My opinion,

It is not good to buy an expensive laptop. Go for a desktop if you want power.

for laptop, I would say intel cpu _and_ igpu. (at least until new ryzen for laptops could make me reconsider that). Do not go for dgpu for laptop. Intel gpu is not bad at all these days and if you want better just go for desktop.

for desktop, I would say ryzen cpu and amd gpu. Since 2018 amdgpu+mesa has become that good that for most purposes you will be much better with amd and it just works on linux.

I would say instead of buying an expensive laptop, buy a nice desktop and a not expensive laptop for your more mobile needs. Money on expensive laptops unless they are needed for very specific needs are wasted in my opinion because you want a better monitor and keyboard anyway than any laptop can offer. And the desktop can change parts. Also a heavy laptop is not that mobile anyway.

Quoting: Purple Puddingfor gaming and VMs
laptop
not too heavy

Conflicting characteristics. I'd recommend a desktop instead of a laptop. You will be able to upgrade anything in it, and for 1000€ you can get a very good computer with Ryzen 7 and RTX 2060 or RX 590.

Quoting: Guest16GB RAM models are expensive

I'd recommend to look for a low-RAM model with ability to put more RAM into it. My 5 years old laptop had 4 GB, and I upgraded it to 12 (4+8).

Your wishes are, like many laptop users, quite conflicting. You can't expect a light, powerful *and* cheap laptop to be available. Also, I expect what you consider to be light, powerful, cheap, gaming-ready or aesthetically pleasing isn't necessarily going to align with another computer user's expectations.

Some gamers would want their computer to play games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider using Ultra graphics settings at FHD resolution or higher. Another gamer would be happy to play Prison Architect, which could happily run on a potato laptop with XFCE desktop and 2GB RAM.

Some computer users would be willing to compromise on certain things, e.g. size or weight of laptop, in order to facilitate better performance components, e.g. Allowing for a high refresh-rate display and integrated GTX1070 graphics.

Then you also get into other interesting areas with Linux users. Some Linux people dislike Windows so much that they would not buy a machine which came pre-installed with Windows. Those users might balk at the thought of Microsoft receiving any of their money. Also, you might find that a particular laptop model has compatibility worries with Linux, even if the worry is just trying to ensure that the graphics isn't wasting the battery while the laptop is idle.

Maybe one of your ways forward is to use a laptop company which will customise the model to your requirements. I visited PC Specialist website and configured a no-operating system Vyper 15.6" model, which had 16GB RAM SODIMM occupying 1 slot (2nd slot free), GTX1060 6GB graphics, i5-8300H, FHD screen, 256GB very fast M.2 drive, 1TB mechanical drive, 32GB Optane drive cache, and silver warranty for £1027 inc VAT.

Buying it online, with distance-selling laws might be best if you wish to see if you can get Linux working on it, and return it if you run into problems.

Also, another thing I noticed: There aren't many Ryzen laptops out there suitable for gaming. Practically all the high-end gaming laptops are Intel + NVidia. If I wanted to game on a Ryzen laptop with AMD graphics, I'd want RX580 4GB graphics or better. Vega 10 graphics isn't good enough. Gaming-wise Ryzen + decent AMD graphics is very limited, unfortunately.

Something with upcoming Ryzen 3000 APUs can be interesting. Lenovo are going to make one soon. Current version (Thinkpad E485) is still using first generation Ryzen, so it will be refreshed.

Should good enough for not very demanding gaming and work.

As to the capability to run VMs, one thing to consider is whether the CPU includes the virtualization extensions (VT-x, for extended page tables; VT-d for directed I/O). This link should take you to a page on the intel website, which filters out mobile processors with VT-x & -d technology: https://ark.intel.com/Search/FeatureFilter?productType=processors&VTD=true&MarketSegment=Mobile&ExtendedPageTables=true

(EDIT: I don't know the corresponding technologies on AMD processors.)

