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Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

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Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#81
post #9
post #5

I also moved off a MacBook to dell XPS but will probably not buy dell again. Customer service was shockingly bad compared to what you get from Apple. I mean really bad (bought in Switzerland). I was looking today at the HUAWEI Matebook X Pro but not thrilled about taking a laptop with nvidia.

Is there still coil whine when running Linux on the XPS?

Antidata point here but not on my XPS13 9370. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen for other people.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#82

Lenovo X1C is the standard-bearer for a Linux notebook experience that is hassle-free, hardware-wise, and includes a great keyboard, trackpad, screen, battery, all in a slim ultrabook format. I wrote up my experience of a 4th gen model here: https://amontalenti.com/2017/09/01/lenovo-linux If you care about outdoor usage, opt for the matte IPS screen rather than the glossy options. Lenovo sells both types on almost ev…

Complete agreement; I've used the X1 Carbon since the first generation. One issue, though: the 6th and 7th generations currently use a cell modem (the PCIe Fibocom L850-GL LTE-A) that doesn't work under Linux. The USB version works; the PCIe version has no driver.

That's a bummer (the cell modem on older models is awesome and some carriers can provide you with a second data-only sim card at no additional monthly cost), but it's not something someone coming from a MBP will miss.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#83
post #4

I'm happy with my System 76. It comes running Linux, and with all the nVidia GPU driver + CUDA setup done. https://system76.com/laptops I got the 15" Serval with 4K display and 64 GB RAM. It's big and heavy, but they have light ones too.

Out of curiosity, may I ask what desktop environment you run? For me, that is the weakest part of the Linux experience.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#84
post #79

TLDR: If you don't care about USB-C charging I'd suggest a Librem. Otherwise, I'd go with the new X1 Carbon. I initially switched from an MBP to an XPS13. Pretty good, but I wasn't super super happy with it, nothing wrong in particular, but it felt a bit plastic-y. Then bought a Lenovo X1C6 as soon as it was announced last year and I'm very happy with it: super solid and no issues with any component. I also bought a…

What's the deal with USB-C charging for you? I can see the hypothetical benefit of interchangeable chargers, but I'd try to avoid it, having seen my S8 smartphone USB-C wear out in less than a year.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#85
post #69

I'm now working with a Dell Precision 5530 which costs around 3k on its current specs. The good: - It had ubuntu 16.04 which means the hardware has good compatibility with linux and you don't need to pay for the windows license. - 32Gb of ram, and it supports even more. - The 512Gb NVMe SSD is very fast. - The battery lasts several hours on non-CPU intensive tasks, I haven't need to charge it when using it for browsi…

You bought with Ubuntu pre-installed, but when you upgraded it, there was a driver issue?

That's not much of an improvement over a MacBook situation.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#86
post #83
post #4

I'm happy with my System 76. It comes running Linux, and with all the nVidia GPU driver + CUDA setup done. https://system76.com/laptops I got the 15" Serval with 4K display and 64 GB RAM. It's big and heavy, but they have light ones too.

Out of curiosity, may I ask what desktop environment you run? For me, that is the weakest part of the Linux experience.

If you can stand up to the shenanigans of the OS X you can handle any mayor Linux DE. They might not be as polished as OS X but they offer you anything you might expect and are well polished by now.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#88
post #69

I'm now working with a Dell Precision 5530 which costs around 3k on its current specs. The good: - It had ubuntu 16.04 which means the hardware has good compatibility with linux and you don't need to pay for the windows license. - 32Gb of ram, and it supports even more. - The 512Gb NVMe SSD is very fast. - The battery lasts several hours on non-CPU intensive tasks, I haven't need to charge it when using it for browsi…

You bought with Ubuntu pre-installed, but when you upgraded it, there was a driver issue? That's not much of an improvement over a MacBook situation.

Well, if I have stayed with ubuntu 16.04, there wouldn't been any problem at all.

My understanding is that dell ships the OS with some proprietary drivers which were there on 16.04 but they they were missing on the default 18.04 install.

Anyway, the driver issue took me a couple of hours to fix which I did only once.

It depends on your priorities, it's totally worth for me, instead of having to install xcode and register an account if I want to compile anything.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still using a circa-2013 X1 Carbon, running Ubuntu. Overall it's been great, with the one exception being the battery life, which has always been abysmal. I've never been able to get any more than 2 hours out of the battery, even after extensive tinkering with tools like powertop. That machine is getting a bit long in the tooth now, so I've been thinking about what to buy to replace it; getting another X1C would…

I get 10+ hours of battery life out of mine, depending on workload. I run Debian, without any special tuning, beyond powertop and running an up-to-date kernel.

Yes, on my 4th gen, I get a solid 6-10 hours, depending on usage. I think running powertop is important to identify background power hogs and ensure kernel params are tweaked. I love how ever since the 4th gen, the X1C's also rapidly charge to 80%+ power, and get to 100% not long thereafter. Pretty much the only thing that'll chew through my battery quickly is a Google Meet call, and that's just because Google/Chromium hasn't figured out how to reduce CPU usage on the video encode/decode steps on Linux.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#90
post #9
post #5

I also moved off a MacBook to dell XPS but will probably not buy dell again. Customer service was shockingly bad compared to what you get from Apple. I mean really bad (bought in Switzerland). I was looking today at the HUAWEI Matebook X Pro but not thrilled about taking a laptop with nvidia.

Is there still coil whine when running Linux on the XPS?

Never noticed a problem with mine.
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