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StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

starlabs.systems

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Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#251

Post by hedora »

pmontra wrote: post #167

There are many great features in this laptop, mainly no numberpad and 16:10 screen. I didn't check weight and user serviceability. They don't have the keyboard layout for my county (Italy) but I can live with that because my fingers know where keys are and I work with the USA layout most of the time. The only showstopper is the touchpad without physical buttons. I copy and paste text the X11 way by selecting and clic…

They have a “custom” option for keyboard layout. It costs more; presumably, they could do Italian. I assume the extra cost is because someone has to physically put it in the exceptions box at the factory, due to small volume (not due to them designing that layout from scratch for you).

Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#252

Post by 300bps »

platz wrote: post #244

Considering these two processors: Intel® Core® i9-12900H (2.50GHz 14-core / Turbo Boost up to 5.00GHz) and AMD Ryzen™ 7 (3.20GHz 8-core 6800H / Boost clock up to 4.70GHz) Would the Ryzen actually be faster on average on single-core workloads since it's base spec is 3.20GHz vs the intel's base spec 2.50GHZ? (Not sure how long single core's can Boost for) Or does the Intel outperform the Ryzen pretty much unilaterally?

Simply looking at the clock rate has never been the most useful metric when comparing CPUs.

Even back in the day a 33 MHz 486 DX was much faster than a 33 MHz 386 DX.

It’s better to look at benchmarks. Passmark is a good one. Its headline number is good for comparing performance in software that takes advantage of multiple cores. For that reason they also show single core performance to see how a cpu will performance relatively using games and apps that don’t use multiple cores.

Benchmarks for both chips:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i9-12900...

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Ryzen+7+6800H&i...

In this case the Intel chip beats the AMD chip both in multi-core and single-core benchmarks.

Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#254

Post by beebeepka »

komali2 wrote: post #247
koonsolo wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is the sound quality? Is it comparable to a MacBook?

I'm really curious about people that actually use laptop speakers. Even the best laptop speakers I've heard (I've heard MacBook speakers too) sound terrible. Other than for a quick video or demo or whatever, who is seriously listening to videos or music on laptop speakers... And why??? Even a cheap pair of earbuds sounds better to me.

I use laptop speakers a few times a year, when I bring the device to my bedroom and just listen to a long interview with the screen turned off. Laying on the bed with headphones on my head is not something I would do. Earbuds I have not used in 15 years.

Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#255

Post by mastax »

chx wrote: post #117
devwastaken wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If real, it wouldn't surprise me. A laptop isn't special. The most special part is the motherboard, and those are a dime a dozen designs. The bios soft is the other big component, but given the right partnerships I could see a small company just paying to use one out of a dozen various vendors. The rest of the work is part sourcing.

What about the custom plastic parts? Aren't those injection moulded? If so, how much is a mould?

A mould is anywhere from a few thousand dollars for a small, simple, high-tolerance part, to many hundreds of thousands for a large, precision, complex mould with moving tools.

Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#256

Post by gmokki »

Jnr wrote: post #187
coolspot wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To support Linux-friendly hardware? For many people extra $1000 here or there doesn’t matter.

Not sure how exactly 16 inch 4K display is Linux friendly knowing that Xorg and Wayland still has plenty of UI scaling issues. And the fact that they expect you to power it with Pentium N5030 processor is laughable. Why even offer such combination? Also it's funny how on landing page it mentions 165Hz display, but in specs it is only available as an option and not for the 4K display. Not that it would even be able to…

I have Lenovo 14" with 4k display and Ryzen 4850. I really like the crisp and accurate display. I have used wayland since 2015 when it became default in Fedora. I'm not sure what you mean when you refer to scaling issues? And even Skylake iGPU was fast enough to drive the 15" 4k display 60Hz on Precision 5510 laptop smoothly in desktop use. Ryzen is obviously many times faster so there should be enough power for higher refresh rates.

Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#257

Post by speed_spread »

rl3 wrote: post #103

They're selling a privacy-conscious Linux laptop with open firmware that's assembled in a place that isn't so privacy-friendly.[0] I think a lot of people would pay extra for assembly in a western country. These appear made to order, so the risk of hardware implantation targeting is almost certainly real. [0] https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2059/5897/products/StarFig...

Going all-in on privacy and hardware trust, one could also wish for a Raptor Talos portable workstation running a POWER CPU. I don't think they'd scale down to proper laptop size though.

Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#258

Post by pxc »

acomjean wrote: post #213
Dylan16807 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> my eyes can hardly read small fonts on that DPI as it is (I'm ~30) and they're not going to get better with age If you double the DPI it's going to be easier to read those fonts.

I have a bad left eye. I haven’t noticed increased readability from higher dpi screens. I went from a higher dpi to a 14” 1080 screen and notice no difference at equivalent font size. Of course that’s still pretty high pixel density.

Higher pixel density can help a bit if your vision is bad enough that you use a lot of screen magnification, as it means that the magnified text will be better-rounded and fuller, rather than almost unrecognizably pixelated.

For some visual impairments, though, the improved sharpness from higher DPI may be basically undetectable, which sounds like what you're reporting.

Re: StarFighter 16 inch: 4K Coreboot/Ryzen Linux laptop

#259

Post by stevehawk »

komali2 wrote: post #243
chx wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about the custom plastic parts? Aren't those injection moulded? If so, how much is a mould?

Now I'm thinking about whether I could CNC a laptop case from a brick of aluminum...

isn't that what apple did/does?
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