How to buy a laptop for linux

Last updated December 3, 2020 By Abhishek Prakash 113 Comments

Looking for Linux laptops? Here I list some online shops that either sell Linux computers or specialize only in Linux systems.

Almost all the non-Apple computers sold these days come with Windows preinstalled on them. The standard procedure for Linux users is to buy such a computer and then either remove Windows and install Linux, or dual boot Linux with Windows.

But you don’t always have to go through Windows. You can buy Linux computers as well.

But why buy a computer preinstalled with Linux when you can easily install Linux on any computer? Here are some reasons:

• A computer with Windows always has a higher price, for the Windows license. You can avoid that.
• Computers preinstalled with Linux are well-tested for hardware compatibility. You can be sure that your system will have WiFi and Bluetooth working, instead of figuring these things out on your own.
• Buying Linux laptops and desktops indirectly supports Linux. More sale indicate that there is a demand for Linux products, and thus more vendors may be inclined to provide Linux as a choice of operating system.

If you are looking to get a new Linux laptop, let me suggest to you a few manufacturers and vendors that provide ready-to-use Linux systems.

13 places to buy Linux laptops and computers

Some disclaimers/information before you see the list of shops offering computers with Linux preloaded.

Please make a purchase based on your own decisions. I am simply listing the Linux computer sellers here, I cannot vouch for their product quality, after sale service, or other such things.

This is not a ranked list. The items listed here are in no particular order. The numbers are for the purpose of counting the items, not ranking them.

Let’s see where you can get desktops and laptops with Linux preinstalled from.

1. Dell

Dell has been offering Ubuntu laptops for several years now. Their flagship product XPS features a Developer Edition series that comes with Ubuntu preinstalled.

If you read my review of Dell XPS Ubuntu edition, you know that I loved this laptop. It’s been more than two years and this laptop is still in great condition, and performance has not deteriorated.

For this reason, I strongly recommend Dell XPS Developer Edition. You can order one from Amazon as they regularly provide attractive deals on it.

Dell XPS is an expensive device, with a price tag of around $1000. If that’s out of your budget, Dell also has an inexpensive offering in its Inspiron laptop line.

Do note that Dell doesn’t display the Ubuntu/Linux laptops on its website. Unless you already knew that Linux laptops are offered by Dell, you wouldn’t be able to find them.

So, go to Dell’s website and enter “Ubuntu” in its search box to see the products that ship with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled.

Availability: Most parts of the world.

The second-hand market for Linux-friendly laptops is full of hidden treasures. Instead of paying a small fortune for a brand-new laptop that performs only marginally better compared to one or two generations old laptops, it makes a lot more financial sense to buy a used laptop on Amazon and potentially live with a few small scratches from the previous owner.The only problem is knowing which used laptops on Amazon are actually Linux-friendly. In this article, we explain the steps you should go through to select a used laptop with flawless Linux compatibility and hardware specifications that fit your needs.

The good news is that there are so many used laptops on Amazon that everyone is guaranteed to find exactly what they are looking for. The bad news is that having so much choice can be a bit overwhelming. As such, you should start by narrowing down your search results as much as possible.

Try to come up with a list of things you would like to do on your new laptop. Is playing Linux games one of your priorities? If so, you need a dedicated graphics card. Are you a developer who hates long compilation times? A high-end CPU can help you reduce them considerably. Are you worried about security? Then you should look for a laptop that can support a Linux or Ubuntu VPN. Maybe you’re a writer or student, and you spend your days typing on the keyboard. In that case, you should definitely go with a laptop that has a comfortable keyboard with a sane layout.

You might be tempted to buy what once was a flagship laptop with many bells and whistles, but we recommend you get a middle-of-the-road laptop instead. Flagship laptops often come with exotic hardware with limited Linux compatibility. What’s even worse, the Linux user base of a typical flagship laptop is tiny, which means that you often find yourself on your own when troubleshooting problems. Brands such as Dell, Lenovo, and HP stick with tried and tested hardware components, and they have huge followings of dedicated Linux users.

Of course, we should mention that there are also laptop brands that specialize in selling Linux-friendly laptops. They include System76, Station X, and Alpha, among many others. Unfortunately, these brands are not nearly as popular as mainstream laptop brands, which means they are quite hard to find used and in good condition.

