Laptop suggestions for a Physics Student

[warhammer]

Hi. I am looking to buy a new laptop. I am looking primarily for a laptop that can last for a decent amount of time. I would be using it for- Scientific Programming, Study, Work & generic purposes (surfing etc).

I've had bad experiences with mid-range Windows laptops which have had issues emerge out around the 3 year mark. I was thinking of buying a Macbook (M1 Air 8GB RAM/256GB SSD is still available at certain outlets) but then again I have never used an Apple product before and I'm not sure about a lot of things.

Could someone suggest if the M1 variant I mentioned above meets all my needs without niggling issues of heating, lagging and can also last-long, or, should I be looking at a Business Windows Laptop (please suggest a model that you're personally familiar with, else I feel chances of failure are high)? Please bear in mind that the main buying criteria apart from my use-purpose is the long lasting part (I want it to go for atleast 5 years +). Requesting any suggestions/recommendations from fellow PF Members!

I have also added a useful Questionnaire below that I found on reddit~

Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:
IN (India), 85k INR or approx. 1100 USD

Are you open to refurbs/used?
No

How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?
Longevity>Performance>Battery Life>Build Quality>FF

How important is weight and thinness to you?
Not too much unless it is in 'bulky' category.

Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.
N/A

Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.
N/A

If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?
N/A

Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?
Longevity

Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.
Already added before start of questionnaire.

 

[warhammer]

Hi. I am looking to buy a new laptop. I am looking primarily for a laptop that can last for a decent amount of time. I would be using it for- Scientific Programming, Study, Work & generic purposes (surfing etc).

I've had bad experiences with mid-range Windows laptops which have had issues emerge out around the 3 year mark. I was thinking of buying a Macbook (M1 Air 8GB RAM/256GB SSD is still available at certain outlets) but then again I have never used an Apple product before and I'm not sure about a lot of things.

Could someone suggest if the M1 variant I mentioned above meets all my needs without niggling issues of heating, lagging and can also last-long, or, should I be looking at a Business Windows Laptop (please suggest a model that you're personally familiar with, else I feel chances of failure are high)? Please bear in mind that the main buying criteria apart from my use-purpose is the long lasting part (I want it to go for atleast 5 years +). Requesting any suggestions/recommendations from fellow PF Members!

I have also added a useful Questionnaire below that I found on reddit~

Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:
IN (India), 85k INR or approx. 1100 USD

Are you open to refurbs/used?
No

How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?
Longevity>Performance>Battery Life>Build Quality>FF

How important is weight and thinness to you?
Not too much unless it is in 'bulky' category.

Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.
N/A

Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.
N/A

If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?
N/A

Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?
Longevity

Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.
Already added before start of questionnaire.

Also, someone remarked to me in DM that this might not be the appropriate section and I might be better off posting this in the 'Computing & Tech'. Should I just repost it there? I don't think duplicating posts would be good etiquette but I can't delete this as well.

 

[Vanadium 50]

You want two contradictory things - new, and a history of longevity. Cab;t have both. The best you can do with a new PC is guess based on past models from the same vendor. That tells you some things, but is no guarantee.

 

[warhammer]

You want two contradictory things - new, and a history of longevity. Cab;t have both. The best you can do with a new PC is guess based on past models from the same vendor. That tells you some things, but is no guarantee.

When I wrote new, I meant a brand new unit & not a refurbished piece or anything like that. I'm okay with models that came out sometime ago as well (since I mentioned M1 that came out in 2020). I guess I should've written 'buying a laptop' as opposed to '... a new laptop'.

 

[docnet]

Apple laptops get the nod in build quality and longevity, though one of my M2 MacBook Airs had a screen issue within 3 months of regular use. Luckily, repair options are abound for Apple. Most people I know, ranging from uni students to Google software engineers, prefer MacBooks for work and PCs for play. And with lower prices for new products and with plenty of refurbished options, they've become somewhat of a must-have as opposed to the status symbol they used to be.

 

[Tom.G]

Just a tip:
Here in the US there are generally sales/discounts in the period shortly before school re-starts in the Autumn and around the the big Winter holiday(s).

New models also seem to appear at those times, triggering further price reductions in earlier model(s).

Cheers,
Tom

 

[russ_watters]

It might be a good idea to see if your university standardizes on windows or Mac and get that kind.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

From experience, Macbooks have good build quality and last a while. They have pretty good battery life. I am always near an outlet, so this is a non issue for me.

but since its apple, they charge an arm and a leg for everything. Ie., more ram/storage.

Windows based machines are typically cheaper to get more ram/storage. However, the build quality can be less than steller on lower end models.

I recently have been replacing my mac machines with Alienware, and so far no issues.
But since its Alienware, there is also a higher cost when upgrading ram/ssd. This can be mitigated if the model offers user installible ram/ssd.

I believe the current M series of Alienwares allows users to upgrade ram/ssd after purchase. The X series [with the aluminum? chasis] is not.

At the minimum, if you are going to do programming, then I would recommend minimum 16gb of ram.