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Ask HN: What laptop do you use?

46 points by billylindeman ↗ HN
I've been a proud macbook user for the last 10 years, but I've been using the latest touchbar model for the last 5 months and I'm starting to lose my mind with it. I have 200 dollars worth of dongles, and yet I constantly find myself without the one I need on hand (usually a usb-a to usb-c). Its frustrating as hell . The lack of SD card slot is nothing short of infuriating as well. And.. on top of that OSX on this is a load of garbage and crashes nearly every time I undock from my external monitor.

For the first time in 10 years I'm considering trading in my shiny aluminum slate and going back to using a linux/windows machine as my daily driver (or maybe just buying a used 2015 model).

What are you using and are you happy with it? What are your recommendations for a good linux daily driver machine with good build quality? Is there anything out there on par with a macbook?

112 comments

[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 156 ms ] thread
mattkrea
I use the a late 2016 MacBook Pro and had similar issues (even had the keyboard replaced with a 2017 keyboard and it's great now) but overall I'm still happy as the crashing seems to be entirely related to the external monitor usage and that's no longer something I do. FWIW if you have the laptop open when you connect and disconnect the external monitor(s) it doesn't seem to crash in my experience.

That said, some of the people at our office love some of the latest Lenovo ThinkPad models and are running Linux.

amitutk
I have a 2016 MPB had the same issue with the external monitor when I was using a 3rd party dongle (which was half the price of Apple's dongles). I have now bought Apple's dongle and no issues with the monitor.
pravula
Closest one is Dell XPS 15 as long as you can live with its weird web cam placement.
dvt
The Razer Blade[1]. Excellent build quality, aluminum unibody, bad-ass matte black color (but admittedly cheesy green Razer logo on the back). I highly prefer it over the MacBook Pro I had to use at my last job. I also prefer developing on Windows (or Linux) over OSX.

[1] https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-laptops/razer-blade

gregw134
Same here. It took me going though 3 computers in about 4 years to see the point of paying more for good build quality. Installed linux on it. Unlike a mac it has an nvidia gpu so you can train neural networks on it (and yes it got hot enough to unglue the rubber feet from the bottom, but I'm still happy with it).
kelnos
Ugh, "excellent build quality"? Hardly. I bought a Razer Blade Stealth at the end of 2016, and one of my USB-A ports is dead, the front rubber striping on the bottom has separated from the body, the body itself has warped (lid doesn't close flush anymore), one of the body screws has fallen out (exposing circuit boards to the air, because of the warping), and the backlight for the leftmost 16 keys on the keyboard no longer works.

I suppose the larger Razer Blade Model might have better quality, but I'm skeptical given my experience.

I never had any problems remotely like this with Apple laptops (which I used for ~11 years), which I still consider the gold standard for build quality. The only real positive I can attribute to the Stealth is that Linux support on it has been easier than with most Apple laptops I've owned.

dvt
That's unfortunate, I've had mine for ~2 years and haven't had any major issues with it. Sometimes mine wakes up randomly (but I think that's a Windows issue).
jsharf
I can't agree with excellent build quality. It's nice, but it's still far away from the mbp. The case flexes a bit more, the hinge isn't as smooth as the mbp, and if you use it directly on your lap in a weird position (like on a couch), then it's possible flex can make the case rub against the internal fan and make a bit of a noise.

Also, the trackpad isn't as nice.

Razor blade is a nice laptop, but unfortunately it's still a big step behind mbp in build quality.

Kluny
I've got a 2011 MBP and I'm going to upgrade to a 2015 model and pray that they stop doing stupid things to the MBP line eventually :(
PaulBGD_
Thinkpad p51s. Very fast, two batteries, great battery life on both windows/Linux, and when I use it docked it feels like a desktop with how smooth it is. It's very lightweight and thin too, can't recommend it enough.
shurcooL
An Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011), with a high-res anti-glare screen, maxed out CPU and GPU options, 8 GB RAM (can be upgraded to 16), and a Samsung 850 Pro SSD. Very happy with it. Otherwise I would’ve upgraded it by now, but I’ve not had a need to so far.
bdcravens
You should be able to upgrade that machine to 16gb of RAM (official line is 8gb max, but I had that machine with 16gb with no issues)
shurcooL
Yep, I’m aware of that, thanks. 8 GB is enough for my current needs; I’m not doing anything memory intensive or running many VMs.
joshuamcginnis
This is my current and preferred primary machine. What is your contingency plan for when the logic board inevitably fails?
shurcooL
I was lucky it happened last year, just before the repair extension program [0] ended for this model. Given the first logic board lasted a good 6 years of heavy use, I hope the new one doesn't die too soon.

That said, unfortunately, the TYUIO keys have recently started acting up occasionally. Apparently it's a common enough hardware failure that there are existing results if you google it.

