I'm looking for a new laptop! What should I look out for?

[Kiko!]

I'm thinking about getting a new laptop when mines inevitably crashes and burns, or when I just feel like I want an upgrade and sell it. When I do get a new one, I don't want it to be another mac. I'll probably miss the convenience of being able to text on my laptop but I want to start slowly veering away from Apple entirely. My current laptop is a MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015), MacOS Monterey so it's pretty outdated. Though, it runs incredibly well and have more problems on the family computer than I do my laptop. XD

I want a laptop that...

• I can connect a drawing pad to and can handle running an art program + multiple windows.
• Can handle running Linux.
• That isn't anything less than a 13" because that's the one I currently have and I'm fine with that.
• Under 500 dollars, so secondhand is fine.

I will be doing more research when the time comes, as I'm not in a rush. My laptop is a champ, after all. I just wanted to know what I should be looking for, given what I want. If nothing is viable, which may happen because of my budget, I am willing to also give or take some qualities. But, I doubt that will be an issue. I'm mostly just looking for a laptop that works well without lagging when I have a lot of things running. With my limited tech knowledge it would have to have an i5,i7 core, no?

Let me know!!

[IndigoGolem]

If you're planning to switch to Linux anyway, maybe consider keeping your current laptop for a while longer. Brennan Brown actually just wrote about this earlier today %. Unless it's already physically falling apart, that is. A lighter operating system won't fix a broken hinge.

Unless you're looking at some super intensive Linux distribution (distro) that i don't know about, i suspect just about anything will run better than MacOS or Windows. I've heard Ubuntu is easy to use for beginners, but look into different desktop environments (DEs) before you settle on it. The default one, GNOME, put me off of Ubuntu before i knew there were alternatives. I started with Linux Mint and it's very beginner friendly. But none of that is what you asked.

1: I'm pretty sure any modern computer will work with your drawing tablet, unless it requires some weird drivers in which case it might only work well with Windows or MacOS.

2: Linux, as mentioned earlier, will run better than Windows or MacOS on probably any hardware.

3-4: Sites like Ebay should let you search for laptops and filter by stuff like this, if you're shopping online. Here's a link to a search for your price and screen size %.

I suggest figuring out what other hardware features you want, and ignoring whatever stock operating system the computer comes with if you're just going to replace it with Linux. Consider things like a disc drive, nice keyboard, USB ports, HDMI, SD, headphone jack, trackpoint, etc.

I don't know much about graphics processors. If you play a lot of video games, look into what processor is good for that with Linux. If you watch a lot of TV or movies on your laptop, look into if it matters for that. If you just want to draw, i think anything is probably fine.

[Melooon]

it runs incredibly well and have more problems on the family computer than I do my laptop.

You know this should be the key point you look at. Unless your looking for a new hobby, get the hardware/os combo that is most reliable to you and fits your knowledge and workflow. If that means windows, windows might be the best choice, if it means mac, mac might be the best choice. Ethics and people complaining on the internet are all very well, but really the only thing that matters is how it works for you.

I've spent the last month doing all of my work on pre-2013 macs (running macos 10.9 from 2014) and all of them have been a great experience; not perfect by any means, and a lot of tinkering to run such an old version (thats my hobby), but it works well for my needs and its all still solid in 2026 - I say that to illustrate that you can kinda use whatever!

As for Apple, for all its MANY annoyances and faults, it's almost the last big tech company making good products at an affordable price that are not trying to cram ads at you, or harvest (as much of) your data. There's a practicality factor that there are so many macbooks on earth that they are really affordable second hand, and all the parts for every mac made in the last 15 years are still for sale, including new batteries. There is prob not a single repair shop that cant fix a mac, that makes them essentially last forever in a weird twist of repairability.

Sooo I'll be a pain and say, an M1 Macbook Pro or Air is the best deal you can get for 500, it fits all your requirements and it will be the longest lasting and best value choice for your money.

