Can't confirm...

I wholeheartly support answer from MartinK on 1st page -- if it's your starter laptop buy second hand/refurbished ThinkPad. T5xx is 15.6" but you can be satisfied with T4xx which is 14", all matte displays and resolution from 1366x768 up (I recommend minimum 1440x900 for 14", tho).

You can install mSATA SSD and keep "old" HDD and with Intel graphics you can't miss considering linux support (although I have some second thoughts as it seems they ditched support for ubuntu 14.04 with latest drivers. Nothing that can't be fixed manually, but still ...

Replacement batteryes are dirt cheap and available anywhere + very few fakes. Any T series up to Tx30 is OK. True workhorses and for anyone who take laptop on road, not just to nearest coffe shop

This looks quite good on paper cost/performance wise, but as I have already seen multiple times, it can be at the cost of proper cooling. Eq. there are many cheap and beefy laptop systems being sold that have brutal overheating issues once you actually try to make use of all that CPU/GPU power (I've seen quite a lot of people using special fan-equipped notebook stands to combat this). They could also be quite noisy & the overheating issues could reduce the overall lifetime of the laptop.

Depends on the type of the individual SSHD - if it does the chaching transparently (as noted earlier) or if it registers as 2 separate bloc devices (and OS does the HDD caching). BTW, some notebook have small MSATA SSDs that they use for HDD caching.

Different people have different ideas of what constitutes a good Linux support

EDIT: Open-source NVidia drivers do exist but in my experience lag a million paces behind the closed ones from NVidia. Less performance, no 3D support... So I used the NVidia ones in preference to the ones coming with my distro. Functionality over some wishy-washy ideological arguments. But I have seen a lot of flame on the topic, including in this very forum.

The situation may have changed, I have not used NVidia products for a few years now. Not by a deliberate choice, it's just that my new laptop happened to come with an Intel chipset.

Look for a used Lenovo T510, x220 or x201.
My tip is the T510 with i7. Or even x201 tablet version with touchscreen if you really need one.
Used Lenovos give best performance on low end price.
Above modells are all around 300-400€ so you will have some money left for the hybrid ssd like Andre suggested.

Only drawback i had to overcome is the wacky support of supplied Gobi2000 wwan adapter on linux, espacially ubuntu.

I'll take a look at these Lenovos. And some new device?

@MartinK: it seems not to be the case, according to notebookcheck. [1]
Under load maximal of 37.8 dB was measured and the temperature reached maximal 44 degrees in the load test.

[1] http://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-As....136078.0.html

@marmistrz

I don't recommend 15.6inch laptops.
They're big, heavy, and not very portable.

I really really suggest 13.3 inch models.
They can be carried around in your arm. They fit easily into most bags.

Get 8GB of DDR3 RAM.
4GB is only enough for 720p computers with regular HDD's. They're slow and aging badly.
I repeat, get 8GB's, you will thank me later.

Linux will use those hybrid SSD-HDD's properly like Windows. So don't worry, the small (4GB - 80GB) SSD portion will be used by the OS and key Programs. The HDD stores your media and other Programs, which don't need the speed of an SSD.

And also grab one with Windows 7 / 8.
It's always useful for class, when there's a specific software you need to use.
And if you're going to give the laptop away or sell it, it helps A LOT to have Windows on it. Just dual-boot it with Linux.

As I said before, don't buy a laptop with a Graphics Card.
It's not that good. It makes the laptop worse (fatter, heavier, hotter, low battery life).
Use a dedicated machine for gaming like a console or a desktop gaming pc.

It's always best to buy the best laptop, and not customize it.
Customizing it will cost you more money, void the warranty, you can potentially break the laptop, and sometimes the parts aren't suitable for it (too hot or too noisy).

You cannot change graphics cards on laptops, in fact you can't even change RAM on most, or remove the battery (need extra special torx screws). You can only change SSD or the HDD.

And here's some brands you should be looking at (from best to worst):
- Apple
- Lenovo
- ASUS
(big gap)
- Samsung, Toshiba, HP, Dell, Acer, Alienware
(big gap)
- Any other brand.

If Linux is a must, make sure you buy a laptop with a specific model number that already runs a distro fine. Source, Drivers, and Builds are always a concern. A laptop that is 6-18 months old is probably the sweet spot.


Let us all know if there's anything you want to ask.

Hmmm... I'm really considering 13.3" right now. One of the people here said that 1920x1080 is a much better experience. Does this hold on 13.3"?

And would you recommend glossy or matt display?

13.3 inches, with 1080p resolution, and Matte non-touch display.
That's the killer combo there.

Core i5, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 256GB SSD**.
That's also the killer combo.

Brand new laptops with those specs retail close to the $1,000 mark.

(**However some people, not all or many, NEED more storage. You can use cheap and reliable external hard-drives. Or you can use a hybrid HDD-SSD drive. It's a personal decision.)

1) Try googling for a specific model:
http://bfy.tw/wza
2) Then look for reviews of that specific model
(use well known reviewers)
3) Look for prices, eBay might be your best bet:
http://www.ebay.pl/

As some people have pointed out already, getting a used or refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad (a 2013 model ?) is probably the best deal. New ones are very expensive, but the old ones work as good as the new ones. And Lenovo has a reputation for having the best Keyboard and Touchpad out there.

There is the Dell XPS 13 Variant (non-touch 1080p 8GB 256GB) which ticks all the boxes, but not sure about its availability for you in Poland. I hate Dells, and this is the one exception they nailed.

There is also the ASUS Zenbook UX305FA which is pretty good and cheap, the only downside is the non-backlight keyboard, and Core M processor which is slower than the Core i5 processor. It's about as fast as the old-ULV Core 2 Duo processors from 2011, so take that as you may.

Good Luck ; )