Source
r/SuggestALaptop•
CorrectProgrammer

Programming & Light Gaming & Web browsing [2000EUR, Poland]

Valid Form
  • **Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:**10 000PLN (~2150EUR), can add extra 10%; Poland
  • **Are you open to refurbs/used?**I'd rather a new machine.
  • **How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?**Build quality, form factor, battery life, performance.
  • **How important is weight and thinness to you?**I want to carry my machine around a bit, so I'd prefer it to weight less than 2kg.
  • **Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.**14 inches would be perfect.
  • **Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.**I'd like to be able to run an IDE (IntelliJ and similar) and at least a few docker containers at the same time. For games, these are optional, but I'd like to be able to run games such as Stellaris, Guild Wars 2, Divinity Original Sin, Tyranny, Pillars of Eternity (I + II), Minecraft and possibly Sid Meier's Civilization VI.
  • **If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?**For the games I mentioned already, I'd like to be able to maintain at least 40fps on high/ultra where it's reasonable - for instance, Stellaris tends to lag even on a relatively powerful desktops ;-)
  • **Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?**I'd love to have a comfortable keyboard and a screen that's nice to look at. I'd also prefer a high-quality touchpad. Reliable build quality is a must.
  • **Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.**I need a machine for non-professional programming (by that, I mean that I have a separate machine to do my job) , reading pdfs, light gaming (it's optional, I have a desktop PC for that). I've been looking at T14 Thinkpads, but they're not available yet. Also, Lattitude 5401 looks like a good machine for my needs - I'm a little bit worried about the screen, though (I don't mind the weak gpu). I've also been looking at ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, but I'm not sure about the quality of gaming laptops. Macbook Air 2020 with i5 and 16GB of RAM looks nice on paper, but it's also rather expensive for the CPU power it offers. I can deal with either Windows, Linux and Mac OS.

Posted May 2, 2020, 11:47 AM UTC

92
ChinkstaAsus•

" I've also been looking at ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, but I'm not sure about the quality of gaming laptops. "

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It's a great laptop for " Programming & Light Gaming & Web browsing ".

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The screen on the G14 will not suffer from games like " Stellaris, Guild Wars 2, Divinity Original Sin, Tyranny, Pillars of Eternity (I + II), Minecraft and possibly Sid Meier's Civilization VI. "

3
robin_from_the_hood•

If you can wait a bit, the new Xps 15 might be the sweet spot for you. Even though the leaks say it has a 16:10 15.6" display, because of the very slim all around bezels it feels almost like a 14" 16:9 laptop. It fullfills all of your requirements.

Not a 14" laptop but the Razer Blade 15 ( advanced v3) is also a great option, itsbuild quality is on par with a Macbook although the battery life isn't that good compared to other options i recommend. The upcoming Blade 15 has an upgraded keyboard layout but maybe the actual version of Blade 15's right shift key won't be an issue for you.

As of G14, if you need tb3, it won't work since it doesn't have any tb3 support. That's because even though tb3 is royalty free, the mobo manufacturer has to pay intel for certification which adds an extra tax. The rest of the laptop is quite great for the price. The design might be a bit off but thats relative, some people don't like it some people do.

I will also mention the Msi Prestige 15 but in terms of build quality it doesn't come close to an Xps, Razer Blade or Mbp even though it has an aluminum body. The rest of the laptop is pretty awesome. I have it and i can say that it is worth the price since i also use it for software development. I use Jetbrains IDEs and build times are pretty great since the 10710U performs exactly the same as a 9750H in other thin and light laptops. Its dimensions are very small for a 15.6" laptop.

Its screen seems to be too big for you but if you find the base Macbook Pro 16 for around 2300 euros, it is also a great option. You'll need to dual boot windows for your games ( maybe not all of them) to perform as good as they can.

1