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The 5 Best Laptops for Linux

40 points by teleforce 3y ago

TrailMixRaisin 3y ago
I had the fist generation Dell XPS developer laptop with Linux. It was a pain in the ass. One big problem was the resolution. I don't exactly remember why, but I had to take the version with a 4k display to get something else I wanted to have. The installed system came with a wide variety of X hacks and customisation to have a reasonable scaling of the GUI. Using another OS was a nightmare as wead upgrading the system. Every chance in X would destroy some kind of customisation leaving you with hours of research until you found some other unhappy customer that has already fixed this issue. Additionally there were problems with the drivers for the multimedia keys on the keyboard and stuff I don't remember. At least the first generation was a nice piece of hardware with a horrible hack of an OS. Are those kinds of problems now fixed? The author does not mention that there is (was) a big problem with software support from Dell. So I am not sure if I can trust his review.
- drzaiusx11 3y ago
  I have a current gen developer edition XPS and haven't had any qualms with it other than not enough usbc ports. I've updated the OS it came with (Ubuntu) and it still works as expected. Since I stayed with the same OS and did an in-place update and not a fresh install, I can't speak to what hacks are still in place today.
aae42 3y ago
The 16:9 displays on all of the system76 laptops are a non starter for me they only have a single model with 16:10
mortallywounded 3y ago
I have the Lemur Pro (best for "most people" on the list). It has been the best Linux-laptop I have ever had. I've been using it for a year and a half now as my daily driver.
- darthrupert 3y ago
  How's the noise level?
  - mortallywounded 3y ago
    It's quiet most of the time. The fan comes does come on when it's being worked. The only time it annoys me is when I load up Youtube search results and I scroll fast down the results page. For whatever reason, it gets the CPU going (possibly the autoplay/preview of videos, lack of hardware decoding, etc). I primarily use it with a USB-C dock and two external monitors, which may contribute to the CPU/graphics load being worked more than usual.
simonblack 3y ago
After much soul-searching and rummaging through websites, I finally replaced my Lenovo T410 from 2010 with a Lenovo P53 with a 4K touch-screen back in ...... 2020? (That means it's already 3 and a half years old! I'd have said 'about 18 months ago'.)
workfromspace 3y ago
Question: Are any of these laptops on par with an Apple Silicon Macbook in terms of silence, cooling and battery life? Or could you recommend any laptops as such? I have been happily using Arch Linux for more than a decade, but since I met my M1 MBP -even though I miss Linux OS- the silicon hardware is just irreplacable.

40 points by teleforce 3y ago

I had the fist generation Dell XPS developer laptop with Linux. It was a pain in the ass. One big problem was the resolution. I don't exactly remember why, but I had to take the version with a 4k display to get something else I wanted to have. The installed system came with a wide variety of X hacks and customisation to have a reasonable scaling of the GUI. Using another OS was a nightmare as wead upgrading the system. Every chance in X would destroy some kind of customisation leaving you with hours of research until you found some other unhappy customer that has already fixed this issue. Additionally there were problems with the drivers for the multimedia keys on the keyboard and stuff I don't remember. At least the first generation was a nice piece of hardware with a horrible hack of an OS. Are those kinds of problems now fixed? The author does not mention that there is (was) a big problem with software support from Dell. So I am not sure if I can trust his review.

drzaiusx11 3y ago
I have a current gen developer edition XPS and haven't had any qualms with it other than not enough usbc ports. I've updated the OS it came with (Ubuntu) and it still works as expected. Since I stayed with the same OS and did an in-place update and not a fresh install, I can't speak to what hacks are still in place today.

aae42 3y ago

The 16:9 displays on all of the system76 laptops are a non starter for me they only have a single model with 16:10

mortallywounded 3y ago

I have the Lemur Pro (best for "most people" on the list). It has been the best Linux-laptop I have ever had. I've been using it for a year and a half now as my daily driver.

darthrupert 3y ago
How's the noise level?
- mortallywounded 3y ago
  It's quiet most of the time. The fan comes does come on when it's being worked. The only time it annoys me is when I load up Youtube search results and I scroll fast down the results page. For whatever reason, it gets the CPU going (possibly the autoplay/preview of videos, lack of hardware decoding, etc). I primarily use it with a USB-C dock and two external monitors, which may contribute to the CPU/graphics load being worked more than usual.

simonblack 3y ago

After much soul-searching and rummaging through websites, I finally replaced my Lenovo T410 from 2010 with a Lenovo P53 with a 4K touch-screen back in ...... 2020? (That means it's already 3 and a half years old! I'd have said 'about 18 months ago'.)

workfromspace 3y ago

Question: Are any of these laptops on par with an Apple Silicon Macbook in terms of silence, cooling and battery life? Or could you recommend any laptops as such? I have been happily using Arch Linux for more than a decade, but since I met my M1 MBP -even though I miss Linux OS- the silicon hardware is just irreplacable.