Best laptop for programming 2016?

[akskl]

3 minutes ago, gtx1060=value said:

You might be a little too young to know the feeling of the original ibm thinkpad keyboard

We have an old thinkpad somewhere in my house

3 minutes ago, 170698_1454180949 said:

Get outta here! Lenovo makes some of the best business class laptops in the world.

Their laptops are great, their keyboards are ugly

 

[gtx1060=value]

Just now, akskl said:

We have an old thinkpad somewhere in my house

Their laptops are great, their keyboards are ugly

 

the thinkpad keyboard is part of the experience. Amongst techies, if you have a thinkpad you are sort of like a buisness executive with a learjet

[Some random guy 23424234]

2 minutes ago, 170698_1454180949 said:

Yeah, I got an old IBM ThinkPad T60 laying around, the keyboard and hardware still feels the same after all these years.

 

Well, I can't keep track of today's naming. Everything is an i7 apparently. I guess 2 cores + HT is fine

 

 

If your ready do go for hyperthread, good 13 inch ultrabook would be asus zenbook. Ya, they can be expensive but I always liked them, just go find a random store to try the keyboard

[170698_1454180949]

1 minute ago, gtx1060=value said:

the thinkpad keyboard is part of the experience. Amongst techies, if you have a thinkpad you are sort of like a buisness executive with a learjet

If you show up at a job interview with a ThinkPad, they'll know you mean business.

 

Just now, Kevinhkn said:

If your ready do go for hyperthread, good 13 inch ultrabook would be asus zenbook. Ya, they can be expensive but I always liked them, just go find a random store to try the keyboard

Sadly the one within 20 miles of me just closed down, lack of customers I presume..

[gtx1060=value]

Just now, 170698_1454180949 said:

If you show up at a job interview with a ThinkPad, they'll know you mean business.

 

Sadly the one within 20 miles of me just closed down, lack of customers I presume..

Honestly, buying a used thinkpad wouldn't even be an issue, you could buy the 3000 dollar model used for a year for around 1500. You won't have issues because all thinkpad owners care for them better than their own children

[akskl]

Just now, gtx1060=value said:

Honestly, buying a used thinkpad wouldn't even be an issue, you could buy the 3000 dollar model used for a year for around 1500. You won't have issues because all thinkpad owners care for them better than their own children

 

Just now, gtx1060=value said:

You won't have issues because all thinkpad owners care for them better than their own children

 

Just now, gtx1060=value said:

all thinkpad owners care for them better than their own children

Heh tell that to the one we have lying around... my parents overused that poor thing in their programming days.

[gtx1060=value]

Just now, akskl said:

 

 

Heh tell that to the one we have lying around... my parents overused that poor thing in their programming days.

My 1988 thinkpad still works fine and it can even run fps games at around 15 fps on low settings. That's pretty dang good

[akskl]

Just now, gtx1060=value said:

My 1988 thinkpad still works fine and it can even run fps games at around 15 fps on low settings. That's pretty dang good

Lenovo are the masters of longevity, I guess.

Anyways, we should probably end this tangent and get back to the task of finding possible laptops for OP here.

[gtx1060=value]

Just now, akskl said:

Lenovo are the masters of longevity, I guess.

Anyways, we should probably end this tangent and get back to the task of finding possible laptops for OP here.

thinkpads all the way. It just depends on his budget. 

[170698_1454180949]

9 minutes ago, gtx1060=value said:

thinkpads all the way. It just depends on his budget. 

1500 dollars is probably my max currently.

[gtx1060=value]

Just now, 170698_1454180949 said:

1500 dollars is probably my max currently.

then the T series i sent a link to should be just fine. It has Vpro just in case you end up doing some back end sql using Vms someday

[leobeosab]

If you have a decent budget I really like the Razer Blade Stealth as an on the go dev machine, it's thin, powerful and good on battery. However if you need a non integrated GPU I would recommend the ASUS K501UW-NB72; It's cheaper has a decent GPUand again does well with battery life and still is maintained in a manageable 15" form factor.  

 

Link to ASUS:   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834234023

[leodaniel]

I personally use a MacBook Pro.

Why? Because its portable and I just like OS x for programming (Web Development: PHP, Ruby, some frontend). Of course this is personal preference and if you don't like OS X (or can't use it because of needed software) its not an option for you.

