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Unfortunately my current pc died and I need to replace it: I was very satisfied with it, so I'm looking for something similar.

Old PC: Asus Zenbook 14 UX434FLC 16GB of RAM

What I do and what I need:

I am a uni studend who does a lot of programming (mostly ML with Python and PyTorch or C++). My typical workspace is a terminal, VS Code, and a fairly large amount of stackoverflow tabs. I also program FPGAs with Verilog or VHDL, do a bit of matlab/octave, and compile a lot of LaTeX.

New PC:

Must have:

  • Lightweight and small footprint (I travel a lot and I need to carry it in the backpack);
  • 13-14" screen with good resolution;
  • Reasonably fast (at least as much as the zenbook I had, which was not a rocket);
  • ssd, but sorage space is not that big of a deal (I can get away with 256GB);
  • USB-C charging port;
  • Sturdy chassys (preferably metal);
  • Good, stiff (best if backlighted) keyboard;
  • Silent and not prone to heating up;
  • Good webcam and mic (I have a lot of online meetings);

Nice to have:

  • Good GPU (with the possibility of accellerating code on it);
  • I have windows on my current pc but I'm considering switching to linux;
  • built-in HDMI port (not that important, but can come in handy);

Budget and availability:

  • price around 1000€;
  • Available in Italy;

Thank you for any suggestion! :)

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Okay so I have the Framework Laptop, and it's really nice. It's fast, not too heavy (about 1.5kg), feels super strong, the screen is a high 14 inch (3:2), it's SSD only (although to fit your budget you have to add your own) and internally uses USB-C for charging (with the official modules also externally). The keyboard is also stiff and I personally did not really like it in the beginning, but it's good if you are used to it.

The only problem with lightweight laptops like the Framework is there are 3 options to tweak the cooling and you can only choose 2. Temperature, noise and power. Framework chose to optimise temperature and power, so it's fast and stays fast, but it makes noise under load.

They do not yet ship to Italy but if you are close to Austria you may be able to deliver it to a post office there and pick it up by bus. If you spec the DIY edition out without Windows, but with small SSD, RAM and ports, it would come close to €1000

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  • Thank you! It's a very interesting suggestion, I will check it out!
    – LucioPhys
    Commented Jan 27, 2023 at 17:04
  • May I ask you your hw configuration? Also, do you run ubuntu on it? Thanks!
    – LucioPhys
    Commented Jan 28, 2023 at 13:06
  • I use the i5 1135G7 with 32GB RAM and 1TB storage I added myself. I modded the keyboard so it's azerty and I indeed run Ubuntu on it. The wifi is the default. I think 12th gen is now availible for €819 barebones, so that may be better right now, but the other stuff is still possible (this config is outside of your budget though)
    – Irsu85
    Commented Jan 28, 2023 at 18:36
  • Oh jea and I had the same problems with the delivery, what we did was deliver it to family in the netherlands and pick it up there.
    – Irsu85
    Commented Jan 28, 2023 at 18:37
  • Thank you very much! Last question: how is the battery life?
    – LucioPhys
    Commented Jan 29, 2023 at 8:52

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