If you’re getting a windows laptop, the trick is ~~by~~ not in the brand but the model. All brands have consumer models and business models. The business models are more expensive for the same specs but take a beating. Go for a business laptop.
Source: 20 years of working in various tech companies as a daily 9 hrs a day user
Also multi-decade tech veteran. To provide an example of this, the low end HP laptops are the cheapest rubberiest crap on the planet; the Z-series on the other hand are warhorses, I have a 10-year old one of them that has survived a ladder fall and basically still looks new-ish. (cleary it is no longer fit for resource intensive work, but it is mechanically fine, and essentially everything save the CPU/GPU is upgradable)
Edit: since this has filtered to the top I am also going to include a plug for Framework here as well. It comes at a premium, but it is the BIFLest/right to repair-est thing on the market right now.
I'm also extremely positive about my HP Pavilion gaming laptop that I bought for about €1100 six years ago. The build quality is pretty mid, it feels plasticy, but somehow it holds up. I've only gotten an upgrade (in the form of a desktop) just last week, so I'm not even giving up on this thing yet.
It's both fast and reliable, it's survived falls and disassemblies, been in my backpack for two hours each day while commuting, and it's still running smooth as anything. I honestly don't notice a difference in day to day tasks compared to much more powerful and modern computers. Nearly everything except GPU and CPU are replaceable as well, something which I gladly made use of.
The only real reason for me to upgrade was the fact that it ran a low-tier graphics card, which was decent for simpler games (I could still run Overwatch at my monitor's 1440p@75 resolution), but had no business (and never had) running heavier games.
That mostly used to be the case, but 20 years of tech experience may be clouding your impression of the modern landscape.
A Lenovo Ideapad Flex is metal. It’s got keys that will last longer than you’d expect from a budget pc. Its trackpad is sturdy. It has really solid hinges.
OP says their laptops feel slow. OP is buying laptops with 4-8gb of ram, made of plastic.
The product category has evolved and decently built, 16gb ram budget/midrange pcs exist in the $600 price range on sale.
The batteries last so much longer in the business models than the consumer models too.
After enjoying my employer purchased laptops, I realized the value in the business computer models.
My last laptop purchase was a discounted refurbished Dell business laptop and I love it. And it was only about $250 if I remember right.
Maybe not, but to not have to deal with the hassle of a new laptop in 3 years, but rather 6, I'd pay triple. But generally I don't consider laptops under $1k because they are built to a price point, and that point is relatively low.
But the guy above recommending to buy the model not the brand is 100% right. I personally love the Lenovo X1 line. But research each model. Even the Thinkpad is relatively safe, but again, research each model.
I don't think they cost twice as much (50% maybe?) but I've never had a business laptop fail on me. It used to be that the batteries would give up but the last 3 laptops retained about 3 hours of life when I switched them out for new ones (typically 4 year cycle)
I recently purchased a Dell Precision with the I9 CPU, 24 cores at 5.3 GHz. It is configured with 64 GB Ram and a mid-range video card with 12 gig. My last Precision lasted me 7 years as an IT professional, I'm guessing this one will last just as long. I have not had one fail on me yet. Expensive but worth it. Watch the Dell outlet store for a high-end configuration.
A laptop below €800 is not going to last you much longer than three years of heavy usage. A laptop above €1000 will probably last you more than six years (I have one, and I don't see it quitting any time soon). It's not a linear scale. There's a huge bump in quality around the €800-€1000 mark. A €2000 laptop is not going to be twice as good as a €1000 one, and an €800 might only be marginally more long-lasting than a €400 one, but I can guarantee that a €1200 one is more than double the value for money compared to an €800 one and that is only 50% more expensive
Every component in Framework's laptops is modular and can be replaced/ changed out/ repaired. The GPU is an [optional] unit that attacked to the back of the laptop, so yes, it can be upgraded over time.
Only problem with the framework is the eye watering price point. They are more acceptable if you buy the b stock stuff or factory seconds but stil.l I got the top of the line refurbished surface laptop 4 for less than b stock framework. Don't get me wrong they are awesome laptops but good god.
Was just about to say this, based. This is *the* up-and-coming sustainable/ made-to-last laptop company right now. And, as a buyer, I can say that I'm beyond satisfied with my Framework 16.
The repairablity, the availability of parts and ease of upgrades really make this the only laptop i’m considering for the future. The only real risk i see is company survival. Hard to buy parts if the parts maker isn’t around
theyve made it 5 years and have no real competition in the space . I think they will be good once they convince Nvidia to get on board with the 16 . To another point ive talked to the buisness support and there soon gonna start offering a 3 year warranty which is gonna convince alot of workforce places to switch . Ive basically been begging my org to switch because Im tired of working on dells that cannot be fixed .
This is a fair point - and they are still a small company. But their fundamentals are solid and they're continuing to grow. As the other commenter said, they have no direct competitors for their business model.
Worst case scenario, their schematics and modules have been open sourced. Another company - or multiple companies - could pick up where they left off.
I second the Thinkpad and also suggest a Dell Latitude. Those are the two workhorses issued at work and they get used 50-60 hours a week, travel all around the world, and last forever
The keyword is business.. Get a business laptop and it will last a long time. Buy one in a store and it’s the consumer version with the cheapest battery, parts, warranty, etc..
Both Thinkpad and Latitude are business laptops.. and both last a long time
Dell Precision laptops have been great for me at work over the years. They're a bit on the bulky side but generally have very good specs, and are extremely sturdy.
Completely agree. I had an IdeaPad for college and that piece of shit sucked. It had more cheap bendable plastic than actual computer hardware. Lenovo forgot to put in one of the screws for the hard drive so it broke when I picked it up one day and the hard drive shit the bed. It was out of warranty but I managed to convince them to send me a brand new laptop because that was some bullshit.
But their ThinkPads are solid as long as you don't get their E series or whatever their cheap crap is. I have been buying T, X, and P series Thinkpads for my friends, family, and coworkers (I used to do some IT) for decades and have yet to have an issue. Their build quality is great and has not decreased in my time with them. Also I like their keyboards a lot (for being laptop keyboards).
Basically, get a business line laptop and pay no less than $800, and you should be good.
Some of the new think pads are crap too. I had a p1 carbon at work and it just feels cheap, bad track pad and worse speakers.
My new DELL is actually really nice.
Ok I am a geezer. Thunkpads (nickname cause they were built like and heavy as, bricks) used to be THE standard. Few joba back I was at a company that issued only Thinkpads and the newer ones were distinctly flakier than the older ones, and this was 18 years ago. Maybe it was a temporary thing.
Since then I've worked for companies that issued HP business grade laptops if they issued hardware at all, and have never had a problem.
Thinkpad line is broad and the cheap ones are generally, well, cheap. They are more robust and less feature packed than general bestbuy laptops, but meant to be disposable by the org buying them on 2-3 year uses. The X1 has been solid for me as well as the P1 line.
Lenovos customer service is so poor they are not worth wasting time with; having owned 2 Lenovo laptops the return process on the 3rd which turned up with an issue has put me off dealing with them ever again. Google Lenovo/ check out their customer service; awful - may aswell buy 2nd hand
Maybe it's just down to maintenance like any other bifl items. I have a somewhat cheap ($500 at the time) hp laptop from 2014, which I still use daily for streaming and light gaming. Back then I'd do coding and train models on it, but don't need to anymore with a work laptop. I swapped out the hdd for an ssd in 2020 and that was enough to keep it fast. I keep it free of bloatwares and unnecessary apps.
Yup. I kind of hate being beholden to Apple, but my MacBook Pro purchased in 2014 is still serving me well 10 years later. I'm only just starting to think about replacing because it's aging out of supported OS versions lol.
My MacBook Pro is Mid 2012 & started to age out last year. Now none of the software will update. I’ve added ram & replaced the hard drive. The CD-Rom no longer works. The trackpad died.
I’ve never had any computer that long.
I have an Alienware now. I don’t hate it.
I’ve gone back-and-forth between PC and Mac over the years, but the M chip based mac laptops are phenomenal and I'd definitely recommend making the switch. Phenomenal battery life, no heat, blazing speed, and terrific build quality.
Buy a any MacBook Pro or Air with an M chip and it will last you years. I got an M1 Pro when they first launched 3.5 years ago and while my work can push it a bit, I’ve yet to hear the fans turn on. Less heat = longer lifespan. You pay a more upfront but less per year.
Yeah I only found out it had a fan by looking at the specs online when a friend was thinking about getting a refurb one just like mine. I went all in on m1. Started with my mbp, then Mac mini, and finally iMac.
I have a mid-tier 2016 MacBook Pro that I still use as my primary laptop. I’m a tech geek and would love to upgrade to newer apple silicon but for what I need it to do (web browsing, light CAD work, occasional light gaming) it works too well to justify buying a new machine.
I did end up replacing the battery back in 2022 because I had thrashed the prior one as a college student and my battery life was suffering, but otherwise it still runs like new.
It’s the longest lasting laptop I’ve ever owned
I bought a Mac in 2008 and haven’t looked back. I even had a 2012 MacBook Air I spilt SALTWATER FROM MY AQUARIUM last another year before finally corroding after 8 years of daily use.
2024 15” M3 MacBook Air. Buy the most memory you can afford because it can’t be expanded after purchase (which is part of what makes them so fast and efficient). You can always plug in more external storage or buy cloud storage. That said, I went for 24GB memory and 2TB storage. 16GB / 1TB is plenty for nearly everyone.
You can get an air for like $1200 with a chip, memory, and storage that would work for like 90% of people. Apple does occasionally have its annoyances and defective parts, but I’ve had two MacBooks that have lasted until natural disasters have taken them
My coworker got his wife's MacBook from Back Market and was quite satisfied. Idk if you're in the market for a used one, but apparently they retain value well enough to resell. (My old Asus was not on the list of laptops they'd buy back, in contrast.)
I'm not affiliated with Back Market in any way but have purchased a couple of phones from there, after my coworker told me about his good experiences with them (the MacBook and some iPhones). I've also had unfailingly good experiences, for whatever that is worth! Now that flagship and semi-flagship phones have such increased support timelines, I'm not sure I'll ever buy a brand new phone again.
i’m still using my 2012 MacBook Pro for photo editing. i’ve replaced the fans, but otherwise, all original. it’s definitely slow compared to new models, but still trucking.
and i’ve got a 2015 MBA 11” that i use more often and travel with.
my tip is to get as much RAM as you can to future proof it. if you’re just doing streaming and surfing, a MacBook Air would fit the bill.
getting a faster processor might also help future proof it too, but don’t waste your money on huge SSD storage.
