Hello everyone,
I currently use Linux as my personal operating system and really enjoy it. I’m now looking for a reliable laptop for my business.
I’ll mainly use it for office work, software development, and programming in C++ and Python. I use Debian, so good Linux compatibility is important. Durability and repairability are also high priorities, since I plan to use it as my primary work laptop every day.
Could you recommend any laptops that would be a good fit?
Framework and System76 aren’t options for me because I’m located in Costa Rica, where they aren’t readily available.
Thank you!
What do you mean durable? As long as you are careful, and don’t use it as a frisbee, any laptop can last for 10 years. If you travel about with it, get a proper laptop shoulder bag that fits it well and has a soft padded interior. Then keep the laptop in that when you travel, and don’t squash it into a bag or suitcase.
Beyond that, simply look for the laptop that you like best. The Thinkpad is a meme laptop IMO. I had one for work, and yes it worked fine with Linux, but so did both the laptops I bought for myself, neither of which were Thinkpads. If you like the look of the Thinkpad, then go for it. Personally I don’t really dig that clunky 90s aesthetic, I prefer laptops with a sleek minimalist aluminium look.
My advice is to make a checklist of everything you need and/or want in your laptop. How long do you want it to run on battery? What size screen do you want? What connectivity does it need - USB-C ports, a couple of USB-A as well? Do you want it to use a USB-C charger (this is very convenient when travelling)? What kind of touchpad, keyboard layout, how much RAM, what speed WiFi etc etc
Then simply start looking, and build a shortlist of laptops that appeal. Create a spreadsheet, with a column for each of the features you identified as being important in the last step.
Regarding Linux support, the best thing you can do is check reviews. Even if you buy elsewhere, Amazon reviews are great for this - you can search reviews for keywords, so when you see a laptop you like the look of, search for reviews that mention Linux, and check that everyone’s happy and not complaining about unsupported devices. This is not the lucky dip that it used to be, but there are still problematic components like network adapters that may not work out of the box.
I have only had two laptops, the first of which I bought in 2018. It was an Asus, very midrange at £600. I prepared a live USB, booted on to it and checked everything worked OK, which it did, and then without further ado I installed Linux. The sensible thing to do would be to have left the “Windows rescue partition” intact for a couple of weeks until I was sure I was happy with the machine, but I just wanted all trace of Microshit purged from my shiny new machine, so I deleted it and set the entire disk as my single Linux partition (plus of course a small boot partition), and I never looked back.
The computer worked great, did everything I needed from it and was still going strong last year when I finally got a replacement. The laptop I have now is a Lenovo IdeaPad 5. It was also £600, and its performance is way better than expected, being way faster and more pleasant to use than my old Asus. it has an integrated Intel Arc graphics card, which is surprisingly capable. While my old laptop could only run vintage games, such as KOTOR, this new one is able to run current games on medium-low settings. I’ve currently got addicted to ARC Raiders, and it runs perfectly acceptably. Nothing like as smooth and pretty as it runs on my desktop PC at home, but perfectly good enough for me.
HP has entered the chat
The aluminum bodied HPs are odd. The aluminum is so soft it dents if you look at it funny. But the repairability is insane. Almost as good as a t580. Better in some aspects.
My sister has 2 t580s. One with a 7th gen i5, one with an 8th gen i7. I’ve worked on them before. Cooling system was 2x my first pavilion had (same i5 and mine had a gpu). I liked the captive screws. But the entire thing is one board. I can’t replace busted ports. She broke the main USBC for charging and if she broke the thunderbolt one, she’s kind of screwed unless if she buys a dock.
If I did that to my current pavilion, I can replace the port. I still have the USB c issue but that pavilion has a USB on a daughter board. Performs like the other USB ports. Why can’t more laptops do that?
But then you have to deal with the bottom falling apart after 2-3 years of wear and tear. At least it’s not as bad as their plastic laptops, the casing for those only lasts 1 year.
My pavilion is about 4 years old at this point. I haven’t had that. My friend has a slightly older version with a different chassis. Their laptop does that but im pretty sure they use their laptop as a cutting board or something bc it’s actually fucked.
Mine has been motherboard swapped to the amd version. (Mobo, USB board, wifi card, and cooler needed changed).
Also the silver painted HP Laptops actually suck. Mine has had so many repairs. The bottom case has been swapped twice. The top case has been swapped once. The keyboard has been swapped twice. Same with the motherboard. (one keyboard/Mobo died from water damage)
Well, the aluminum housings are overrated. My Redmi 4x housing deformed when the battery expanded (somewhat understandable), my dad’s laptop’s housing deformed from sitting on the table. And the Redmi’s housing is extremely scratched by just being in a case.
I don’t get why they don’t just use stronger metal for electronics.
Weight and temp. It also feels nice. Like you’ve noted it can be done horribly. My phones looked almost mint after removing it from the case. But also sand is hard. Also anodized aluminum can be very hard. But sand is harder.
If you don’t use a laptop ut can last for 10 years, and even then I have my doubts. Some laptops are so cheaply made it’s beyond anyone would have imagined, with fringes breaking after one month of opening it with utmost care and displays ungluing from its frame. Why people buy them? Because that’s what was affordable to them. Would they be better off saving some more money to buy better quality? Probably, but necessity and urgency make it economically feasible for this kind of companies to exist, which is regrettable.
I mean durable as I will use them day to day for my work, that includes office work and development work. I am an Engineer working with automation and I need to program using c++ (for embedded computers) and python, also I need to make quotes to my clients and use email services. I tend to be very careful with my computers and always travel with their respective cases and all. Now I have a macbook pro 2016 that is in perfect shape because I take care of it and I expect my new pc to last as long as this one. All in all thanks for taking the time to reply!
Got you, makes sense! If you took worse care of your devices, then it wouldn’t be such an issue if a capacitor fails after just a few years. A company such as Apple is not going to be using bargain-bin components from random no-name manufacturers, and that should be reflected in better longevity even with heavy use.
Good luck in your search, and I hope you find the perfect beast for you!