Suggestions for used and modular laptop for language learning
I've recently come back to studying German, after having taken a small break for a few months for a new job.
My main form of study is immersion (I recently stumbled across the books of Walter Moers and haven't looked back since) and conversation practice on iTalki.
Nowadays, I try my hardest to only buy tech second-hand and preferably as future proof and modular as possible. My go-to machines are a fully modded Lenovo Thinkpad T430, and a more humble Thinkpad X230, both running Linux (Ubuntu and PopOS respectively). They work just fine for my basic needs (mostly surfing, some occasional streaming and word processing). But they struggle during my conversation lessons on iTalki or Zoom, most of the time either overheating or freezing/stumbling. I realize this might be a Linux problem, but I have also found the web camera and built-in microphone on both machines to be really inadequate for video calls. I gave up using my own laptops for my language lessons over a year ago, and now have resorted to stealing my partners Macbook, which isn't ideal.
Do you have any recommendations for any more recent laptops that would offer a better video conference experience, while offering at least a removable battery? Pricewise it would be great to be find something below €500 used.
It may not be a good fit for you since it's way over the €500 price point even for a used model, but I think in terms of longevity and repairability you can't really beat the Framework laptop
Framework's official marketplace site sells 'Factory Second' models and refurbished models. Some of the listings are out of stock, but full kits are generally in the range of $600-$800.
Factory Seconds are laptop kits assembled using leftover parts and need a few more parts to be functional (hence the 'full' qualifier above). The cheapest listed is $499, which is out of stock right now.
I don't own a Framework laptop myself and can't speak to its performance first-hand. What I can say is I've been following them since they launched, and I've good enough impression of the company and product reviews that Framework is probably going to be what I'll get when I'm in the market for a laptop.
I actually didn't know about Factory Seconds until now, so this has piqued my interest. If I were to blindly pick the cheapest option available in their marketplace for each of the additional parts needed:
That adds up to about $140.
While not nearly as modifiable, an older Dell Latitude might fit your use case. I have a Dell Latitude 5400 with an i7 and 32GB RAM running Arch Linux and have had no problems using the built in webcam. It does have an easily replaceable battery (in fact almost all components are easily replaced/upgraded), but it is not removable in the battery pack sense, if that's what you're after.
Some quick price checking shows them ranging from 200-300€, as a business laptop they are quite internationally ubiquitous so I can't imagine they would be particularly hard to find for similar prices.
Something more modern may also fit in your budget and be a bit more future proof, though I fully expect to be able to use mine for another 5 or 6 years at least.
I had an X230 for a looong time, and it did run Zoom better in windows (10) than Linux (mint), but I ran an external Webcam through COVID shutdown time for the reason you mention.
Just got a T480, and it's a good daily driver. Webcam still not great, but passable. I actually haven't gotten the Webcam to work yet in windows (11), but it works just fine and the picture is acceptable for video conference in Linux (mint again).
Given your proclivity for ThinkPads, and the obligatory cult mindset, I should suggest a newer thinkpad.
I’m curious what mods you’ve made to your T430. I went pretty wild with mine - but ended up flying too close to the sun and now it’s unstable.
When I last had similar issues with Zoom, it was on an Intel Macbook and was 100% due to heating issues (that thing wheezes like an asthmatic pug and I live where there's no air conditioning -- I only had the issues during the summer). As a result, I would recommend against going for something as high-end as Framework and focus very heavily on laptops with good thermals (though it might be hard to find explicit references to thermals outside of gaming laptops, which are probably too much for your use case).
While you're hunting, I recommend getting a laptop desk with a fan or other cooling element in it. I had one and it definitely helped keep things working on hot days.