I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an actually soldered keyboard? Are you talking about the keyboards that are built into the palm rest and can’t be replaced without the entire palm rest?
If it works fine and hits the budget required, yes
Soldered RAM / Replaceable RAM - must be replaceable
Soldered Storage / Replaceable Storage - must be replaceable
Soldered Ports / / Replaceable Ports - outside of Framework, or systems with wild proprietary daughterboard layouts, this isn’t really an option.
Hard to find replace parts - no.
HDD / eMMC storage - I have nothing against HDD for high capacity but for mobile systems, i would prefer the shock proof-ness of SSD storage. eMMC is a nono.
SSD storage - M2 or 2.5in, not chips soldiered to a mothrboard
One / Multiple SSD slots - I prefer more, but, one is sufficient.
It being a MacBook - couldn’t be a daily use machine if it’s a modern MacBook. But i do actually want to pick up a MBA in the near future.
Soldered keyboard - no. Keyboard is a potential wear part that may require replacement.
Slightly outdated parts (For example a 9th gen Intel CPU and GTX 1650) - my daily ultrabook is a 7th gen, and my workstation is an aging Haswell chip.
(in case of used) Slightly damaged chassis (ex. paint coming off) - wear is fine, as long as function is fully present.
Bad Reputation of a specific device (not brand) / Good Reputation of a specific device (not brand) - i form my own opinions.
Landyn said:
Do a cost analysis,
the more expensive your laptop the more future-proof it should be.
But its fine buying a cheaper laptop that doesn’t have most of these things.
Thanks for your reply!
As a fun fact i can tell you that my laptop (1200 usd) has only 2 parts that i wouldn’t be able to fix in any way:
CPU and Motherboard.
Everything else is replaceable to some extend.
GPU? I have a thunderbolt port, i can just plug in another one if it dies.
How would i plug it in if the GPU dies? Well i have an iGPU. Moreover its a Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96eu’s which is quite solid.
RAM? i have 64 GB and if it won’t be enough a huge page file would do the trick.
Ports? 4 out of 8 are replaceable and one of these 4 is the second charging port (USB-C) so if the main one dies, no problem.
Though it got coil whine after 5 months (as far as i know nothing dangerous though)
Soldered Storage / Replaceable Storage - Replaceable Storage all the time
Soldered Ports / / Replaceable Ports - All ports are soldered on unless you have Framework laptop.
Hard to find replace parts - Depends on the manufacturer.
HDD / eMMC storage - HDD - can be replaced with a SATA SSD. eMMC is generally soldered on.
SSD storage - Definite but depends on the storage format M.2 2280/2242/2230 PCIE 5.0, 4.0, 3.0,
One / Multiple SSD slots - Depends on the motherboard - most are going to be 1 to 2x SSD M.2 slots
It being a MacBook - FUCK MACS.
Soldered keyboard - Meh issue - Can be replaced with Bluetooth keyboard or USB wired keyboard.
Slightly outdated parts (For example a 9th gen Intel CPU and GTX 1650) - 9th gen hardware is massively out of date Q2-2019) Laptops age quickly for hardware. That would also dictate the supporting hardware such as DDR4 usage / RAM speed / M2 PCIE generation / GPU hardware.
(in case of used) Slightly damaged chassis (ex. paint coming off) - Paint is something I can live with, Physical dents or parts falling off - harder to live with. More money off compared to the original purchase price.
Bad Reputation of a specific device (not brand) / Good Reputation of a specific device (not brand) - This becomes something I can try work out with external vendors to negotiate and repair. Examples - Microcenter or Best Buy with their 2 year Accidental protection and warranty support beyond the manufacturer’s provision.
Replaceable only, unless it is a thin and light device or has more than 64GB of RAM.
Soldered Storage / Replaceable Storage
Replaceable only, unless Apple
Soldered Ports / / Replaceable Ports
Prefer replaceable, but I’ve never had a port go bad on me.
Hard to find replace parts
No.
HDD / eMMC storage
No.
SSD storage
NVMe only.
One / Multiple SSD slots
2x NVMe is great, but I’ll take one in a machine under 14" and under.
It being a MacBook
M1 or better is fine.
Soldered keyboard
No.
Slightly outdated parts (For example a 9th gen Intel CPU and GTX 1650)
In 2024, I wouldn’t buy a machine with a 9th gen and 1650. However, I own a machine with a i7-9750H and a T2000 (professional version of a 1650 Max-Q). That spec was fine when I purchased it three years ago, but is quite outdated today.
(in case of used) Slightly damaged chassis (ex. paint coming off)
Scratches and peeling paint build character and can be covered by stickers if annoying. Dents are a no.
Bad Reputation of a specific device (not brand) / Good Reputation of a specific device (not brand)
Nothing with a bad reputation, and good reputation is preferred.
My main laptop is currently ThinkPad P1 Gen 2 w/ i7-9750H, 4GB T2000 (essentially a 1650 Max Q), 64GB of RAM 2TB+2TB NVMe storage, and a 4k OLED screen. It has replaceable RAM & storage, parts are easy to replace, 2 NVMe slots, a replaceable keyboard, it more than slightly outdated, a chassis with a little wear, and a general good reputation for this model. When I buy another machine, I’d like to purchase something with specs that are better in all categories.
My travel laptop is a ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 w/ 8th gen Intel CPU, 16GB of soldered RAM, and 1TB NVMe (replaceable). In a thinner machine, I’m willing to accept less replaceability as long as the product has a good reputation and the price is right.