Just set up camp in the computer room and don't come out. Bolt yourself in and pretend to be out when they come knocking wanting the room back.

As yet, I'm not sure what you're going to do for toilet breaks, or food.

I'm imagining a situation such as this. Whether you're the guy in the glasses, or liken yourself more to the boys is up to you. :J

I had a similar issue myself, compounded by the fact that no current manufacturer makes a laptop with a decent screen (matte, 16:10 or 3:2), decent keyboard (nice key travel and feel), and decent trackpad (not too big, ideally with discrete buttons). Some laptops have one or two of these, but I'm yet to find a modern one with all three.

In the end, I upgraded my old 2010 ThinkPad X201 (now has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD) and bought a new battery for it.

What did you get battery-wise?

A while back I looked and they were £60+ for unbranded (and twice that for a Lenovo sticker), but now they seem to be going for as low as £15.

I'm not as specific and you and BP. I just wanted a screen which was at least 1080p, no bigger than 13.3".

Ended up with a Dell Inspiron 5378. Not ideal but happy I got it.

To be honest, I asked for it as a Christmas pressie, so it's actually a proper Lenovo one and holds a good charge as a result. Haven't tried some of the unbranded or Duracell ones, but I might try one at some point as I do like having a spare battery.

Like a lot of things, Lenovo batteries are just a sticker put on a Panasonic/Sanyo/Sony product (and a couple of unverified reports suggest Panasonic do the best ones).

What I don't know is if the cheap ones are one of those brands or are completely unbranded, (which I'd avoid because fires and stuff) - so guess I'm going to have to try asking and prepare myself for a few rounds of support staff misunderstanding and telling me it's guaranteed lenovo compatible etc.

"support staff"

Call center ESL smurfs fielding calls for disparate products who know SFA about any of them, and are reading from scripts from which they aren't allowed to deviate in any case?

As it happens, bought a new refurb PC today and an SSD to go with it. How exciting.

Definitely. What did you get?
 

Aye. :'(

Grade: A Grade Refurbished Desktop
Brand & Model: Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF
Processor: Intel i7-4790 3.60GHz
Screen: N/A
Memory: 16GB DDR3
Storage: 500GB Sata Hard Drive
Optical Drive: DVD RW
Graphics: AMD RADEON R7 250 2GB
Input Device: UK Qwerty Keyboard & Mouse
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit & Libre Office
Wireless: No
Bluetooth: No
Ports: 6 X USB 2.0 Ports, 4 x USB 3.0 Ports, Serial Port, Mouse & keyboard Ports RJ-45 Network Port, VGA port, 2 x Display Ports
Warranty: 12 Months
https://itzoo.co.uk/collections/pc-base-units/products/dell-optiplex-9020-sff-desktop-computer-i7-4790-3-60ghz-16gb-windows-12

For just under £300. Had a code for 10% off.
240GB SSD for £59

I'll swap the graphics card for what I'm currently using.

That's pretty good value!

I thought so too. It came up on HUKD a week or two ago but sold out when I happened to find it searching for something else. Signed up to their mailing list and more came in stock.

Cheaper but better spec (older generation processor but faster) than similar workstations on the Dell Outlet I was seriously considering so I'm happy.

Quick look around suggests that the 'standard' offers on this are nearly all i5, nearly all 4/8GB tbh, and nearly all more expensive - so a genuine bargain there.

Looks that way. And it's already been delivered, quick turn around. Should last me a good few years.

Now to figure out how to split stuff for an SSD + HDD windows and Linux dual boot.

I'm toying with the idea, heretical though it seems.

To quote the official teh-devil-on-your-shoulder 
 

Although, now that I re-read that quote, he must have been typing with his phone. Unless, perhaps, doing 'eeet' would empoverish me to the extent that I'd starve.

Well, excitement wasn't quite as long lived as I'd hoped.

Probably won't fit a 3.5" and 2.5" drive, may have to ditch the optical drive, which isn't really an issue.

Bigger problem is the x16 slot is on the left, rather than right, which means my double width card probably won't work in x1 slot :C

Replacing the 3.5" drive with a slimmer 3.5" drive means I can now fit the SSD in.
Turns out the GFX card works fine in the other slot.
All good!