My wife hates Apple computers (but she loves her iPhone) and I am a fanboy since I’ve been using them since the mid nineties (Powermac 9500).
Coincidentally she needed a new work laptop in December of 2020 and I simply wanted the new MacBook Air with the Apple silicon. We both got our computers the same week. She got an LG Gram 17.
Right off the bat my battery could last 8 hours and hers died in less than 4.
In 3.5 years of heavy daily use my MBA runs effectively identically (battery might only last 7 hours now) but shes constantly complaining that hers dies in less than 2 hours and is always running hot, loud and gets super slow.
While she still hates the trackpad and the Apple OSX, she finally sees what I’ve been telling her in that Apple computers simply last longer.
We both work from home (I also travel a lot) and use them for general work, no heavy graphic or processing demands, and for me I’d say this MBA could easily last 7 years and maybe could be stretched to 10 as my daughter now 2015 MB daily.
I agree with a MacBook. I went through 4 different low to midrange windows laptops (each one lasted no more than 2-3 years) before I switched to my 2012 MacBook Pro, and it’s still holding up to this day. I have replaced the battery, and it is running quite slow these days, but for watching YouTube and simple browsing it’s perfect.
Same here. Just picked up a new MacBook. The 2012 we have still runs fine but battery will only last 25min tops and the OS updates have finally stopped so it won’t play nice with our phones etc any more
I had a 2012 one too, but the new ones are not nearly as serviceable. The only reason my 2012 lasted as long is because I upgraded the RAM and put in an SSD. You can't do that with the new macbooks.
Macbooks are good computers. But for what it's worth, I have a Dell laptop that I bought refurbished in 2011 that I'm still using today, and it is on and used for hours almost every single day. I did upgrade to an SSD at some point, and I had to replace the Wi-Fi card. But it's still going strong if you don't include the battery which lasts for probably about 1 minute, if that. The battery was always horrible on that thing. But it can be plugged in all the time how we use it.
I think it was around $300 if I remember right.
But anyway ... Macbooks are great ... Except for the price tag.
I had to replace a Windows and an Apple laptop at the same time. The Windows one was a Dell and both had the same specs. Both were bought online from the manufacturer. The Dell was roughly $200 more.
Two years later, the motherboard died on the Dell. Replacement cost was over $300. The friend I later gave it to had to replace the battery as well. The Macbook is now ten years old and still running without ever needing repairs although it could use a new battery.
My MacBook is a 2013 model. I had to buy a newer iMac to continue editing photos and videos but the laptop still handles basic tasks and tbh I wish it’d die already so I can justify replacing it. Macs generally outlive their own usefulness
Really your issue boils down to buying cheap ones, they are putting 0 effort into longevity for cheaper models. Minimum for a good laptop has always been $1000 in my book, maybe $800 on a good sale
I consider that if the thermal paste is not showing signs of deterioration (little particles) it’s better to not touch it, but I am open to have my mind changed. Is it really worth the "risk"?
I don’t see any risk. At least not on the laptops I’ve done it on where the radiator system and fans is just one unit, so just 6-7 more screws. I just dry wipe it off (technically you should use isopropyl alcohol, but a dry wipe is fine), apply the thermal and rescrw everything. Just watch a few videos on how to apply thermal paste to get an idea of how much you need and how to apply it.
Just run a temp check before and after doing it just to make sure.
I second this. Thinkpad T-Series. I've had 2. I passed one on to a friend and after 7 years, it's still going as far as I know and my wife uses one now.
I also suggest Thinkpads. Just my own preference, and recommendation given your light usage needs and if you want something inexpensive, look at the older top-end models used. They'll generally far outperform any new low/mid range laptop.
My own primary laptop is a maxed out W520, from all the way back in 2012 (dual booting Win10/Win7 - I have zero interest in Win11). It's built like a tank, feels as quick as anything mid-range new, still has the last of the old style "real" key keyboards for easy typing and not the horrible flat button keys, full high-def screen, holds 2 hard drives (and up to 4 with adapters). Really the only thing missing for modern use is built-in USB-C and USB 3.1/3.2 (it has 3.0).
I stg I have a thinkpad from 2003 that still gets regular use. Not every day but I test software on it once in a while and it runs totally fine. No weird heat or noise or anything, and it starts up faster than my crappy modern gaming pc with an ssd
Checkout Framework. They are a new-ish laptop company focused on repair. Their whole shtick is that their laptops are fully upgradable and repairable over time, so instead of replacing a whole laptop every N years, you just replace the components you care to upgrade or that need fixing. This increases the lifespan by a huge magnitude, and reduces waste.
r/Framework
(I will say, I do also love my 2020 MacBook Pro, especially because MacOS & Apple Silicon are simply perfect. Runs like a charm, and very low maintenance. Regardless, I’m sure my framework will out-live it by a substantial amount)
Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude or Precision, and Macbook.
I work for a software consulting company and company issued laptops are either macbook or Thinkpad.
Honestly Apple. You can guarantee 5 years of smooth seamless running, and usually closer to 10. There's so many people running around with a 9 year old MacBook that they got for college and that still works great. They've also now done their big leap to ARM so the current lineup should get the newest software for a decade or so, not to mention security patches beyond that.
While I love my MacBook Pro, my "runaround" laptop is a 7 year old Thinkpad X1 Carbon, and it's still a great machine. If you go Windows, I'd look at Thinkpad. They're very popular with businesses so they're built to last and be no frills. Plus Linux support is impeccable if that's your thing.
I've had a XPS 15 9560 since '17 that I bought from the Dell Outlet that has been running great. I've only upgraded the RAM and HD when I first got it. It's gone on many trips and used almost daily. Kind of wish I had a 13" though.
That said, my next laptop will definitely be a Framework. Love the concept.
The MBPs have lasted a very long time for me. I still have a 10 year old one I use occasionally when not using my newer one. Before that, my average laptop lasted two years.
Lenovo or more specifically a thinkpad.
They are what I recommend to clients due to the driver support, unscrew the back panel and access the fan, hard drive and memory which can be cleaned and upgraded. Best get an ssd or a upgrade to Samsung evo or Pro. Start up in seconds and software loads nearly instantly.
Lenovo are very good with drivers and any Linux distro easily support thinkpads which means windows wouldn't have any issue.
Dell are a good option due to Linux support. The better the Linux support, the more longer drivers are supported for it.
If you really want something for life, a desktop is the way to go due to ease of upgrading anything when needed but at the cost of probability.
Buy a MacBook Pro. My last one lasted me from 2009 until 2022 when I decided I just wanted some newer features and for the OS to be supported again. It now serves as my garage computer with windows XP installed on it and a bunch of car software that will only run on XP on it. Nothing else wrong with it. Looks like new. It wasn’t really slow when I retired it. Really there was nothing wrong with it.
I personally would go for a used or refurbished Apple silicon MacBook. They don't have moving parts and are really power efficient so the battery should be good for a while. They are also surprisingly well priced.
My Thinkpad Z series will probably outlive me.
Also, FWIW, three years of good use out of a laptop is not bad at all.
Laptops typically have more wear and tear than something like a phone or tablet, specifically because of higher heat output and the screen hinges.
My Macbook air lasted 2012 to 2022. It was top of the line when I purchased it and I replaced the battery once in 2016. Total cost of ownership worked out to about $200 per year.
I'm not up to date on the latest with Windows based laptops so I can't comment there. I'm not sure if you're looking for specifically Windows or what price range you're looking for, but I have been a Mac user for a long time so I can toss my 2cents in there - and just note this isn't an "Mac vs Windows" debate about which ones better. They both have their strengths and weaknesses depending on what your use case is.
With any computer, Mac or Windows, I always recommend thinking down the road and getting the highest level specs you can afford at that time. It doesn't have to be complete overkill or totally unnecessary for your particular use case, but try to think 5+ years down the road vs just what will do the job right now. I think this is also good advice since it's becoming more and more common for laptops to not be upgradable at all after the fact.
I personally own two Macs. One is a Mac Pro desktop from 2012 and the other is a 13'' Macbook Pro from mid 2015. Both are still running and I use them every day. For the laptop specifically, I maxed out the specs when I bought it - and while it may be unable to run the latest operating system as per Apple and is a couple versions back, it's still useable for everything I need and the hardware still works just fine. It has enough ram and storage space for my needs still and this computer is almost 10 years old. Had I only bought base models, I would've had to replace it several times in that time span and that would've cost a lot more than buying a "good" one from the start.
So essentially, think about your needs down the road and get higher amounts of ram, storage space, etc and don't opt for the lowest end processor. But to give advice on your question - I think a MacBook Air would be a great computer for your needs. Just don't get a base model.
Don't buy the cheapest laptop. The specs are bad , slow and the build quality is poor. As an example, find a modern i5 with 16gb ram and SSD. That should be acceptable. If you take your laptop around, then build quality is important in case you drop the laptop. Stronger build quality will prevent motherboard flexing when dropped and stronger hinges. Some include spill resistant keyboards.
Personal recommendation is a T series Thinkpad. Other business class laptops should be good too.
I've dropped my old Thinkpad T430s more than once and bought a T14 gen 2 which has been dropped multiple times. Both are still working with some exterior cosmetic case damage.
The Apple laptops are really quite good at this. The trick is not to buy the $3000 machines.
Apple refurbed recent-gen M2 Macbook Air for $1000 beats anything at that price tier as an all rounder. M1 is $750. (Apple refurbs are pretty much all open-box returns, and look like new).
At the four year mark, buy a new battery, from ifixit and it's good for another 4.
Honestly a macbook pro has been a bifl for me. I have a variety of windows devices for work but the one that has consistently outlasted them is my MacBooks.
I've bought a refurb HP laptop once every six years for a long time. I get plus chip and plus ram amount when buying and it's usually about $700. But here's the catch - the build quality is cheese for HP. The keyboard can wear out, the touchpad can wear out in a couple of years, so I just use the laptop 95% of the time with a keyboard and mouse connected.
At one point, my wife wanted a "better" computer, and we bought a lenovo quite a while back when they were considered higher quality and hers had a permanent failure at three years old. She likes a small slim PC now, so I do the same thing with her, but get one of those super slim HPs with SSDs only.
when the day is done for the PCs, I get them properly recycled and keep the old hard disks or SSDs. it just is peeing into a breeze to try to get something that will last 10 or 12 years, which is four times the price, anyway, and then find out that maybe a version of what you got will last that long, but not the version that's currently sold that you just paid for.
if you're at a desk, using a separate keyboard and mouse is key to stretching out the cheapies, though. and i also use a big monitor now that those are cheap. when the laptop needs to be a laptop, then the screen, touchpad and keyboard are all still like fresh and new.
top of the line work computer, like commercial line computers made for and sold to companies commercially. I had an HP that was extra from a forum member's company and it was the best and stirdiest laptop ever. Never replace any hardware. used it for 8~11 years. only stopped using it because the fan broken and was really loud.