Once you’ve narrowed down your search to a handful of used laptops, try searching online to see what others are saying about them. Read as many reviews and user reports as you can to get an idea of which laptops are the most Linux-friendly and which should be avoided.

You might discover that your favorite Linux distribution contains a bug that affects one laptop that caught your eye but not the others. At that point, you should visit the bug tracking system of the distribution to find out if the bug is on its way to being resolved. If you find out that the bug isn’t anyone’s priority, you might be better off buying a laptop that isn’t affected by it.

Before you click on the buy button and order a used laptop from Amazon, you should consult Linux hardware compatibility databases. We recommend you start with Linux on Laptops, which features comprehensive reports on running Linux on laptop computers. TuxMobil is another great compatibility database with installation guides on almost any laptop or notebook model.

From there, we recommend you also check the hardware support list of your favorite Linux distribution. Ubuntu has a great one, and so does Linux Mint, and Debian. Some laptop manufacturers who sell laptops with Linux pre-installed have their own compatibility lists, such as Lenovo and Dell.

When you finally receive your new laptop, you should test everything you can to ensure that all buttons, components, connectors, and features work as they are supposed to. Don’t forget to test the function keys as they often misbehave in Linux. If you find something that doesn’t work, Google it. Unless you’ve picked an unpopular laptop, the chances that someone has already solved the same problem before you are high.

Dell XPS 13 9360

The Dell XPS 13 9360 is one of the most popular Linux-friendly laptops on the market. As such, you can easily find it fully specced and in mint condition for a great price. It features the Intel Core i7-7500u processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB SSD storage, and Dell’s stunning 13-inch InfinityEdge display with touch support and 3200 x 1800 resolution. The XPS 13 also has the Killer 1535 wireless adapter, which promises the strongest and most reliable Wi-Fi connection. The adapter is supported in all recent Linux kernel versions. The only feature that isn’t working is the integrated fingerprint sensor, but a group of Linux enthusiasts is attempting to reverse engineer the sensor’s driver.

Lenovo ThinkPad T470s

The Lenovo ThinkPad T470s is a business-ready laptop with excellent Linux compatibility and the toughness of a hardened nail. We recommend the version with the Intel Core i7-6600U processor, 256 GB PCIe-NVMe SSD, 8 GB of RAM, and a non-touch IPS display with the Full HD resolution. Used, this version should cost you around $900. There’s also a version with the Intel Core i7-7600U processor and a touch-enabled IPS display. Regardless of which version you choose, the T470s always offers excellent connectivity options, an exceptionally comfortable keyboard, and build quality that has passed 12 stringent military tests and over 200 quality checks.

MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro-230

Finding a great gaming laptop with excellent Linux compatibility isn’t easy, but the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro-230 is here to save the day. Featuring the Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor and Nvidia’s GTX 1060 with 6 GB of dedicated video memory, it can run all the latest AAA games on medium to high details. The laptop comes with a gaming-ready Full HD display with wide viewing angles, and you can also get it with a 4K display with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. But considering that the GTX 1060 isn’t really meant for 4K gaming, we think the version with the Full HD display is the best deal.

About the author

David Morelo

David Morelo is a professional content writer in the technology niche, covering everything from consumer products to emerging technologies and their cross-industry application

Linux Operating Systems are undoubtedly the best choice of OS to run on old hardware while maintaining an efficient-enough workflow and productivity rank – look at the Raspberry Pi, for example.

If you’re reading this article then you probably already know that if your budget is relatively low to purchase a high-end Windows or Mac laptop, below is our compilation of the best Linux computers that you can purchase without selling any hardware parts.

1. Pinebook 64

The Pinebook 64 also supports other Linux-based operating systems, as well as Android-based operating systems. So if you don’t like Ubuntu MATE, you have other options.

Pinebook 64 Laptop

The Pinebook is a portable Linux machine that ships running Ubuntu MATE. It has a beautiful, white, almost weight-less build that encourages its users to carry it around and it is perfect for browsing, word procession, and multimedia playback tasks.

Running games on this machine is not ideal and you might need to get a different listed machine below. And did I mention? You can run the Android OS on it!

Pinebook Specifications

• Price: $99
• Operating System: Ubuntu 16.05 MATE
• CPU: 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A53 processor
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 16GB internal storage (with microSD slot up to 256GB)
• Screen Size & Resolution: 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS screen
• WiFi: 802.11bgn Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth: 4.0
• Battery: 10,000mAh lithium-polymer battery

2. ZaReason Limbo 6330a

The ZaReason Limbo 6330a is by default, powered by Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and is completely open to customization. Being just a CPU with top-notch features, expect it to be a lot more pricey than the less powerful computers.

