Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Brand Logo

agnos.is Forums

  1. Home
  2. Linux
  3. Advice for a Linux Laptop in 2025

Advice for a Linux Laptop in 2025

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Linux
linux
135 Posts 85 Posters 1.6k Views
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • T [email protected]

    reusing 90% of the parts

    Oops you need a whole new mainboard anyway to upgrade the CPU... oops you need new DDR5 RAM for the new CPU... oops these framework parts cost a premium at about the same cost as a new laptop anyay. Congrats, you now have an upgraded laptop in an old case that's already gone through wear and tear...

    ulrich@feddit.orgU This user is from outside of this forum
    ulrich@feddit.orgU This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #61

    Oops you need a whole new mainboard anyway to upgrade the CPU

    Yes that would be the 10% I was referring to.

    oops you need new DDR5 RAM for the new CPU

    ...and the other new computer you want to buy doesn't?

    oops these framework parts cost a premium

    You pay a little more for the 10% of new parts but it's easily accounted for in the other 90%.

    Congrats, you now have...an old case that's already gone through wear and tear...

    ...so? You saved buckets of money in the process...

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • T [email protected]

      So... all the normal stuff that is normally upgradeable on a normal laptop is upgradeable?

      The only "replacing the entire guts" you would do is if you replaced the mainboard for a CPU upgrade

      That's exactly my point, yes. Again, the "upgradeability" of a framework laptop is unrealistic at best and a scam at worst. It's exactly as upgradeable as most laptops unless you're replacing the whole mainboard which is not very realistic

      D This user is from outside of this forum
      D This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote on last edited by
      #62

      so all the normal stuff that's normally upgradable

      That's just the thing, though. Soldered RAM and even drives is becoming more and more common these days, especially in the Apple space. But, the main thing here is user replaceable. I don't know when you last swapped the RAM on a laptop, but on most consumer laptops these days it is a nightmare. With Framework, it's 5 screws (the driver for which is included in the box, but also just standard torx) and you're in, and they have a QR code to a guide on how to do the replacement for first timers. I know it can be hard to take if you're used to pulling apart computers for fun, I come from there too, but the easy user upgradeability is seriously, literally, actually a great selling point on the Framework.

      Also, the case, screen, trackpad, etc that get all the wear and tear are just as easily replaced if that's your hang up.

      T 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • P [email protected]

        I'm loving my Framework, have Mint on there. Thinkpads are also well regarded I believe

        jaypatelani@lemmy.mlJ This user is from outside of this forum
        jaypatelani@lemmy.mlJ This user is from outside of this forum
        [email protected]
        wrote on last edited by
        #63

        Yeah but new ThinkPads comes with soldered RAMs. Even mostly all brands do the same. I think framework don't do it

        bilb@lem.monsterB E 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • C [email protected]

          Hi everyone, I use Linux on all my machines since a decade. Unfortunately my laptops are getting older and I will probably have to change them soon. Which Laptops would you recommend me to buy in 2025 a part Librem?

          I don't have a high budget but I'm still looking for something relatively recent. I looked on H-node but it seems that there are not a lot of recent things.

          G This user is from outside of this forum
          G This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote on last edited by
          #64

          Go to an electronics recycling center and get a retired thinkpad (or 5).
          Once they’re decommissioned by corporations, they wipe the drive and send them off to be recycled.

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • C [email protected]

            Hi everyone, I use Linux on all my machines since a decade. Unfortunately my laptops are getting older and I will probably have to change them soon. Which Laptops would you recommend me to buy in 2025 a part Librem?

            I don't have a high budget but I'm still looking for something relatively recent. I looked on H-node but it seems that there are not a lot of recent things.

            A This user is from outside of this forum
            A This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote on last edited by
            #65

            https://starlabs.systems/

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • F [email protected]

              They're still far better than everything else on the market.

              IdeaPads also aren't ThinkPads. Those are the consumer grade garbage you'd want to stay away from.

              I This user is from outside of this forum
              I This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote on last edited by
              #66

              Yup, "Thinkpad" not the other Think... or ...pad. The consumer targeted stuff is bad, even the Lenovo sales rep I got my P14s told me so.

              jumuta@sh.itjust.worksJ 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • R [email protected]

                https://system76.com/

                Open source hardware

                J This user is from outside of this forum
                J This user is from outside of this forum
                [email protected]
                wrote on last edited by
                #67

                I don't like that their 14" model only comes with intel CPUs

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • C [email protected]

                  Hi everyone, I use Linux on all my machines since a decade. Unfortunately my laptops are getting older and I will probably have to change them soon. Which Laptops would you recommend me to buy in 2025 a part Librem?