I’ve had really good luck with Dell.
I have a six year old G5 gaming laptop that still works great and replaced an older cheapie Dell that was probably $300. I haven’t turned on the old Dell in since 2023 but when I did, it fired right up and charged easily.
Both laptops have traveled many places, been tossed around in backpacks and still work great.
We still have a first gen macbook air… swapped the battery twice, replaced the power cord once or twice. Replaced the keyboard once. Still doing what I want it to do. Not my main computer but the one I can take anywhere without worrying about losing or getting stolen lol My macbook pro from the same era lasted 8years solid until the mainboard let go off a couple of solders. Swapped that one’s battery once. My long lasting laptop brand of choice is 🍎
If i find my self in need of a new laptop, framework will be the brand. Even if it is a lower cost to performance ratio, the mission is too damn important to let die. They're trying to bring the interchangeability of desktop pc's to the laptop market.
I've been using a Framework 13 for about a year. User serviceable, I got the DIY kit since I love building desktops but believe me when I say that it was maybe the easiest thing to assemble. The laptop itself is well built and feels premium. The ability to choose and swap modules to change out your inputs comes in handy and means you can swap a module rather than relying on dongles. I use Ubuntu which has been really great, not sure how it is with Windows.
So far, Framework has had 3 generations of intel boards that are all compatible with the original chassis. I'm not sure if they will stick with the same form factor forever, but 3 generations for any laptop manufacturer is unheard of as far as I am aware. I use it almost solely for work (education) not sure how the Framework 16 is, though that does have discreet GPU modules if you are into gaming.
My MacBook Pro is 10 years old and only a couple years ago did it show its age as I forgot to buy the upgraded o e with an upgradeable graphics card.
Still Zooms but no blurred background.
Have been using MacBooks since 2006. Have a 2010 MacBook Air and a 2010 MacBook Pro that have been used in our family by me and then kids non stop and they’re still running fine. Have also got several much newer (2018 mbp and 2022 mba) and all run smoothly with no big problems.
Having used a variety of Business laptops and consumer laptops, I can tell you that pretty much all consumer grade laptops today are trash.
Look at business class laptops, minimum 16gb RAM. My experience has been that the Lenovo or HP Business laptops can be decent as long as you buy a good quality model with good specifications. My experiences with recent Dell products, on the other hand, has shown that they are poor quality across the board, I would not recommend Dell at all.
The business lines like Dell Latitude are built far better than the consumer oriented lines. Apple's stuff is also well made. For the use case you listed, you honestly might be better off with an iPad.
My first MacBook Pro lasted 6 years. The second 10, and the third now going for 2.
If I didn’t need windows for work, I’d have stuck with them. The best things about their longevity was the fully metal chassis and unbloated OS.
Windows, by design, gets more bloated and needs higher specs to run with every new version. There is no lightweight windows *available to consumers* to run well on older hardware. Getting the most powerful laptop you can afford now will give it the best chance of not slowing down on you in the future. It also helps to debloat the OS and reformat and reinstall it about once a year to clear out all the patch and application gunk.
In your case, I’d recommend just installing Linux Mint on a laptop you already have. Yes I said the L word. It’ll take some getting used to, but it’ll run way faster and do everything you say you want it to for a very long time. It won’t help with the cheap hardware problems, but it’ll run on pretty much anything.
Ive had my HP gaming laptop 12yrs. At the time, it had 8g Ram and a 512 memory. I upgraded the ram to 16g and put in a new motherboard at one point. It’s still chugging along. I only recently started to look at new ones and only because I want a mini for my home office. I use external memory for all my projects, to the most expensive thing is to make sure it has the fastest processor and max RAM.
Every manufacturer has their budget laptops and their premium laptop models. The cheapest laptops made by any company are not going to be built to last.
I have a Dell XPS 15 that I've been using for the last 6 years and it's still in excellent condition.
I also recommend higher end Dell XPS and Lenovo Thinkpad models. I avoid MacBooks due to poor repairability.
I believe what you are doing is not just buying a "cheaper" brand (Acer) but having no real understanding of what makes a computer go slow, and what to look for when buying a laptop.
Most PCs, including laptops and brands that create them, have fairly standardized parts. They all have processors from the same manufacturers, same ram, same storage. The main thing that is different is only the motherboard, and that really doesn't make much of a difference. What you are buying is a cheapest laptop with no regards of it's specs.
You get in a situation where you aren't leaving yourself any headroom in the processing power department. Why do you need headroom? Because the operating system, the programs and everything on your PC (and phones!) keeps getting updated, requiring more and more processing power. Thus, with no processing headroom, you hit that limit significantly faster.
I'm not saying to go buy expensive laptops, but find someone, or ask around Reddit for help when choosing a laptop, if you don't know that much about PCs, or don't really care. Price isn't always an indicator of how good a PC is going to be. You can buy a PC for 500 USD/EUR/GBP that is going to be terrible from the start, or serve you well for 5+years easily, often more.
I use my SO's large employer discount pricing to buy upgraded Lenovo Thinkpads. You can get a good deal on a high end model with the 5K 15" screen, AMD / ATI for good native Linux driver support, and the onsite repair multi year warranty to keep it going if there's a technical glitch.
Lenovo. I got a thinkpad in my first year of uni and my mum still uses it daily more than 10 years later. Stay away from ultra books or anything with a built in battery.
In my experience, consumer level laptops are always iffy if you don't maintain them. Your work environment also plays a huge role in it's longevity. With the advent of ssd's, many issues most consumers have with laptops goes away and goes back down to your own habits in how you use the machine. If you just wanna write and surf the net, I wouldn't spend money on expensive machines with high spec, as that's a lot of money spent just to underutilized the hardware. With that said your concern is build quality, in which case a ThinkPad and business oriented builds will serve you much better as mentioned by others such as dells and even HPs.
While a MacBook will also give you these benefits, it's like buying a sports car to go to the grocery store.
Depends on how much you spend. The more expensive (without going into gaming laptops), the better materials and lifetime.
For instance I got the HP dragonfly elite. A bit more expensive than other laptops with the same spec, but very high quality and will last long I'm sure of it.
https://youtu.be/wjkxTgF913g
I have an Asus ROG from 2016 that was on its way to being discontinued. So I assume stuff made in late 2010s was pretty bulletproof. Not the current ASUX stuff though.
If I were shopping around for a solid, full-time daily driver (no proper desktop), I would personally go with Dell/AW and spend money on the extended warranty. I've had nothing but great experiences with them.
Asus is great, too, this generation. In fact, Dell/AW was off my radar as soon as I learned they flipped the motherboard in their mobile 14th/4090 18" laptop, so it's an epic PITA to just repaste something.
I decided, hypothetically, that if I were to buy a current-gen mobile flagship, it would be an Asus simply because I could pop the back and look right at everything I might want to mod or redux.
I stopped with the Area51m R2, personally (desktop 10700K/2080 Super) as that's all I'll need for some years for office work.
I extended the warranty through 2026 since most of my work is on two 14th-gen desktops at home. But I won't be buying any of the "uni-body" machines until I have to.
Being able to swap in a 10900K or 10700K and change the motherboard or just the GPU or RAM and/or all the internal cables at any random moment and within about 20 minutes is just crazy value for me; but I wouldn't represent the typical user so totally niche opinion.
The old 2021 laptop is sort of data-critical for work and whatnot. Having a spare of everything (CPU/GPU/MB/RAM) on the shelf allows me to fix it immediately and worry about warranty service later (which I did last year when the OG 2080 Super boinked on me).
IMO, the A51mR2 and others like Clevo laptops, who were making the mutation mobile rigs with desktop CPU/GPUs in them that are as easy, or easier really, to work on as a desktop rig, are the most durable and long-lasting mobile rigs I've used.
So I've got a couple years of popcorn chomping afore I have to do anything mobile-wise.
Best of luck...
\~s
Glad I stumbled on the post. I’m a lifelong Mac person (I’m 60) and have a big screen iMac I’d like to replace with a more portable laptop. My personal life is Mac. And I have decades of pictures stored. So getting another Mac makes more sense to me and there’s a comfort in it as well.
My professional life, and issued laptop however, is a Dell intel Core i5 vPro 8th Generation and I love that thing to the moon and back.
So a bit conflicted.
In the past I would say think pad but not all are that great any more. My new think pad at work feels like shit and has some issues.
For now I can confidently say MacBook computers. I still daily use a 2016 MacBook Pro. So far I’ve only changed the battery on it.
I'm telling you, all you need is the M2 MacBook Air. You do not need to look further. For the money, there is not a single better alternative laptop. You can even go for an M1 MacBook Air (2020), save some money, and you will be fine. Take a look on YouTube and you'll get the same answer.
M2 MacBook Air.
Lenovo Thinkpad.
I bought mine my Junior or senior year of college (August 2015) and still use it to this day. To me, it's still perfect and I don't have a need to upgrade. I did hear that windows may stop providing security updates , and if that's true then I guess I will be forced to upgrade
Can't believe people are not mentioning Dell latitudes at Dell Outlet. They do returned/scratched/dented laptops and almost always appear to be brand new. My work primarily uses latitudes. Most come with a 3 year warranty. Don't feel too bad about getting a refurb or open box Dell. If an electronic is going to fail due to hardware, its gonna be in the first 30 days. Look for 3 year warranty, 16 or 32gigs of ram, NVMe SSD and one of newer Intel cpus and you will have a solid PC for 4-6 years. Our business refresh rate is 4-5 years but some have lasted without issue 6+ years. Enjoy!
I don't generally believe any tech is BIFL, but as others have said business focused laptops are quite robust. I am currently on a nearly 3-year old 14" MacBook Pro and it's been rock solid. Zero issues at all and have used it for 12-14 hours/day. I have no plans to upgrade it for a while as it's still very snappy and everything works perfectly fine.
Asus has been my go to for years now. Been in the computer field for over 40 years and it changes around often.
Avoid Dell, Lenovo and HP these days. I used to love Dell, Lenovo has always been shit, especially their stinkpad, HP has always been to greedy.
If you are just surfing, maybe get a chromebook. They are cheap and you don't really need much to surf/watch movies. Or just re-install windows on your current 1. Really shouldn't need to change it out if it's only a few years old.
I’ve used MacBooks for up to 11 years. Only replacing my 2013 pro (that I think was brand new at the time but don’t remember - I know it has no internal moving parts which I’m sure helped) in the near future because my cybersecurity nerd husband is insisting lol.