Limbo 6330a CPU

At the store, you can customize everything about it from the Linux distro that it ships with to the inclusion of WiFi, Bluetooth, and other features that you may want to include.

This is the machine that you can use to play games like no man’s business.

Limbo Specifications

• Starting Price: $499
• OS: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz quad-core
• RAM: 4GB of DDR4
• Storage: 7200 RPM 1TB
• Network: Ethernet port
• USB Ports: USB 3.0 (2) and USB 2.0 (4)

3. Compulab MintBox Mini 2 Pro (MBM2 Pro)

The Compulab MintBox Mini 2 Pro comes with Linux Mint 19 with two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports coupled with a slot for microSD cards.

MintBox Mini 2 Pro

This mini PC, like all others, is suitable for programming and multimedia playback.

MintBox Mini 2 Pro Specifications

• Starting Price: $349
• OS: Linux Mint 19
• CPU: Intel Celeron J3455 quad-core
• RAM: 8GB RAM
• Storage: 120GB SSD
• WiFi: PCIe 802.11ac
• Bluetooth: 4.0
• Battery: 4-cell lithium-ion battery

4. System76 Lemur – Galago Pro

The System76 Lemur – Galago Pro is one of the beautiful computers in the product line of laptops made by System76.

System76 Lemur – Galago Pro

It ships with either Ubuntu or its fork of the Linux that goes by the name of Pop OS depending on your choice. It also comes with a variety of specifications which you can have a field day customising before clicking to make your purchase.

System76 Lemur Specifications

• Starting Price: $899
• OS: Pop!_OS 17.10 (64-bit) or Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS (64-bit) pre-installed
• CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Celeron N3150 processor
• RAM: 4GB RAM
• Storage: 120GB M.2 SSD, 2.5″ 7mm height drive. Up to 6 TB total
• Screen Size & Resolution: 13.3″ 3200 × 1800 HiDPI Display
• WiFi: 802.11bgn Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth: 4.0
• Battery: Li-Ion – 35.3 Wh

5. Endless Desktop Linux Mini PC

Endless Desktop Linux Mini PC is developed by the developers behind the free and open-source Endless OS which comes with a curated list of bundled applications that you can start using without even connecting to the internet.

Endless Linux Mini PC

For all those looking for a beautiful and stylish Mini PC, Endless Desktop Mini PC is a good pick. See the minimum specs below.

Endless Linux Mini Specifications

• Starting Price: $189
• OS: Endless OS
• CPU: 1.58GHz Intel Celeron N2807 dual-core
• RAM: 2GB RAM
• Storage: 500GB HDD
• Screen Size & Resolution: 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) screen
• WiFi: 802.11bgn Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth: 4.0

These machines are capable of getting work done and the learning curve is little to nothing depending on your familiarity with computers and the Linux OSes.

Remember to follow to the product store to view their complete feature lists if you want further details on any of them.

What other cheap Linux machine should have been listed or is worthy of a mention? Pen down your thoughts in the comments section below.

By Katherine Noyes

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With the many choices and factors to consider, choosing a laptop of any kind can be a considerable challenge. Choosing one for use with Linux, however, brings its own special set of considerations, since it’s not yet always a plug-and-play world for the open source operating system.

Linux is typically not fussy about hardware–that, indeed, is one of its most endearing advantages. Some hardware, however, still doesn’t work well with Linux, due primarily to a historical lack of the right drivers.

Still, there are more laptop choices today than ever before for the Linux user. Here are some guidelines for choosing the one that’s right for you.

Key Features

Shopping for a Linux laptop involves many of the same key considerations as shopping for a Windows laptop, and is easier in some ways due to Linux’s modest hardware requirements. There are also unique considerations to factor into any Linux laptop purchase, owing largely to potential problems with driver coverage. If you’re planning on dual-booting your laptop with both Linux and Windows, of course, you’ll need to keep both sets of requirements in mind.

Operating System

One of the first things you’ll need to think about is which distribution of Linux you want to use, and whether you want to buy it preinstalled on a laptop or to install it yourself on top of a (presumably) Windows-based laptop. You’ll also need to decide if you want to keep Windows on your machine as well, known as a “dual boot” scenario.

