Linux laptop options

munkee · 09-05-2015 1:39pm #1

I'm looking for a laptop for one of our kids. We already have one Linux laptop, a Lenovo which I installed elementary OS on.

I've been looking at http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/ which sells without an OS, and also at ebuyer who sell a few HP laptops with Ubuntu pre-installed:
http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Computer/cat/Laptops?a05471=Ubuntu

Just wondering, are there any pre -installed or no OS retailers folks here know of other than the two above? The budget is about Eur 500, which rules out the tasty new Dell XPS 13.

I'd look at buying a Windows laptop and installing over it, but the license fee for Windows seems to be baked into the price- PC Specialist for example reduce the price by E109 if you select no OS.

Thanks

syklops · 09-05-2015 2:45pm

In another thread the OP was considering this one:

http://www.ebuyer.com/705955-hp-455-quad-core-laptop-l8b56es

299GBP works out to be 411EUR which is inside your budget, seems like a decent spec too.

jaffusmax · 09-05-2015 6:21pm

Sugar Linux

https://www.sugarlabs.org/

Puppy Linux

http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm

You can boot these Child Friendly Linux Distros off of a USB Stick so you do would not need to install over Windows. Also you can try Dual Booting Windows & Linux if you feel brave enough to give it ago!

human 19 · 09-05-2015 7:04pm

I bought a 17"" directly from dell. Their sale page is worth checking out. I got one with windows on it but wiped that straight away.
http://www.dell.com/ie/p/deals/clearance-deals

Mine has mostly Intel inside (including graphics) which usually plays nice with linux. Unfortunately mine had a ****** broadcom card which means getting wireless and bluetooth to work can be a pain in the ass. With Debian it is a real pain but with ubuntu and derivatives you can install bcmwl-kernel-source from the repo for the wireless at least. This has to be reinstalled after every kernel update

Anyway, this one looks good.
http://www.dell.com/ie/p/inspiron-17-5749-laptop/pd?oc=cn74914&model_id=inspiron-17-5749-laptop

It has dell wireless which seems to be compatible according to this:
http://www.linlap.com/dell_inspiron_17r_-_5737

munkee · 09-05-2015 8:21pm

Cheers for the suggestions.

It looks like eBuyer and PC Specialist are the only options.

I considered Dell, but ideally I'd like a 13" screen, and the only option they have like that within budget is really poorly specced.

I won't be dual booting with Windows- I've run Linux on all my personal/work laptops for a good few years. Also the kids need YouTube and various online gaming sites, so I'll probably stick with Ubuntu for driver support and relative stability. (I run Arch on another box)

deconduo · 09-05-2015 10:42pm

One other option could be a Chromebook. I picked up an Acer C720 last year and it's fantastic. It's light, has loads of battery, and is snappy. I'm running arch on it, but it'll work well with most distros.

The only drawback is the hard drive size. It comes with either a 16/32GB SSD which isn't a whole lot if you want to put music/videos/etc. on it. I use it mainly for development so it doesn't bother me, but it could definitely be an issue for a lot of people.

syklops · 10-05-2015 4:26am

munkee wrote: »

Cheers for the suggestions.

It looks like eBuyer and PC Specialist are the only options.

I considered Dell, but ideally I'd like a 13" screen, and the only option they have like that within budget is really poorly specced.

I won't be dual booting with Windows- I've run Linux on all my personal/work laptops for a good few years. Also the kids need YouTube and various online gaming sites, so I'll probably stick with Ubuntu for driver support and relative stability. (I run Arch on another box)

Would you consider a Lenovo?

Stuxnet · 10-05-2015 7:23pm

System76 do 100% Linux compatible hardware, pricey tho for their high end stuff !! But you know everything will work without issue no matter the distro !

https://system76.com/laptops

excollier · 10-05-2015 7:53pm

Pity they're in the USA.

munkee · 11-05-2015 10:32am

@deconduo The Chromebooks look nice, but realistically we'll need more storage. Do you actually do dev on one of those?

@skylops I'd consider a Lenovo for sure, I have one already running a flavour of Ubuntu, but it seems that you're paying unnecessarily for a Windows license that you don't need, hence my search for no-OS or pre-installed Linux.

Yep, System76 are only US based. If they could open up a base in Europe I'd say they could do well.

I found this place in the UK that sell some of the same stuff as System76 and PC Specialists, with Linux pre-installed:
https://www.entroware.com/store/

Prices are a touch higher than PC Specialists, I guess you pay a slight premium for it being pre-installed, or they're just a smaller outfit so need higher margins.

Stuxnet · 13-05-2015 3:50pm

Systems76 are US based, but they ship everywhere and when you build your laptop, you select UK keyboard !

munkee · 14-05-2015 11:06am

If you buy from the US you get hit with customs charges. I just priced a 14" on their site, it's not competitive with options here once you add customs.

Also, if you have any problems, shipping back to the US is a non starter IMO.

Xterminator · 15-05-2015 12:36pm

ive always used 2nd hand dell laptops for a 'linux' laptop.

id get a cheap refurb like below
https://www.svp.co.uk/computing/computers/laptops/dell-latitude-e6220-laptop-notebook-core-i5-2-5ghz-windows-7-professional-250gb-hard-drive-4gb-ram-hdmi-webcam.html

i think i've run ubuntu on the model above in the past. its mainly intel and should work with most distros.

limnam · 20-05-2015 10:57am

If it's not going to do much heavy lifting. Consider an old Thinkpad from adverts.ie or ebay etc.

A lot of dev work is carried out on lenovo's and they tend to play very nicely.

matrim · 24-05-2015 11:07am

I've a PC specialist laptop that runs Ubuntu with no issues. Similarly I've a few dell laptops and have never had an issue running linux on them.

Also remember if you get a Dell or similar that has an OEM windows copy pre-installed the license usually covers running in a VM under the same system so you can have linux as the core OS and a windows VM for the few times you might need it.

munkee · 27-05-2015 6:50pm

I may just go the PC specialist route. The one I wanted on eBuyer won't ship here, even via Parcel Motel.

A colleague has the new XPS13 Ubuntu edition. Lovely machine, but out of the box it had trackpad and keyboard issues. Seems to have the trackpad sorted, but his keyboard still occasionally freezes. Not great on Dell's part.

L.Jenkins · 28-05-2015 11:50am

munkee wrote: »

I may just go the PC specialist route. The one I wanted on eBuyer won't ship here, even via Parcel Motel.

A colleague has the new XPS13 Ubuntu edition. Lovely machine, but out of the box it had trackpad and keyboard issues. Seems to have the trackpad sorted, but his keyboard still occasionally freezes. Not great on Dell's part.

Maybe a need for updates or checking out the Ubuntu Forums to see if there's a solution for it yet as in some cases, it may just be a Software bug.

munkee · 28-05-2015 4:53pm

Cheers, he's already applied patches released by Dell. More or less fixed, but still a frozen keyboard occasionally.

human 19 · 30-05-2015 10:56pm

I came across an ad for this tonight.
You may be interested. Pricey though plus delivery

https://system76.com/laptops/lemur

Linux laptop options

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