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Help me buy my new laptop

Hello dear readers,

I am in need for a new work laptop, and would very much appreciate your help in buying one.

This will be my primary and only computer (I have a desktop but I never use it anymore). FYI, I’m located in Israel, where computers usually cost a lot more than the U.S, and it’s often difficult to get computers shipped from abroad.

  1. What do you think about buying it in the US and shipping it here via Mustop? (I used them before).
  2. Budget – I don’t really know the market prices, but I’d hate to pay more than about $2500-3000 for this (remember, Israel prices are higher than US!)
  3. I need something light, it doesn’t have to be ultra-super-duper light. I’m currently using Lenovo Thinkpad Edge 420s which weighs about 2.2 kg, and it’s fine for me.
  4. The Edge’s battery is pretty decent. It lasts for a few hours, and 99% of the time it’s not a problem. Of course more battery life is important, but I don’t need to pay a lot extra for that.
  5. Storage – SSD (or rather, are Hybrids the standard today?). I would like a decent amount of storage. I guess a hybrid with 400-500gb HDD and 100gb of SSD would be good enough.
  6. Memory – is 12-16gb batshit expensive, or should I go with 8gb?
  7. Graphics card – something decent, not uber, but decent. Can compromise on that if needed.
  8. Pointer device – I like the Edge’s point device, open to other models as well.

So – any suggestions for a good laptop model that fits the above requirements?

P.S I would to try and switch my primary OS from Windows to Ubuntu. I expect a huge productivity drop … which might actually make me not do the switch after all, but I’m wondering whether it’s a good strategic move on my part despite the momentary productivity loss and annoyance (FYI I’ve worked with Ubuntu for a few years as a server / terminal system, and worked with Goobuntu a bit at Google).

One Comment

  1. ripper234:

    Here is one solid advice from a friend of mine:

    http://pastebin.com/7sgzbV4i