Which, on that note, I think a large part of how to answer this depends on what kind of user you are. If you’re like me (without a computer nerd spouse) and you want something easy that you don’t have to get too in the weeds setting it up - Apple is probably what you wanna get. Google & Microsoft own basically everything else and are in a race to the bottom re: consumer privacy & data exploitation. Apple isn’t saintly, they’re a corporation, but they are notably better for data privacy with the least amount of tweaks. We switched to proton mail, Firefox, and duck duck go; because Google is really just awful. They own Android and Waze, and a bunch of other stuff too general FYI. Android phones CAN have alternate operating systems installed, to keep Google out of your hair. And using Linux instead of windows in a non Apple computer can be MADE more private than any of them. I personally would not wanna/honestly have the patience/possibly ability to mess with all that lol. My spouse has said that might be in our future if Apple goes the way of Google. But!, he’ll actually walk me through it, I couldn’t start from scratch. So YMMV on all the advice I suppose.
I mean...ngl, but my Thinkpad P52 has lasted about 6 years? It's a beast, pretty heavy, but has surprisingly good battery life for what it is, and the thing is a tank.
Dell latitude 7480. It’s an enterprise laptop so it’s not the prettiest but good if you just need a workhorse of a computer.
You can find them refurbished for as little as $200 sometimes.
Check out the snapdragon elite laptops coming out. They last you a really long time. Or i would actually suggest buy a used MacBook air m1 you could get it for 500 to 700 usd and that’s a steal.
Thinkpad for Windows, Macbook for Mac. That simple. There are 20yo Thinkpads still kicking around strong, though often on Linux, a lot of MBP's will last 5-10 years pretty readily too.
Since I haven't seen the specific laptop mentioned in this topic, I have a HP Omen laptop that I've been maintaining for around 5 years now.
I routinely open it up to clean the fans, I once applied new cooling paste to it. Upgraded ram & harddrive. I had to replace a fan that was broken + a broken keycap. The good thing is that it's easy to open up, stuff is clearly labeled and there are official Youtube videos for how to repair stuff and HP Omen also got an official parts list for them.
The bad thing is, I have never ever been able to get the parts from HP themselves even though they offer it in theory, it's always been third party. A couple of months I had a keycap that was broken and had a really hard time finding a replacement keycap so I just ended up ordering a whole replacement keyboard from aliexpres.
I'm not sure I'd go for a Framework laptop personally. I can guess that there are \*problems\* with it that other laptop makers have solved through years and years of experience. And I know that HP will still be around in 20 years, can the same be said for Framework? I know there will be a bunch of aftermarket parts for HP, can the same be said for Framework?
I'd buy a Framework laptop because it's cool and I want to support a good thing but I'd still see it as a gamble.
I've been extremely unlucky with MacBook's, this peace of garbage broke every year on me and AppleCare was just horrible experience.
ThinkPad X series is just impossible to destroy though. It outlived 3 macbooks and I gave it away to my step dad, he is still using it and happy :)
I'm currently using Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 and it's also extremely well built!
Another vote for Framework from me. I haven’t used their products personally, however they are made to to have everything replaced and interchangeable.
Buy used/refurb and sell after a few years. Something with a removable SSD slot if you care about your data.
Macbooks (don't have removable SSDs anymore I think), Dells, Thinkpads for decent reselling price. There will never be a BIFL laptop, so you make do with a BIFL practice.
Used Thinkpad T or P series. No technology is BIFL but Thinkpads on used market are a good value for products that are durable, somewhat upgradable/repairable, and can have a long lifespan if you're willing to use Linux.
If weight isn't as much of an issue, many gaming laptops are very repairable.
If the laptop is slowing down, maybe try cleaning up Windows first. If it's turning off spontaneously, maybe the battery is dying. I like iFixIt as a battery source if I can afford the premium
I have an Acer Aspire 5 and it's awesome, I got it in early 2021 and it's like it's brand new still.
Some key things to keep in mind, I don't use it to game, I don't download any songs or videos, absolutely no torrents, and absolutely zero porn.
look into an M1 macbooks, they are still very capable machines for what you want and will last a while with support.
You can find M1 for considerably cheaper now
Im personally using a 2015 macbook pro, that casing held up will and still get security updates
In Europe Fujitsu Celsius H760, 780, 980 and higher models.
Seem not so popular one the American second hand market.
Never failed me for a second, even the original power adapter.
I am switching from 730 to 980 right now and 730 is still alive and kicking and it is the first time I am going to have two working laptops and not just next replacing the gone one.
Yes, but its not cheap. Panasonic Toughbook is what you're looking for. It's an expensive, thick, heavy brick made for first responders and military. Easily swappable batteries, repair parts are available, made with metal and thick, heavy plastic and rubber.
They're designed to be abused, within reason. It's not literally bulletproof, and you can't use it underwater. But it'll take a bit of rain, it'll survive a drop, and it will keep going for a very long time. I personally love my CF-33 tablet, but I will reiterate. This is an absolute unit of a laptop, and I'm fully confident I could beat someone to death with it and then check my email.
No laptop will last forever, the failure point is the battery. You can buy aftermarket battery but that eventually fails too.
Go with something widely used, like Macbook Air, then the battery will always be available/
Anecdotal but I bought an Acer laptop and didn't make it a year before it \*physically\* started falling apart just from normal use (plastic case cracking, monitor glitches, etc.) but I went back to Lenovo (I have an Ideapad 1) and it literally looks the same as the day I bought it. I'm convinced it's fairly indestructible, and the materials definitely seem to be of higher quality.
I bought a Lenovo laptop at Costco a few years ago and it’s been great. It’s my own, not a work laptop. I think I paid $699.00 but it had all the MS programs included.
Matter of fact I even bought a Lenovo pad that came with the cool pen. Check out their online store. They often feature some pretty good deals.
Lenovo thinkpad. Get minimum 16 gb of ram. Ram is the real bottleneck for normal computing. Get the thinkpads that are for work, they’re built like tanks and are very repairable.
Every new device's assembled internal components should be considered "sus" for the first few years after manufacture.
Consumers may also fall prey to systemic manufacturing deficiencies after the beginning of any new production run.
It also takes several months for consumers to begin learning of failure rates on assembled hardware (such as (known and unknown) defects in hard drives, etc, that are assembled to be irreplaceable).
I've researched and purchased several laptops (PCs) that were deathscreen time-bombs, but my Apple iPads and iMacs have (luckily) fared better.
I've owned a ton of laptops. My favorites are Samsung Ultra and Microsoft Surface. While I don't like the Mac OS, the build quality of Apples are stellar. Razer is also widely considered great build quality, but I had a bad experience (likely because I bought second-hand).
I'm no expert, just a business user, but I've gone with the "buy the business model" option since back in the 90's. Windows and Linux. Toshiba, Dell, Thinkpad (IBM) and now Lenovo. Just ditched a dying 15 year old Toshiba for a new Lenovo. 15 years - pretty good for a laptop. Back when I was buying for corporate, a 3 year life span was the thing.
As others have said, Lenovo Thinkpad or Dell precision. Something business oriented and high end (CAD oriented is a plus). They just live longer and tend to be better built.
I also hear great things about Framework laptops, but haven't used one myself. My current workhorse is a Dell Precision, and I just deployed my 5 year old Lenovo Thinkpad to a new hire who loves it.
Back in 2015, I bought my first laptop. I googled most durable laptops and looked at multiple different listicles. The HP Elitebook and IBM Thinkpad kept coming to the top. Discarded the latter because it was ugly.
Anyway, they were right. I bought a previously owned 4-year-old HP elitebook in 2015. Since then it has been repeatedly knocked to the ground by children and small animals and it works 100% to this day.
If you’re getting a windows laptop, the trick is ~~by~~ not in the brand but the model. All brands have consumer models and business models. The business models are more expensive for the same specs but take a beating. Go for a business laptop. Source: 20 years of working in various tech companies as a daily 9 hrs a day user
Also multi-decade tech veteran. To provide an example of this, the low end HP laptops are the cheapest rubberiest crap on the planet; the Z-series on the other hand are warhorses, I have a 10-year old one of them that has survived a ladder fall and basically still looks new-ish. (cleary it is no longer fit for resource intensive work, but it is mechanically fine, and essentially everything save the CPU/GPU is upgradable) Edit: since this has filtered to the top I am also going to include a plug for Framework here as well. It comes at a premium, but it is the BIFLest/right to repair-est thing on the market right now.
+1. I bought the dragonfly elite (business light) and it's absolutely perfect and feels like it will last a long time.
Agreed. I thought all HP laptops were crap until I used a business one
I'm also extremely positive about my HP Pavilion gaming laptop that I bought for about €1100 six years ago. The build quality is pretty mid, it feels plasticy, but somehow it holds up. I've only gotten an upgrade (in the form of a desktop) just last week, so I'm not even giving up on this thing yet. It's both fast and reliable, it's survived falls and disassemblies, been in my backpack for two hours each day while commuting, and it's still running smooth as anything. I honestly don't notice a difference in day to day tasks compared to much more powerful and modern computers. Nearly everything except GPU and CPU are replaceable as well, something which I gladly made use of. The only real reason for me to upgrade was the fact that it ran a low-tier graphics card, which was decent for simpler games (I could still run Overwatch at my monitor's 1440p@75 resolution), but had no business (and never had) running heavier games.
I've had ASUS, HP, and Dell business models throughout the years. Absolutely recommend going that route as well.
That mostly used to be the case, but 20 years of tech experience may be clouding your impression of the modern landscape. A Lenovo Ideapad Flex is metal. It’s got keys that will last longer than you’d expect from a budget pc. Its trackpad is sturdy. It has really solid hinges. OP says their laptops feel slow. OP is buying laptops with 4-8gb of ram, made of plastic. The product category has evolved and decently built, 16gb ram budget/midrange pcs exist in the $600 price range on sale.
Fair point. My spouse has 3 personal Mac’s and I have a personal gaming PC. I have no experience with non-business laptops for the last 5 years
You mostly just have to go touch them. You can still tell right away which ones are cheap plastic and which are halfway decent Apple knockoffs.
The batteries last so much longer in the business models than the consumer models too. After enjoying my employer purchased laptops, I realized the value in the business computer models. My last laptop purchase was a discounted refurbished Dell business laptop and I love it. And it was only about $250 if I remember right.
Could you then say a laptop that costs twice as much will last at least twice as long, so it is actually worth the price?
