Laptop for Programming

123 LC

Hi,

I've just started a degree in Computer Science - can anyone recommend a good laptop that is quick and will be able to handle downloading servers/IDE's etc?

I've had my current laptop since 2012, it's struggling even with Eclipse.

I will also be using the laptop for regular browsing, watching shows etc, not much else.

My budget is €600. (I can get windows and MS Office free through college so they are not included in the budget).

Also I would prefer to buy the laptop from a physical store like PC World etc, as I'd like to see the laptop before buying, and could easily return it.

Thanks

14ned

For a budget of €600 don't even consider anything new. Anything new and that cheap is crap and will be useless or broken in a few years time. Consider instead importing an ex-corporate laptop from ebay in the US which was top of the line maybe four years ago. I am currently typing on an ex-corporate Dell E6410 released in 2010 which I imported from the US ebay two years ago for €160 including import duties and P&P. It has a 2.53Ghz dual core i7 Nehelem with 4Gb of RAM which was, in its day, top of the range. I'm still using it in anger for writing hefty metaprogramming C++ libraries and whilst it does chug a bit compared to newer machines, it's still not half bad. It is extremely well made, almost entirely metal, and my two year old can dance on it all day without worry. Similarly, you could happily drop it from six feet and not a worry.

So what to do with the other €440? You'll need a new battery as such an old laptop won't have a useful one, so that's €100. You'll usually need a power supply as ex-corporates come bare, €60 for the 130W edition which actually charges the battery during usage unlike the 95W one. You'll definitely want a SSD in there, buy as big a Samsung SSD as you can afford, let's say €120. You'll need a wifi card which isn't 802.11b, so maybe €15 for a latest 802.11ac one with added Bluetooth. And you'll want a laptop bag, be aware these laptops are heavy so that's probably €30.

That still leaves €100 left over, so pocket that. For €500 you can build a vastly better laptop from ex-corporate imports than anything you'll find new for under €1000. Remember, PCs and laptops have been barely improving in performance since the first Intel Core 2's. Anything since is pretty comparable in performance to the latest, and top of the range four years ago is easily upper mid-range today. Build quality is so vastly better than the cheap consumer sh*** too, people get badly ripped off given the value there is on the second hand market if you know what to look for.

Niall

Buford T Justice

I agree with ned in terms of quality for you budget. I paid big money for my laptop.

I got mine through my company and immediately stuck in an SSD. Its fast, has a high resolution display and with the SSD it makes a massive difference. I shelled out €1000 or it, but you're looking at €1500 retail since my boss is a fujitsu partner.

In terms of what I do with it, I have Android Studio, Intellij, phpstorm and visual studio on it. Its very thin, lightweight and the fan doesn't constantly run. The battery will last all day unless you're constantly running an emulator and running builds in android studio and its over 12 months old now.

I'd forget about buying one in bricks and mortar. if that is your budget and you're stuck with it, you should really look as ex fleet machines in the UK. They will be far better value for your money. Currys machines would only be cheap tat by comparison

Talisman

Forget about bricks and mortar shops. If you want value then eBay is your best option as previously suggested.

Have a look for something like the HP Elitebook 8570w. Those are workstation laptops with outer cases that are practically bulletproof. If you pick up a quad core i7 model it will have 4 memory slots which means you can potentially upgrade the RAM to 32GB in the future so it will serve you well for a long time. If you're lucky you'll find a model with a 120/180GB SSD which will save you having to purchase a new one for now.

Including import duties, you'll pay less that €400 for such a machine, afterwards you can buy additional RAM if needed, a new battery and possibly a new power supply.