So again, the Lemmy verse is still really confusing and finding the right communities for the right post. This sub seems like they would definitely know about this though

I have always been a laptop guy my whole life because the portability, flexibility and comfortability of them. Never got into PCs or towers because I feel like you gotta have like a workstation and desk all setup. Id rather be able to lay on the couch in front of my TV while using a laptop lol

But anyway, my current dell xps 13 9310 running Debian 12 is slowly reaching its end. The thing only came with TWO ports, both being USB c. Well after years of heavy usage, they’re slowly breaking down. Idk if it would be worth replacing the mother board or just starting over?

Are there any good alternatives or options you guys can think of. I’m simple, in don’t game at all, purely just watch/stream stuff, browse and research and lately have been taking learning more about computing tech more seriously, so I’ve been tinkering and experimenting too. I plan to build skills to work with computer/tech professionally.

I’ve read about thin clients or even mini PCs and idk which route is best bang for buck and most logical. Or if there are known older laptops with great bones but need some minor upgrades to bring it back to current technology. I’m open minded but again, focused on something portable, affordable, smooth, flexible, durable etc. I’m talking a budget solution, like no more than $350ish. There’s probably technology available for this that I’m not even aware of!

Hope you all can help or point me to the right Lemmy communities. Thanks

  • AngryDemonoid@lemmy.lylapol.com
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    1 year ago

    My use case sounds similar to yours, so I’d second the T480. I got one 7-8 months ago, and it’s been great so far. Only thing I changed was I put in a backlit keyboard.

    I don’t know any general laptop communities. At leasr not ones with any activity, but !thinkpad@lemmy.ml seems relatively active.

    If you ever need to find a community, https://lemmyverse.net/communities is a decent place to start.

    • Stapling9851@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      Thank you! A backlit keyboard is definitely something I’d like. Was the replacement simple? Would you say its a pretty newb friendly project?

      • AngryDemonoid@lemmy.lylapol.com
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        1 year ago

        Extremely simple! It’s literally just a few screws and unplug the old one and put in the new. Took all of 10 minutes and at least half of that was trying to find my small screwdriver bits. Lol