My IT department recommends a Dell Inspiron 14 5000 or a Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 7000. However, security and FOSS are very important to me. I want a laptop with some form of open firmware—such as coreboot—but I also strongly prefer AMD to Intel. I am a freshman going into college to study CS.
Old refurbished thinkpads are great and cheap. I have a X230 and it serves me well. I am also in CS.
Remember that you can buy a laptop without Windows, save some bucks, and install it linux. But you probably are gonna need it.
I agree with everyone else a few year old thinkpad with upgradable ram and storage would be good. I don’t know what your budget is but if you want an open source computer system76 makes preconfigured Linux computers. They are pricey but it’s another option.
I'm also a CS student and I settled on buying a refurbished thinkpad from ebay for like around 90~ USD. For me, it gets the job done with most tasks however VMs are kinda of a pain in the ass. If you do buy refurbished definitely get one without an OS 'cause depending on your engineering program, you may get a free key for the educational version of Windows 10 which I absolutely prefer over the shit they usually preinstall on your computer.
I would recommend getting some used Thinkpad as well, but it depends on your budget. If you can afford it you might want to get a System76 Darter Pro or Oryx Pro, which are sold with coreboot.
System76 is rumored to be releasing an AMD laptop with coreboot, but it will most likely be more expensive than most laptops with similar specs.
From the perspective of an IT guy, I’d want you to get whatever laptop is common in the environment so that I can actually support you. I’m way more likely to have spare parts and familiarity with common issues that way.
