Which laptop and distro would you recommend for a Linux newb (someone who has never used Linux)? Preferably hardware with decent battery life and isn’t horribly slow.
Update: Walked away with this Dell Inspiron i5 3520 with Best Buy’s black friday deal: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6553026.p
Any model?
https://www.bobble.tech/free-stuff/used-thinkpad-buyers-guide
T or X series is really good. Just be careful to get an IPS panel, the TN film models are really bad.
If the computer worked that three year span in a corporate environment without breaking, it’ll last for years.
Also none of the 500 nit privacy guard, and the 400 nit low power is generally much preferable to the 300 nit. Not just for brightness, but color reproduction and uniformity are far better.
I believe the T480s and T490s are in the sweet spot right now. Most companies seem to be moving to 4 or 5 year lifecycles, so we don’t seem to be seeing many T14s g1 coming off lease yet.
Rly depends, there’s plenty of models out there. Search for one that has all your absolutely non-negotiable specs and stay grounded to your budget. I usually start by making a minimum desired spec list and a maximum budget. Go on ebay, look for currently listed ThinkPads and look through their specs and pricing, find something that isn’t too expensive but is quality enough for you.
I hear the e14 is nice.
It is, although it doesn’t have water spilling protection as older models do. The quality of assembling isn’t as good, some parts feel quite weak and easy to break (this hasn’t actually happened to me, though)
What budget?
Series T, P and X (except X1).