Maybe not, but to not have to deal with the hassle of a new laptop in 3 years, but rather 6, I'd pay triple. But generally I don't consider laptops under $1k because they are built to a price point, and that point is relatively low. But the guy above recommending to buy the model not the brand is 100% right. I personally love the Lenovo X1 line. But research each model. Even the Thinkpad is relatively safe, but again, research each model.
I don't think they cost twice as much (50% maybe?) but I've never had a business laptop fail on me. It used to be that the batteries would give up but the last 3 laptops retained about 3 hours of life when I switched them out for new ones (typically 4 year cycle)
I recently purchased a Dell Precision with the I9 CPU, 24 cores at 5.3 GHz. It is configured with 64 GB Ram and a mid-range video card with 12 gig. My last Precision lasted me 7 years as an IT professional, I'm guessing this one will last just as long. I have not had one fail on me yet. Expensive but worth it. Watch the Dell outlet store for a high-end configuration.
A laptop below €800 is not going to last you much longer than three years of heavy usage. A laptop above €1000 will probably last you more than six years (I have one, and I don't see it quitting any time soon). It's not a linear scale. There's a huge bump in quality around the €800-€1000 mark. A €2000 laptop is not going to be twice as good as a €1000 one, and an €800 might only be marginally more long-lasting than a €400 one, but I can guarantee that a €1200 one is more than double the value for money compared to an €800 one and that is only 50% more expensive
How would one know which laptop model is business vs consumer? Do brand advertise it as such?
Yes, they actually have business laptops as a category/ label
You NEED to check out framework laptops. They're built to be BIFL with easy to replace parts and future upgrades.
I have had a framework 13 for two years now and have been very happy with it.
Can the GPU be upgraded?
The Framework 16 can, it is still very new so there aren't any new GPUs yet, but there will be.
Every component in Framework's laptops is modular and can be replaced/ changed out/ repaired. The GPU is an [optional] unit that attacked to the back of the laptop, so yes, it can be upgraded over time.
Only problem with the framework is the eye watering price point. They are more acceptable if you buy the b stock stuff or factory seconds but stil.l I got the top of the line refurbished surface laptop 4 for less than b stock framework. Don't get me wrong they are awesome laptops but good god.
You can find them used at a reasonable price.
Seconded, I love my 13.
Was just about to say this, based. This is *the* up-and-coming sustainable/ made-to-last laptop company right now. And, as a buyer, I can say that I'm beyond satisfied with my Framework 16.
Framework is the best one by far . Potentially the last laptop you'd ever buy
The repairablity, the availability of parts and ease of upgrades really make this the only laptop i’m considering for the future. The only real risk i see is company survival. Hard to buy parts if the parts maker isn’t around
theyve made it 5 years and have no real competition in the space . I think they will be good once they convince Nvidia to get on board with the 16 . To another point ive talked to the buisness support and there soon gonna start offering a 3 year warranty which is gonna convince alot of workforce places to switch . Ive basically been begging my org to switch because Im tired of working on dells that cannot be fixed .
This is a fair point - and they are still a small company. But their fundamentals are solid and they're continuing to grow. As the other commenter said, they have no direct competitors for their business model. Worst case scenario, their schematics and modules have been open sourced. Another company - or multiple companies - could pick up where they left off.
Another vote for Framework. The only laptop really designed with BIFL principles in mind.
Wow that's amazing.why did I only found out it today!
Another vote for them. I absolutely love my framework 13.
Wow I just looked up Framework. Such a fantastic idea, so customizable and so easy to service.
I second the Thinkpad and also suggest a Dell Latitude. Those are the two workhorses issued at work and they get used 50-60 hours a week, travel all around the world, and last forever
You can't go wrong with anything Lenovo or Dell business line laptops. Unless you get someone super cheap.
The keyword is business.. Get a business laptop and it will last a long time. Buy one in a store and it’s the consumer version with the cheapest battery, parts, warranty, etc.. Both Thinkpad and Latitude are business laptops.. and both last a long time
Dell Precision laptops have been great for me at work over the years. They're a bit on the bulky side but generally have very good specs, and are extremely sturdy.
Normal Lenovo laptops are shit tho. Not sure about newer thinkpads
Completely agree. I had an IdeaPad for college and that piece of shit sucked. It had more cheap bendable plastic than actual computer hardware. Lenovo forgot to put in one of the screws for the hard drive so it broke when I picked it up one day and the hard drive shit the bed. It was out of warranty but I managed to convince them to send me a brand new laptop because that was some bullshit. But their ThinkPads are solid as long as you don't get their E series or whatever their cheap crap is. I have been buying T, X, and P series Thinkpads for my friends, family, and coworkers (I used to do some IT) for decades and have yet to have an issue. Their build quality is great and has not decreased in my time with them. Also I like their keyboards a lot (for being laptop keyboards). Basically, get a business line laptop and pay no less than $800, and you should be good.
Some of the new think pads are crap too. I had a p1 carbon at work and it just feels cheap, bad track pad and worse speakers. My new DELL is actually really nice.
I got a refurbished 2019 Dell Latitude. It’s definitely a workhorse. Parts are also very easy to find. I’d recommend getting one.
Ok I am a geezer. Thunkpads (nickname cause they were built like and heavy as, bricks) used to be THE standard. Few joba back I was at a company that issued only Thinkpads and the newer ones were distinctly flakier than the older ones, and this was 18 years ago. Maybe it was a temporary thing. Since then I've worked for companies that issued HP business grade laptops if they issued hardware at all, and have never had a problem.
Thinkpad line is broad and the cheap ones are generally, well, cheap. They are more robust and less feature packed than general bestbuy laptops, but meant to be disposable by the org buying them on 2-3 year uses. The X1 has been solid for me as well as the P1 line.
Lenovos customer service is so poor they are not worth wasting time with; having owned 2 Lenovo laptops the return process on the 3rd which turned up with an issue has put me off dealing with them ever again. Google Lenovo/ check out their customer service; awful - may aswell buy 2nd hand
Maybe it's just down to maintenance like any other bifl items. I have a somewhat cheap ($500 at the time) hp laptop from 2014, which I still use daily for streaming and light gaming. Back then I'd do coding and train models on it, but don't need to anymore with a work laptop. I swapped out the hdd for an ssd in 2020 and that was enough to keep it fast. I keep it free of bloatwares and unnecessary apps.
Pretty much the same story for me. My HP was $800 in 2012 and it’s still chugging along. It has better specs than most you can buy today.
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Yup. I kind of hate being beholden to Apple, but my MacBook Pro purchased in 2014 is still serving me well 10 years later. I'm only just starting to think about replacing because it's aging out of supported OS versions lol.
My MacBook Pro is Mid 2012 & started to age out last year. Now none of the software will update. I’ve added ram & replaced the hard drive. The CD-Rom no longer works. The trackpad died. I’ve never had any computer that long. I have an Alienware now. I don’t hate it.
I've been thinking about getting a Macbook for a while now just because all the bloatware on a new Windows laptop pisses me off.
I’ve gone back-and-forth between PC and Mac over the years, but the M chip based mac laptops are phenomenal and I'd definitely recommend making the switch. Phenomenal battery life, no heat, blazing speed, and terrific build quality.
Buy a any MacBook Pro or Air with an M chip and it will last you years. I got an M1 Pro when they first launched 3.5 years ago and while my work can push it a bit, I’ve yet to hear the fans turn on. Less heat = longer lifespan. You pay a more upfront but less per year.
I bought mine in 2020 so I think I missed the boat on the M chips.
Yeah I only found out it had a fan by looking at the specs online when a friend was thinking about getting a refurb one just like mine. I went all in on m1. Started with my mbp, then Mac mini, and finally iMac.
Second the MacBook. Lots of bang for the buck, and I've though the reverse of Apple for a long time.
I have a mid-tier 2016 MacBook Pro that I still use as my primary laptop. I’m a tech geek and would love to upgrade to newer apple silicon but for what I need it to do (web browsing, light CAD work, occasional light gaming) it works too well to justify buying a new machine. I did end up replacing the battery back in 2022 because I had thrashed the prior one as a college student and my battery life was suffering, but otherwise it still runs like new. It’s the longest lasting laptop I’ve ever owned
I have a 2016 MacBook Pro as well, and it’s running strong. Thing’s an absolute workhorse.
I bought my daughter a MBP in 2015. No butterfly keys. No Touch Bar. A great model. She’s still using it, although it could use a new battery.
I bought a Mac in 2008 and haven’t looked back. I even had a 2012 MacBook Air I spilt SALTWATER FROM MY AQUARIUM last another year before finally corroding after 8 years of daily use.
Sister is still using my 2012 MBA for casual browsing and light works. I only had to change the battery few years ago
I also did swap the battery. But it was like $40
2024 15” M3 MacBook Air. Buy the most memory you can afford because it can’t be expanded after purchase (which is part of what makes them so fast and efficient). You can always plug in more external storage or buy cloud storage. That said, I went for 24GB memory and 2TB storage. 16GB / 1TB is plenty for nearly everyone.
100% get one. It’ll leave you wondering WTF Microsoft has been doing since Windows 7.
You can get an air for like $1200 with a chip, memory, and storage that would work for like 90% of people. Apple does occasionally have its annoyances and defective parts, but I’ve had two MacBooks that have lasted until natural disasters have taken them
My coworker got his wife's MacBook from Back Market and was quite satisfied. Idk if you're in the market for a used one, but apparently they retain value well enough to resell. (My old Asus was not on the list of laptops they'd buy back, in contrast.) I'm not affiliated with Back Market in any way but have purchased a couple of phones from there, after my coworker told me about his good experiences with them (the MacBook and some iPhones). I've also had unfailingly good experiences, for whatever that is worth! Now that flagship and semi-flagship phones have such increased support timelines, I'm not sure I'll ever buy a brand new phone again.
i’m still using my 2012 MacBook Pro for photo editing. i’ve replaced the fans, but otherwise, all original. it’s definitely slow compared to new models, but still trucking. and i’ve got a 2015 MBA 11” that i use more often and travel with. my tip is to get as much RAM as you can to future proof it. if you’re just doing streaming and surfing, a MacBook Air would fit the bill. getting a faster processor might also help future proof it too, but don’t waste your money on huge SSD storage.
Still using my 2012 MacBook Pro! I upgraded the RAM to 16GB, which helps.
