Laptop Deals Master Thread

[whacked1]

May I ask why not a regular desktop?
Also, are you asking for recommendations for a laptop, or for the whole setup?

I will need to go into the office occasionally . So i figured a laptop was easier.

Technically a desktop can work as well.

Also, are you asking for recommendations for a laptop, or for the whole setup?

If you have a recommendation for the whole setup, that would be great.

[GEMARAKOP]

good deal
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304491537617

[AsherO]

Nice deal for a loaded HP 14” laptop (AMD processor) - $799 with EPP or education account:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-elitebook-845-14-inch-g9-notebook-pc-wolf-pro-security-edition

[mordechain]

TN screen

[Chuchum Ainer]

TN screen

Which?

[mevinyavin]

(13") Thinkpad X1 Nano with 11th gen i7 for $879, new.
Target audience: Someone who uses a computer for work and needs a very light and very small computer that travels well. Note that some really long flights will be too long for the battery. See below.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/125533439255

No personal experience with it, but based on reviews:
Pros: 2 pounds, tiny profile
16:10 screen
Despite this, decent battery life:


Cons: Shallower keyboard than other Thinkpads
Old. (This will be fast only for office work - don't expect stellar performance for anything intense.)
For the serial upgraders among you, the RAM is soldered and the SSD takes only M2 2242. With all the new SSDs for the Steam Deck, you can actually buy decent replacements, but they cost more than conventional M2 2280s.

Full review here: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1-Nano-Laptop-Review-Less-than-1-kg-for-the-Business-Subnotebook-with-LTE.517858.0.html

Competition? The Pavilion Aero, and Swift 3 or Zenbook, are both cheaper. The Aero isn't built as well and the Swift 3/Zbk are heavier. I suppose the Gram 13 is also comparable but it costs more (usually). Other more expensive options are the XPS (natch) and HP's Dragonfly, a stellar notebook but you will need to pay more for them. (You usually need to pay more for the Nano, so...)

[AsherO]

That X1 is a nice laptop, even lighter than the LG gram.

Any recommendations for laptops with a top notch keyboard? Higher end business laptop with good specs (AFAF)

[mevinyavin]

Any recommendations for laptops with a top notch keyboard? Higher end business laptop with good specs (AFAF)

I'm not sure how to quantify "top notch keyboard." Do you mean better travel or feedback? I think you need to go review by review for that. One reviewer's good keyboard is another one's horrid keyboard, barring something ridiculous like no feedback or colors of the letters that you can't see in some lights.
Secondly, you'll have to define "good specs."

[AsherO]

I'm not sure how to quantify "top notch keyboard." Do you mean better travel or feedback? I think you need to go review by review for that. One reviewer's good keyboard is another one's horrid keyboard, barring something ridiculous like no feedback or colors of the letters that you can't see in some lights.
Secondly, you'll have to define "good specs."

Thanks, I wasn’t looking for a specific recommendation, so actual specs aren’t needed.

Anywho, the guy decided he wants a Thinkpad X1 Carbon with 5G (mobile broadband), but those are a fortune on Lenovo. Anywhere else to get those at a good price? Lenovo claims the 5G is factory only so buying one with acceptable specs and adding the 5G later seems to be outta the question.

[mevinyavin]

Thanks, I wasn’t looking for a specific recommendation, so actual specs aren’t needed.

Anywho, the guy decided he wants a Thinkpad X1 Carbon with 5G (mobile broadband), but those are a fortune on Lenovo. Anywhere else to get those at a good price? Lenovo claims the 5G is factory only so buying one with acceptable specs and adding the 5G later seems to be outta the question.

There are very few computers that come with sim slots. They tend to be expensive. So far I've seen Elitebooks from HP (only the 800 series, at least $2000  because you can only add it on a customizable model), the ASUS Expertbook B2 (never saw in the wild), and officially the Lenovo P, T, X and Z are all compatible, and the HP Dragonfly but you'll spend even more. So far I've only seen the 16" P at B&H for $1600 - definitely not what someone who likes an X1 Carbon would want.
I'm still looking around but don't get your hopes up.

