This is a bit of a selfish post, but I don’t think I’m the only one out there interested in this. I’m in the market for a more recent laptop, my most recent laptop is from 2017, and boy have I been burned in the past by laptops that look good on paper, but end up being pretty disappointing in their design and upgradability. I don’t need a high powered machine, but what I do want is the ability to increase or replace ram, storage, etc. These aren’t usually hard to find, but I do feel like finding a laptop with those upgradable components while also being well designed is a bit more difficult to come by.
I am currently having a blast upgrading my extremely old IBM X31 (2003, mine since 2006) and in opening it up it’s just a joy to see things laid out in an easy to maintain, accessible, and efficient (functionally and with respect to maintenance) manner. There are minimal shortcuts made to handle thermal characteristics, vents are placed where cool air should be brought in instead of just someplace convenient, and ram and other components are easy to replace.
Surely there have been some laptops made in the last 5 years that also have these characteristics, but in my research it’s real hard to find out which ones they are. So my question to you Lemmings who often take apart and maintain laptops, what would you consider to be the best designed laptops for longevity and maintenance that have come out recently?
In Dell machine from that time (like the XPS 9550) is pretty easy to upgrade the Ram, the storage or replace the battery. On some models you can sacrifice battery life (using a smaller one) for a second ssd.
On some model also the keyboard is pretty easy to replace.
I have a 9560, and I’ve personally replaced the ssd, ram, battery (multiple times, both sizes), ac jack, and wireless adapter, plus redid the thermal paste, this all in the 5 or 6 years that I’ve had it. It’s pretty easy to work on, you just need a Phillips and a few sizes of torx. The official service manual is a huge resource there.
My L15 Thinkpad looks comparable too, though I’ve only done the ram it’s also just a matter of removing some screws.