Recommend a simple, small cheap laptop < 15" I can chuck in my bag for use in coffee shops!
from catty@lemmy.world to linux@lemmy.ml on 13 Jul 21:24
https://lemmy.world/post/32925678
from catty@lemmy.world to linux@lemmy.ml on 13 Jul 21:24
https://lemmy.world/post/32925678
- I’ll buy used, so don’t want latest and greatest. It won’t be my main laptop.
- to run linux obviously.
- good battery life, light, not too small to use, but large enough to type on (obviously can do without numeric keypad). not too fragile!
- I’ll be doing some light python work, perhaps some c/c++ but I’m not after a workhorse, just something for quickly fixing bugs, or making notes on
- sub 200 GBP / 250USD I guess
I’d be interested in hearing recommendations, and also what to avoid!
threaded - newest
A Chromebook?
I really want to avoid the whole google thing.
You can rip out ChromeOS and install Linux, good if you’ve already got an old EoL Chromebook but I’m not sure if it’s worth actually buying one for it
If you’re buying used you’re not directly funding Google.
…no
Refurbished Thinkpad. The answer is always refurbished Thinkpad.
Yep. I’m using a used ThinkPad X1 Carbon. 8 years old and running Linux like a dream
what are they like for duability - e.g. knocks from being put in and pulled out of a rucksack
Some of the best you can get in terms of durability. You might pay for it a little in weight and thickness though compared to some ultra thin models.
Magnesium frame and such. I had an older and heavier one and was always joking it would come handy as a blunt weapon if there was a sudden monster attack. It once fell from my desk to the floor and didn’t even had a scratch.
Plus if you are on budget it is really best value for the money.
Check ThinkWiki and Thinkpad wiki sites for details. You do not need high specs to run Linux.
don’t know if a refurbished thinkpad is good if you’re on a budget, by the time you realise you might have a couple dozen of them on your desk all running linux
You can get ten x130e’s for $250 too. Why buy 1 when you can get 10?
<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/7d7565c3-1e34-4d92-b5d8-e8d086f45bd7.png">
Lenovo also sells older models for dirt cheap on their website sometimes.
The generic answer for this is to get a refurbished thinkpad. Pretty much any T-series fit your needs and there’s plenty of pre-leased corporate machines around which are refurbished and often have even a some kind of warranty.
This…is not the best answer. You need to be REALLY SPECIFIC about model numbers now that Lenovo has pollutes that brand space.
polluted, how?
I think what just_another_person means that Lenovo, specially at the beginning when they got the Think-brand from IBM years ago, tried to ride the brand and released sub-par laptops under ThinkPad -brand. At least some of the L-series were closer to what you could get from your local supermarket than actual work machines.
The brand-riding is now greatly less and the crappy ones generally aren’t the models you can find refurbished from 3rd party retailer. I’m currently using T495 and it was ~300€ from a sale couple years ago, now you apparently can get L13 for less than that. And of course, when you buy used units do your homework and only make deal with a reputable seller, there’s always an option that previous owner didn’t treat the thing nicely.
While you’re generally right, the T-series is a solid business laptop. Only thing I would add is steer clear of anything with “Yoga” in the name. They can be sleek, but very few of those ever impressed me.
No. Only if you guess the right one. That’s the problem that OP is asking about.
loving my recently acquired T480. not the fastest by any means, but solid and great keyboard. plus non-soldered memory allows for upgrades. got mine off craigslist for 120, a steal.
Thanks for mentioning the actual model number.
T480s is my backup work laptop. Runs Linux fine (have had Ubuntu, currently Fedora 42). Runs windows 11 like shit, but then my primary P1 gen 4 also doesn’t run 11 much better, so…
You basically need a supercomputer for windows 11 to not run like complete shit. Linux will run well on 15 year old hardware, although I wouldn’t suggest anything that old if you care about power consumption.
Instead of just throwing random preferences out there, I’ll help clarify the field of comments:
Great advice. Framework is the best choice if you can afford it. Seconded your opinions on Lenovo. They’re absolute trash now.
Thinkpad T, P, W, & X (Carbon) are generally pretty solid, though T & X probably better fit OP’s preference for portability. The T series is/was also user upgradable (memory and SSD), usually pretty easily. I think some of the carbon models were also upgradable, but can’t remember. Cruicial’s website is very helpful with this. If the laptop has “Idea” or “Yoga” in the name, it’s more than likely trash. There were some “higher end” Yoga models, but AFAIR none were upgradable.
