Hey lemmings!
I’m looking to get a new laptop in the near future but I keep getting lost in the details of what is good versus what I’d need.
I’m not really a gamer and already have a console for most games, but would like something that can at least run something like league of legends.
I also would be doing some light video editing but even so I don’t think I’d need some top of the line cutting edge option.
So I thought I’d ask Lemmy for their thoughts on what’s a good general purpose/workish laptop in 2023!
I like the idea in general with framework. But I don’t even upgrade my desktop gaming pc that I built anymore. I feel like we’re past the days when there would be an amazing rate of progress leaving everything you have completely obsolete after a few years. I’ve had a Ryzen 5 3600 build running since the week they came out and I have no desire to upgrade any piece of it. I finally just in the last 2 months traded up from a 2012 MBP to a 2017 MBP (I found used on ebay) and I don’t feel like there’s anything I’m missing out on. You get such longevity out of devices these days that I just don’t personally see the appeal of a thicker clunkier laptop that looks kind of cheap but offers upgradability. Buy something, use it for 5-7 years then sell it on ebay and buy something newer-ish.
You are the first person I’ve ever heard of that referred to the framework as thicker and clunkier. That’s good for you that you buy used and have had your desktop PC running with the same processor for 4 years but also that’s upgradable. You don’t need to get a new case or power supply to upgrade components. It’s not just about upgradability but reparability in case something breaks or you break something. Even supporting second hand market a macbook only has so much life. The hardware can go EoL and no longer get software updates but your screen and keyboard still work fine. Would be great to just upgrade your chipset instead of the whole laptop because the processor is so old that companies don’t want to support it anymore.
To each their own. When I look at that thick plastic screen bezel with those plasticky privacy switches it looks pretty cheap. And those seams on the sides where the module/dongles plug in. For me it’s not aesthetically pleasing and is bigger than needed to accommodate the modules and screen. I’m glad there is something to serve this niche and if it’s something that you’re looking for then that’s cool.
I agree on the repairability. Manufacturers would be wise to do better at that. But it looks like the EU might force their hand anyway.
Yeah, the Framework looks a lot like my work-supplied Dell Latitude laptop.
Which, the Latitude is a business-focused laptop designed to have a lot of parts be serviceable by IT departments, so it’s probably not a bad comparison. But I wouldn’t call it sleek compared to an ultrabook or a macbook.
For me, a big draw for framework was how easy it is to replace the battery. I agree with what you’re saying - it seems like the only thing that goes “out of date” with computers for me is a laptop battery these days, so knowing I can easily swap that out without resorting to shady third party cells is great.