What laptop do you use?
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
Work provides me with a Lenovo W550, 16G memory, 120G hard drive. If I am doing application development, it is .NET based; occasionally use SSMS to look at some tables, but don't do SQL development anymore.
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2015. Which is very nice to use. On video cards, My main machine has a GTX690 which has been in there for a while now, and does just fine! Except a bit noisy when on full throttle permanently! :-D
Dave Find Me On:Web|Youtube|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn Folding Stats: Team CodeProject
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
I'm using a Dell Precision M3800 with Intel i7-4712HQ core at 2.3Ghz, which gives me 8 CPU's, 16GB RAM, and the laptop has a 256GB SSD, and I have a second 512GB SSD on a USB 3.0 interface. That said, the laptop sits to the right where I shove stuff I don't really need to look at, and I have two 1920 x 1080 monitors center and left, one connected the laptop's HDMI connector, the other run off a Pluggable USB 3.0 multi-port thingy, which provides video, ethernet, and more USB ports, though I also have to other USB hubs for a the devices I've got attached for work reasons. It's quiet, it's fast, I can have a VM dedicated with 8GB and 4 cores running and I don't even notice. In a year or so I'll see what's out there laptop-wise and whether I want to throw some money at upgrading, but for the foreseeable future, this machine has all the capability I need. Marc
Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project! Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
-
HP Envy ??? i7 12 GB Ram 17.1 touchscreen 1 TB HDD I paid less than 1K (US) for it last year about this time. If I had it to do over, I would trade out the touchscreen with a 500 GB SSD. :)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
Wow that's great for under 1K USD :thumbsup:
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
On Black Friday of 2015 I finally broke down and purchased my own laptop (instead of hoping I could get my paying job to purchase me a new laptop for home use) GE72 6QD Apache Pro | MSI Global | Laptops - The best gaming laptop provider[^] The 4 core / 8 threaded 45W Skylake i7 CPU is as powerful as my 95W i7 960 at work. However the 17.3 inch screen I find is about as small as I can use as a c++ developer and still function. It has a boot 128GB M2 SSD however I can not use that for coding at all. Its nearly full an my build tree would run at least 1/2 of that. I am currently using the 1 TB hard drive for that and plan to replace possibly both drives with 512GB or 1TB SSDs. When I am not browsing the internet I use this laptop for some minor c++ (work related) development while watching TV or the mornings in the sun room with the wife.
John
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
Work provides a Lenovo W540 16 Gig RAM, 450 Gig hard disk, and a docking station at work so I can use 2 monitors, real keyboard and mouse. When I work from home (2 days a week) I've got USB keyboard and mouse along with a good size monitor and I use the laptop screen as a second monitor for selected applications since the text is so small compared to the big screen. We are a mixed shop and they'll get you your preference of Windows or Mac machines.
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
-
I use a MacBook with Parallels to a Win 10. It is basically awful. :doh:
Why don't you BootCamp? Or do you need the MacOS apps?
cheers Chris Maunder
-
Why don't you BootCamp? Or do you need the MacOS apps?
cheers Chris Maunder
I (occasionally) need MacOS apps and sometimes use Swift - I am thinking totally separate windows laptop for my next birthday present.
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
I hate laptop keyboards. However, the Dell Precision Mobile Workstations are worth looking at since you can get a docking station and use a real keyboard and full size monitors. For trivial use, I highly recommend ASUS. One thing that really frustrates me with the current laptop offerings (besides the keyboards and touch pads) are how few SSD options there are and much prices are inflated for those options. By far the biggest issues I see with the laptops of family and friends are hard disk failures (and charger connectors.)
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
I have a desktop for daily use and a laptop as both a backup and travelling machine. I bought the laptop last year from Dell.
Alienware 17
Intel(R) i7-4710HQ [4th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4710HQ Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz)]
16GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz (2x8GB)
1TB 7200rpm SATA 6Gb/s 1
490-BCLJ NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 980M with 4GB GDDR5 1
555-BCDR Killer 1525 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 1
555-BCIC Killer Wireless 1525 Driver 1
(At the time) Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit English - since upgraded to Win10 ProAs a bonus, it's a great gaming machine.
Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
I resisted buying a new laptop for years as I have a great desktop setup -- Core i7 with 24 GB of memory, dual video cards and four monitors, plus my own virtual server farm on the network. I still do most of my development on that. But a few years ago I had to go on-site with the current development project, and be able to make changes in the code. At that point my portable technology was a little 10-inch netbook, so I had no choice but to get something decent that could handle Visual Studio and a database client. After some searching I found an Asus N56V -- Core i7, 8GB (which I upgraded to 16GB), a 750GB drive, Blu-Ray reader, and a 1920*1080 15.6 screen. It has an aluminum chassis, came with little in the way of crapware, and has performed flawlessly now for over 3 years. I have a virtual network running on it with a Windows Server and a database server, so I can do full Web development within its own few pounds of weight anywhere that I want. The biggest drawback with it was Windows 10. It came with Win 8, and I let it get upgraded. Now, every time Windows decides to upgrade, it kills the touchpad drivers and screws up the backlit keyboard, all because MS thinks it has better drivers (it doesn't, most assuredly). From a hardware standpoint, its 6-cell battery didn't give it much life, but I found a good 9-cell on eBay that not only fixes the longevity issue, but props up the base to a nice angle for typing. Highly recommended, and I won't part with it until it dies.
