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Buying a new computer to run Linux on - suggestions?

Hello. I have never used Linux before in my life, but this post isn’t really about the software. I know there are many guides and threads out there explaining how to set up Linux for beginners.

My question is more about what computers you guys suggest for Linux. I don’t have any old computers lying around at home, I only have a computer assigned by my school that I’ll turn in next year. To my understanding, Linux should be able to work on almost all computers, so I haven’t thought about a specific brand.

My top priorities are (in order):

  • good/great battery life
  • quiet
  • compact and lightweight

Preferably a 13" or 15" screen, though I prefer the former. Just a small machine with a great battery life that also doesn’t make much noise when several apps are open at once. I have looked at Asus before, but I’m not sure what the general consensus is of this brand, so I was hoping to get some suggestions. I’ve also looked at Framework computers, but honestly it’s a bit expensive for me. My budget is ~1000$ (10 000 SEK).

Might be unnecessary information, but: I will be using this computer mainly to write documents, make the occasional presentations, browse the web, and watch videos and movies. So no photo- or video editing nor gaming at all. Like everybody, I hope to buy a computer that will last many years and survive many student theses. Cheers and thanks!

Jayb151 ,

I love my dell 5300 latitude with fedora. Touchscreen, 13 inches, super compact. And a dime a dozen as you can find used enterprise laptops on eBay/Facebook market.

Slap a large nvme in there and you’re good to go for like, under 300. With the leftover cash, you can even get a docking station and monitor if you wanted a dank setup at home.

jpablo68 ,

I’m a thinkpad guy but how are these dells for everyday use with Linux?

jollyrogue ,

Dell Latitudes and Precisions support Linux pretty well.

Jayb151 ,

Ya, like jolly rouge said, they’re pretty good. I have had an occasional issue where the track pad didn’t want to work after waking the PC up. But otherwise it’s been bullet proof. All the hot keys work no problem. I haven’t had any of the weird “can’t wake from suspended state” issues I’ve had with older PCs. I basically leave my laptop plugged in next to my desk and it’s ready at a moments notice. I use Windows for gaming and work btw. But I’ve even installed Valheim on my laptop just to see if it would work and it totally does. No complaints on fedora. I used endeavor on it as well and I want to say even pop is. Just a bit of distro going there, no reason I ditched the other two other than just preferring fedora in the end.

jpablo68 ,

jpablo

Thanks.

tla ,

Check out laptopwithlinux.com - new or used.

CrabAndBroom ,

If money wasn’t an object I think I’d get a Framework but I’ve always had a good experience with Lenovo for a more budget-friendly option. My last two laptops have been Lenovos and have both worked super well with Linux.

Professorozone ,

Ummm, good luck. When I tried to use Linux on a new machine I built and had a bunch of problems, people on the forums told me to wait six months for someone to write drivers for the components.

cyberpunk007 ,

I built an amd system with Nvidia graphics card in 2019 and it works fine. Wi-Fi Bluetooth Ethernet 144hz display etc all work fine.

Professorozone ,

LOL. Got totally down voted for simply explaining what happened. Glad it worked for you. It didn’t work for me. This was probably 10 years ago. I made a dual boot system and the internet simply wouldn’t work in Linux, so I had to keep booting into Windows, research, then switch to Linux to implement. Lather, rinse, repeat.

If Windows 11 is as bad as they say, guess I’ll be experimenting with it again.

cyberpunk007 ,

I remember these dark times… It got a bit easier when smartphones were more prevalent.

BingBong , (edited )

To have one ready out of the box with linux maybe look at the System76 offerings? system76.com

Edit: just got a chance to check and they are slightly above your $1000 criteria. So maybe on his recommendation.

GustavoM ,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

I will be using this computer mainly to write documents, make the occasional presentations, browse the web, and watch videos and movies. So no photo- or video editing nor gaming at all.

