I am a computer science student with specialization in machine learning and I need a new notebook. I work inside most of the time, but I take my notebook to presentations / collaborative development / lectures quite often.Past NotebookI am currently using the Acer TravelMate 5744Z. It has several pain points:Only 4 GB RAMNo SSDWeak CPU: I compile LaTeX documents VERY often. So single-threaded CPU power does matter to me.Too heavyBattery lasts for about 2h (3.7h according to the specs)15.6 screen which I like very muchAnd some good pointsEverything works out of the box on LinuxIt's VERY silent! (29,6 - 32,0 dB(A) in idle mode, according to notebookcheck)Sturdy enough to be put into my backpack without any protective caseThe size of the keyboard is comfortable. I don't need the numpad, though.All in all, I was happy with that notebook. However, as the battery seems / the power supply unit seems to have problems now. Together with the other issues, I think it is time for a new notebook, as I use it many hours every single day.Hard RequirementsHas to be available in GermanyHas to work with LinuxNot more than 2000 EuroAt least 8 GB RAMSSD with at least 120 GBNot heavier than 2.5 kg (inclusive battery, of course!)Battery has to last for at least 5 hours under random web surfing.Resolution of at least 1366x768Not more than 16 screen, not less than 13.3 (I'm not too sure if I will like small screens, though. And I'm not sure how I can figure that out without buying such a notebook)ConnectivityWLAN (which has to work out-of-the-box for Linux!)At least 3 USB portsHas to be silent under normal work load (e.g. surfing random web pages)PositiveThe follwing is positive, but I don't need it+++++D-SUB connector (VGA connector)Good keyboardGerman keyboard layoutSD card readerat least 256 GB of storage+++RJ45 slot for networkDVD playerMatte displayNVidia GPU which can be used for machine learningLess than 2.0 kgA review by a developer who uses Linux++USB 3.0 / USB 3.1+Aluminium caseBacklit keyboardWebcam / microphoneBluetoothNeutral / I don't careNumpadBlue-Ray playerAdditional informationI think I'm able to add RAM to the notebook by myself. I did so several times with desktop computers. However, if it doesn't make a price difference of more than 40 Euro I would prefer to let it be done by others.Related questionMy notebook (kind of) still works. I could wait for 2 more months without problems. Is there any benefit of waiting? Do prices significantly differ after Christmas? Are there new interesting notebooks being released?
Notebook for developers
laptop;linux;development