laptop upgrade

Hello lainons. My ultra budget Thinkpad's x220's max capabilities using Mint Xfce have started to die on me in the tasks that I'm trying to perform. -Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2520M CPU @ 2.50GHz -Slow 8GB RAM -292GB HDD I am forced to upgrade to another laptop that can run ~30 tabs on parent machine, in the meantime some background applications, and have no lag running a VM and performing tasks there as well. I don't game and I don't do 3d models. Just coding and downloading a lot of stuff. I prefer old Thinkpads. A sleeper one would be great, but I have no knowledge on hardware. I want to change to an SSD with more space and at least 16gb ram. I will still be using my one for scripting and simple stuff. t. student, not looking to overshoot price, but also don't have a clear budget. Realistically looking at $300-$500. Any recommendations? If I failed to post on the right thread/board then my bad. I looked everywhere, but might be blind.

>>68652 >I prefer old Thinkpads. You can update your current one, can't you? 16GB kit and an SSD will still keep that X220 running for a while, though I suppose that dual-core probably is becoming a problem, no? If you're dead set on Thinkpads, you could "sidegrade" to a T430. Do an FHD IPS mod on it, transplant the classic keyboard from your X220 on it, and upgrade CPU to a quad-core i7. It'll more than double the multicore performance of your X220, be slightly bigger and have a much better screen. And you'll have the last true Thinkpad. But it'll cost you $300-$400, and for that money you can definitely find some used goyslop craptop that performs the same or better. But I'm in the process of modding out a T430 myself, if you decide to go down this rabbithole I can you link you the parts and such.

I very often find myself recommending Dell Latitudes. They can be had with good specs for good prices, have an elegant, comfortable design (nice trackpads and keyboards, for laptops), and just about pass the serviceability test (hdd, ram, Wi-Fi card can be changed easily in mine, and probably more with a full disassembly). If you love the trackpoint, some models have those also. How about something like this [1]? The E5540 is my favourite model for its looks and feels, and this has 16GB RAM and an SSD. Overall amazing value. [1] https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256017284979

>>68654 Seconding the recommendation for latitudes, they're very nice machines. With companies renewing their fleets, there has been a big influx of 2018 models on the used market. The latitude 7280/90 is the same size an x220, with a larger 1080p screen, a fast low power quadcore CPU, integrated graphics with support for modern OpenGL,Vulkan,video codecs and GVT-g(especially useful for virtualization), as well as an SSD as standard. Save for the keyboard, it's a huge upgrade over the x220 and can be found for ~300 euros or dollars. My biggest gripe is that there is only one sodimm slot, without any soldered memory, so you're limited to single channel. The 12/13" elitebooks and probooks from hp have two available, they are also a good option.

>>68654 I work with latitudes and they're my favorite laptops to work on. We had Dell products primarily; the XPS is the worst newer system because of the weird overheating soykaf and the specific screws it has are weird. The case is also a pain in the ass to get off; while most latitude models have regular Phillips that stay with the backplate (I forgot what it's called, but yeah) they're also just speedy little machines.

>>68656 >>68658 Hi Lain. Jumping in this thread b/c my old macbook (~07'?) has died enough times that I would rather buy a new one than mess with it more (Already replaced HDD once, charger twice, now needs a third charger and either a new HDD->MB cable or a new HDD and the battery needs to be replaced eventually...). Dumb question: Would a latitude 7280 like this one [1] be able to run STALKER games at lowest graphics? (Those are the 'newest' games I play, otherwise I am just doing web browsing, programming, and document editing so I don't need anything fancy. My guess is yes but I'd rather be safe than sorry...). [1] https://www.newegg.com/dell-latitude-7280/p/N82E16834343559?Description=dell+latitude+7280 Also if a laptop with similar specs is available sub 12.5" please let me know, since I bike a lot with a very small backpack.

>>68659 Yeah, it meets all the listed specs [1]. UserBenchmark says that Intel HD 520 graphics are 70% better on average than the listed Nvidia 7900 GTX under even the recommended requirements [2]. [1] https://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/requirements/stalker-shadow-of-chernobyl/10594 [2] https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GeForce-7900-GTX-vs-Intel-HD-520-Mobile-Skylake/m10625vsm36797

>>68661 Thank you so much lain! Sorry for needing to be spoonfed. I actually checked [1] but forgot to use the periods so got no results... Is it a pain to dual-boot the latitudes (I've only set it up on old macbooks before)? Preferred OS atm is linux mint, but anything *nix works. Alternatively, is it straightforward to just swap OS to *nix easily?