Help: Laptop needed for coding

[Zac Murphy]

Hi, I am looking to get a new laptop in early/mid 2018 in preparation for university (I will be doing a computing degree) - this is needed because my current one has slow build times for projects/applications etc. that I have coded. I have seen a lot of recommendations and threads based on gaming laptops but I am not too sure if I truly need an i5 or an i7 for my use-case:

 

The main use for the laptop will be coding work, but I would like to enter the realm of light-mid gaming.

 

Could I have some recommendations based on these criteria?

• Budget: £1000 GBP / $1300 USD (absolutely no more than this)
• 15" screen
• Above average/good keyboard for typing on
• I don't need more than 250GB of total storage
• Easy component accessibility, so that I can upgrade the RAM or storage in the future
• I do not need touch-capability / 2in1 / yoga style flipping around - (but if they are included, I will not shun them)

Tech spec criteria:

• An Intel i7 processor or i5 - (I don't know) (this is the part I need the most help with, given my use-case above)
• 8gb+ RAM
• Main SSD drive (but see point below)
• If main drive is HDD, then additional SSD (can be M.2/SSHD etc. (I am not fussed))
• Windows precision touchpad (not completely necessary, but ideal)
• Dedicated GPU (not completely necessary)

I feel that the criteria I have underlined above are more important than the overall tech specs (in some ways) because of the user experience I want to get (screen size and reduced lag) and more importantly the future proofing of the system. As I want this purchase to last me a good 3-4 years (with swapping components during that time).

 

I have also seen in the tech news about Intel upgrading their CPUs to new architectures, is that something I should be waiting for? No? Does it matter in my use-case?

 

Many thanks for reading this, any comments questions or recommendations you have will be gratefully received.

[LtStaffel]

What kind of wicked large coding are you doing that things are building slowly?... I know you said you want to get into gaming a little, but most semi-modern laptops can handle any coding. Coding isn't generally that hardware intensive.

[Crunchy Dragon]

Lenovo ThinkPad P50?

[Zac Murphy]

Just now, LtStaffel said:

What kind of wicked large coding are you doing that things are building slowly?... I know you said you want to get into gaming a little, but most semi-modern laptops can handle any coding. Coding isn't generally that hardware intensive.

Ahah, I guess where I have been doing some stuff in Android Studio and its taking 5 mins to build a fairly simple app. But, if what you are saying is right (I'm happy to accept that) then perhaps slightly lower specs and budget could be looked at.

[Zac Murphy]

3 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Lenovo ThinkPad P50?

It looks like most retailers are out of stock of these, and besides - it's way out of my price range at around £1800

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Dell Latitude and Lenovo ThinkPads always gets my vote. Either that or a MacBook Air. 

[zornzilla]

Asus GL503 ROG Strix has been getting good reviews plus it has a great screen!

[Zac Murphy]

8 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Dell Latitude and Lenovo ThinkPads always gets my vote. Either that or a MacBook Air. 

I personally don't want to go to an Apple product, but the other two - I'll definitely have a look at!

[jrsall92]

Dell Latitude 5580 (link:http://www.dell.com/en-uk/work/shop/laptops/latitude-5580/spd/latitude-15-5580-laptop/n010l558015emea)

 

The company I'm working for as a developer (back end - heavy projects with Intellij) provided it for me instead of a desktop PC. It blazes through anything, BUT it's not for gaming. I'm using it with 2x1080 24" screens without any issues. My open applications usually include Intellij, Chrome/FF(~ > 10 tabs open), SQL Server Management Studio, a few terminals, SourceTree + whatever else I need at the time, i.e. Acrobat.

 

From my recent student life experience, gaming on a laptop sucks after a while. Gaming laptops are heavy, loud, drain battery like an Eskimo drinking water in Sahara, are hard to move around and fricking expensive. Also, not suitable for the class when you want to carry something light and with battery life longer than the time you need to drink your coffee. Also, after a while you'll want a gaming keyboard and a gaming mouse and a gaming mousepad, and so on and so forth.

 

TL;DR

Get a quality laptop for your needs that will last you long enough for you to finish college/uni/whatever. If you feel the need for gaming that bad get a cheap desktop or even better a console (yes a console, it rocks in dorms with other students).

 

I hope this helps.

[Zac Murphy]

5 minutes ago, zornzilla said:

Asus GL503 ROG Strix has been getting good reviews plus it has a great screen!

That looks like a pretty sweet Laptop, thanks!