On the first of those questions, choosing a distribution–or “distro”–is something that will depend on your interests, level of expertise, and so forth. Check out our guides to choosing a distro and to the top 10 distros for more on that. In general, the best distros for laptops include Ubuntu, openSUSE, Linux Mint, and Fedora, but there are also smaller-footprint ones such as Puppy Linux and Damn Small Linux (DSL) for low-resources machines. Once you pick a distro, check its Web site for hardware recommendations, even though most will be far exceeded by today’s laptop offerings.

As far as getting the distro on your computer, many vendors out there sell laptops with Linux (usually Ubuntu) preinstalled, so that’s certainly a safe option. The added advantage of taking that route is that such preinstalled offerings typically come with key Linux drivers (more on that below) installed as well, making it easier to start up and go.

Of course, installing Linux yourself is by no means difficult, and it can be handy to have a dual-boot setup in case you ever need Windows for something specific. Doing it this way also gives you a wider range of hardware to choose from.

Processor

Among the most commonly found CPUs today are the Intel Atom N450; the Intel T4300, Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5 and quad-core Core i7; and the AMD Athlon 64 Mobile and Turion 64 X2.

Basically, the more cores in your processor, the more calculations it can handle at once, making for better response times when you’re running multiple applications. Dual core is good for most purposes today. Processor speeds, meanwhile, typically range from 1.8GHz to 3GHz or more.

Of course, Linux can play well with just about any processor–even the lower-end Atom–particularly given that there are distributions designed just for low-resource contexts. For a nice, basic laptop setup, though, the Intel Core 2 Duo and the (slightly slower) dual-core AMD Turion 64 X2 could both be good choices for either a dual-boot or Linux-only scenario. If you’re planning on performing tasks such as encoding video or running engineering applications, of course, the higher-end Core i3, i5 or even i7 might make more sense.

System Memory

RAM is particularly important if you plan to use memory-intensive apps like virtualization, photo editing or video editing, or if you plan to dual-boot. Most laptops offer between 2GB and 4GB of RAM; many are also upgradable with more than that. If you go for a 64-bit Linux distro–or if you dual-boot–it’s a good idea to go for 4GB of RAM for maximum flexibility. On the other hand, 32-bit distros alone don’t typically need more than 3GB.

Wireless

Wireless support is one of the areas that has historically given Linux the most trouble, but thankfully that’s improving every day. This fall, in fact, wireless chip maker Broadcom announced a fully open wireless driver that’s compatible with the operating system. Expected to appear in the Linux kernel late this year or in early 2011, that new 802.11 driver will allow Linux distros to fully support many common Broadcom wireless chips.

The new Ubuntu 10.10, Maverick Meerkat, reportedly includes that new driver already, and upcoming distro releases will undoubtedly do the same. Meanwhile, Atheros and Intel are the two wireless chip brands best known for their Linux compatibility. The Intel Pro series 3945 card is one compatible one; others can be found in this database.

Graphics

Fully supported low-end video cards for Linux include the Intel GMA 4500MHD, 945GM, 950 GMA, and X3100 GMA as well as Nvidia’s Quadro NVS 160M. On the higher end–targeting video editing and 3D games–there’s the Nvidia Quadro FX 880M, FX 2800M, NVS 3100M, GeForce 9300M GS and GeForce 9300M, as well as the Intel GMA X4500 HD, ATI FirePro M7740, ATI Radeon HD 3650 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650, to name a few.

For high-end purposes, it’s important to make sure dedicated 3D acceleration is supported under Linux so as to avoid taking up valuable CPU resources drawing 3D images. Nvidia and ATI are the primary providers of dedicated GPUs, but it’s definitely worth visiting the driver pages for Nvidia, ATI/AMD, and Intel to make sure you get the right thing.

Keep in mind, too, that if you’re into gaming, there’s still limited support for Linux among most game makers. You may want to dual-boot and to get extra RAM along with the best graphics support you can afford. You’ll also probably have to get a bigger laptop, incidentally, since heat-prone dedicated GPUs tend to require more space for cooling.

Sound

Most on-board sound cards should work just fine with Linux, enabling users to play MP3, WAV, and OGG files as well as ripping audio CDs and more. If you’re eyeing something really high-end in this area, however, you should make sure all its features are supported.

