Hi everyone!

I need to buy a new laptop to replace my 12 years old laptop. I didn’t look after hardware for a while for some personal reasons.

I will buy something new. My needs are:

  • photo editing
  • video editing
  • vector graphics editing/creation
  • good battery life (I don’t want to worry about)
  • web navigating, docs, spreadsheets
  • USB-C charging would be nice

I don’t game, and Framework isn’t available where I live.

I would be happy to have some recommendation on what is a good hardware for this use and good brand.

Thanks!

  • throwawayish@lemmy.ml
    173·
    10 months ago

    My two cents; if you want to use Linux on it, then do yourself a favor and pick a laptop from a Linux-first vendor. So the likes of NovaCustom, Star Labs, System76, Tuxedo and others found on the link over here come to mind. Besides that, it’s important that the device in question either has a dedicated GPU (or at least supports eGPUs). Furthermore, choose a device with relatively high battery capacity; they go up to ~99 Wh, so pick something that’s at least relatively close to that number.

    • chitak166@lemmy.world
      43·
      10 months ago

      I highly recommend avoiding this rhetoric because you will end up paying more for inferior hardware.

      You are not actually “doing yourself a favor.”

      • throwawayish@lemmy.ml
        7·
        10 months ago

        Ultimately, any discussion on this would boil down to cost vs convenience. As OP hasn’t explicitly stated anything on this regard, it seems unproductive to delve into this further. However, strictly speaking, I have to agree with you that the Linux-first vendors are (in almost all cases) more expensive. Thank you for pointing that out for OP.

        In case you're as bored as I am 😅.

        Let’s start with stating some facts from OP:

        • OP takes the effort to state six wishes/requirements without mentioning price.
        • OP implies to at least have considered the Framework laptop, for which the 16 inch variant -the one actually capable of video editing etc- is not a cheap device either.
        • OP states: “I don’t want to worry about” when talking about battery life. If anything, that sounds like one that would prefer convenience over cost.

        Therefore, I assumed that OP wasn’t cost-limited by any means (they didn’t state it anyways).

        Anyhow, allow me to illustrate how much OP might have to “pay more” for “inferior hardware”:

        • Found this one on https://old.reddit.com/r/LaptopDeals, a site which you mentioned elsewhere under OP. Seems like a cool laptop, not gonna lie. It’s just a random one I picked. Let’s see what we can find on the other side:
        • Well look at that? Better CPU and better battery, just all around a great package (it even has a mechanical keyboard?!). Furthermore. better warranty terms and possible to extend to 5 years (compared to a measly 1 year for the other laptop). Yes, it’s a significantly more expensive laptop. But, (for me) it’s clearly the superior deal especially when the Linux support is considered. You’re absolutely free to disagree though 😉.
      • throwawayish@lemmy.ml
        1·
        10 months ago

        They said they don’t game.

        GPUs aren’t exclusive to gaming (as you should know).

        Why GPU?

        OP mentioned the intent to do video editing on the device. Unfortunately, the amount of good video editors on Linux is currently limited to just Davinci Resolve(; sure, the likes of Kdenlive (etc) exists, but none of them are very suitable for professional usage[1]). While I’m thankful that Davinci Resolve works on Linux, it’s -according to their own documentation- simply not possible to make use of it without a dedicated GPU (at least on Linux). Thus, warranting the need for a dedicated GPU.

        That’s horrible for battery.

        I’m aware that that’s a concern. Thankfully, there are workarounds. And if all else fails, there’s always the possibility to make use of eGPUs; which I’ve actually explicitly mentioned in my earlier reply for this exact reason (without mentioning explicitly for which reason it was mentioned*).

        1. OP might not even need it for professional use, but I assumed they did*.
    • fxt_ryknow@lemmy.world
      22·
      10 months ago

      Just my two cents… But my x1 carbon, running tumbleweed has been my single greatest Linux on laptop experience, ever… And I’ve used many different laptops over the years. System76, framework, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, hp, apple… My x1 has been absolutely amazing!

      • throwawayish@lemmy.ml
        3·
        10 months ago

        That’s very valuable! Thank you for mentioning that! To make it even more relevant to OP, I would like to pose the following questions:

        • Which CPU?
        • Which GPU?
        • How has the battery life been? Consider both light and heavy use*

        Thank you in advance!

        • fxt_ryknow@lemmy.world
          2·
          10 months ago

          Cpu is an i5, and I forget what specific model but I can check. My carbon is an older Gen 5. It also just uses the Cpu for graphics… No dedicated graphics card. Battery life is good concidering the age (the battery is still original, and I get probably 3 hrs with moderate use. My carbon also is the 8gb (ram) model. On this particular model the ram is soldered on, so upgrading isn’t an option (without replacing the board, obviously).

          Now, for me… I use the machine for work. I’m a systems administrator and spend most of my time remotong into servers and end user machines… So the work load on the laptop is on the lighter side. I do have various vm’s that I spin up form time to time, but never more than one at a time.

          Anyway, as I said before, it has been the single greatest Linux experience on a laptop I’ve ever had. Everything just works, and it’s been rock solid. I’ve been running this machine as a daily driver for work now for about three years.

          Edit: Love the down vote, also. Makes me feel like this is reddit all over again. Lmao. Down vote for sharing an opinion of what’s been the best Linux on laptop experience I’ve ever had. Whoever down voted me… Can you correct me and tell me the correct answer for what has been the best Linux experience on a laptop? I’m obviously mistaken.

          • throwawayish@lemmy.ml
            1·
            10 months ago

            Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! I’m afraid it might not be very relevant as it’s a device that’s at least 6 years old by now 😅 (at least according to this source. Regardless, user experiences are valuable. And I’m glad to hear that the device has been working flawlessly for you so far 😊.

            Love the down vote, also. Makes me feel like this is reddit all over again. Lmao. Down vote for sharing an opinion of what’s been the best Linux on laptop experience I’ve ever had.

            Haters gonna hate, I guess. Don’t worry too much about it. The thread you’re in (so the one starting with my first reply under this post) also is the most controversial under this post. So I wouldn’t be surprised if some folks just down voted indiscriminately for… some reason…