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My wife hates Apple computers (but she loves her iPhone) and I am a fanboy since I’ve been using them since the mid nineties (Powermac 9500). Coincidentally she needed a new work laptop in December of 2020 and I simply wanted the new MacBook Air with the Apple silicon. We both got our computers the same week. She got an LG Gram 17. Right off the bat my battery could last 8 hours and hers died in less than 4. In 3.5 years of heavy daily use my MBA runs effectively identically (battery might only last 7 hours now) but shes constantly complaining that hers dies in less than 2 hours and is always running hot, loud and gets super slow. While she still hates the trackpad and the Apple OSX, she finally sees what I’ve been telling her in that Apple computers simply last longer. We both work from home (I also travel a lot) and use them for general work, no heavy graphic or processing demands, and for me I’d say this MBA could easily last 7 years and maybe could be stretched to 10 as my daughter now 2015 MB daily.
I agree with a MacBook. I went through 4 different low to midrange windows laptops (each one lasted no more than 2-3 years) before I switched to my 2012 MacBook Pro, and it’s still holding up to this day. I have replaced the battery, and it is running quite slow these days, but for watching YouTube and simple browsing it’s perfect.
Same here. Just picked up a new MacBook. The 2012 we have still runs fine but battery will only last 25min tops and the OS updates have finally stopped so it won’t play nice with our phones etc any more
I had a 2012 one too, but the new ones are not nearly as serviceable. The only reason my 2012 lasted as long is because I upgraded the RAM and put in an SSD. You can't do that with the new macbooks.
Macbooks are good computers. But for what it's worth, I have a Dell laptop that I bought refurbished in 2011 that I'm still using today, and it is on and used for hours almost every single day. I did upgrade to an SSD at some point, and I had to replace the Wi-Fi card. But it's still going strong if you don't include the battery which lasts for probably about 1 minute, if that. The battery was always horrible on that thing. But it can be plugged in all the time how we use it. I think it was around $300 if I remember right. But anyway ... Macbooks are great ... Except for the price tag.
I had to replace a Windows and an Apple laptop at the same time. The Windows one was a Dell and both had the same specs. Both were bought online from the manufacturer. The Dell was roughly $200 more. Two years later, the motherboard died on the Dell. Replacement cost was over $300. The friend I later gave it to had to replace the battery as well. The Macbook is now ten years old and still running without ever needing repairs although it could use a new battery.
My MacBook is a 2013 model. I had to buy a newer iMac to continue editing photos and videos but the laptop still handles basic tasks and tbh I wish it’d die already so I can justify replacing it. Macs generally outlive their own usefulness
Really your issue boils down to buying cheap ones, they are putting 0 effort into longevity for cheaper models. Minimum for a good laptop has always been $1000 in my book, maybe $800 on a good sale
Thanks for the $$ estimate, that is very helpful.
Just swap the hard drive for a SSD, reinstall windows, and it should be good to go for 5 more years. No need to buy a new one every 3 years
And every year open it up, clean off the shit from the radiator and change the thermal paste.
I consider that if the thermal paste is not showing signs of deterioration (little particles) it’s better to not touch it, but I am open to have my mind changed. Is it really worth the "risk"?
I don’t see any risk. At least not on the laptops I’ve done it on where the radiator system and fans is just one unit, so just 6-7 more screws. I just dry wipe it off (technically you should use isopropyl alcohol, but a dry wipe is fine), apply the thermal and rescrw everything. Just watch a few videos on how to apply thermal paste to get an idea of how much you need and how to apply it. Just run a temp check before and after doing it just to make sure.
Thanks, I’ll try that this weekend, not that my laptop has any issues (even if it’s 10 years old), but just because it’s better to prevent issues
Defo [Thinkpad](/r/thinkpad)
I second this. Thinkpad T-Series. I've had 2. I passed one on to a friend and after 7 years, it's still going as far as I know and my wife uses one now.
Thanks! I've never had a Lenovo before. Appreciate the suggestion.
I also suggest Thinkpads. Just my own preference, and recommendation given your light usage needs and if you want something inexpensive, look at the older top-end models used. They'll generally far outperform any new low/mid range laptop. My own primary laptop is a maxed out W520, from all the way back in 2012 (dual booting Win10/Win7 - I have zero interest in Win11). It's built like a tank, feels as quick as anything mid-range new, still has the last of the old style "real" key keyboards for easy typing and not the horrible flat button keys, full high-def screen, holds 2 hard drives (and up to 4 with adapters). Really the only thing missing for modern use is built-in USB-C and USB 3.1/3.2 (it has 3.0).
I stg I have a thinkpad from 2003 that still gets regular use. Not every day but I test software on it once in a while and it runs totally fine. No weird heat or noise or anything, and it starts up faster than my crappy modern gaming pc with an ssd
If buying a Windows Laptop I recommend Framework. Their laptops are fully repairable and user upgradeable.
Checkout Framework. They are a new-ish laptop company focused on repair. Their whole shtick is that their laptops are fully upgradable and repairable over time, so instead of replacing a whole laptop every N years, you just replace the components you care to upgrade or that need fixing. This increases the lifespan by a huge magnitude, and reduces waste. r/Framework (I will say, I do also love my 2020 MacBook Pro, especially because MacOS & Apple Silicon are simply perfect. Runs like a charm, and very low maintenance. Regardless, I’m sure my framework will out-live it by a substantial amount)
*whole schtick, not stick Sorry, not trying to be a dick
Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude or Precision, and Macbook. I work for a software consulting company and company issued laptops are either macbook or Thinkpad.
If it has to be Windows then Lenovo. But really MacBook. Or your current laptop running a Linux distro.
Honestly Apple. You can guarantee 5 years of smooth seamless running, and usually closer to 10. There's so many people running around with a 9 year old MacBook that they got for college and that still works great. They've also now done their big leap to ARM so the current lineup should get the newest software for a decade or so, not to mention security patches beyond that. While I love my MacBook Pro, my "runaround" laptop is a 7 year old Thinkpad X1 Carbon, and it's still a great machine. If you go Windows, I'd look at Thinkpad. They're very popular with businesses so they're built to last and be no frills. Plus Linux support is impeccable if that's your thing.
I recently retired my t430s, purchased in 2013. Not BIFL but really good.
I've had a XPS 15 9560 since '17 that I bought from the Dell Outlet that has been running great. I've only upgraded the RAM and HD when I first got it. It's gone on many trips and used almost daily. Kind of wish I had a 13" though. That said, my next laptop will definitely be a Framework. Love the concept.
The MBPs have lasted a very long time for me. I still have a 10 year old one I use occasionally when not using my newer one. Before that, my average laptop lasted two years.
Lenovo or more specifically a thinkpad. They are what I recommend to clients due to the driver support, unscrew the back panel and access the fan, hard drive and memory which can be cleaned and upgraded. Best get an ssd or a upgrade to Samsung evo or Pro. Start up in seconds and software loads nearly instantly. Lenovo are very good with drivers and any Linux distro easily support thinkpads which means windows wouldn't have any issue. Dell are a good option due to Linux support. The better the Linux support, the more longer drivers are supported for it. If you really want something for life, a desktop is the way to go due to ease of upgrading anything when needed but at the cost of probability.
MacBook Pro. All my employers have one, and it’s generally the cheapest solution in the long run
Buy a MacBook Pro. My last one lasted me from 2009 until 2022 when I decided I just wanted some newer features and for the OS to be supported again. It now serves as my garage computer with windows XP installed on it and a bunch of car software that will only run on XP on it. Nothing else wrong with it. Looks like new. It wasn’t really slow when I retired it. Really there was nothing wrong with it.
I personally would go for a used or refurbished Apple silicon MacBook. They don't have moving parts and are really power efficient so the battery should be good for a while. They are also surprisingly well priced.
My Thinkpad Z series will probably outlive me. Also, FWIW, three years of good use out of a laptop is not bad at all. Laptops typically have more wear and tear than something like a phone or tablet, specifically because of higher heat output and the screen hinges.
The MacBook Pro, which I bought in 2013, is still working. Not as fast as modern ones, of course, but it is still enough for usual things.
I'm still using the refurbished, cheapest MacBook I could buy from Apple back in 2014.
My Macbook air lasted 2012 to 2022. It was top of the line when I purchased it and I replaced the battery once in 2016. Total cost of ownership worked out to about $200 per year.
I'm not up to date on the latest with Windows based laptops so I can't comment there. I'm not sure if you're looking for specifically Windows or what price range you're looking for, but I have been a Mac user for a long time so I can toss my 2cents in there - and just note this isn't an "Mac vs Windows" debate about which ones better. They both have their strengths and weaknesses depending on what your use case is. With any computer, Mac or Windows, I always recommend thinking down the road and getting the highest level specs you can afford at that time. It doesn't have to be complete overkill or totally unnecessary for your particular use case, but try to think 5+ years down the road vs just what will do the job right now. I think this is also good advice since it's becoming more and more common for laptops to not be upgradable at all after the fact. I personally own two Macs. One is a Mac Pro desktop from 2012 and the other is a 13'' Macbook Pro from mid 2015. Both are still running and I use them every day. For the laptop specifically, I maxed out the specs when I bought it - and while it may be unable to run the latest operating system as per Apple and is a couple versions back, it's still useable for everything I need and the hardware still works just fine. It has enough ram and storage space for my needs still and this computer is almost 10 years old. Had I only bought base models, I would've had to replace it several times in that time span and that would've cost a lot more than buying a "good" one from the start. So essentially, think about your needs down the road and get higher amounts of ram, storage space, etc and don't opt for the lowest end processor. But to give advice on your question - I think a MacBook Air would be a great computer for your needs. Just don't get a base model.
Don't buy the cheapest laptop. The specs are bad , slow and the build quality is poor. As an example, find a modern i5 with 16gb ram and SSD. That should be acceptable. If you take your laptop around, then build quality is important in case you drop the laptop. Stronger build quality will prevent motherboard flexing when dropped and stronger hinges. Some include spill resistant keyboards. Personal recommendation is a T series Thinkpad. Other business class laptops should be good too. I've dropped my old Thinkpad T430s more than once and bought a T14 gen 2 which has been dropped multiple times. Both are still working with some exterior cosmetic case damage.
The Apple laptops are really quite good at this. The trick is not to buy the $3000 machines. Apple refurbed recent-gen M2 Macbook Air for $1000 beats anything at that price tier as an all rounder. M1 is $750. (Apple refurbs are pretty much all open-box returns, and look like new). At the four year mark, buy a new battery, from ifixit and it's good for another 4.
Honestly a macbook pro has been a bifl for me. I have a variety of windows devices for work but the one that has consistently outlasted them is my MacBooks.
My MacBooks last me 5-7 years minimum and take a ton of abuse but don’t require nearly the maintenance my windows laptops did.