When I do have to get a new machine, I'm planning to get the latest 15" MBP. Hopefully a new refreshed version comes out by then with either Coffee Lake or Cannon Lake CPUs. Also, not holding my breath, but I do hope they keep making the keyboard better [1] and less susceptible to complete failure due to a little inevitable dust [2] getting in there...

[0] https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

[1] http://pdfaiw.uspto.gov/.aiw?docid=20180068808

[2] https://theoutline.com/post/2402/the-new-macbook-keyboard-is...

lowlevel
HP ZBook Studio G3 - Windows 7. Wonderful as long as you never attach a thunderbolt dock. Probably the closest thing to a MPB they make. (I manage a fleet of 50 of them... complete shit show for 9 months.)
filereaper
2015 Thinkpad Lenovo w550s.

Has all the ports I need, including VGA! No USB-C though...

peterburkimsher
It looks like a good laptop! Screen resolution of 2880x1620 is a little lower than the MBP Retina 2880x1800, but it's close. It has VGA & Ethernet, and the MBP has HDMI & dongles. I've used the HDMI connection several times, although I think VGA would've sufficed at those moments. It looks like a good series though; I hope Lenovo doesn't buy into Apple's port-removing craze.
Rinum
Acer aspire r7 372t - touch screen, transformable, very unique. I hope they continue this line.
jboggan
MacBook Air 2012 11" for text editing. The dual-GTX 1080 Ti rig in the corner does the heavy lifting.
tim333
Also Air 11" (2013). Been good. It's ok for coding as well if you doing simple stuff. Was rock solid with Mavericks but I was forced to upgrade to High Sierra and CalandarAgent went a bit nuts using 100% cpu.
peterburkimsher
Choosing between an 11" or 13" MacBook Air took me a while. I like the portability and light weight of the 11" - it's great for language exchange in a café (my Mandarin tutor uses one).

In the end I chose the 13" because it has longer battery life and an SD slot. I have a 512GB SDXC card, and it's helpful to have extra capacity without a hard drive hanging off/falling on the floor.

bdcravens
If it's an option, I would go with display port to Thunderbolt 3; at home I've had no issues. (At work I have a Apple Thunderbolt display and OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock; the HDMI display that goes into the dock is always giving me fits syncing)

However, if I were to go with a Linux machine today, the newly released t480 or t480s would be my choice. I'd even strongly consider running Windows again, since multi-DPI with Linux is still a challenge (I experimented with using a maxed out XPS15 with Linux, and that's what drove me back to Mac)

sutterbomb
Rose gold MacBook ;)
shurcooL
How are you finding typing on that keyboard, assuming you do it more than just a handful of hours per day?
sutterbomb
Late to this... when it works, no problems at all for me. But then a random key sometimes ends up sticking, which I’ve heard elsewhere too and is a pain in the ass. Click it enough and I’ve been able to unstick them each time but still an issue.
scrollaway
I use Linux exclusively I currently have an Asus Zenbook, one of the higher end ones with a touchscreen. I like it in general, but the touchscreen has a lot of glare. Additionally, the one I got my mom (a lower-end one) has an unhinged screen now, and I've been concerned with the screen's seating ever since.

My next one will be a Dell XPS 13. I've seen two of my colleagues use it and it looks fantastic.

cozzyd
I've been using Zenbook UX305ua (with Fedora) for the last year and a half with a matte screen and I pretty happy with it, although some recent kernels have had some issues now fixed). No USB-C and micro-HDMI is annoying (since you need a dongle), but otherwise it works well.
scrollaway
Ah yeah, USB-C... I've given up looking for non-macbook laptops with those until the next time I'm getting a laptop, which hopefully won't be for another 1-2 years.
BlackLotus89
The frigging ux305ua! Oh hell no I know what issue you are talking about since I had to bisect the kernel to find it. The bios had non standard vbt handling (to put it mildly) and the newer implementatiin which didn't have defaults set and relied on the hardware simply stopped booting.

Also the keyboard backlight needed dsdt fixed or acpi parameter to work correctly and the touchpad kinda worked randomly (the keys). It was a great big hack to get everything working and even thought it's a light kinda nice looking laptop I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Additional disclaimer: everything seems to work fine with the newest kernel revision

cozzyd
Oh... well thanks for doing that! It was a minor inconvenience for me running with an older kernel for a bit. My keyboard doesn't have lighted keys and I've never had any issues with the touchpad, so I guess there must be some variance in those parts...
121789
I went from an X1 carbon to an XPS 13 to a 2015 MBP.

I really wanted to love the XPS. It was a beautiful machine. Unfortunately I hated the keyboard, my touchpad was extremely buggy, the webcam placement was horrid, and I'm not a fan of the lack of ports. Our company stopped offering them as an option (and switched to the similar HP model) because there were so many complaints.

