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112 points ferguess_k | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.316s | source

I have been purchasing used/new Lenovo/Dell laptops for the last 7 years, and I have noticed that the build quality of recent models is concerning.

Lenovo: Ex-company gave me a NEW Carbon X1 around 2019, and the battery only lasted for less than a year (!). On the other side, I bought a used 2017 470S from the same company, added more RAM, didn't touch anything including the SSD, and I'm still using it in daily coding. I did buy a new battery last month so technically the old batteries lasted for about 7-8 years.

Dell: I bought 3 laptops + 1 desktop from Dell Refurbished (So the quality should be consistent). 2 laptops + 1 desktop are older models, and 1 is Precision 5550 (2021) that I bought last December. Everything works fine, except for the 5550, which has issues with battery (dropped from 31% to 4% in a few seconds) and (more deadly) charging port (doesn't charge from time to time). Even if I bought it new in 2021, I would be surprised that it only lasted for a bit over 4 years.

The other issue is that 5550 uses USB-C ports. I blame on myself not checking it closely before the purchase. I really hate those ports. Why is everyone copying from Mac?

What's my option? I can't really justify the 2,000+ CAD price point for a new laptop, especially if it lasts less than 5 years. I'd prefer a "low-end" workstation with 32GB memory, but because of the price point I can only afford a 16GB non-workstation one. I don't do gaming any more but I still prefer a good integrated video card. I can't afford Framework and other Linux laptops because they are expensive and usually don't operate in Canada so delivery is expensive too.

I did buy a used Macbook Pro M1 16GB (2021) from my current company last month. I haven't used it but I'm confident that the hardware is good. The problem is I don't really like the software, so I figured I still need a Linux box.

Did you find any sweet spot?

1. Snuupy ◴[] No.46160639[source]
My sweet spot is the Wooking X16 - 7840HS/8845HS from taobao in China for ~500usd

bad trackpad, bad touchpad (bring your own for both), great thermals/performance, good screen, bad speakers, unbeatable value

no usb4 (but has 1x usbc)

I refused to get another thinkpad ever since the T14 AMD gen1 firmware debacle where plugging in a Dell usbc dock would cause the entire device to hard reboot

their firmware garbage is off-putting

I considered framework but the $2k+ price point to me was unreasonable

it's literally cheaper for me to carry around the X16 + kb + mouse/trackpad than to buy a framework 16 (I know that's not the point, but still)

https://4pda.to/forum/index.php?showtopic=1076401