                  I don't have a high budget but I'm still looking for something relatively recent. I looked on H-node but it seems that there are not a lot of recent things.

                  L This user is from outside of this forum
                  L This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #68

                  I've been eyeing the slimbook lineup as of late. I am just waiting for someone to drop a review of the slimbook creative.

                  M 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • paequ2@lemmy.todayP [email protected]

                    My top pick for a Linux laptop would be the Dell XPS 13 9310. It's old I guess, from 2020. But the build quality and Linux support is excellent. You could get a used one from eBay for around 400USD.

                    If you want to spend money on brand new hardware, I'd probably get an Thinkpad X1 Carbon. I've purchased several of those in the past and have had good experiences with the hardware and Linux software support.

                    I would avoid Framework. I actually just switched back to the Dell XPS 13 9310 after a year of using the Framework. Linux support on the Framework is just not as good as some other laptops. The biggest con of Framework is the HiDPI display. You will never get the display to look good. You'll have to do a ton of tweaking and debugging—and you'll still have some apps that are blurry or have weirdly sized icons or text. See: https://lemmy.today/post/22761155/13770242

                    K This user is from outside of this forum
                    K This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #69

                    I haven't used the XPS 13 personally but my experience and all my friends' experience with the XPS lineup is that despite their build quality, they're quite prone to failure. On my 15, the keyboard failed multiple times, as well as one of the fans and eventually one thunderbolt port, all within a span of 4 years.

                    They're beautiful machines that really should be quality, but in practice for some reason they haven't lasted for me. On the plus side though, Dell does at least offer service manuals, and lots of parts can be replaced by a user (on the 15 you can easily replace fans, RAM, SSDs, and with some work you can replace the top deck, display, and SD reader).

                    paequ2@lemmy.todayP 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • G [email protected]

                      Try Framework.

                      You'll get a laptop sized to your budget and you'll be able to grow with it, upgrade any part your budget will allow in the future.

                      Their linux support is excellent.

                      E This user is from outside of this forum
                      E This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #70

                      Yes, Framework!

                      It's great and you support something (principals, ways) worth supporting!

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • R [email protected]

                        https://system76.com/

                        Open source hardware

                        U This user is from outside of this forum
                        U This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #71

                        I unfortunately had disabling experiences with the System76 Pangolin (12). Since then I would absolutely not recommend System76.

                        bilb@lem.monsterB R 2 Replies Last reply
                        0
                        • G [email protected]

                          Try Framework.

                          You'll get a laptop sized to your budget and you'll be able to grow with it, upgrade any part your budget will allow in the future.

                          Their linux support is excellent.

                          M This user is from outside of this forum
                          M This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #72

                          Framework laptops are not great actually. They basically are offloading their qa/qc onto customers. They routinely ship defective units new out of the box and try to kake you do all their engineering work for them.

                          The quality of the components is meh at best. If I were doing it again, I would go the ThinkPad route.

                          Framework is a bunch of VC funded shills who see the right to repair movement as a resource they can exploit.

                          W 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • F [email protected]

                            I don’t want to denigrate people that it works for, because I know the people that love them love them.

                            Has the battery life (more specifically drain while in suspend) gotten better? I’ve heard horror stories on that, port availability (pretty limited ports because each port attachment takes up so much space) and some complaints about build quality and durability.

                            M This user is from outside of this forum
                            M This user is from outside of this forum
                            [email protected]
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #73

                            Just converted their Chromebook over to an AMD system running Fedora. Battery life is what you make it. If you run the processor on performance with the screen brightness high, yeah, it can go quickly. But I can also get a full work day out of it no problem, you just have to keep things in perspective. Plus, you can literally swap to a bigger battery. What other laptop can do that?

                            Build quality is the same as any other Linux laptop; that is to say, it doesn't use the fanciest metals; the aluminum is cheap, but so is System76's metal, which is what it is when you're keeping costs down for customized laptops. Don't drop your laptop; you'll be fine.

                            Ports are a little limited, but nothing out of the norm for smaller laptops either. You do have the option to swap ports at any time, so there is plenty of versatility you can literally carry with you. Hell, don't MacBooks only have two ports? Things could be much worse.

