Depending on exactly what you need to do, don't discount being able to run Linux boxes on a VPS for very cheap. For example, I have a small dev/bastion box tha

Depending on exactly what you need to do, don't discount being able to run Linux boxes on a VPS for very cheap. For example, I have a small dev/bastion box that I just use Mosh to SSH into. If you're comfortable on the command line, this has a huge number of benefits. E.g. doesn't have to sleep, huge network pipe (especially to your other boxes), using tmux to re-attach to long-running processes, use a tablet or even a phone to do some things, etc. If I need something that requires a ton of resources, I can spin up a really big machine, do what I need, and only pay for the hours I used it. This allows me to have a really tiny if slightly underpowered laptop. Even if you don't have your "dev" box on a VPS, offloading your bigger tasks to them can allow you to still get a smaller laptop.