Optical Disk

Linux does support DVDs and other optical formats, but if you’re hoping to play Blu-ray movies, you’ll need to get a Blu-ray optical drive that can read and write DVDs. Because Blu-ray involves DRM, you’ll need to have the latest versions of Mplayer and DumpHD to perform the necessary decryption.

Screen Size, Hard Drive, Battery, and Keyboards

Considerations on these should be much the same as for non-Linux laptops. Consider your needs and choose accordingly.

Next page: Specs explained, and shopping tips

by Editorial Staff updated October 12, 2020

If you are looking to buy best Linux laptop, here is a list of experts recommended Linux laptops for sale. This Laptops collection contains from Linux laptop cheap price under 100 to high end Linux laptop for developers priced $2799. However, Dell Linux laptop XPS 13 Developer Edition is the most popular and best laptop around today.

Laptop manufacturers such as Toshiba, Dell, Compaq, Acer, Advent, Apple, IBM, Cannon, Sharp, Sony, Siemens, and Asus offer Linux-based laptops. Let’s take look at Linux laptops best to buy.

Best Budget Linux Laptops

1. Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition

XPS Developer Edition 13 is the best dell Linux laptop on the market and it’s the best Linux laptop around today.

• Up to 3200 x 1800 resolution
• 13-inch screen
• Up to 16 GB RAM (i7)
• Up to 512 GB SSD (i7)
• Intel i5-7200U or i7-7500U
• Runs lots of Linux operating systems

2. System76 Lemur

System76 Lemur is another

• 7th gen Intel i3-7100U or i7-7500U
• 14-inch 1080p IPS matte display
• Up to 32 GB RAM
• As high as 5 TB storage
• Excellent keyboard
• Great battery life
• Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or Ubuntu 16.10
• Runs other distros well

3. UltraLap 5330

If you’re looking for a slim, lightweight and stylish notebook the ZaReason now has it all in the UltraLap 5330 with latest-generation Intel processor plus Intel HD graphics.

• Lots of Linux distro choice
• Up to 32GB RAM
• i3-7100U or i7-7500U
• Up to 1 TB M.2 SSD
• Ubuntu or Tux logo on super key
• Up to 2 TB 2.5″ SATA or 1 TB 2.5″ SSD

Best Cheap Linux Laptops

4. Pinebook 64

Pinebook 64 is the cheap Linux laptop with under $100. It gets the job done for web browsing, basic multimedia playback, and word processing.

• Operating System: Ubuntu 16.05 MATE
• Screen: 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS screen
• CPU: 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A53 processor
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• Storage: 16GB internal storage (with microSD slot up to 256GB)
• Connectivity: 802.11bgn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
• Battery: 10,000mAh lithium-polymer battery

You can buy Pinebook 64 here Price: $89

5. Alpha Litebook

Litebook is another cheap Linux laptop on this list.

• Operating System: Elementary OS
• Screen: 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) screen
• CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Celeron N3150 processor
• Memory: 4GB RAM
• Storage: 120GB SSD or 500GB HDD
• Connectivity: 802.11bgn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
• Battery: 4-cell lithium-ion battery

You can buy Alpha Litebook here Price: $250

6. System76 Lemur

• Operating System: Pop!_OS 17.10 or Ubuntu 16.04
• Screen: 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS screen
• CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-7100U processor
• Memory: 8GB RAM
• Storage: 120GB SSD
• Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
• Battery: 4-cell lithium-ion battery

Best Mid-Range Linux Laptops

7. ZaReason Verix 6440

ZaReason Verix 6440 is portability meets performance and style with the Verix 6440 powered by latest-generation Intel processor and Nvidia GTX 1060m w/ 6GB video memory.

• Lots of Linux operating system options
• NVIDIA 10-series 1060 GPU
• Intel i7-6700HQ
• Desktop replacement laptop

8. Purism Librem 15

The Purism Librem 15 is mid-sized and mid-range priced powerful laptop.

Best High-End Linux Laptops

9. System76 Bonobo WS

System76 Bonobo WS is great Linux laptop for the price.

• Up to 64 GB RAM
• NVIDIA 10-series GPUs (available with two)
• Desktop 7th gen Intel i7 CPUs
• One HDMI and two mini DisplayPort outputs
• True desktop replacement

10. ZaReason Chimera 3

ZaReason’s Chimera 3 is a good workstation-class laptop.

