4 ms·

What are system76 keyboards and trackpads like? I wish I could touch one before having to decide whether to buy

by Rd6n6 5y ago

hellcow 5y ago
I bought a system76 years ago wanting to support their open source work. Maybe it's changed since (?), but mine had a Clevo shell which meant it had a bad keyboard and a terrible trackpad, with a cheap plastic feel and lots of flex. It's the first laptop I ever replaced within a month... The keyboard was later recalled, so I swapped it out with a new one they sent me which wasn't cut to the correct dimensions and never fit (bubbling up in the center and leaving a gap around the keyboard for things to fall into).
- istingray 5y ago
  Their newer stuff may be better. I just ordered a brand new Lemur Pro 14". Keyboard and trackpad aren't anything to brag about but seem fine.
trashface 5y ago
I have an oryp5 (2019). The keyboard is ok. The numeric pad is annoying though, as others have commented. I definitely prefer my old mac which didn't have one. The touchpad is awful. Way too sensitive to palm touches, even in windows - so it isn't just a linux driver issue. This might be related to the fact that its off center but I think its just lousy hardware. In linux I've tweaked both the touchpad area (reduced) and threshold settings but its still barely usable and I palm-touch constantly unless I hold my hand at an awkward angle. Maybe this pangolin is better but I looked at the overhead picture of the keyboard and it looks almost identical to my oryp5. The touchpad may be upgraded hardware, so I don't know. I love what system 76 is doing, PopOS is great, but I really wish they'd get off these Clevo laptops. The hardware just isn't very good, IMO.
- slategruen 5y ago
  > The touchpad is awful Have you tried it with Wayland?
  - trashface 5y ago
    No.
john_yaya 5y ago
I have a System76 Gazelle. The trackpad tends to freak out when I reboot, issuing random clicks and cursor jitters - so I usually have to reboot again, or deactivate the trackpad in Ubuntu. Multiple firmware and OS updates haven’t fixed this.
- masterof0 5y ago
  +1 on this, I got mine 2 years back, together with the fan noises, this was the "features" that annoyed me most. Also the Gazelle feels cheap, the keyboard is not terrible, but is not great either. I wish they they have a better quality case, a better keyboard, and a brighter screen panel. I have not tried the other models, I hope to get my hands on the Darter Pro, it seems promising. I think what System76 is doing is pretty cool, I just wish their products were more competitive.

What are system76 keyboards and trackpads like? I wish I could touch one before having to decide whether to buy

by Rd6n6 5y ago

What are system76 keyboards and trackpads like? I wish I could touch one before having to decide whether to buy

I bought a system76 years ago wanting to support their open source work. Maybe it's changed since (?), but mine had a Clevo shell which meant it had a bad keyboard and a terrible trackpad, with a cheap plastic feel and lots of flex. It's the first laptop I ever replaced within a month... The keyboard was later recalled, so I swapped it out with a new one they sent me which wasn't cut to the correct dimensions and never fit (bubbling up in the center and leaving a gap around the keyboard for things to fall into).

istingray 5y ago
Their newer stuff may be better. I just ordered a brand new Lemur Pro 14". Keyboard and trackpad aren't anything to brag about but seem fine.

trashface 5y ago

I have an oryp5 (2019). The keyboard is ok. The numeric pad is annoying though, as others have commented. I definitely prefer my old mac which didn't have one. The touchpad is awful. Way too sensitive to palm touches, even in windows - so it isn't just a linux driver issue. This might be related to the fact that its off center but I think its just lousy hardware. In linux I've tweaked both the touchpad area (reduced) and threshold settings but its still barely usable and I palm-touch constantly unless I hold my hand at an awkward angle. Maybe this pangolin is better but I looked at the overhead picture of the keyboard and it looks almost identical to my oryp5. The touchpad may be upgraded hardware, so I don't know. I love what system 76 is doing, PopOS is great, but I really wish they'd get off these Clevo laptops. The hardware just isn't very good, IMO.

slategruen 5y ago
> The touchpad is awful Have you tried it with Wayland?
- trashface 5y ago
  No.

john_yaya 5y ago

I have a System76 Gazelle. The trackpad tends to freak out when I reboot, issuing random clicks and cursor jitters - so I usually have to reboot again, or deactivate the trackpad in Ubuntu. Multiple firmware and OS updates haven’t fixed this.

masterof0 5y ago
+1 on this, I got mine 2 years back, together with the fan noises, this was the "features" that annoyed me most. Also the Gazelle feels cheap, the keyboard is not terrible, but is not great either. I wish they they have a better quality case, a better keyboard, and a brighter screen panel. I have not tried the other models, I hope to get my hands on the Darter Pro, it seems promising. I think what System76 is doing is pretty cool, I just wish their products were more competitive.