EDIT: Looks like the Latitude 9420 or 9430 is your best bet. Follow the link below to Dell Outlet. You have to click each listing and follow through to the second list toward the bottom. Rarely, it will list a "Sim tray" at the bottom of the list of features. I believe this is what your friend is looking for... Pay attention, though. Half of them are 2-in-1s which weigh more and will run through the battery faster.
https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb&brandid=2801&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UdQ4%2fneBkb9oVFgtz8Exg2Gdp46lS7kJ8nsiguP3%2bqZYAaZzpmRAklppMSpW60DCoSHqMINt6FmZkZ%2f5cHAAXP%2bDpr09RmhIa1SfAuuWRJ%2bE9JAG5KBujCDzvpJ%2b5Dk7%2ffehFSyfIJd6Rt5yw1BL77W3CCIgZbHI9qYplZVqs5R%2fy2S%2bs4yK8F7ukR8LVu3aXMyISDMKc%2bUuGju9A8aov2cwrb0TmwEk8qLeuGL4BNXUv6g6sv7XvPYE%3d

[AsherO]

There are very few computers that come with sim slots. They tend to be expensive. So far I've seen Elitebooks from HP (only the 800 series, at least $2000  because you can only add it on a customizable model), the ASUS Expertbook B2 (never saw in the wild), and officially the Lenovo P, T, X and Z are all compatible, and the HP Dragonfly but you'll spend even more. So far I've only seen the 16" P at B&H for $1600 - definitely not what someone who likes an X1 Carbon would want.
I'm still looking around but don't get your hopes up.

EDIT: Looks like the Latitude 9420 or 9430 is your best bet. Follow the link below to Dell Outlet. You have to click each listing and follow through to the second list toward the bottom. Rarely, it will list a "Sim tray" at the bottom of the list of features. I believe this is what your friend is looking for... Pay attention, though. Half of them are 2-in-1s which weigh more and will run through the battery faster.
https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb&brandid=2801&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UdQ4%2fneBkb9oVFgtz8Exg2Gdp46lS7kJ8nsiguP3%2bqZYAaZzpmRAklppMSpW60DCoSHqMINt6FmZkZ%2f5cHAAXP%2bDpr09RmhIa1SfAuuWRJ%2bE9JAG5KBujCDzvpJ%2b5Dk7%2ffehFSyfIJd6Rt5yw1BL77W3CCIgZbHI9qYplZVqs5R%2fy2S%2bs4yK8F7ukR8LVu3aXMyISDMKc%2bUuGju9A8aov2cwrb0TmwEk8qLeuGL4BNXUv6g6sv7XvPYE%3d

Thanks. I appreciate it but my friend is specifically set on an X1 Carbon. I did find a new one with 5G on eBay for $1550, otherwise it seems like it’ll be ~$2k on Lenovo’s site.

[mevinyavin]

Thanks. I appreciate it but my friend is specifically set on an X1 Carbon. I did find a new one with 5G on eBay for $1550, otherwise it seems like it’ll be ~$2k on Lenovo’s site.

Exactly. Hard to blame him on the choice of computer, but he'll have to put his money where his mouth is.
Agav, while LaptopMag and PC Magazine both paskin that the X1 Carbon is the best Thinkpad to buy right now, Notebookcheck (which I personally give greater weight to) paskins that the T14s G3 AMD is the best one to buy.
Link here: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T14s-G3-AMD-Currently-probably-the-best-ThinkPad-laptop.683150.0.html
(The page links to Notebookcheck reviews of several Thinkpads, including the X1 Carbon. Your friend should take a look.)
A relevant passage, as I have noted elsewhere:

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has the advantage of offering the lightest case and the best speakers - but the lack of AMD options also means that more inefficient Intel processors lead to a shorter battery life and fans that tend to run more often.

I have one user I know personally who complained of the noise. He says the fans start up when he's doing nothing at all, the battery life is not great (it is okay, but not great), and it runs HOT. He is not a heavy user, and he works for Intel and got it through them (so no AMD options).