• Sixth generation Intel i7-6820HK quad-core processor
• GTX 980M GPU
• Lots of distribution options
• Standard optical drive
• HDMI and DisplayPort

It seems quite normal, you buy a laptop in the (web)shop, pre-installed with Windows by default. Without knowing it, the cost of the Microsoft Windows license is included in the price of the laptop. Buying a laptop without Windows is not possible. Anyway, you are stuck with a Windows license and the additional costs.

If you think about this, it’s actually really weird. There are countless operating systems on the market. Think of Linux Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, or an operating system (OS) like Zorin OS that is similar to Windows. All these operating systems are free and free to use.

Why a laptop without Windows?

Free Choice

Actually, it’s crazy that when you want to buy a laptop, as a consumer you only have two choices, Windows or Mac OS x. A laptop without an operating system is not one of the possibilities.

At Laptop with Linux we believe that freedom of choice is a core value and right that every consumer should have. Whether you buy a laptop without Windows, with Linux or want to install the operating system yourself. You buy, you have freedom of choice.

A laptop without Bloatware

If you buy a laptop with Windows in the shop, you’ll get a lot of clutter. By clutter we mean bloatware. Bloatware or crapware are applications and settings that the manufacturer pre-installes on the new laptop. Often these are bad applications, advertisements, trial periods and even malware. It is known that Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus and Acer laptops contain serious vulnerabilities due to the presence of bloatware. Without having a choice, the pre-installed bloatware is always included.

We can’t come up with a legitimate reason why our fellow laptop retailers sell laptops with this bloatware. If you have paid for a product, you are not waiting for extra advertising. That’s why Laptopwithlinux.com delivers laptops without bloatware.

Cheaper Laptops

A laptop without Windows automatically means a lower purchase price. You don’t pay unnecessarily for a Microsoft license. You are also completely free to buy and use Windows on your laptop at a later moment.

Can your PC run Linux? Probably. But here’s how to find out for sure.

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Linux’s hardware support is better than ever, but you still can’t take it for granted. Not every laptop and desktop you see at your local computer store (or, more realistically, on Amazon) will work perfectly with Linux. Whether you’re buying a PC for Linux or just want to ensure you can dual-boot at some point in the future, thinking about this ahead of time will pay off.

Give Linux a spin if you already have the hardware

If you already have the PC available to you, you probably shouldn’t spend much time researching how compatible it is with Linux. Instead, just give Linux a test run on that PC and see for yourself.

Live CDs or flash drives are a great way to quickly determine whether or not a Linux distro will run on your PC.

This is quick, easy, and safe. You can download a Linux ISO in a few minutes, flash it to a USB drive, reboot your computer, and boot into a live Linux environment running off the USB drive. If it doesn’t work well enough, you can just reboot your computer, go straight back into Windows, and forget about Linux on that hardware.

Closed-source graphics and Wi-Fi drivers may sometimes be necessary, and may not be running out of the box. If you don’t have 3D graphics support, that’s normal. If Wi-Fi doesn’t work automatically, it may do so after you install Linux on your PC and install the appropriate Wi-Fi support.

Check hardware compatibility databases

There’s a lot of information out there about whether specific computers are compatible with Linux. Much of this is in dedicated hardware compatibility databases. Canonical provides a Ubuntu desktop certified hardware database that lists hardware guaranteed to work with Ubuntu, for example. If you’re looking for a list of individual components instead of full laptop and desktop PCs, try the Ubuntu component catalog. These aren’t exhaustive lists—in fact, they’re very minimal lists of only hardware manufacturers have gone out of their way to certify.

A simple Google search like “GeForce GTX 980 Ti Linux support” can often let you know if specific PC components work with Linux.

Linux-Drivers lists a wider variety of individual databases. For example, many Linux distributions provide their own hardware compatibility database websites, including openSUSE, Debian, and Linux Mint.

You could also just perform a web search for a model number of laptop—or a specific hardware component, if you’re building your own PC—and “Linux support” to see how well it works on Linux. A simple web search can often pull up a wealth of information.

Want to stay up to date on Linux, BSD, Chrome OS, and the rest of the World Beyond Windows? Bookmark the World Beyond Windows column page or follow our RSS feed.

Just buy a PC designed for Linux

But let’s back up. You don’t need to dig through hardware compatibility databases to buy a PC you know will be compatible with Linux anymore. Many PC manufacturers offer laptops and desktops with Linux preinstalled. This means that those PCs are guaranteed to work properly with Linux. You can often even save some money when buying these—a Windows license isn’t included, so you’re avoiding the “Microsoft tax” you usually have to pay when buying a PC for Linux.

