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I suspect this isn't the direction that System76 is pursuing with Virgo, but Linux is in a good position to take advantage of Arm CPUs. Linux isn't tied to leg

I suspect this isn't the direction that System76 is pursuing with Virgo, but Linux is in a good position to take advantage of Arm CPUs. Linux isn't tied to legacy software that only runs on x86 in the same way that proprietary OS's are. This distinction isn't absolute, but given that most Linux software is open source, it's relatively easier to make this transition. "Most performant" is a tall order. The traditional benefit of Arm has been efficiency, not compute power, but Apple has shown what's possible with their M1/M2 designs.

gigatexal 3y ago
I wish they’d take RISC-V and made a formidable laptop from that. A fully, 100% open one.
smoldesu 3y ago
It would be interesting if Nvidia went this route. They've got the chops to design a competitive modern ARM core, plus experience with the more difficult GPU/vector processing units. They kinda signaled their interest with the attempted ARM purchase a while ago, but that fizzled out quick. That ship has sailed, though. The licensing of ARM puts them in an unfavorable position, which only incentivizes Nvidia to focus on GPU sales and RISC-V skunkworks. They've still got their Grace ARM system coming "soon", but I'd be surprised if they bothered to update their current Orin systems. It feels like no one besides Apple and maybe Qualcomm have an incentive to deliver consumer ARM hardware right now. To compete with Apple you need a custom core, and building a custom core takes time and money. The few stakeholders who can deliver a quality ARM experience are probably scheming to cut ARM out of the picture entirely.
- wmf 3y ago
  Orin is close to a laptop processor already.
FooBarBizBazz 3y ago
There are some Chromebooks with Snapdragons that are somewhat interesting (though half the speed of an M1). And some of the Windows ARM laptops might be decent in this niche. Some of the Samsung Galaxy Books look interesting. You'd basically be giving up on running really serious stuff on the laptop itself. If you have good wifi/5G, a home server or an AWS rental might do the heavy lifting. It's a mixed bag, because the whole purpose is for traveling, and that's often when your connectivity is iffy. So, not sure. Battery life would be nice though.

gigatexal 3y ago

I wish they’d take RISC-V and made a formidable laptop from that. A fully, 100% open one.

smoldesu 3y ago

It would be interesting if Nvidia went this route. They've got the chops to design a competitive modern ARM core, plus experience with the more difficult GPU/vector processing units. They kinda signaled their interest with the attempted ARM purchase a while ago, but that fizzled out quick. That ship has sailed, though. The licensing of ARM puts them in an unfavorable position, which only incentivizes Nvidia to focus on GPU sales and RISC-V skunkworks. They've still got their Grace ARM system coming "soon", but I'd be surprised if they bothered to update their current Orin systems. It feels like no one besides Apple and maybe Qualcomm have an incentive to deliver consumer ARM hardware right now. To compete with Apple you need a custom core, and building a custom core takes time and money. The few stakeholders who can deliver a quality ARM experience are probably scheming to cut ARM out of the picture entirely.

wmf 3y ago
Orin is close to a laptop processor already.

FooBarBizBazz 3y ago

There are some Chromebooks with Snapdragons that are somewhat interesting (though half the speed of an M1). And some of the Windows ARM laptops might be decent in this niche. Some of the Samsung Galaxy Books look interesting. You'd basically be giving up on running really serious stuff on the laptop itself. If you have good wifi/5G, a home server or an AWS rental might do the heavy lifting. It's a mixed bag, because the whole purpose is for traveling, and that's often when your connectivity is iffy. So, not sure. Battery life would be nice though.