Lookup the T38
old T (until t440p) you could upgrade the cpu as well, and they are dirt cheap on aliexpress
There are <250USD used frameworks?
No, I don't think I ever seem one for under 700 USD, despite some "news" saying you could find at 500 USD.
Every time people ask for cheap computers, there is always people sharing their preferences without any regard for OP's listed needs.
.
Framework is a US company and nobody wants to pay a premium to advance fascism thank you very much.
Thinkpads are a safe choice. I have the same use case as OP and i use one. Battery last 7-8h of light use, plenty for a plugless day’s work.
www.dellrefurbished.com
Check support but can score some great deals on business-class laptops here. They’re machines that are coming off lease from Dell Financial Services.
I have had more problems with two different Frameworks than most Thinkpads. Battery died, boot/power problems on both the 13 and 16, touchpad problem on the 13.
I prefer the concept of the Frameworks but can’t say they have worked better in practice.
If you’re in the US, refurbished thinkpads are probably the best option. Not so much here in Australia (but you mentioned GBP so perhaps you’re in UK). Whatever. I bought a refurb Dell Latitude 3120 for AU$229
mfg yr 2021 Intel® Pentium® Silver N6000 @ 1.10GHz 8Gb RAM Intel UHD graphics Intel Wi-Fi 5 9560 (160 MHz) Bluetooth 5.0 Display: 1366 x 768 11.6" touchscreen 2-in-1 Disc: M.2 256Gb PCIe NVME Class 35 SSD 1.35kg
Runs voidlinux like it was born to it. It’s my travel laptop.
If you’re able to code from a terminal, and care about longer battery life (my main concern when working from a coffee shop or elsewhere), I’d recommend getting a used android tablet, pry something from xiaomi or oneplus. You can find a decent model used for around that price with > 8 hour battery life easily.
Get a good stand, a solid bluetooth keyboard (logitech makes some great portable ones), and put termux on it (can probably handle light python locally).
If you need it to do CPU powerful tasks, use termux to remote into a VPS or your home server, and let a plugged in linux machine do the work so you can save your device’s battery life. This is how I code at least.
I’m in the UK, and I’ve had decent laptops from rapidIT and ITZoo, both .co.uk as far as I remember. I can’t remember which laptop I got from Rapid as it was a few years ago, but the first one had a faulty motherboard, and they swapped the laptop with no issues.
I had a Stonebook branded Clevo N750BU from ITZoo, which is an i7 based laptop, and Mint works perfectly on it. It’s quite old now, so you’ll probably get a newer one for your budget, but with a RAM upgrade it runs everything I throw at it. I use it for designing and editing logos in Inkscape and Krita, and for editing a website in html, css, and javascript, so anything newer should do it even better :)
Keep browsing eBay and HotUKDeals. You can easily find something really good for <£200.
This 11th Gen Intel Dell laptop was going to £150 this morning and I was on the verge of ordering it and adding more RAM.
This sub is obsessed with Thinkpads, but when you’re looking for a secondhand bargain then you pick up what comes opportunistically. The market is flooded with Dells because businesses change machines long before they go out of date and generally keep them in very very good condition.
I’m not sure how common they are outside Japan, but I have a little (about 12" I think) Panasonic “Let’s Note” that I use quite a lot as a lightweight coding (and retro/indie gaming :D) device that I can throw in even my smallest bag when there’s a chance I’ll have to kill more than a few minutes. They’re designed to be a little bit rugged. I had Ubuntu on it previously, now Mint, and the only problem I’ve had is that Linux somehow sees two screen brightness systems, and by default it connects the screen brightness keys to the wrong (i.e. nonexistent) one. Once I traced the problem it was a quick and painless fix.
They seem to be sold worldwide, so you may be able to get one cheaply second-hand. One thing to be careful about is the fact that in order to keep the physical size down, the RAM is soldered to the board. Mine is an older model (5th gen iCore), and has 4GB soldered on but also one SODIMM slot, so I was able to upgrade to 12GB total. But I’ve noticed that on most later models they got rid of the RAM slots entirely, so whatever RAM it comes with is what you’re stuck with.
Used DELL 5310. Intel 10th-gen, 60Whr battery (goes 8+ working hours on a charge) often 16GB RAM and at least a 256GB SSD at that price range. Upgradeable (DDR4, NVMe) too.
Just popped Arch on a Thinkpad Carbon X1 gen8. There about 300 on eBay. Great decision
I use Arch btw
Is that why you haven’t read the op and just posted what you wanted to see written? How do your farts smell?
