FJFN250/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472235355&sr=8-2&keywords=Bristol%2BRidge

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-310-Windows-80ST000KUS/dp/B01FJFN2YG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472235355&sr=8-2&keywords=Bristol%2BRidge

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-15-BA079DX-A10-9600P-Radeon/dp/B01HAOLL4W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1472235679&sr=1-1&keywords=a10-9600p

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Laptop-E5-553G-1986-A12-9700P-Windows/dp/B01KUYYYPW/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1472235745&sr=1-2&keywords=a12-9700p

[Light1c3]

24 minutes ago, gtx1060=value said:

Do you mind if you link your portfolio so i can see what you're developing? But either way. i recommend the thinkpads, they are blazing fast and amazing portable workstations, plus, their battery life is amazing considering the amount of hardware that's jam packed into them

At the moment, this is my main focus: http://s615680131.onlinehome.us/#/?_k=vafivk

 

It's a web app developed with React.

 

Other things I work with are; HTML, CSS, JAVA, MySQL, C#, Xamarin & a few more.

 

Thanks for your reply

[Light1c3]

11 minutes ago, Prysin said:

@Light1c3

look at these:
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-310-Windows-80ST000KUS/dp/B01FJFN250/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472235355&sr=8-2&keywords=Bristol%2BRidge

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-310-Windows-80ST000KUS/dp/B01FJFN2YG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472235355&sr=8-2&keywords=Bristol%2BRidge

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-15-BA079DX-A10-9600P-Radeon/dp/B01HAOLL4W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1472235679&sr=1-1&keywords=a10-9600p

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Laptop-E5-553G-1986-A12-9700P-Windows/dp/B01KUYYYPW/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1472235745&sr=1-2&keywords=a12-9700p

 

The Lenovo ideapad 310 looks very good! A little high considering what I was hoping to spend, but still doable. Any idea what's the battery life on something like this?

[gtx1060=value]

word of advice, for your site/app, the circles are just overwhelming and as a user i recommend some other way of displaying the days. Also, i had no idea how TF to use the thing until i clicked around for a minute or 2. A normal user will leave after a few seconds if the content isn't easily accessible. I'm sure they tell you that in whatever university you go to but on your app, it's not exactly the easiest to find and use your content / tools 

[Light1c3]

1 minute ago, gtx1060=value said:

word of advice, for your site/app, the circles are just overwhelming and as a user i recommend some other way of displaying the days. Also, i had no idea how TF to use the thing until i clicked around for a minute or 2. A normal user will leave after a few seconds if the content isn't easily accessible. I'm sure they tell you that in whatever university you go to but on your app, it's not exactly the easiest to find and use your content / tools 

 

So I just started working on that app, so those are very much placeholders. This is something I put together quickly to kinda get the idea across of where I'm trying to go with it. http://jsfiddle.net/1h21243h/3/

 

I appreciate the input, and will keep making attempts to improve the UX

 

I have less than 8 hours on that web app so it's still just a concept really.

 

What do you mean by:

Quote

I'm sure they tell you that in whatever university you go to but on your app, it's not exactly the easiest to find and use your content / tools 

 

[Light1c3]

Any thoughts on this laptop?

 

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-UX305-13-Inch-Laptop-model/dp/B013KKANTE

[gtx1060=value]

2 minutes ago, Light1c3 said:

 

So I just started working on that app, so those are very much placeholders. This is something I put together quickly to kinda get the idea across of where I'm trying to go with it. http://jsfiddle.net/1h21243h/3/

 

I appreciate the input, and will keep making attempts to improve the UX

 

I have less than 8 hours on that web app so it's still just a concept really.

 

What do you mean by:

 

the app is kind of hard to use. As in there aren't clear instructions for how to use the app

[Prysin]

Just now, Light1c3 said:

 

The Lenovo ideapad 310 looks very good! A little high considering what I was hoping to spend, but still doable. Any idea what's the battery life on something like this?

not sure...
Doesnt seem to be any reviews out yet?

Quote from Notebookcheck test of the A10-9600p

Quote

While idling, the Pavilion 15-aw004ng runs at 5.7 to 9.3 watts, which is far lower than the Carrizo predecessor, the Pavilion 15-ab052ng (6.9 to 12.1 watts). However, the predecessor uses DDR3 memory and a traditional hard disk, which makes it unclear how much of the reduction in power consumption levels is due to the optimized APU platform. At full load, the 15-inch model consumes a max 37.6 watts, which drops to around 30 watts (typical ULV levels) when the TDP limit kicks in.

With a 41 Wh battery, the Pavilion 15 is able to run a normalized WLAN test for 3.5 hours. This is significantly better than the Carrizo model, but it falls short of similar Skylake models.

 

The HP Pavillion in that test is a 1080p panel. The Lenovo is 768p, meaning it should last around 3-3.5 hours at LEAST.... some adjustments to brightness and the type of workload you are doing should greatly improve battery life.

[Light1c3]

3 minutes ago, gtx1060=value said:

the app is kind of hard to use. As in there aren't clear instructions for how to use the app

Interesting, could you tell me what was hard about it?

[gtx1060=value]

idea pad 310 is around 4 hours if it isn't at full brightness. I use it's big brother. the thinkpad W541 with a quadro and i7 vpro, it lasts for about 3 hours

[Prysin]

Just now, gtx1060=value said:

idea pad 310 is around 4 hours if it isn't at full brightness. I use it's big brother. the thinkpad W541 with a quadro and i7 vpro, it lasts for about 3 hours

then again, its Lenovo, which sometimes has "extra batteries" that you can put in the ODD slot.

[gtx1060=value]

Just now, Light1c3 said:

Interesting, could you tell me what was hard about it?

For starters, i would recommend using the rule of thirds or dividing by phi to create a more aesthetically pleasing design. I had no idea to click on the year to set what year i was born in until i fiddled around for 2 minutes of so and i ran over your code in the DOM. Either you include instructions in comparing, and setting your dates or use a calendar that has a drop down bar for the year 

[gtx1060=value]

What is your budget for the laptops. 

[Light1c3]

Just now, gtx1060=value said:

For starters, i would recommend using the rule of thirds or dividing by phi to create a more aesthetically pleasing design. I had no idea to click on the year to set what year i was born in until i fiddled around for 2 minutes of so and i ran over your code in the DOM. Either you include instructions in comparing, and setting your dates or use a calendar that has a drop down bar for the year 

So I'm aware of the issue with the year selection, and am working on finding a solution for it. I'm using Material-UI for the UI components, so I'd need to see what I can do about them, or change package completely.

[Light1c3]

1 minute ago, gtx1060=value said:

What is your budget for the laptops. 

I'd like to buy something now, but can't justify anything over $400 so that's the current issue.

[gtx1060=value]

Honestly, just find a hotel booking website and copy their calendar element. Then modify it's CSS to make it have the same theme as your website