[Zac Murphy]

5 minutes ago, jrsall92 said:

Dell Latitude 5580 (link:http://www.dell.com/en-uk/work/shop/laptops/latitude-5580/spd/latitude-15-5580-laptop/n010l558015emea)

 

The company I'm working for as a developer (back end - heavy projects with Intellij) provided it for me instead of a desktop PC. It blazes through anything, BUT it's not for gaming. I'm using it with 2x1080 24" screens without any issues. My open applications usually include Intellij, Chrome/FF(~ > 10 tabs open), SQL Server Management Studio, a few terminals, SourceTree + whatever else I need at the time, i.e. Acrobat.

 

From my recent student life experience, gaming on a laptop sucks after a while. Gaming laptops are heavy, loud, drain battery like an Eskimo drinking water in Sahara, are hard to move around and fricking expensive. Also, not suitable for the class when you want to carry something light and with battery life more than the time you need to drink your coffee. Also, after a while you'll want a gaming keyboard and a gaming mouse and a gaming mousepad, and so on and so forth.

 

TL;DR

Get a quality laptop for your needs that will last you long enough for you to finish college/uni/whatever. If you feel the need for gaming that bad get a cheap desktop or even better a console (yes a console, it rocks in dorms with other students).

 

I hope this helps.

Thank you so much for this information, your use-case sounds quite a lot like what I anticipate mine will be (obviously mine won't be as intense as a full-out job though). I had completely overlooked the weight, noise and battery life factors though. I presume those factors are fairly good on the one you recommended, as well as the screen what's that like?

I do have a PS3 at the moment, so I can game to a degree - just not the latest titles and I will keep what you put in the TL;DR in mind when purchasing, when I eventually do, perhaps gaming can wait?

 

Also, something is going weird with the Dell website when I try to view Latitude Laptops, the site becomes unresponsive (might be a server error?) anyway, I'll definitely have a look another time.

[jrsall92]

11 minutes ago, Zac Murphy said:

Thank you so much for this information, your use-case sounds quite a lot like what I anticipate mine will be (obviously mine won't be as intense as a full-out job though). I had completely overlooked the weight, noise and battery life factors though. I presume those factors are fairly good on the one you recommended, as well as the screen what's that like?

I do have a PS3 at the moment, so I can game to a degree - just not the latest titles and I will keep what you put in the TL;DR in mind when purchasing, when I eventually do, perhaps gaming can wait?

 

Also, something is going weird with the Dell website when I try to view Latitude Laptops, the site becomes unresponsive (might be a server error?) anyway, I'll definitely have a look another time.

The screen is a 15.6" 1080 one, nothing spectacular, it is functional (as pretty much every aspect of this laptop). The one I suggest above is 14", after a couple of hours you won't tell the difference.

 

I know, the site is s*ite so here are the specs:

i5-7300U

16gb ram

256gb M.2

1080 14" screen

Thundebolt USB type-c with passthrough (I use the laptop with a dock to connect the extra screens, and also add ethernet and more (regular) usb ports and also power it)

1x HDMI & 1 x VGA

2 or 3 usb ports (can't remember rn, laptop is at work)

headphone/mic jack

dual cameras for iris scan

also joystick mouse and backlight keyboard (white)

 

All in all a very versatile laptop that can power through any everyday task, except for intense gaming, great battery life, acoustics and heat management, and weight as well. Plus it's a Dell, and you can't go wrong with them. If I wasn't using it daily I wouldn't suggest it so much.

[Zac Murphy]

1 minute ago, jrsall92 said:

The screen is a 15.6" 1080 one, nothing spectacular, it is functional (as pretty much every aspect of this laptop). The one I suggest above is 14", after a couple of hours you won't tell the difference.

 

I know, the site is s*ite so here are the specs:

i5-7300U

16gb ram

256gb M.2

1080 14" screen

Thundebolt USB type-c with passthrough (I use the laptop with a dock to connect the extra screens, and also add ethernet and more (regular) usb ports and also power it)

1x HDMI & 1 x VGA

2 or 3 usb ports (can't remember rn, laptop is at work)

headphone/mich jack

dual cameras for iris scan

also joystick mouse and backlight keyboard (white)

 

All in all a very versatile laptop that can power through any everyday task, except for intense gaming, great battery life, acoustics and heat management, and weight as well. Plus it's a Dell, and you can't go wrong with them. If I wasn't using it daily I wouldn't suggest it so much.

Thank you for the quick reply, those specs are pretty much what I wanted, along with a good price as well - this is one I will consider quite seriously. It's also nice to be able to get a good, in-depth, quality review on a product, something that can be sometimes difficult to find nowadays. Thank you again.