With any laptop made today, Mac or not; you want the basics of 16GB+ RAM, 500GB+ SSD storage - and from the sounds of it any processor M1+ or i5/i7 will be fine for you - after that its all personal preference about size, ports etc.

Can handle running Linux.

You're already running macos which is a UNIX based os, other than installing custom interfaces, almost all linux software already runs on your computer, you don't need a separate OS for it.

I can connect a drawing pad

Careful with this one, there's no wacom drivers for linux and im not sure how good the 3rd party ports are. On Mac and windows you'll have an issue if its a very old tablet, sometimes old drivers work, sometimes not.

will run better than Windows or MacOS on probably any hardware

I've never found this to be true; everyone always says it, but having tried linux on a lot stuff for over 10 years from macbooks to custom made PCs, it's usually the same for me I feel like this might be a hangover from the 2000s when hardware really was super limited.

[Slix]

I agree with what Melooon said about sticking with what you know and are comfortable with as a good starting point to consider. I know you said you don't want another Mac, but if you decide you end up wanting one in the future, I'd suggest looking into the newly announced MacBook Neo, which starts at $599, but if you are either working in education or are in school, you can use Apple's education discount to get the $499 price for the starting model. It will be leaps and bounds faster than your 2015, and you'll be able to transfer all your settings and stuff when you set it up from your current MacBook. I imagine these will have random discounts after they've been out for a few months as well.

If you want to try out Linux, you could partition your current MacBook and do that, while also keeping macOS on it for anything else you're doing. The processors in the 2015s are pretty solid still, and would run a modern Linux OS quite well.

[Kiko!]

It's embarrassing it took me so long to respond. I made a reply ages ago but it apparently got deleted after i pressed post. i got so mad, i didn't log on for a month or so. :,)

I've heard Ubuntu is easy to use for beginners, but look into different desktop environments (DEs) before you settle on it

I'll keep that into consideration! Thank you. I've also hear that Ubuntu and Mint were beginner friendly before as I was doing light digging on it. Nonetheless, I will continue doing my research!

Any modern computer will work with your drawing tablet

I understand that. Though, it's more about if it works well. If I were to use a drawing tablet i would want it to be able to have a drawing software up, multiple tabs open, another tech plugged in, and run a couple of high quality games with no friction, yknow?

Consider things like a disc drive, nice keyboard, USB ports, HDMI, SD, headphone jack, trackpoint, etc.

That might be my best bet, yeah! Though I wouldn't be able to tell what I want hardware wise because I haven't had any other laptops besides ones i've used during elementary school and my current Mac.

Ethics and people complaining on the internet are all very well, but really the only thing that matters is how it works for you.

But I kind of agree with all the the complaining. I'd rather be inconvenienced and aware of what I'm spending my money on rather than the alternative. There's nothing that I can't get used to or can't learn!

an M1 Macbook Pro or Air is the best deal you can get for 500

I'll consider this, thank you!

you want the basics of 16GB+ RAM, 500GB+ SSD storage ... any processor M1+ or i5/i7

This is exactly what I was asking! The question was basically "What should i be looking for in terms of all the techy stuff so i can filter them down to laptops I would personally like?" Thank you so so much!

I'd suggest looking into the newly announced MacBook Neo

I have seen that! I think it's great of Apple to appeal to students and make an affordable but working laptop for people to use! I don't think I will change my stance on Mac, a lot of the keyboard interfaces piss me off trying to use, but I will consider this.

[arcus]

$500 as in USD?

I want a laptop that...
I can connect a drawing pad to and can handle running an art program + multiple windows.

What is the brand and model of your tablet?

I'll keep that into consideration! Thank you. I've also hear that Ubuntu and Mint were beginner friendly before as I was doing light digging on it. Nonetheless, I will continue doing my research!

The main thing that effects them on the surface is the desktop environment. The desktop environment is a bundle of basic apps and effects how the taskbar and windows look and feel. There's multiple different kinds, but the main two are KDE Plasma which is similar to Windows, and GNOME which is similar to MacOS but has branched away over the years. The links below lead to Linux distros that run in browser.

