Ask HN: What laptop computer do you currently use?

by jai_ on 11/30/2023, 1:06:43 PM with 10 comments
Not using this to look for recommendations, but more of a survey of what HN users like to use.

I made an ask post like this in 2019 and I'm sort of curious to how things have changed over the years: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20857818

Maybe follow a template like this?

Laptop model:

CPU:

RAM:

Screen:

Personal comments:

  • by notpushkin on 11/30/2023, 1:18:02 PM

    Laptop model: MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

    CPU: Apple M1

    RAM: 8192MiB

    Screen: 13,3-inch (2560×1600, virtual 1440×900)

    Personal comments: bought just to try out how well Arm can perform in a laptop. Love the hardware, not so much macOS. I try out Asahi from time to time and it's getting better each time – hopefully next time I can finally make a switch completely.

    I also miss my ThinkPad's keyboard :-(

  • by iamben on 11/30/2023, 1:45:18 PM

    M2 Pro / 32GB. Had been using the last Intel Air which I bought in early 2020 and was absolutely gutted when they dropped the M1 a few months later. I've generally made my Macs last 4 or 5 years, so probably would still be using the M1 had I got it.

    But that Intel Air was the worst Mac I've ever owned. It was truly a piece of shit that I hated every second with. I7 with 16GB of RAM and the fan was on constantly. Was like working with a hairdryer going (and I wasn't pushing it any harder than the Air I had before, which was mostly silent).

    The M2 Pro is an absolute breath of fresh air. Silent, everything just works and works quickly. It's feels like when I first moved from PCs to Macs.

  • by CafeRacer on 11/30/2023, 1:44:20 PM

    Macbook Pro 16" w/ i9 and 64gb of ram... it's good that I can run windows in parallel and play some games. But the i9 heats a lot, like a lot and then macos throttles CPU performance.

    I read somewhere that intel could not built chips with smaller nm process and to meet their performance requirements w/ apple they just shoveled more cores or boosted clock.

    I had an air w/ m2 before I managed to drown it. That was an insanely fantastic machine. For it's money, for a full-stack web dev it was right in the spot. Even running linux x64_86 VM's was quite good.

    I only wish macs were waterproof :-D

  • by eternityforest on 11/30/2023, 1:25:29 PM

    Asus Vivoboook F510UA, 2018 I5-8250 24GB RAM 15.6"

    Running Ubuntu. They start as 8GB but there's an extra ram slot and I put a 16GB stick in, which helps a little but not as much as upgrading to an SSD did. It's got a 2.5 bay and also an m.2 slot, really cool upgradability.

    Currently using a Logitech M650U Bluetooth mouse with it.

    Sadly the back is textured, which seems crazy to not be compatible with stickers.

  • by verdverm on 11/30/2023, 1:30:25 PM

    Caved and spent the dollars for an M2 air 24G after being disappointed by frame.work hardware. Wish I did this originally...

    Apple silicon is really good, like really good. I don't think you can find a better laptop cpu right now. They are very polished machines and will be good for many years

    I've been using the Immersed App with the Quest 3 until my Visor arrives. The M2 doesn't even flinch

  • by vinberdon on 11/30/2023, 3:14:37 PM

    2021 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 R9 5900HS + RTX 3060. A wee beastie, I love it.

  • by t312227 on 11/30/2023, 1:48:02 PM

    a 2009er thinkpad model x200s

    cpu

    * SL9400 1,86 Ghz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB, 17W TDP

    ram

    * 8 GB

    display

    * 12" 1440x900 with LED-backlight

    storage

    * 1 TB crucial mx500 sata ssd

    source

    * https://thinkwiki.de/X200#X200s

    ps. i'm using a PC for "serious" work ...

  • by bcx5k15 on 11/30/2023, 1:24:31 PM

    Lenovo t14s g2 at home

    2021 14" mac m1 pro at work

  • by silicaroach on 11/30/2023, 1:54:19 PM

    personal: surfacebook I since 2014 work: m1 pro w/32GB