Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The article (link) I posted shows both PC laptops, and a MacBook M2. The MacBook is my favorite because I am not into "gaming". But if I were a gamer and wanted a powerful laptop for both "gaming" or not
As a "gamer" I am confused by why you keep putting "gaming" in quotes?
Your little laptop lasts longer on the battery because it's a smaller screen and probably low power hardware. I doubt it's running the same hardware as your 15" monster. Our standard laptops here are all low voltage i7's, my two PC's are both H and P series chips pulling more power - but they're also far faster. Comes in handy when I'm running Photoshop/Lightroom and Premier.
The little laptop is a 2014 Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga S1, running a low-power Intel Core I5-4300U CPU, carrying 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. The weight is about 3.5 lbs.
I think of it more as 'highly portable' than 'little'. I run MS Visual Studio, MS SQL Server Management Studio, some MS Office apps, and a few light-weight utilities. Don't need horsepower to grind source code. Don't need massive amounts of disk space either - the bulk of the code base is kept on a separate archive on a remote server. And I don't miss the larger display. When you find yourself scrolling a lot within a block of source code, it usually means that the block needs refactoring.
Of course, when the company I work for tightened up their security, I had to strip the development environment out of the Lenovo. It was that, or let corporate IT "own" it.
Quote:
Also, if your company is paying 3 grand for a 15" laptop...you had better have a top end Precision or Lenovo P series, or your company is waayyyy overpaying for hardware....
The corporate laptop is a 2018 HP ZBook 15, with an Intel I7-7820HQ, 32 GB of RAM, and two 512 GB SSDs. Weighs in at 6 lbs, and the charging brick is double the size that the Lenovo has. The company-issued laptop bag that I used for carrying it broke its strap and the bag hit concrete. The machine now carries a small dent on one of its corners. I wound up purchasing a new sturdy (and heavy) laptop bag just to keep the corporate rig from hitting concrete a second time.
The guy who specc'd it out was really, really into running at least three and usually four virtual machines in his environment. I've taken over his codebase from him and never once felt the need to implement a virtual machine on the corporate boat anchor.
As a "gamer" I am confused by why you keep putting "gaming" in quotes?
No idea why. A bad habit, I guess
What do you think about the list of laptops I posted above? I am not a gamer, but I am curious since for what I understand the gaming machines in the list are superior for gaming than the MacBook M2. That's why I said that since I am not into gaming, my favorite is the MacBook because I have become accustomed to OS-X through the years. But if I were to play games, I would choose one of the most powerful PC's in the list.
The OP of this thread mentioned that 12-inch (screen) laptops are expensive, but in reality quality comes at a price. Some are expensive, and some aren't.
The way I see it is as follows: if you want a good quality PC laptop, expect to pay more than the usual cheap laptops on sale. Macs are expensive out of the box, but the best PCs aren't cheap at all, and can be as much or more expensive than a lot of Macs. This is my opinion, or course, and that why I asked you the question above.
I like Maxs very much. I would never own one because being a IT Professional managing a Windows networks, I get everything I need out of my Windows machines. Agree that you should spend more then just those cheap windows laptops. $600 minimum is what I recommend for Windows laptops for the "non-gamer".
I like Maxs very much. I would never own one because being a IT Professional managing a Windows networks, I get everything I need out of my Windows machines. Agree that you should spend more then just those cheap windows laptops. $600 minimum is what I recommend for Windows laptops for the "non-gamer".
Yes, I can see your point. Then there are PC laptops than cost quite a lot more than the most expensive gaming machine in the list I posted. If one can afford it, money is not an issue
Those black Friday and Christmas $600.00 laptops serve the purpose from most people. It is the same for tablets, and so on.
There wasn't anything wrong with the hardware except for the Intel CPU's
Macbook Airs reused most of the same hardware until the M1 revamp. It even used a dim low-resolution TN panel display all the way up until ~2019, and they were still charging $1000+ even though its display was worse than many laptops that were half of the price. It really was the dark ages of macbooks.
Quote:
That all said, they're all overpriced, except "maybe" the Airs
The M1/M2 Airs are at a similar price range to Windows devices that have the same build quality, displays, performance, portability, battery life, etc.
And in all fairness, the Air's hardware is more than capable for 95%+ of people's needs. It's even good for a lot of creative work (i.e. Final Cut, Photoshop, Logic/other DAW's too). The things that people needed a Pro to do 5 years ago, they can now do on the Air.
Macbook Airs reused most of the same hardware until the M1 revamp. It even used a dim low-resolution TN panel display all the way up until ~2019, and they were still charging $1000+ even though its display was worse than many laptops that were half of the price. It really was the dark ages of macbooks.
The M1/M2 Airs are at a similar price range to Windows devices that have the same build quality, displays, performance, portability, battery life, etc.
And in all fairness, the Air's hardware is more than capable for 95%+ of people's needs. It's even good for a lot of creative work (i.e. Final Cut, Photoshop, Logic/other DAW's too). The things that people needed a Pro to do 5 years ago, they can now do on the Air.
Folks who ask for a Mac here are getting the M2 Airs. I've got a few Pros running around, but those are my graphics people.
That said, a base M2 Air is $1,200, a 8C/10C M2 Air with 24GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is closing on $2,000. Add storage and it's even worse. Sure you can drop the RAM, but it's still more expensive than a ~14" laptop with Windows. I paid closer to $1,300 for my sons Lenovo Yoga 7i, and it's a solid laptop - i7, 16GB RAM and I think a 512 or 1TB SSD.
Folks who ask for a Mac here are getting the M2 Airs. I've got a few Pros running around, but those are my graphics people.
That said, a base M2 Air is $1,200, a 8C/10C M2 Air with 24GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is closing on $2,000. Add storage and it's even worse. Sure you can drop the RAM, but it's still more expensive than a ~14" laptop with Windows. I paid closer to $1,300 for my sons Lenovo Yoga 7i, and it's a solid laptop - i7, 16GB RAM and I think a 512 or 1TB SSD.
My wife's MacBook Air is nearly 13 years old and it works fine, but I just ordered the new Air with the M2 Chip and the 512GB SSD. Should arrive in a couple of days (20 Dec.), just in time for me to set it up for her before Christmas.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