Thinkpad Thinkpad T480. Can find many within your price range. Great quality, most of it is replaceable including keyboard and display. Aside from actual hardware failure or damage, the one thing that gets hit long term with laptops, the battery, is super easy to replace and there is both an internal and external if you want really long life
I have recently bought 2 dirt cheap thinkpads, one for me and one for the wife.
T490s - i5 intel
T14s - Ryzen 5 AMD
Both are tick all your requirements except for the numbpad, the T14s is definitely worth the extra money, though. It can even handle some medium gaming.
Both have upgradeable nvme ssds. However the ram is soldered on the “s” versions of these laptops so find one with 16gb or more.
People are going to say Thinkpad but I am going to say 2013 to 2017 MacBook Air. Inexpensive. Light. Good looking. A joy to use. Faster than you think. And well supported under Linux (I use EndeavourOS on them myself).
This was my immediate thought. An M1 Mac laptop is still a very useable laptop, and the battery life on them is fantastic.
M1 mac is still problematic with Linux, with only Asahi offering limited support, and you cannot find one at OP's price point.
I would argue that if brew is installed on a Mac, chances are, OP won’t even notice it’s Mac OS, unless he looks into the detail or having some specific Linux use case. OP only mentioned writing some C programs.
A problem with macbooks is that most have soldered ram, and even hard disks, which negates the possibility to upgrade to modern capacities. Many older non apple laptops can be upgraded to a larger SSD and ram, and be given a new lease on life.
I second this if he can find a 2013~2017 for free/cheaper, I use an old Macbook Air with EndeavourOS mostly for writing, but my use case is not that far from OP's, it also runs some old games.
It is light and portable, and it is just as easy to find a refurbished option as the Thinkpad (at least in NA).
My only problems are with the drivers(the Wi-FI and the FacetimeHD camera) and the charging cable.
I tried a bunch of distros, but only with EndeavourOS I got them to work easily.
That said, if OP prefers better Linux support, and better cost x performance. He will be better suited with a Thinkpad T or X (T480/T490 or X280) refurbished will be in the price range.
X280 is barely above 1Kg, with a smaller screen.
T480 is chunkier, bigger screen and Ethernet port.
https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/lenovo-thinkpad-x280-core-i7-8550u-16gb-ram-256gb-touchscreen-windows-11-laptop-12-months-guarantee-4640028
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184872920970
Dell latitude 14 inch 5430 or similar, cheap ish. Its got all the wants and needs. Plenty of ports. Its dell so it’ll survive forever.
I’ve had great results with various refurbished Dell Latitudes from eBay over the years. I have a stack of about 5 or 6 of 'em and they’ve all run many mainstream Linux distros with fantastic out-of-the-box support. I pass 'em out to members of the household whenever a laptop is needed and they’ll usually get the job done.
I’d just type in “Dell Latitude” on eBay and filter by price and such. I suspect any model with an i5 and 8GB RAM oughta be fine for light programming work. I’ve found sellers with high ratings (like 97% or higher) and thousands of sales are pretty reliable (and tend to have return policies in case you get a lemon). Just test all the hardware (webcam, microphone, headphone jack, USB ports, ethernet, etc) as soon as you get it.
I’ve saved a lot of money over the years buying secondhand, and these machines have been running without a hiccup for years of casual use.
They’re not light though!
A light Chromebook?
Thinkpad x1 carbon gen 6, or if you’re willing to up your budget a bit, a x13 is also a great fit.
Try Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5.
small tuxedo computer
Used Thinkpad X or T series
What’s the main difference between the two?
X series are lighter and smaller than T series, on the other hand they are less upgradable.
If you’re going to hang out in coffeeshops just get whatever has a clearly visible Apple logo and spend the rest of your money on a beanie, airpods and fake glasses.
maybe search for system76 too. I found one on my local craigslist.
Not sure if it’s available where you’re located, but did find this listing. a.co/d/bztqux3
There’s also multiple T14’s with the 8 core AMD variant at the moment on ebay. I recently purchased a similar version myself.
I have both a 2014 MacBook Pro and the listed device. The T14 has a trash tier trackpad and display when compared to a MacBook, but if I was buying it to do any type of programming, I’d choose the T14 everytime if I’m comparing it to a MacBook with 8 GB of ram and a dual core processor. (when compared to a T14 that has the 8 core AMD 4750U)
intel macbook air works good for me, with debian and xfce