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Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

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Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#51

Post by phaemon »

JohnDoe365 wrote: post #30
phaemon wrote: post #8

Hah! I was thinking of posting the exact same question. Though I don't care about an SSD for an otherwise good machine, as I'm happy enough to put one in myself. Recommendations at different prices points would also be appreciated!

Running my first SSD Laptop now and won't look back. It's definitely worth them money. U/K/L buntu 14.04 with btrfs does also a good job by enablig ssd specfics during boot.

Ah, I think you misunderstood my post. I like my ssd as well, but I don't care if the laptop comes with one, as I'll just buy one separately and fit it myself. :)

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#52

Post by userbinator »

teh_klev wrote: post #37
klrr wrote: post #21

http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/ibm-lenovo-thinkpad-x60-c... Doesn't require any binary blobs and comes with Trisquil GNU/Linux pre-installed.

Nice old machine but doesn't meet OP's desired spec, i.e. 8GB RAM and HDMI/DVI.

For HDMI/DVI you can get a converting dongle, but the 8GB RAM is definitely not going to be possible; the '945 is a 32-bit chipset.

That said, I have an X60 and it's a great machine to use, if only a bit underpowered these days.

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#53

Post by davb »

mercurial wrote: post #48
davb wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

T430s here. Was running XUbuntu 13.10, now running stock Debian 7.4 (I don't like XUbuntu 14 one bit). Really happy with it. I bought a T440 for someone recently, which is also really nice however it seems the RAM is limited to 12GB max (too little for my use).

Other happy T430 user here. Great keyboard and trackpoint. The touchpad is meh, but you don't really need it with the trackpoint.

Yeah I don't use the touchpad most of the time either. With a huge SSD and plenty of RAM, the i7-3520M T430S gets the job done.

I'm not entirely pleased with the screen quality, but perhaps I've been spoiled by the IPS display on my personal laptop (Dell XPS 13) and my desktop monitor (Samsung S24C750PS).

My one complaint is that the keyboard isn't as robust as previous models. After only a few months I already have some keys which don't work without a firm push. I could sent it away for repair (or replace the keyboard myself) but I can't afford the downtime and tend to use an external mechanical keyboard when I'm not travelling anyway.

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#55

Post by computer »

perlgeek wrote: post #46

I'm very happy with the Asus UX31A (from the Zenbook series). It works fine on Ubuntu 14.04 here, including wlan, suspend-to-RAM (I haven't tried suspend-to-disc, since I have no swap partition), function keys (backlight, keyboard backlist, switch off trackpad etc.). Battery lifetime is -- in typical office workload, including wlan -- between 3.5 and 5H, mostly depending on backlight setting. And I guess that's commo…

Only issue I have with mine is that they have non-expandable 4 GB memory, since it's soldered onto the motherboard. I think some of the later models can be manually expanded up to 10 GB.

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#56

Post by kclay »

marcocampos wrote: post #34

I currently use a Thinkpad T530 with Ubuntu 14.04 and TLP power management and it works great. I modded mine by replacing the 900P screen with a 1080P IPS screen and putting a bigger SSD (128GB vs 500GB). Highly recomended. Specs: Intel Core i5-3320M 2.6Ghz (Dual-Core) Intel HD4000 Integrated Graphics 8GB DDR3 RAM 500GB Samsung 840 Evo SSD 15.6" 1080p IPS Screen Blacklit keyboard Price: About 1200€ after replacing th…

Have a similar configuration on my T530 as well, wonderful laptop.But I do need to tweak my TLP setting I get around 4-5 but think I have a 6cell

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#57

Post by Befittd »

Galanwe wrote: post #20
hadoukenio wrote: post #16

Ctrl+F ThinkPad. I guess the search count should show you something. I'm on a W530. It's a beast and everything works. And I'm talking Debian!

ThinkPads USED to be good products. Lenovo killed it. the W530 is still good, but the W540 is a joke. The "Lenovo recommends Windows." at the top of Lenovo's website finished to convince me not to buy any TP anymore.

I'm on a T-series running ubuntu and it's the best machine I've ever owned. It's fast, reliable, has 6 hours of battery and it's taken a serious kicking and still works perfectly.

It's irritating that they won't sell them without windows, but at least they're guaranteed compatible.

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#58

Post by makomk »

teh_klev wrote: post #37
klrr wrote: post #21

http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/ibm-lenovo-thinkpad-x60-c... Doesn't require any binary blobs and comes with Trisquil GNU/Linux pre-installed.

Nice old machine but doesn't meet OP's desired spec, i.e. 8GB RAM and HDMI/DVI.

Also, I don't think binary-blob-free versions of Coreboot on the X60 like that one can run recent versions of Linux as-is; there's some issue with the graphics drivers according to the Coreboot wiki[1]

[1] http://www.coreboot.org/Board:lenovo/x60#Problems_in_native_...

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#59

Post by hyp0 »

NOT AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION, but the chromebooks seem the best value-for-money laptops - and already have a linux distribution installed (ChromeOS). The Acer C720 has a Haswell dual-core and 2GB RAM - lower speced than your needs. There's the Pixel, I guess... (much higher speced).

Re: Ask HN: Best current Linux-compatible laptop?

#60

Post by danoprey »

ASUS N56 for me. Everything except the sub-woofer worked immediately and that was an easy fix. Awesome sound, great keyboard, pretty good to look at, good screen and touchpad. Downside is that it's a little heavier but that doesn't bother me at all. Had the N72 17" version too and it was also great.
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