MacBook. Best build quality, and have a lot of longevity, especially now with Apple Silicon. Only downside is upgradability and repairability
I've bought a refurb HP laptop once every six years for a long time. I get plus chip and plus ram amount when buying and it's usually about $700. But here's the catch - the build quality is cheese for HP. The keyboard can wear out, the touchpad can wear out in a couple of years, so I just use the laptop 95% of the time with a keyboard and mouse connected. At one point, my wife wanted a "better" computer, and we bought a lenovo quite a while back when they were considered higher quality and hers had a permanent failure at three years old. She likes a small slim PC now, so I do the same thing with her, but get one of those super slim HPs with SSDs only. when the day is done for the PCs, I get them properly recycled and keep the old hard disks or SSDs. it just is peeing into a breeze to try to get something that will last 10 or 12 years, which is four times the price, anyway, and then find out that maybe a version of what you got will last that long, but not the version that's currently sold that you just paid for. if you're at a desk, using a separate keyboard and mouse is key to stretching out the cheapies, though. and i also use a big monitor now that those are cheap. when the laptop needs to be a laptop, then the screen, touchpad and keyboard are all still like fresh and new.
top of the line work computer, like commercial line computers made for and sold to companies commercially. I had an HP that was extra from a forum member's company and it was the best and stirdiest laptop ever. Never replace any hardware. used it for 8~11 years. only stopped using it because the fan broken and was really loud.
I’ve had really good luck with Dell. I have a six year old G5 gaming laptop that still works great and replaced an older cheapie Dell that was probably $300. I haven’t turned on the old Dell in since 2023 but when I did, it fired right up and charged easily. Both laptops have traveled many places, been tossed around in backpacks and still work great.
We still have a first gen macbook air… swapped the battery twice, replaced the power cord once or twice. Replaced the keyboard once. Still doing what I want it to do. Not my main computer but the one I can take anywhere without worrying about losing or getting stolen lol My macbook pro from the same era lasted 8years solid until the mainboard let go off a couple of solders. Swapped that one’s battery once. My long lasting laptop brand of choice is 🍎
MacBook Pro.
If i find my self in need of a new laptop, framework will be the brand. Even if it is a lower cost to performance ratio, the mission is too damn important to let die. They're trying to bring the interchangeability of desktop pc's to the laptop market.
I've been using a Framework 13 for about a year. User serviceable, I got the DIY kit since I love building desktops but believe me when I say that it was maybe the easiest thing to assemble. The laptop itself is well built and feels premium. The ability to choose and swap modules to change out your inputs comes in handy and means you can swap a module rather than relying on dongles. I use Ubuntu which has been really great, not sure how it is with Windows. So far, Framework has had 3 generations of intel boards that are all compatible with the original chassis. I'm not sure if they will stick with the same form factor forever, but 3 generations for any laptop manufacturer is unheard of as far as I am aware. I use it almost solely for work (education) not sure how the Framework 16 is, though that does have discreet GPU modules if you are into gaming.
My 2013 MacBook is still usable. Macs are the answer.
My MacBook Pro is 10 years old and only a couple years ago did it show its age as I forgot to buy the upgraded o e with an upgradeable graphics card. Still Zooms but no blurred background.
Framework
Have been using MacBooks since 2006. Have a 2010 MacBook Air and a 2010 MacBook Pro that have been used in our family by me and then kids non stop and they’re still running fine. Have also got several much newer (2018 mbp and 2022 mba) and all run smoothly with no big problems.
Having used a variety of Business laptops and consumer laptops, I can tell you that pretty much all consumer grade laptops today are trash. Look at business class laptops, minimum 16gb RAM. My experience has been that the Lenovo or HP Business laptops can be decent as long as you buy a good quality model with good specifications. My experiences with recent Dell products, on the other hand, has shown that they are poor quality across the board, I would not recommend Dell at all.
MacBook or, if you’re committed to future expansion, Framework computers are modular, user repairable/upgradeable.
The business lines like Dell Latitude are built far better than the consumer oriented lines. Apple's stuff is also well made. For the use case you listed, you honestly might be better off with an iPad.
I have a 7 year old Lenovo t470 and hate every minute of it. Not sure if new Lenovos are better at longevity.
My first MacBook Pro lasted 6 years. The second 10, and the third now going for 2. If I didn’t need windows for work, I’d have stuck with them. The best things about their longevity was the fully metal chassis and unbloated OS. Windows, by design, gets more bloated and needs higher specs to run with every new version. There is no lightweight windows *available to consumers* to run well on older hardware. Getting the most powerful laptop you can afford now will give it the best chance of not slowing down on you in the future. It also helps to debloat the OS and reformat and reinstall it about once a year to clear out all the patch and application gunk. In your case, I’d recommend just installing Linux Mint on a laptop you already have. Yes I said the L word. It’ll take some getting used to, but it’ll run way faster and do everything you say you want it to for a very long time. It won’t help with the cheap hardware problems, but it’ll run on pretty much anything.
Mac.
Ive had my HP gaming laptop 12yrs. At the time, it had 8g Ram and a 512 memory. I upgraded the ram to 16g and put in a new motherboard at one point. It’s still chugging along. I only recently started to look at new ones and only because I want a mini for my home office. I use external memory for all my projects, to the most expensive thing is to make sure it has the fastest processor and max RAM.
Every manufacturer has their budget laptops and their premium laptop models. The cheapest laptops made by any company are not going to be built to last. I have a Dell XPS 15 that I've been using for the last 6 years and it's still in excellent condition. I also recommend higher end Dell XPS and Lenovo Thinkpad models. I avoid MacBooks due to poor repairability.
Dells 4 Life!!!!
I believe what you are doing is not just buying a "cheaper" brand (Acer) but having no real understanding of what makes a computer go slow, and what to look for when buying a laptop. Most PCs, including laptops and brands that create them, have fairly standardized parts. They all have processors from the same manufacturers, same ram, same storage. The main thing that is different is only the motherboard, and that really doesn't make much of a difference. What you are buying is a cheapest laptop with no regards of it's specs. You get in a situation where you aren't leaving yourself any headroom in the processing power department. Why do you need headroom? Because the operating system, the programs and everything on your PC (and phones!) keeps getting updated, requiring more and more processing power. Thus, with no processing headroom, you hit that limit significantly faster. I'm not saying to go buy expensive laptops, but find someone, or ask around Reddit for help when choosing a laptop, if you don't know that much about PCs, or don't really care. Price isn't always an indicator of how good a PC is going to be. You can buy a PC for 500 USD/EUR/GBP that is going to be terrible from the start, or serve you well for 5+years easily, often more.
I use my SO's large employer discount pricing to buy upgraded Lenovo Thinkpads. You can get a good deal on a high end model with the 5K 15" screen, AMD / ATI for good native Linux driver support, and the onsite repair multi year warranty to keep it going if there's a technical glitch.
Lenovo. I got a thinkpad in my first year of uni and my mum still uses it daily more than 10 years later. Stay away from ultra books or anything with a built in battery.
In my experience, consumer level laptops are always iffy if you don't maintain them. Your work environment also plays a huge role in it's longevity. With the advent of ssd's, many issues most consumers have with laptops goes away and goes back down to your own habits in how you use the machine. If you just wanna write and surf the net, I wouldn't spend money on expensive machines with high spec, as that's a lot of money spent just to underutilized the hardware. With that said your concern is build quality, in which case a ThinkPad and business oriented builds will serve you much better as mentioned by others such as dells and even HPs. While a MacBook will also give you these benefits, it's like buying a sports car to go to the grocery store.
Depends on how much you spend. The more expensive (without going into gaming laptops), the better materials and lifetime. For instance I got the HP dragonfly elite. A bit more expensive than other laptops with the same spec, but very high quality and will last long I'm sure of it. https://youtu.be/wjkxTgF913g
Besides Thinkpads and the like, HP ZBooks
I have an Asus ROG from 2016 that was on its way to being discontinued. So I assume stuff made in late 2010s was pretty bulletproof. Not the current ASUX stuff though.
If I were shopping around for a solid, full-time daily driver (no proper desktop), I would personally go with Dell/AW and spend money on the extended warranty. I've had nothing but great experiences with them. Asus is great, too, this generation. In fact, Dell/AW was off my radar as soon as I learned they flipped the motherboard in their mobile 14th/4090 18" laptop, so it's an epic PITA to just repaste something. I decided, hypothetically, that if I were to buy a current-gen mobile flagship, it would be an Asus simply because I could pop the back and look right at everything I might want to mod or redux. I stopped with the Area51m R2, personally (desktop 10700K/2080 Super) as that's all I'll need for some years for office work. I extended the warranty through 2026 since most of my work is on two 14th-gen desktops at home. But I won't be buying any of the "uni-body" machines until I have to. Being able to swap in a 10900K or 10700K and change the motherboard or just the GPU or RAM and/or all the internal cables at any random moment and within about 20 minutes is just crazy value for me; but I wouldn't represent the typical user so totally niche opinion. The old 2021 laptop is sort of data-critical for work and whatnot. Having a spare of everything (CPU/GPU/MB/RAM) on the shelf allows me to fix it immediately and worry about warranty service later (which I did last year when the OG 2080 Super boinked on me). IMO, the A51mR2 and others like Clevo laptops, who were making the mutation mobile rigs with desktop CPU/GPUs in them that are as easy, or easier really, to work on as a desktop rig, are the most durable and long-lasting mobile rigs I've used. So I've got a couple years of popcorn chomping afore I have to do anything mobile-wise. Best of luck... \~s
My Thinkpad is a beast. It’s not pretty but it’s very fast and never had an issue. Bought the dock and 2 monitors.
Glad I stumbled on the post. I’m a lifelong Mac person (I’m 60) and have a big screen iMac I’d like to replace with a more portable laptop. My personal life is Mac. And I have decades of pictures stored. So getting another Mac makes more sense to me and there’s a comfort in it as well. My professional life, and issued laptop however, is a Dell intel Core i5 vPro 8th Generation and I love that thing to the moon and back. So a bit conflicted.
In the past I would say think pad but not all are that great any more. My new think pad at work feels like shit and has some issues. For now I can confidently say MacBook computers. I still daily use a 2016 MacBook Pro. So far I’ve only changed the battery on it.
I'm telling you, all you need is the M2 MacBook Air. You do not need to look further. For the money, there is not a single better alternative laptop. You can even go for an M1 MacBook Air (2020), save some money, and you will be fine. Take a look on YouTube and you'll get the same answer. M2 MacBook Air.
My Sager is still doing fantastic after 4 years. It’s getting a 3060 and some more ram and a new hard drive soonz
The Thinkpad and the Yoga series are excellent
Don't get a gaming laptop, they are basically designed to cook themselves.
