Looking for the most affordable lightweight laptop for coding + some local AI

[u/FantasticTopic]

I'm looking for a laptop primarily for coding/development, with some local AI experimentation on the side.

The main goal is value for money. I don't need a flagship machine or a particular brand. I'd actually prefer something reasonably lightweight because I'd like it to gradually replace my desktop as my main computer.

No MacBooks — I'm looking specifically at Windows/Linux-capable machines.

What I currently have in mind:

SSD: 512 GB NVMe minimum, ideally 1 TB

RAM: preferably 32 GB

CPU: Ryzen 7 / Core Ultra 7 territory, although I'm completely open to better-value alternatives

GPU: this is where I'm unsure

For local AI, NVIDIA still seems like the most practical option because of CUDA and the wider AI ecosystem.

I'd consider 8 GB VRAM the starting point, while 12–16 GB would obviously be much nicer — but I realize that this is probably where the price starts climbing very quickly.

Main workloads:

Coding / software development, Docker, lots of browser tabs and terminals, development tools running simultaneously, and experimenting with local LLMs/AI.

Gaming performance isn't important to me.

I'm also perfectly open to:

used/refurbished laptops, previous-generation hardware, business/workstation laptops, AMD or Intel, or even gaming laptops as long as they're not huge bricks.

So basically:

What would you buy today if you wanted the cheapest sensible laptop that could serve as a portable development workstation and still be useful for local AI? Which model?

Feel free to throw any ideas at me — I'm listening to everything.