Mint is tailored for beginners and has the most beginner friendly community. If you run into problems, it's easy to find answers on the forum or in the official chat. It has three desktop environments to choose from. MATE is an older version of GNOME, while Xfce and Cinnamon are more similar to Windows.

Bazzite has a smaller community, but is focused on gaming, with multiple tools pre-installed to make that easier. A pro (and sometimes con) with it is that it's immutable, which helps prevent the system breaking, but also prevents you from installing a different desktop environment. It's desktop environment uses KDE Plasma, which is similar to Windows.

Ubuntu and it's derivatives are also popular for beginners. Ubuntu uses GNOME.

Kubuntu is a version of Ubuntu that uses KDE Plasma instead.

I understand that. Though, it's more about if it works well. If I were to use a drawing tablet i would want it to be able to have a drawing software up, multiple tabs open, another tech plugged in, and run a couple of high quality games with no friction, yknow?

Which art programs, browser, and games were you thinking of running at the same time?

Careful with this one, there's no wacom drivers for linux and im not sure how good the 3rd party ports are.

Wacom have been officially supplying drivers to the Linux kernel since 2002.

[Kiko!]

$500 as in USD?

Yeah sorry, I forget that there are different currencies LMAO

What is the brand and model of your tablet?

I don't have a tablet just yet. I put it off even though I was going to buy one a couple of weeks ago. i found that it would probably be a waste until I make art serious, because knowing me I will buy it and not draw for months. So, it's not a priority but definitely a possibility.

I was thinking this model from XPPEN because it's pretty cheap and its reliable.

Which art programs, browser, and games were you thinking of running at the same time?

I wanted to use Krita and Magma and I use firefox. I don't play any demanding games but ones like minecraft, roblox, stardew valley with mods, etc etc. um yeah. I just have a scatterbrain and leave so many windows and tabs open and I don't want performance to be sacrificed

[arcus]

I don't have a tablet just yet. I put it off even though I was going to buy one a couple of weeks ago. i found that it would probably be a waste until I make art serious, because knowing me I will buy it and not draw for months. So, it's not a priority but definitely a possibility.

This site has good guides on buying a tablet. Any Wacom tablet should work fine as-is, while other tablets will require OpenTabletDriver (check the compatibility list.)

You can buy tablets much cheaper second hand and in good quality as artists tend to upgrade or find that they prefer other types. If you don't need a display tablet and just want to try one out, you could easily get a pen tablet second hand for under $30 USD.

I was thinking this model from XPPEN because it's pretty cheap and its reliable.

That tablet (assuming it's the first gen) is supported with OpenTabletDriver but the touch bar doesn't work. The second gen version has full support.

I wanted to use Krita and Magma and I use firefox. I don't play any demanding games but ones like minecraft, roblox, stardew valley with mods, etc etc. um yeah. I just have a scatterbrain and leave so many windows and tabs open and I don't want performance to be sacrificed

The specs Melon suggested should be good. The main focus being the 16 GB of RAM, ideally more if possible. You can choose to make a big swap partition (basically uses disk space as extra RAM) when you install an OS, but that will take up extra disk space and would make your disk last not as long (but it will still last for years.) Look up the most resource intensive games you would want to play and look at their system requirements to double check.

You'll need Sober to play Roblox under Linux (you can install it through an app store.) The other things you listed work fine.


For an actual recommendation, a recent Thinkpad or pretty much anything with the specs Melon suggested from Facebook Marketplace or Ebay. Thinkpads are popular with businesses, have good specs, support Linux well, are easy to repair, and aren't too hard to find second hand.

Depending on where you are, you might have a local auction house nearby that sells business' used computers. This is the cheapest option if you're lucky. Presuming you live in the US you can check AuctionZip or search for your state + "auction house".

Good luck with finding a new laptop!

[sunnyp4rk]

My Windows Vista era HP compaq laptop from the 00s can run Linux Mint pretty well, so it's not like you need the beefiest hardware to run Linux. I'm pretty sure it could run on a potato for the most part.