I have an eight-year-old laptop that needs replacing and I’m paralyzed. What are the most reliable ones now? Do I need a desktop for CAD? Pros and cons of operating systems (and where do I find them?) Browsers ditto? Where do I find answers that aren’t just product marketing?
Desktops have a lot more bang-per-buck than laptops, and are significantly more repairable/upgradable. Laptops make a lot of compromises to squeeze everything into a portable form-factor that runs on batteries. However, only you can say whether that outweighs the space/portability benefits of a laptop, for your use-case.
I’m a sysadmin, I work with Linux every single day, and I say to you: do not go Linux. It isn’t designed for what you want it for; it’s somewhere between the hobbyist/industrial spaces, whereas you want and need something consumer-focused. Get a nice straightforward Windows box.
Macs are also decent, though they’re even more bucks-per-bang than laptops, and there aren’t mac versions of every application; you’d need to check what’s out there.
Operating systems come with the computer if you’re buying them retail; you can buy them separately if you’re building from parts. Linux is free to download.
Laptops can be ergonomics hell; tiny keyboards, little screens right at desk level - if you’re working at them all day, a proper monitor and keyboard are de rigeur - at which point, you may as well have a desktop, unless you need to take your computer with you when you go places.
Brands, ehh. HP and Dell are decent, but whatever. Or if you’re a getting a desktop, you could build your own and save a packet, but that’s a whole other rabbit hole of complexity to dive into.
You need SSD, not HDD. HDD is slow as hell, physically fragile, makes annoying grunting noises… just don’t even consider it. SSD is unbelievably faster and better in every respect. A little more expensive, but worth every penny. Don’t go less than 500GB, preferably 1TB.
RAM, you need 16GB at the bare minimum; consider 32GB.
Monitors: preferably 27", at least 1920x1080, consider 2560x1440 or even 4k. You don’t need high refresh rate, you do want an IPS-type panel. Having two monitors will greatly improve your quality of life, if you can swing it.
CPU: there’s a million and thirty different ones out there. Just get something released in the last couple of years, you’ll be fine in most cases. There’s usually a shoulder in the price-performance curve about 75% of the way up the rankings; that’s the optimal place to buy if you want something that will keep you going a good while without getting ridiculous.
My god, thank you!
His advice is fantastic but I have to mention 1 thing… HP is TERRIBLE. I’m a repair technician and we get so many of these damn things, it’s like 10% to 20% of our business, and we repair iPhones, androids, iPads, Mac’s, PC desktops, laptops, gaming PCs and even vintage computers.
This is because of how HP laptops are designed. All of the components and hinge assembly are attached to this thin flimsy plastic palm rest, it has the rigidity of a wet newspaper. During use, opening and closing, the plastic flexes constantly and over time the plastic gives, snaps and the laptop can no longer stay open.
Not only do they break frequently but the repair is expensive. Since everything is attached to the palm rest a technician needs to gut, then reinstall every component onto a new palm rest. Around 1-2 hours. Troubleshooting and testing afterwards also takes longer, as every component has been “fooled around with” there’s a high likelihood for mistakes.
It stings when I have to tell customers that the repair for their $500 laptop is like 250 or 300$.
Oh: if you’re doing fancy-schmancy 3d industrial CAD stuff for designing car engines or the like, you’d want to make sure you have a nice GPU, which is typically in the ‘gaming laptop’ category if you’re going laptop.
However if you’re just doing ordinary diagrams and stuff, then onboard video will be absolutely fine.
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As much flak as I may get for this, I also second the Apple rec for laptop hardware. Install whatever OS you want on there, but in general their build quality is very high. I have a Macbook Pro that has been going strong for 11 years now. It’s no longer my daily driver and the battery life isn’t what it once was, but it still works really well.
Ironically, I can’t speak to the build quality of the newer laptops because my current one has lasted so long, but I believe they are still up there.
With all the die hard Linux enthusiasts in the fediverse, it’s nice to see such a sane and reasonable take. Linux is great for hobbyists and for specific use cases and I’ve been there, but it doesn’t really make sense for the general consumer who just wants shit to work.
All hail the banana king