Thunderbolt 4 and good CPU for $800-1500? SWE

**Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:**

8000-15000 SEK or below, but really as cheap as possible of course. I’m in Sweden.

**Are you open to refurbs/used?**

Absolutely.

**How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?**

Form Factor, Performance, Battery life, build quality(I want an okay-good keyboard. The rest of the laptop can be made of pringles tubes for all I care).

**How important is weight and thinness to you?**

The end goal is to also carry a (small) custom made eGPU, so quite important. Thinness more so than weight, though.

**Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.**

Preferably 13-14”. But 15-15.6” is fine if other requirements are met. 15.6” is all that fits in my backpack.

**Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.**

I will do some light CAD work for 3D-printing in freeCad and/or Fusion360. I also use blender and Premiere somewhat frequently. Never made any hugely demanding video projects though, and i’d have a desktop to rely on for more daunting tasks. Although.. If I could run simple Unreal projects with the egpu that’d be a dream.

I study CS so a good screen (and keyboard), modern CPU and RAM upgradeability are all big plusses.

**If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?**

I’m only going to do light gaming. I don’t want to have to plug into a wall to play my games on the go. If it plays something like frostpunk non-pixelated (yes that’s where the bar is) at ~30 or so fps then I’ll probably be satisfied. A 780M would do me great.

**Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?**

Thunderbolt 4 for the eGPU! Or a good alternative I suppose. I’m open to using extra m.2 slots or removing WiFi modules.

If there is a touchscreen that you can use with a pen that’d also be a big plus! It’f be great for use in blender and for note taking.

**Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.**

I don’t really need a dedicated gpu. I have a desktop and (will have) an eGPU.

I rank form factor so high because I do not wan’t a gaming laptop. I want quiet operation. Arguably as important as the Thunderbolt.

The second reason is I’d like to steer away from macbooks. Unless you have a very convincing arguement…

Thirdly I kind of love the idea of having a tablet or a 2-in-1 machine, but this isn’t a must either.

Thanks for helping out! :)