                            The truth is, there is no perfect Linux laptop. Either the Framework appeals, or it doesn't. Trust that the same way you're nitpicking Framework could be done to any brand. Find the one you like, and go with it. For some of us, that's Framework, as it gets closer to our ideal than any other, which is kinda what using Linux is all about: fulfilling our personal ideals.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • L [email protected]

                              I've been eyeing the slimbook lineup as of late. I am just waiting for someone to drop a review of the slimbook creative.

                              M This user is from outside of this forum
                              M This user is from outside of this forum
                              [email protected]
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #74

                              That logo on the bezzel, though

                              😬

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • C [email protected]

                                Hi everyone, I use Linux on all my machines since a decade. Unfortunately my laptops are getting older and I will probably have to change them soon. Which Laptops would you recommend me to buy in 2025 a part Librem?

                                I don't have a high budget but I'm still looking for something relatively recent. I looked on H-node but it seems that there are not a lot of recent things.

                                eugenia@lemmy.mlE This user is from outside of this forum
                                eugenia@lemmy.mlE This user is from outside of this forum
                                [email protected]
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #75

                                I personally buy refurbished. Lately I got a Lenovo X280 thinkpad, for $160 with 8 GB of RAM, 1080p screen. Worked fine, Linux flies on it.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • jaypatelani@lemmy.mlJ [email protected]

                                  Yeah but new ThinkPads comes with soldered RAMs. Even mostly all brands do the same. I think framework don't do it

                                  bilb@lem.monsterB This user is from outside of this forum
                                  bilb@lem.monsterB This user is from outside of this forum
                                  [email protected]
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #76

                                  Framework hasn't done that yet. They have an event in 3 days and a lot of people seem to be thirsting for a Strix Halo main board, though.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • U [email protected]

                                    I unfortunately had disabling experiences with the System76 Pangolin (12). Since then I would absolutely not recommend System76.

                                    bilb@lem.monsterB This user is from outside of this forum
                                    bilb@lem.monsterB This user is from outside of this forum
                                    [email protected]
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #77

                                    I had a galago pro and it was not well built. It fell apart faster than any other laptop I've used.

                                    O R 2 Replies Last reply
                                    0
                                    • C [email protected]

                                      Hi everyone, I use Linux on all my machines since a decade. Unfortunately my laptops are getting older and I will probably have to change them soon. Which Laptops would you recommend me to buy in 2025 a part Librem?

                                      I don't have a high budget but I'm still looking for something relatively recent. I looked on H-node but it seems that there are not a lot of recent things.

                                      C This user is from outside of this forum
                                      C This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #78

                                      If you have budget, Thinkpads can't go wrong. You can also find refurbished.

                                      Tuxedo and Framework are also excellent choices.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • C [email protected]

                                        Hi everyone, I use Linux on all my machines since a decade. Unfortunately my laptops are getting older and I will probably have to change them soon. Which Laptops would you recommend me to buy in 2025 a part Librem?

                                        I don't have a high budget but I'm still looking for something relatively recent. I looked on H-node but it seems that there are not a lot of recent things.

                                        C This user is from outside of this forum
                                        C This user is from outside of this forum
                                        [email protected]
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #79

                                        I have had a Tuxedo InfinityBook 14 Gen7, and I've been happy with it. They focus on hardware that has a good compatibility with Linux, so it works well out of the box without any tinkering. You say you don't have a high budget though, so these might be too expensive (I believe you can get similar specs at a lower price), but I've also been very satisfied with the after sales service they have provided - I've had some issues with it since I got it, but if it was Tuxedo specific (or appeared to me to be Tuxedo specific), and thus not easy to find general troubleshooting help online, I contacted them and I was helped out promptly, both via e-mail and the phone.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • C [email protected]

                                          Hi everyone, I use Linux on all my machines since a decade. Unfortunately my laptops are getting older and I will probably have to change them soon. Which Laptops would you recommend me to buy in 2025 a part Librem?

                                          I don't have a high budget but I'm still looking for something relatively recent. I looked on H-node but it seems that there are not a lot of recent things.

                                          P This user is from outside of this forum
                                          P This user is from outside of this forum
                                          [email protected]
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #80

                                          I bought the Asus Tuf A16 AMD Advantage laptop. I installed Arch on it and it's been great. Got it for $600 on eBay. Put 32gb of RAM in it and a 2tb nvme drive into the second slot. Left the 512gb drive it came with.

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups