Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Recommendations For a Reliable Linux Laptop?
An anonymous reader writes: I will be looking for a new laptop soon and I'm mostly interested in high reliability and Linux friendliness. I have been using an MSI laptop (with Windows 7) for the last five years as my main workhorse and did not have a single, even minor problem with the hardware nor the OS. It turned out to be a slam-dunk, although I didn't do any particular research before buying it, so I was just lucky. I would like to be more careful this time around, so this is a hardware question: What laptop do you recommend for high reliability with Linux? I will also appreciate any advice on what to avoid and any unfortunate horror stories; I guess we can all learn from those.
Anti-recommendations are probably just as valuable, a lesson I learned when an HP laptop I bought (low-end, I admit) turned out to be notoriously fickle when it comes to Linux support. Since our anonymous submitter doesn't specify his budget, it would be good if you specify the price for any specific laptops you recommend.
Dell Precision and Latitude machines have mostly worked for me over the years. Thinkpads also.
I have Dell Precision M3800 for my work and it has been fantastic. It comes pre-configured with Ubuntu and thus saves you a hundred dollars vis-a-vis the Windows LIcense cost. I am very happy with the machine and use it has a workstation replacement. I push it hard and it has been fine. I would suggest that if you use it as a development machine to purchase a stand to allow it to cool properly. The graphic device drivers are great and it is an actual working touch-screen which I honestly don't use (emacs users) but does make the Unity interface actually usable. Link is here; http://www.dell.com/us/busines... Lenovo's have been good in the past but Lenovo is reducing quality fast and thus I would not suggest such a machine. HP also would not be a good choice. (Thanks Fiorina!)
Can confirm Thinkpad X series laptops work really well too, perhaps even better than with Windows 7. I have a Thinkpad X220 which has been used almost exclusively with Ubuntu LTS since Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. I use this with a Lenovo Minidock Series 3 Plus, 2 large 1200p monitors and full sized peripherals. Everything works mosty OK. Interestingly in Windows 7 moving windows around on the desktop caused the sound to drop out... I've recently installed Ubuntu 14.04 on a Thinkpad X240, and everything seemed to work well out of the box here too. Higher end Thinkpads are a pretty safe bet for Linux support.
There's nothing "pro" about a laptop with no hardware buttons.