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
Asus N76VZ that I got 50% off because it was a shelf model. Excellent full sized keyboard, wide screen, decent battery life, 2 x 500G HDD, excellent sound with pluggable external woofer. I've had it for a year and has served me very well. Upgrade to Win10 was fine. Track pad is a little too sensitive for me and won't stay shut off. Highly recommended.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend; inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -- Groucho Marx
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
HP ZBook15, with 500GB SSD for system and 16GB RAM. Extended with Dell 24" IPS monitor. Great machine, specially if you are MS stack dev and have 2-3 Visual Studio projects opened simultaneously. It runs every available 1st-person shooters, either :-)
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
Early 2011 17" MacBook Pro, with 2nd Gen Quad Core i7, 16GB RAM, and 1TB internal SSD. It was my main work machine from June 2011 to May 2015. Now my main work machine is a 27" 5K iMac and I keep my working files on an external Thunderbolt SSD so I can easily switch to the laptop when I need to work away from my desk or on the road. I primarily program in Java using IntelliJ IDEA, but I also run Windows Server and Linux, using VMWare Fusion, which performs fine for my needs. FWIW - I also own 2 Sony VAIO's, a Gateway netbook, and an HP netbook, but all but the newest VAIO (2010, 1st Gen Quad Core i7), rarely see any action.
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
I have an ASUS laptop with core i7 and 6 GB RAM. I changed the disk for an SSD. :-D It runs perfectly Visual Studio 2015, SQL Server developer, XAMPP, and a couple of virtual machines (not all at the same time!). It's light and has a decent screen (not spectacular). ;)
-
Those are fair reasons, but I was more talking about work and not home (after all OP mentioned software development on laptop)... At home I still have a desktop and a laptop - which is for the lady of the house... The desktop shared between all at day and saved for me at night...
Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
I switched to a laptop at work for development and regular office-type things, and have never looked back. It travels with me to meetings, where I can take notes when needed or continue working while topics I'm not involved with or concerned about are discussed, and it goes home with me where I can work from home, as I do once a week, and I don't have to use Remote Desktop of VNC to get to an office desktop so I can get to my code and docs; it's already with me.
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP.
-
Three reasons: 1) May not have a desk. I don't - I have the kitchen table. 2) May not have a stable home. When I bought my Laptop I was moving every 2-3 months and had to prepare University exams on the PC. Could not buy a desktop. 3) Working on the run or no Internet connection at home - In my case I didn't have any Internet connection (Italy, third world) so to be able to connect I was forced to go to the University. A laptop is the solution. Now I have a fairly stalbe house with broadband Internet access so I'll be probably buying a desktop, still now both me and GF have only laptops. Also, one desk - one PC. Two desktop PC on a desk is nigh impossible and I don't have space for two desks. One of us will stick to laptops. Sice I'm the gamer and the developer I'm claiming that right.
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver When I was six, there were no ones and zeroes - only zeroes. And not all of them worked. -- Ravi Bhavnani
-
The purpose of this thread is to discuss your favorite laptop and why, especially for uses of software development. While I know this is a highly subjective topic and one that depends on user preference... That's fine, I'm looking for opinions here. I currently run a Toshiba Satellite on Windows 7 and I'm happy with it but in case it were to die or something happened to it... Or I just want to upgrade, what should I get next and why? My dad and I have been Toshiba users for a long time but I saw some of the newer Toshibas in Staples the other day and I was not impressed. The specs were great for the price but the build-quality has gone downhill big time. Talk about cheap plastic... It wasn't even finished! That got me thinking... Does anyone use a Surface for coding? What about a MacBook Air? Personally, I value larger screens because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement (I know it really doesn't matter with external monitors, but still, I like to go to coffee shops a lot). While on the subject, those of you who do use Mac; Can you get it to run Windows and perform as if it were a PC by partitioning the drive and booting off of it or do you actually code on a virtual machine? Last but not least, what is your opinion on video cards and coding? Do you do development which requires some serious graphics power or do you code on a pretty basic machine?
Okay, I have an i7 Dell M6600 with 32GB RAM, Dual 1TB SSDs. I have 3 external monitors (one through a USB adapter) that I use when screen sharing with users with tiny monitors. I could not be happier. I have a spare one with 16GB, and no drives in it, in case this one fails. I have 2 sets of spare HDD drives. If/when it fails, I can swap to the other machine by moving my SSDs, or popping the most recent clones, or restoring from the NAS. The upside of this, is that I actually practice disaster recovery. It takes 5hrs to restore my system. Now, this thing is HEAVY. I don't use the laptop mode MUCH, but I do travel with it. I am as likely to travel with a spare monitor as well. I have just about lost the ability to use a single monitor computer effectively. But I live in meetings and in development. I don't take it to the coffee shop. EVER. It is heavy. My computer bag has wheels as my back cannot handle this plus its power brick. But once in the bag, I have everything I need to go somewhere, and setup. I have a spare docking station I can travel with, and do. This December, I will consider upgrading one of my drives to a 2 TB SSD as my VMs keep growing. It runs multiple VMs just fine. Normally I am below 10% CPU. Very happy with this setup. We have a surface book pro 4. I think you could code on it. In a pinch, it is great. Have not run VMs on it. Great as a remote access and email/web device.