Also, let me be 'that guy', and make the following annoying point about gaming on a laptop: Cooling a laptop's components is unavoidably more difficult & less efficient compared to a desktop; so under the stress of a modern 3d game, the system is bound to get pretty hot for lengthy periods of time. That tends to shorten the life of the device.

Maybe a better solution (if your use case allows for it, of course) is to build a good desktop, and *in addition*, buy an entry-level laptop, or even a chromebook (it should be possible to run full Linux distros on those).

Quoting: wvstolzing(EDIT: I don't know the corresponding technologies on AMD processors.)

AMD call it AMD-v. CPU flag for it is 'svm' (Intel's one is 'vmx').

Quoting: GuestThis is an unique laptop for work:
https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linux-Hardware/Linux-Notebooks/10-14-Zoll/TUXEDO-InfinityBook-14-14-Zoll-matt-Full-HD-IPS-Aluminiumgehaeuse-Intel-Core-i5-CPU-8GB-RAM-sehr-lange-Akkulaufzeit-USB-Typ-C.tuxedo#

I have been looking at Tuxedo computers and this one looks amazing. Unfortunately, for some reason, if you want a keyboard other than DE (I need the US keyboard) you need to upgrade to 16GB of RAM for 90€. This was way over my budget so I had to give up on it. I could order it without the SSD to bring the price down and install one and the system myself, but I really wanted to just get a new computer with the system already installed. I haven't bought one like that since 2010 when I got the Macbook Pro I'm writing this from.

So I ordered a Katana II from Slimbook and asked them to put Mint on it. I took the cheapest model (4GB RAM, 120GB SSD) only upgrading the Wifi/Bluetooth to the more expensive one. I'll just upgrade the parts I need as I go along. They also don't charge extra for installing other language keyboards, but they say it extends the build time by 2-3 weeks (!!!). Oh well, a Spanish keyboard is as useless to me as a German one so I'm prepared to wait.

Their EU shipping is also outrageously expensive - they take 65€ and say shipping time is 1-2 weeks. I asked UPS to do me a quote for a laptop-sized package with insurance and their offer was less than 30€ with 1-day delivery. I commented to Slimbook about it when ordering, I'm fully expecting to be ignored.

Anyway, if their time estimates hold I should have it in 5 weeks. I'm actually pretty excited.

If you have nothing against second hand computers, take a look at your local Craiglist, you can find some great deals on Dell Precision mobile workstations and with your budget you can find a pretty neat one. They are sturdy, well ventilated with great components like Xeon, Quadro or FirePro, highly and easily up-gradable. Mine is ten years, I slapped 8Gb of Ram and an SSD with Mint XFCE inside and it is still working like a charm, even the battery is still functional.

And to reduce the risk of buying used, you can transfer the ownership and extend the warranty of the Precision computers.

That's what I'll do when I 'll need a new one and as a certified laptop killer, I'll never buy a consumer laptop again. Go pro.

I hate those used bastards, would never have anything to do with them.

Quoting: damarrinI hate those used bastards, would never have anything to do with them.

As another contributor to this post, my own personal opinion is that I am very happy picking up items second-hand and used, just like TobyGornow stated in a previous comment.

Buying brand new, you are typically paying twice as much for an item, and within days of you owning it then it is magically a "used" item (used by you) and then (typically) worth half as much (were you to sell it).

Technology, the way it is sold nowadays, is treated as you use it for a couple of years and replace it with a brand new product. This is the way that companies like Apple want you to treat commodities. They want you to keep on returning and using up all your disposable income on these items which will become worthless in a few years time.

Here is how I consume technology: I buy used/second-hand and pay as little as necessary for items. I try to keep the items useful for a decent life-time. My spare disposable income goes into my savings, pensions and property so that I can avoid becoming a "work slave" for the rest of my life.

Finishing off with the fact that I've bought numerous second-hand items, vastly cheaper than the price when new, and these items are in the same condition I'd expect them to be in after I'd owned them for a few months (noting that I keep items very well, no cracked screens, no noticeable scratches). New = Pay 25 to 90% more and get it in a pristine box (and then get it dirty yourself in a month's time).