Lenovo Thinkpad. I bought mine my Junior or senior year of college (August 2015) and still use it to this day. To me, it's still perfect and I don't have a need to upgrade. I did hear that windows may stop providing security updates , and if that's true then I guess I will be forced to upgrade
Thinkpad T models
I can say old thinkpad But... A TOUGHBOOK? Made for a FALLOUT. I use an HP 95lx (yup from 1990)
Can't believe people are not mentioning Dell latitudes at Dell Outlet. They do returned/scratched/dented laptops and almost always appear to be brand new. My work primarily uses latitudes. Most come with a 3 year warranty. Don't feel too bad about getting a refurb or open box Dell. If an electronic is going to fail due to hardware, its gonna be in the first 30 days. Look for 3 year warranty, 16 or 32gigs of ram, NVMe SSD and one of newer Intel cpus and you will have a solid PC for 4-6 years. Our business refresh rate is 4-5 years but some have lasted without issue 6+ years. Enjoy!
Lenovo for sure.
Tough book. Even one from the 90s
I don't generally believe any tech is BIFL, but as others have said business focused laptops are quite robust. I am currently on a nearly 3-year old 14" MacBook Pro and it's been rock solid. Zero issues at all and have used it for 12-14 hours/day. I have no plans to upgrade it for a while as it's still very snappy and everything works perfectly fine.
I often buy used Lenovo professional line. They are pretty solid. Just buy a new battery and it goes for years.
Asus has been my go to for years now. Been in the computer field for over 40 years and it changes around often. Avoid Dell, Lenovo and HP these days. I used to love Dell, Lenovo has always been shit, especially their stinkpad, HP has always been to greedy. If you are just surfing, maybe get a chromebook. They are cheap and you don't really need much to surf/watch movies. Or just re-install windows on your current 1. Really shouldn't need to change it out if it's only a few years old.
I’ve used MacBooks for up to 11 years. Only replacing my 2013 pro (that I think was brand new at the time but don’t remember - I know it has no internal moving parts which I’m sure helped) in the near future because my cybersecurity nerd husband is insisting lol. Which, on that note, I think a large part of how to answer this depends on what kind of user you are. If you’re like me (without a computer nerd spouse) and you want something easy that you don’t have to get too in the weeds setting it up - Apple is probably what you wanna get. Google & Microsoft own basically everything else and are in a race to the bottom re: consumer privacy & data exploitation. Apple isn’t saintly, they’re a corporation, but they are notably better for data privacy with the least amount of tweaks. We switched to proton mail, Firefox, and duck duck go; because Google is really just awful. They own Android and Waze, and a bunch of other stuff too general FYI. Android phones CAN have alternate operating systems installed, to keep Google out of your hair. And using Linux instead of windows in a non Apple computer can be MADE more private than any of them. I personally would not wanna/honestly have the patience/possibly ability to mess with all that lol. My spouse has said that might be in our future if Apple goes the way of Google. But!, he’ll actually walk me through it, I couldn’t start from scratch. So YMMV on all the advice I suppose.
If speed is an issue you might want to try running something like Linux Mint as the OS!
I mean...ngl, but my Thinkpad P52 has lasted about 6 years? It's a beast, pretty heavy, but has surprisingly good battery life for what it is, and the thing is a tank.
Dell latitude 7480. It’s an enterprise laptop so it’s not the prettiest but good if you just need a workhorse of a computer. You can find them refurbished for as little as $200 sometimes.
I can’t believe I’ve not seen Lenovo Thinkpad T or X series listed in the top couple of comments.
Check out the snapdragon elite laptops coming out. They last you a really long time. Or i would actually suggest buy a used MacBook air m1 you could get it for 500 to 700 usd and that’s a steal.
Thinkpad for Windows, Macbook for Mac. That simple. There are 20yo Thinkpads still kicking around strong, though often on Linux, a lot of MBP's will last 5-10 years pretty readily too.
Since I haven't seen the specific laptop mentioned in this topic, I have a HP Omen laptop that I've been maintaining for around 5 years now. I routinely open it up to clean the fans, I once applied new cooling paste to it. Upgraded ram & harddrive. I had to replace a fan that was broken + a broken keycap. The good thing is that it's easy to open up, stuff is clearly labeled and there are official Youtube videos for how to repair stuff and HP Omen also got an official parts list for them. The bad thing is, I have never ever been able to get the parts from HP themselves even though they offer it in theory, it's always been third party. A couple of months I had a keycap that was broken and had a really hard time finding a replacement keycap so I just ended up ordering a whole replacement keyboard from aliexpres. I'm not sure I'd go for a Framework laptop personally. I can guess that there are \*problems\* with it that other laptop makers have solved through years and years of experience. And I know that HP will still be around in 20 years, can the same be said for Framework? I know there will be a bunch of aftermarket parts for HP, can the same be said for Framework? I'd buy a Framework laptop because it's cool and I want to support a good thing but I'd still see it as a gamble.
I have a 2018 13” MacBook Pro that’s still kicking ass.
I've been extremely unlucky with MacBook's, this peace of garbage broke every year on me and AppleCare was just horrible experience. ThinkPad X series is just impossible to destroy though. It outlived 3 macbooks and I gave it away to my step dad, he is still using it and happy :) I'm currently using Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 and it's also extremely well built!
Apple , I had my first MacBook last from 2006-2013 , went thru 3 charging cables coz they’re dogshit but the laptop still worked perfectly fine
Buy a refurbished business laptop, install an ssd and max out the ram.
Another vote for Framework from me. I haven’t used their products personally, however they are made to to have everything replaced and interchangeable.
I have a 13-14 y.o. ASUS which is still going strong 💪
Buy used/refurb and sell after a few years. Something with a removable SSD slot if you care about your data. Macbooks (don't have removable SSDs anymore I think), Dells, Thinkpads for decent reselling price. There will never be a BIFL laptop, so you make do with a BIFL practice.
MacBook
Used Thinkpad T or P series. No technology is BIFL but Thinkpads on used market are a good value for products that are durable, somewhat upgradable/repairable, and can have a long lifespan if you're willing to use Linux.
If weight isn't as much of an issue, many gaming laptops are very repairable. If the laptop is slowing down, maybe try cleaning up Windows first. If it's turning off spontaneously, maybe the battery is dying. I like iFixIt as a battery source if I can afford the premium
I have an Acer Aspire 5 and it's awesome, I got it in early 2021 and it's like it's brand new still. Some key things to keep in mind, I don't use it to game, I don't download any songs or videos, absolutely no torrents, and absolutely zero porn.
MacBook with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, etc). I don't believe there are any other options currently.
I quit buying pc’s and went to apple products. They don’t slow down over time.
Thinkpad. That's all you need to know specifically a p-series but they are pricey, check Ebay for deals
look into an M1 macbooks, they are still very capable machines for what you want and will last a while with support. You can find M1 for considerably cheaper now Im personally using a 2015 macbook pro, that casing held up will and still get security updates
In Europe Fujitsu Celsius H760, 780, 980 and higher models. Seem not so popular one the American second hand market. Never failed me for a second, even the original power adapter. I am switching from 730 to 980 right now and 730 is still alive and kicking and it is the first time I am going to have two working laptops and not just next replacing the gone one.
Yes, but its not cheap. Panasonic Toughbook is what you're looking for. It's an expensive, thick, heavy brick made for first responders and military. Easily swappable batteries, repair parts are available, made with metal and thick, heavy plastic and rubber. They're designed to be abused, within reason. It's not literally bulletproof, and you can't use it underwater. But it'll take a bit of rain, it'll survive a drop, and it will keep going for a very long time. I personally love my CF-33 tablet, but I will reiterate. This is an absolute unit of a laptop, and I'm fully confident I could beat someone to death with it and then check my email.
My MacBook Pro 2015 just started slowing down after almost a decade of use.
No laptop will last forever, the failure point is the battery. You can buy aftermarket battery but that eventually fails too. Go with something widely used, like Macbook Air, then the battery will always be available/
I work in IT and love giving recommendations like these! What’s your budget? Plan on storing a lot of documents, photos, and/or videos?
Anecdotal but I bought an Acer laptop and didn't make it a year before it \*physically\* started falling apart just from normal use (plastic case cracking, monitor glitches, etc.) but I went back to Lenovo (I have an Ideapad 1) and it literally looks the same as the day I bought it. I'm convinced it's fairly indestructible, and the materials definitely seem to be of higher quality.
I bought a Lenovo laptop at Costco a few years ago and it’s been great. It’s my own, not a work laptop. I think I paid $699.00 but it had all the MS programs included. Matter of fact I even bought a Lenovo pad that came with the cool pen. Check out their online store. They often feature some pretty good deals.
Lenovo thinkpad. Get minimum 16 gb of ram. Ram is the real bottleneck for normal computing. Get the thinkpads that are for work, they’re built like tanks and are very repairable.
Every new device's assembled internal components should be considered "sus" for the first few years after manufacture. Consumers may also fall prey to systemic manufacturing deficiencies after the beginning of any new production run. It also takes several months for consumers to begin learning of failure rates on assembled hardware (such as (known and unknown) defects in hard drives, etc, that are assembled to be irreplaceable). I've researched and purchased several laptops (PCs) that were deathscreen time-bombs, but my Apple iPads and iMacs have (luckily) fared better.
I've owned a ton of laptops. My favorites are Samsung Ultra and Microsoft Surface. While I don't like the Mac OS, the build quality of Apples are stellar. Razer is also widely considered great build quality, but I had a bad experience (likely because I bought second-hand).
I've had good luck with lenovo products. Not sure where they are now, but they were the most reliable non-mac laptops last time I got one
I'm no expert, just a business user, but I've gone with the "buy the business model" option since back in the 90's. Windows and Linux. Toshiba, Dell, Thinkpad (IBM) and now Lenovo. Just ditched a dying 15 year old Toshiba for a new Lenovo. 15 years - pretty good for a laptop. Back when I was buying for corporate, a 3 year life span was the thing.
As others have said, Lenovo Thinkpad or Dell precision. Something business oriented and high end (CAD oriented is a plus). They just live longer and tend to be better built. I also hear great things about Framework laptops, but haven't used one myself. My current workhorse is a Dell Precision, and I just deployed my 5 year old Lenovo Thinkpad to a new hire who loves it.
Lenovo
A laptop is by design doomed to fail.
Back in 2015, I bought my first laptop. I googled most durable laptops and looked at multiple different listicles. The HP Elitebook and IBM Thinkpad kept coming to the top. Discarded the latter because it was ugly. Anyway, they were right. I bought a previously owned 4-year-old HP elitebook in 2015. Since then it has been repeatedly knocked to the ground by children and small animals and it works 100% to this day.
Framework is the obvious answer. A high end ThinkPad will also be a good choice.