The X1 was really great, though.

kitsunesoba
What generation of touchbar model is it? YMMV, but my observation has been that the first gen was problematic, but models since are much better. I use a (I think) second gen 15” touchbar at work and generally speaking it’s not been a problem at all. It’s about as stable as my own personal 2015 15”.

Additionally, I’ve had no issues with external monitors, but I use Dell and ASUS monitors exclusively, and it seems that USB C/Thunderbolt 3 flakiness often comes from the monitor/adapter in question rather from the computer or OS.

wtf_is_up
Thinkpad T540p. Nothing fancy, but it's really solid. I'm also completely dependent on the nub for navigating. I disable the trackpad completely.
sjruckle
I'm sorry for you. I bought the same laptop and you're right. The touchpad is gar-bage.

I purchased it with a 2.4-only wifi card. Did you know the bios enforces a whitelist restricting which wifi cards you can install? I didn't, now I'm stuck.

It wasn't cheap, but this was the first (and last) Lenovo I'll ever buy...

MichaelGG
The 440 and 540 have the ridiculous no-button trackpad. So bad even Lenovo reversed position for the next gen. You can buy a 450 or 550 trackpad to replace it for under 100$. Will make a huge difference.
sjruckle
Holy guacamole. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
nemasu
I've got an Asus ZenBook with discrete graphics card running Linux. Everything works great. No complaints.
adrianN
I'm using a 2009 Macbook Pro with El Capitan on it. I'm pretty happy with it, but when it breaks I'll probably switch to a Thinkpad X200 with Linux. I've also heard good things about System76 laptops.
CyberFonic
I too am using a 2009 MBP. Installed a SSD ages ago and replaced the battery about a year ago. Running Mavericks. Good for browsing, emails, etc. Use a beefed up Ubuntu desktop system for serious development work.

Anytime I walk by an Apple Store, I test out the latest systems. The keyboards don't feel right for me. And the touch-bar hold very little appeal for me. When this MBP bites the dust, I'll probably get a PixelBook.

[dead] IThoughtYouGNU
Dell Precision M4600 with Xubuntu. Very good support.
rufius
2016 MBP 15” for home. 2017 MBP 15” for work.

Pretty happy with both overall. Meets my battery life, perf, and size requirements. For work, I spend most of my time in VMWare Fusion developing in Windows right. Eventually that’ll shift to developing in macOS as work shifts.

monksy
Portable: Asus Zenbook UX301F

Non-portable(less used): Sager NP8657-S It's still pretty sweet. Doesn't outperform new laptops but it keeps me happy.

Both are running Archlinux, the Sager is a dual boot for games.

realusername
Same, a Zenbook as well, I can't find any better than Zenbook, they run so well.
acmecorps
I have two - a 2015 MBP and an Acer Chromebook R11.

I absolutely adore this Acer Chromebook R11. For $250, you get almost tablet like battery life, very light and an 11" touch screen. I just wish it's a bit more powerful. If anyone know such a laptop exist, recommend one for me.

thrill
Lenovo Yoga 4K 16G 1TB - $1500 right now at their site. I used to use Linux exclusively on my older system, but needed Windows 10 to be onsite for a job - so when I got this one I installed Ubuntu via the WSL, and it does exactly what MSFT intended - work well enough for my mostly command line world that I left Windows on the machine even after I didn't need it for the job any longer.
ocdtrekkie
I have a Surface Pro 4, but am considering upgrading to a Dell Latitude 7285, because it has a hard base keyboard (like a Surface Book), LTE, and a few nice features I can't get from the Surface line.
billylindeman
That latitude looks very slick, but I couldn't find any info about linux on it
ocdtrekkie
I suspect running Linux on it would be a pain in the rear, since it's not one of the PCs Dell natively supports with Linux, and as a detachable, I'm sure it has a handful of "weird" drivers that make it work right.
jtl999
2015 Macbook Pro with i7-4870HQ, AMD R9 M370X graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

It's my primary machine. I've normally been a "PC" guy but picked up the Macbook because of a visual impairment where most cheap laptop screens hurt my eyesight. It's much better now that I've gotten medical treatment for it, but I don't regret purchasing this laptop anyways.

It's still early days but Chinese companies now manufactor NVMe to Apple SSD adapters. Once that stabilizes I think I'm going to pick up a 2TB SSD and continue using this laptop.

Still plan to build myself a new desktop for home after the whole GPU shenanigans get better.

throwaway_80bf3
2017 15" Macbook Pro with Touch Bar.

I can barely stand to use this busted keyboard. 90% of the time I use a full size magic keyboard. I routinely hit the touch bar and mute the computer. The trackpad is too big and will catch my palm.

Would rather have a Thinkpad running Linux or an old MBP/MB Air. This likely could be the last Apple laptop I get, 14 or so years after I bought a 12.1" Powerbook G4.

jetblackio
In the same boat as you. If Apple doesn't fix this horrible keyboard in the next release, I think I'll finally switch to ThinkPad.