[AsherO]

Thanks, I’ll pass on the feedback. Insane that a major player like intel bungled up the 12th gen processors so badly.

[mevinyavin]

Insane that a major player like intel bungled up the 12th gen processors so badly.

They were desperate.
History goes like this (al regel achas): Intel had been stagnant from the 3rd through 7th gen of Core-i processors. AMD was barely able to produce anything of worth - they were trying to make do by selling for budget and the like.
AMD started designing for cutting edge 7nm chips manufactured by an outside company - TSMC. The processors that came out of this process became Zen 1 (or Ryzen). Their first product was just for desktops, and because the raw product was so much better (Intel was still stuck on 14nm at the time), the processors were better at raw tasks.
Intel's processors were still able to out-finesse them, so Intel was never more than a little behind throughout Zen 2, and they were always better for gaming and far, far better in laptops (where finesse matters much more, kamuvan).
Even when Intel transitioned to 10nm, they did not regain the raw performance crown. At this point, AMD had worked out the kinks in Ryzen and their laptops started to outpace Intel in raw benchmarks. Indeed, the advantage of 7nm was such that they achieved parity with Intel in metrics such as heat production and battery life, while outpacing them in certain benchmarks. (Arguably, Intel had better gaming at this point, but it was starting to bounce back and forth - Intel put out a better one, then AMD, then Intel.)
Intel's answer to AMD, no doubt designed around the second generation of Ryzen when it was apparent how things would go, hit the markets in the 12th gen. The processor had a radical redesign intended to regain the raw performance crown once and for all. They did - but at the cost of all their finesse. If you read the benchmarks, you will see that Intel is outperforming AMD in raw benchmarks, but they did that in exchange for pumping in more power and requiring better heat dissipation. The manufacturers were obviously not prepared for this, and I'm sure Intel will work out the kinks in the future, but for those of us who do not need raw power - for laptops - AMD is the clear choice right now.

You have been listening to Doctor Mevin's technology and history podcast. For more, subscribe to DDF.
end tangent?

[AsherO]

Cool story bruh, tysm

wdym by finesse?

[mevinyavin]

wdym by finesse?

The specs are one thing - number of chips, clock speed, cache size, etc. On paper, AMD was much better than Intel three years ago. Yet, what Intel was able to get out of their 14nm process was very close to what AMD was getting out of their twice-advanced 7nm process. The code, the synergy between the different parts - Intel was doing it all much better.
Finesse matters most when it comes to battery life, which is entirely predicated on how much electricity you are using. Intel got 15% less performance at 50% less power.
And now, the shoe is on the other foot, and Intel achieves 15% more performance at 50% more power.

[mevinyavin]

https://www.amazon.com/LG-Lightweight-Notebook-Windows-10Pro/dp/B0948SKS6V
17" LG Gram - $930 at Amazon ($11.47 per ounce).
Has 11th gen i7, so none of the 12th gen baggage.
This is for someone who needs a huge screen on a light laptop (3 lbs) with battery life and is willing to pay for it.
Suitable for office work, nothing too intense.
Ignore the specs listed on the Amazon page, the real specs are here:
https://www.lg.com/us/business/laptops/lg-17z90p-n.apb7u1

This is an excellent price and there is no competition. You can catch it on sale every once in a while for $1000, otherwise it is between $1200-$1700.

[Chuchum Ainer]

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/yoga-7i-gen-7-(14-inch-intel)/82qe001qus $865 i5 16 gb. i7 version is $949 at best buy

[Chuchum Ainer]

ISO a laptop in the $500-$700 range. Basic productivity, normal screen, preferably 15 inch.

The only option I see is
https://www.costco.com/acer-swift-3-14%22-intel-evo-platform-laptop---12th-gen-intel-i5-1240p----1080p---windows-11.product.100973090.html at $550, drawback being it's 14 inch.

Anyone notice anything else currently available?  (I'm looking for links, not advice)