[dmnmnm]

>Wait for a model that doesn't have an NPU

How many years from now? There isn't any high end CPU in laptops without those useless things now.

> buy an older model that doesn't

I don't think you've ever shopped for laptops, or you're lucky and live in a country that is particularly plentiful for choices in PCs. Looking for the specific combination of having 32gb of ram, 1tb of SSD, an AMD CPU (with Intel's current manufacturing woes I was not willing to gamble), an NVIDIA GPU with a minimum of 8 gb of vram took far more efforts than I am normally to spend doing activities like shopping. And now you tell me "do all that while looking for a model that predates NPUs"?

Of course I could order online from god knows where but I like buying from retailers that are known to honor their warranty well and good since there's always the possibility of buying lemons and I don't feel like wasting time shipping crap myself when I could just exchange it in place if it happened.

[ruthmarx]

> How many years from now?

Entirely up to you. Point is, vote with your money.

> There isn't any high end CPU in laptops without those useless things now.

Even not considering processors from Intel/AMD?

> I don't think you've ever shopped for laptops,

I've purchased 6 in my life.

> Looking for the specific combination of having 32gb of ram, 1tb of SSD, an AMD CPU (with Intel's current manufacturing woes I was not willing to gamble), an NVIDIA GPU with a minimum of 8 gb of vram took far more efforts than I am normally to spend doing activities like shopping.

So be less picky or find a laptop that lets up upgrade the parts.

> I don't feel like wasting time shipping crap myself when I could just exchange it in place if it happened.

Fine, but this is a compromise you are willing to make, just like paying for the NPU. That's my point.

You don't need a super modern laptop.