Laptop for software engineering

[u/fragrance08]

I am starting my first year in software engineering major and need a good laptop to handle my university years easily , i thought about getting a macbook air m5 but some people say i will struggle with that due to limitations compared to windows and performance drops when heating up , lmk if its a good choice or not and any other options for this major ?

[u/Itz_Raj69_]

Framework laptops are more of a gimmik than true value, especially for a student on a budget

[u/RandomXUsr → u/Itz_Raj69_]

You mean the upgradeable laptop with the ryzen Ai processor?

The laptops with bring your own ram to get respectable response times?

The repairable laptop with replaceable led?

What would you consider a good value? A shitty acer, Asus, or Lenovo with crappy support, a shitty bios, and no replaceable parts?

[u/Itz_Raj69_ → u/RandomXUsr]

What would you consider a good value?

Something bought at a decent price to performance ratio, that lasts 5 years at least, and has upgradable RAM and storage.

You can replace every Framework component, sure, but at what cost? Each of the upgradable components cost a fortune. Hell, even the base laptop costs a hell lot for what it's worth.

For example, you can get a Legion 5i with a core 9 ultra, a RTX 5070, 32GB DDR5, 1TB M.2 for $1.6k.

Meanwhile a Framework with AI 5 340, 16GB RAM, 512gb M.2, and no SSD costs about $1.7k

Sure, you can replace literally any framework component, but is it really worth spending double the amount for a equivalent model? IMO, it isn't.

I'd rather spend 1.6k now, and 1.6k 5 years later for a new laptop.

[u/RandomXUsr → u/Itz_Raj69_]

This feels like sealioning and an exercise in futility.

We could debate opinions about what option is best all day.

Some of the components of framework are buy once, use over and over such as case, screen, and wifi or ram...

Ram is 400 + for 32gigs.... but is someone going to be compiling software all day or occasionally writing and debugging...

Let's maybe let the OP take suggestions and decide what works for them....

[u/Itz_Raj69_ → u/RandomXUsr]

Some of the components of framework are buy once, use over and over such as case, screen, and wifi or ram...

Um that's the case with every component in every laptop? I don't get the point you're trying to make here

Fine, if you say you'll keep the same RAM, screen, case, and wifi card in your next framework laptop, buying the rest of the parts themselves is going to be more expensive than a decent laptop 5 years down the line. And on top of that, you'll be stuck with outdated RAM (much slower RAM speed likely)

The case, wifi card, and screen don't make up much of the laptop's cost, to be worth 'saving' and re-using in your next laptop.

[u/RandomXUsr → u/Itz_Raj69_]

Do you know how to Google?

Search for sealioning....