5 ms·
Ask HN: How often do you upgrade your laptop?
- topicseed 5y agoEvery three to four years. Partly because I like geeking out on the latest stuff, and partly because laptops slow down, even MacBook Pros.
- Dracophoenix 5y agoWhen was your last cycle? What are the specs? How heavy is the workload?
- topicseed 5y agoMacBook Pro 15" 2018 fully maxed out, I belive is my current machine. And I have one of the bad keyboards (can't fix it as I cannot not have the laptop for as long as two weeks). Workload isn't super heavy, docker, compiling, photoshop, chrome, media consumption, all together. Photoshop takes forever to load, save, and close, though. Awaiting the MBP 16" with Apple Silicon to switch. Maybe a few months after release once I see the feedback.
- exolymph 5y agoAs often as it bites the dust, to be honest. My current 2015 MacBook Pro is still chugging along fine. It was spendy at the time, but I'm glad that I went top-of-the-line for a tool that I use so heavily.
- Dracophoenix 5y agoEven with Big Sur? How did you manage to keep it running six years down the line? Any limitations to be aware of? (i.e 4K playback, AAA games past 2018, heavy IDEs, etc.)
- aprdm 5y agoI also have a 2015 macbook pro (cheapest one back then) and haven't ran into any issues, will likely use until it dies off. I never gamed on it, have used heavy ides and docker without too many issues even tho docker isn't the best due to its disk space usage in my 128 GB model + it gets really hot..
- Dracophoenix 5y agoWhat about 4K playback?
- aprdm 5y agocan you give an example? Like playing youtube videos on 4k? I haven't tried I guess. I have a Roku and watch youtube on my tv, I also have a desktop for proper work... I use my laptop mainly to code side projects (usually db /backend / frontend) or browse the internet.
- Dracophoenix 5y ago4K playback in three cases: Youtube Video players like Plex/VLC Scrubbing through editing software (e.g. Premier Pro, Final Cut)
- aprdm 5y agoYeah, don't really do these
- exolymph 5y agoSorry for the late response, dunno if you'll see this. I'm not a developer so the heaviest program I use is a photoshop-alike, which still runs just fine (or at least if it lags, I don't notice...)
- warrenm 5y agoI haven't upgraded my laptop in years I do replace it every couplefew (whatever the cycle is with work)
- Dracophoenix 5y agoWhen was your last replacement and with what models?
- warrenm 5y agoa month and a half ago with a MacBook Pro running the M1
- Dracophoenix 5y agoAnd how often is your individual work cycle? How heavy of a workload do you put your Macbook through?
- jimmyvalmer 5y agoStill rocking a 2012 Thinkpad W530 i7-3840QM.
- codegeek 5y agoI have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) which is running like butter (some minor hiccups at times). Haven't had the need to replace/upgrade at all.
- max_hammer 5y agoBought Dell i5 with 4GB RAM in 2012, which died in 2020. Now using HP with i10 and 16 GB ram I use Linux (Current ARCH) with minimal bloatware so never faced any performance issues
- ramtatatam 5y agoWhen I'm buying hardware I spec it out so it will last. In 2011 I bought desktop with 24Gb of RAM and nice CPU with 8 threads, I still use it (well, now mostly my 6yo son is using it to play super tux kart). In 2019 I decided I like to sit in my favorite soft armchair so I purchased a lenovo p53 laptop and fitted it with 128Gb of RAM - again hoping it will last at least a decade :)
- approxim8ion 5y agoWhen it dies and is absolutely unsalvageable. The current one I use was bought in 2016 (i3/8GB RAM/1TB mechanical HDD) and still works absolutely fine. I use it for browsing, media consumption and light coding, about 12-15h daily. I guess it helps that I use a lightweight Linux setup; Windows would very likely give me more grief without at least investing in an SSD. Some issues: 1. Battery is dead but I use it as a stand-in for a desktop machine anyway. 2. Webcam and mic are in bad shape. I rarely need them but when I do I use Droidcam. Even midrange phones have better cameras than top-end laptop webcams nowadays.
- reducesuffering 5y agoWhen it's noticeably faltering on commonly used applications. Still rocking a '13 Macbook Pro, i7 and 16gb ram.
- besnn00 5y agoNever if I can help it.
- simonblack 5y ago6-10 years. But I buy a really advanced laptop to start with. My previous laptop was a Lenovo T410 upgraded to a 2TB hard drive. Bought that in 2010, only replaced about 6 months ago with a Lenovo P53 with 4K screen and a total of 6TB of SSD and 32 gig of RAM.
- jimmyvalmer 5y agoIt's a bizarre objective function that optimizes for latest-greatest at distant points in time. If you bought two-year-old models in 2012 and 2022, you'd get the same power for half the investment.
- simonblack 5y agoYes, I would get a cheaper deal. But I would also get an 'unknown history' with a second-hand machine, as well as no warranty at all. I'm quite happy with 'factory-refurbished' stuff sold through manufacturer's dealerships: I've bought several low-use Mercedes cars that way. When you have sufficient money for your needs, it's better to have years of peace of mind than temporarily having more cash-on-hand. (I know that sounds horribly pretentious, but I can't think of a better way to state the philosophy.) There's an old saying, probably ascribed to the clothing business, that says "Quality remains, long after price has been forgotten." that is close, but not quite what I'm trying to say.
- jimmyvalmer 5y agoRespect. All points are well taken.
- meristohm 5y agoNo strict plan, depends on if my wants change. Currently using a couple laptops at least eight years old, one using 10-30W and the other 15-40W.