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Ask HN: Windows laptops for devs

8 points by andymurd ↗ HN
After recent revelations about Lenovo's superfish and Samsung disabling Windows Update, I am curious as to which brands of Windows laptop are recommended by the HN community.

As a developer I want lots of RAM, decent SSD and minimal crapware out of the box. What's good these days?

17 comments

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Zekio
I've been look around for ages, for a proper laptop, since my current one needs an update, all I've found is that what I want is a gaming laptop like specs without a dedicated graphics card pretty much, which is impossible to find, especially if you try to it in a 17" ultra-book :S
codepeach
I have a couple of laptops with I use heavily for dev work. Dell and Acer, and both have really impressed me.

The dell also has a docking station which connects 2x widescreen monitors on my desk, which i find highly useful as trying to code on 1x small laptop screen can be restrictive at times.

andymurd
I totally forgot about docking stations, which is probably a result of having plenty of USB ports. Is dual video the only reason to use a docking station, or are there other benefits?
a3n
Docking station: Arrive at work, snap the laptop down, work. Reverse at the end of the day.

No docking station, lots of USB and other ports: Arrive at work, plug plug plug look for cable that dropped down below the desk plug plug plug, that was already a lot of work. Prepare to leave work ... aw, fuckit.

SamReidHughes
Some docking stations have legacy ports (serial, parallel, maybe modem), most have yet more USB ports, some have a second ethernet port (and both work), some have a turnkey solution for locking the laptop to the docking station. Often three external monitors is something you can get.
TobbenTM
You'll want to install a clean Windows no matter what laptop you buy.

As for laptops, I prefer Thinkpads, with their excellent build quality, and the availability of factory parts in case something goes wrong. Personally I run a Thinkpad T530 with 1 SSD, 1 HDD in the dvd tray and a nice battery.

rnovak
I was going to post exactly this. Our IT/Helpdesk/(whatever they want to be called this week) puts a custom image on to every machine we get, regardless of the brand, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

For one, many organizations like to control update paths/times (better coordination I'm assuming, etc).

kymair
Reinstalling a clean Windows is totally worth the time. I cannot name one Windows laptop without crapwares.
pointe
A clean Windows install is a must, as others mentionted.

As for hardware - there are really two options. Either a ThinkPad (whichever flavour suits you) or a MacBook Pro with Windows (yes, it works better than most). Hint: the MBP will probably be cheaper, based on your configuration.

i0nutzb
After long debates and tests I came to the conclusion that the best hardware for Windows is a... mac book pro.

Running Windows on a Mac will reduce the battery daily life (from ~5-6 hours to ~3-4 hours) but even so, is better than most non-apple devices.

The price/performance ratio is about the same on either apple or non-apple laptops, so this is not a blocker.

insoluble
As a simpler alternative to reinstalling Windows, the built-in "Windows Refresh" feature available in newer versions of Windows will basically remove the vendor-added software.
brudgers
To me the brand matters less than the target sales channel. A laptop targeted at sales to individuals will optimize around one set of features. A device targeted at 2k units a pop to enterprise will optimize differently. Generally the enterprise class unit will tend to be more robust and have a better support pipeline. Or to put it another way, the SKU with a three year onsite standard warranty is designed around business needs. That class matters more than brand.
zerohp
I recently ordered two Microsoft Signature Edition laptops from the Microsoft store. Both of them were great out of the box. No crapware at all.
VOYD
I tend to go with ASUS these days.
davismwfl
I have been a fan of Toshiba and Samsung. Samsung is really underrated IMO. I started using them a few years ago for a client site I worked at when the client wanted to replace a bunch of Dell laptops. In general people don't realize that Samsung is many times a silent vendor behind other laptop brands but they build to spec. They brought out their own laptop line a number of years back and they seem to really be pretty well thought out. And warranty when I had to use it was really painless.

I can't say I have dealt with them in the last 2 years, but I'd definitely look at Samsung and Toshiba. In general I would still follow the same advice and freshen Windows from scratch to remove the crap and make it the way I want it.

My primary laptops right now are a Macbook Pro and a 4 year old I7 Windows Toshiba. I rarely touch the Tosh now adays, but it is there when I need it.