For me, most important is a highres display, its sooooo much better for my eyes at least. In my opinion, it s worth spending some money on it and look to get one, which is reliable. You want this machine to work, no matter what

Also, ask yourself, do you really need 4 cores on a Portable device? I would say, 2 HyperThreaded cores are probably enough for a portable machine.

 

I can't give you much advice on a pc model, I never used a windows Laptop for working purpose. I hope it still helped you in some way

[mathijs727]

Get an ultrabook so you can actually carry it around.

If you're used to Linux then a Macbook is a great option as it combines very good hardware with IMHO the best laptop OS (which is Unix based, like Linux).

Otherwise look for a 13" ultrabook like the XPS13 or Razer Blade Stealth.

[Zaffa]

Might be against popular opinion but a 2016 MacBook would be perfect depending on what ecosystem you program on.

[Guest]

15 hours ago, 170698_1454180949 said:

Doesn't seem portable enough to bring on airplane

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/business-solutions/hp-zbook-studio-g3-mobile-workstation-(energy-star)-z2a40ut-aba

 

I'd beg to differ. It may be 3.3 pounds but once you take it out of your bag, it doesn't seem to be cumbersome. 

 

Honestly, it's not this: 

http://www.avadirect.com/Getac-X500-Server-Core-i7-Quad-core-Server-Rugged-Notebook-15-6-Full-HD-LED-LCD-Intel-HD-NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-745M-Graphics/Configure/9583962?sgd=333d333d318d314d309d319&gclid=CjwKEAjwmMS-BRCm5dn51JLbp1wSJACc61tFOIuOO9uNBUMdyUHbGfkVZ-ADh_Az02Qe_jn3X-JK3BoCNN7w_wcB

[170698_1454180949]

I have decided to wait and see what Linus thinks of the new razer blade stealth, and the new "hopefully soon" refresh of the Dell XPS 13.

 

I looked at the Lenovo, and its almost the same size as my 15 inch Dell XPS 15, so it again wouldn't fit very well on an airplane.

[Zaffa]

On 8/9/2016 at 2:54 PM, Erik Sieghart said:

Don't get a macbook, seriously.

 

Get a Razer Blade Stealth.

Depending on what he is programming OSX is WAY better than windows.

[mathijs727]

On 8 September 2016 at 2:54 PM, Erik Sieghart said:

Don't get a macbook, seriously.

 

Get a Razer Blade Stealth.

Get a macbook, seriously?

Have you even used a macbook for an extensive period of time?

Im getting sick and tired of people that hate on Apple products without having ever really used them.

Just because they are expensive and dont have mindblowing specs doesnt mean they are bad.

Its the actual experience that counts and that is where Apple is still ahead compared to Windows laptops.

 

Having 3 years of experience programming (computer science bachelor) on a Macbook I can say they're my laptop of choice.

They're fast, well build, have amazing trackpads ( + OS integration) (I havent used a Windows laptop that got even close), good keyboard, great battery life and they charge really fast because the chargers provide much more power then the likes of Asus.

The great trackpad makes that I have never taken a mouse with me, neither do I carry my charger around.

This means that it is easily the lightest and fastest 13" laptop around including peripherals.

[uzarnom]

I've Used the following

 

Toshiba satellite:
Specs: i7, 740m,8GB ram, 500GB SSD, touch screen 15.6 inch at 1080 price $1500 AUD

Pros: Makes it easy to track down a 4GB memory leak ;P  , Large screen good for having two windows snapped to the sides (Full IDE's will look weird just get rid of the side bars). 

Cons: too large and heavy, felt slow and unresponsive (opening explorer took 4 seconds), locked down Bios (couldn't install linux D:)

 

Dell E6220 (current)

Specs i3, 6GB ram, 250GB SSD, 13inch (1366x768).

Pros: It just works, very reliable and speedy considering the hardware and age of the device, very cheap if you can find one, easily install any OS

Cons: resolution not great, old, not great for games development.

 

Other then the power of the laptop the second one is great, i've never had a laptop i've been happy with till i came to this one, it is a enterprise device so that could be the reason but its very open and feels faster then the specs suggest. If you can i suggest finding something with an i5 and 14 inch. if you are doing some games development maybe a graphics card but if not you should be find with the integrated one.

 

Best of luck and let me know what you end up going with

 

[Joeteck]

Surface pro 4. Done!

 

back lit keyboard. Feels great to type on for long periods of time.

 

EDIT: I agree, IBM/Lenovo are a great business laptop. (I'm old enough to know. <wink>)