Then go for a Raspberry pi 3. (No, not rpi 4 or the rpi 5 one). It’s cheap, with a power draw low enough to leave it running 24/7 (it will not increase your energy bills by the slightest). Downside is that you’ll have to learn some Linux “tricks” that will (definitely) “grind your gears”, but eh… it’ll be a fun ride if you are willing to lose some sanity for the sake of enjoying a “It’s like nothing is happening to my power bills at all!” power of the convenience it’ll bring to your life and your lifestyle as well.

delirious_owl ,
@delirious_owl@discuss.online avatar

I think its reasonable to assume that they’ll want to easily be able to take it and use it in different rooms

GustavoM ,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

Rpis can be as mobile as (or even more than) a laptop.

possiblylinux127 ,

That’s not a laptop and even if it was the raspberry pi won’t work with stock Linux. You need a custom kernel.

GustavoM ,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

That’s not a laptop

OP mentioned a computer, not a laptop.

You need a custom kernel.

That is completely wrong – there are a couple distros out there that work “out of the box” without the need of a custom kernel. Not just for the rpi, but for many other “obscure” pcs, including a thermostat.

possiblylinux127 ,

You need the Raspberry pi kernel for it to work

github.com/raspberrypi/linux

gila ,

I’ve had a lot of thinkpads and currently use an ideapad flex 5. I prefer the smaller form factor for a portable machine I take travelling or out to biz meetings etc. The autorotate and touchscreen work great in Debian with gnome-shell out of the box. No pinch-to-zoom but I believe that works on KDE plasma out of the box.

yo_scottie_oh ,

ideapad flex 5

Like this one?

gila ,

Same shell, mine has Intel CPU though

delirious_owl ,
@delirious_owl@discuss.online avatar

Buy a laptop from a vendor that preinatalls Linux. Not because you need them to do that for you, but because it means its more likely to work on Linux without issues.

I run Qubes, but I think this is a great list of Qubes-certified hardware

www.qubes-os.org/doc/certified-hardware/#qubes-ce…

electricprism ,

System76 or Framework

liliumstar ,

I would get a Thinkpad, either used or new, with that budget. Generally all the hardware will work out of the box, with the possible exception of the fingerprint reader if it exists. RAM and SSD should be replaceable, so if you purchase new just do the upgrade yourself to save some bucks.

captain_aggravated ,
@captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works avatar

My mantra with Linux hardware is “as normal as possible.”

mactan ,

I make sure it doesn’t have certain brands of Wi-Fi card in them :/ miserable times with broadcom leave me wary

InternetUser2012 ,

Go team red would be my advice.

possiblylinux127 ,

Old Intel systems are solid as well. Something 2022 or older

bloodfart ,

Get an Apple, thinkpad or dell.

The main thing that determines if a computer can be repaired is parts availability. Those three have great parts availability almost universally.

If you wanna run macOS you need a Mac. The t480 is a good recommendation for thinkpads, but don’t worry about ssds or ram yet, just get the one with the processor and display you want (it’s the midrange 8th gen ones). I don’t know the dell world enough to make a recommendation but someone will do so.

Use the gentoo and arch wikis to check what problems people have out of the box with whatever model you’re looking at.

People will say you need amd. This is either paranoid or based on recent events. Neither apply to you.

People will say to get a framework or some equivalent. They’re expensive and a moral/ethical statement. This doesn’t apply to you.

Trainguyrom ,

If there’s a decent (even online) used market where you live buying a refurbished computer that’s just a few years old can be amazing bang for your buck. 9th-11th gen Intel or Ryzen 2-4th gen. Any of the more business focused lines tend to be fairly well-built and are designed to be relatively long lasting while being relatively well-maintained during their service life. HP Elitebooks, Dell Latitudes, Lenovo Thinkpads, etc.

LiamMayfair ,

If I had to replace my Linux laptop right now, I’d probably go for a ThinkPad T14 AMD. They also sell them with Snapdragon ARM chips now, which is a very interesting option, though I’m not sure how viable as a daily driver.

You could run Linux on it with no issue ofc, but I wonder how good the support for ARM arch from common Linux software is nowadays…

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