What spec laptop for software developer?

[jamsandwich]

I'm thinking of buying a new laptop with Windows 11 Pro, to use for software develoment (Visual Studio 2022, SQL Server, and possibly some Xamarin or even Android Studio). Whatever machine I buy, I'd expect it to be usable for about 6 to 8 years. I'd rather buy a good spec machine now and have it last that long, than buy a cheaper machine and have to replace it in 3 or 4 years.

The following is what I currently have in mind:

12th Generation Intel Core i5 or i7
32GB RAM
1TB SSD
15inch screen
Windows 11 Pro

Is an i7 really worth the extra cost over an i5?

Most laptops seem to have 16GB RAM nowadays. However, that doesn't seem much considering my current desktop has 16GB and is 8 years old!

Not sure about the 1TB SSD. I'm wondering if I'd be better off with 2TB. I downloaded an emulator for a single Android device (e.g. one make & model of phone) and that alone was about 5GB.

Considering that I'm not likely to use it for games, does it make much difference whether I go for Intel Iris Xe Graphics, or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB? I would probably use it for mobile app development (probably business apps though, not games).

Screen resolution - some machines go up to 3840x2400. Is that really appropriate on a 15inch screen? Is 1920x1200 enough?

Thoughts?

[NotAllThere]

I've got a Dell XPS 15 9500. i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD. 3840x2400 resolution, but you don't run it at that. It just means the display is pin sharp.

The biggest issue I've had with laptops is the power socket. With the Dell, the power is via USB-C, and there are three ports, so I doubt I'll have the power issue. I think really you just need to get the most powerful machine you can afford - but a manufacturer with a good reputation.

[eek]

Dell outlet Refurbished Business Laptops & 2-in-1 PCs: Dell Outlet | Dell UK

Specifically Refurbished Business Laptops & 2-in-1 PCs: Dell Outlet | Dell UK Code DOMLAT012 will give you another 12% off

Although annoyingly they now only do 1 year warranty rather than 3 years on site within the price as used to be the case

And if you want a laptop that will actually last 6-8 years you will be paying 3 to 4 times as much so I wouldn't recommend it.

Edit actually go for Refurbished Business Laptops & 2-in-1 PCs: Dell Outlet | Dell UK there is 1 for £1240 at Refurbished Business Laptops & 2-in-1 PCs: Dell Outlet | Dell UK before the DOMPRE12 12% discount and they offer 3 to 5 year onsite on the Precision 7000 series. Then all you need to do is replace the NVME drive with a bigger one.

[TheDude]

I'm thinking of buying a new laptop with Windows 11 Pro, to use for software develoment (Visual Studio 2022, SQL Server, and possibly some Xamarin or even Android Studio). Whatever machine I buy, I'd expect it to be usable for about 6 to 8 years. I'd rather buy a good spec machine now and have it last that long, than buy a cheaper machine and have to replace it in 3 or 4 years.

I don't waste my time worrying about what will be useable in 6-8 years time - I buy a decent spec machine and replace every three years or so and sell the old machine for a decent return.

I use Macs so the recent move from Intel to Apple silicon did clobber resale prices.

[d000hg]

Development per se doesn't require a high spec machine, it rather depends on what you are using - e.g. C++ you still have to compile/build whereas C# typically it does it seamlessly in the background.
It's more a case what the software does and testing it. You imply you may need to run SQL Server on the laptop so the extra RAM seems reasonable.
If this is your "everyday carry" it's worth speccing highly - or is it for a bit of tinkering?

SSD all the way though.