Dell’s slick, powerful XPS 13 is one of the best laptops available today, and you can get it with Linux preinstalled.

Dell offers a line of Linux PCs, from affordable sub-$300 Inspiron laptops all the way up to the XPS 13 ultrabook and Precision M3800 MacBook Pro-competitor. Dell’s Linux laptops are nothing to sneeze at, either; the XPS 13 is one of the best lightweight laptops you can buy.

System76 is well-known in the Ubuntu community and sells a variety of laptops and desktop PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed. (The laptop at the top of this page comes from System76.) ZaReason offers a similar line of Linux PCs with a choice of Linux distribution—or none at all. Linux Mint is partnering with a hardware manufacturer to sell a “MintBox Mini” PC. You can install your favorite Linux distribution afterwards, of course.

LinuxPreloaded.com provides a more comprehensive list of other manufacturers offering Linux PCs and where they ship to around the world. In the past, Linux geeks could only dream of having so many options.

When freelance writer Chris Hoffman isn’t writing about gadgets and software, he’s probably using them in his spare time.

Tuxedo makes it easy to buy an out-of-the-box “penguin-ready” laptop.

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Recently, I bought and started using a Tuxedo Book BC1507, a Linux laptop computer. Ten years ago, if someone had told me that, by the end of the decade, I could buy top-quality, “penguin-ready” laptops from companies such as System76, Slimbook, and Tuxedo, I probably would have laughed. Well, now I’m laughing, but with joy!

Going beyond designing computers for free/libre open source software (FLOSS), all three companies recently announced they are trying to eliminate proprietary BIOS software by switching to Coreboot.

Buying it

Tuxedo Computers is a German company that builds Linux-ready laptops. In fact, if you want a different operating system, it costs more.

Buying the computer was incredibly easy. Tuxedo offers many payment methods: not only credit cards but also PayPal and even bank transfers. Just fill out the bank transfer form on Tuxedo’s web page, and the company will send you the bank coordinates.

Tuxedo builds every computer on demand, and picking exactly what you want is as easy as selecting the basic model and exploring the drop-down menus to select different components. There is a lot of information on the page to guide you in the purchase.

• Linux commands cheat sheet
• Advanced Linux commands cheat sheet
• Free online course: RHEL Technical Overview
• Linux networking cheat sheet
• SELinux cheat sheet
• Linux common commands cheat sheet
• What are Linux containers?
• Our latest Linux articles

The model I chose accepts up to two disks: one SSD and the other either an SSD or a conventional hard drive. As I was already over budget, I decided to pick a conventional 1TB disk and increase the RAM to 16GB. The processor is an 8th Generation i5 with four cores. I selected a back-lit Spanish keyboard, a 1920×1080/96dpi screen, and an SD card reader—all in all, a great system.

If you’re fine with the default English or German keyboard, you can even ask for a penguin icon on the Meta key! I needed a Spanish keyboard, which doesn’t offer this option.

Receiving and using it

The perfectly packaged computer arrived in total safety to my door just six working days after the payment was registered. After unpacking the computer and unlocking the battery, I was ready to roll.

tuxedo-600.jpg

The new toy on top of my (physical) desktop.

The computer’s design is really nice and feels solid. Even though the chassis on this model is not aluminum, it stays cool. The fan is really quiet, and the airflow goes to the back edge, not to the sides, as in many other laptops. The battery provides several hours of autonomy from an electrical outlet. An option in the BIOS called FlexiCharger stops charging the battery after it reaches a certain percentage, so you don’t need to remove the battery when you work for a long time while plugged in.

The keyboard is really comfortable and surprisingly quiet. Even the touchpad keys are quiet! Also, you can easily adjust the light intensity on the back-lit keyboard.

Finally, it’s easy to access every component in the laptop so the computer can be updated or repaired without problems. Tuxedo even sends spare screws!

Conclusion

After a month of heavy use, I’m really happy with the system. I got exactly what I asked for, and everything works perfectly.

Because they are usually high-end systems, Linux-included computers tend to be on the expensive side of the spectrum. If you compare the price of a Tuxedo or Slimbook computer with something with similar specifications from a more established brand, the prices are not that different. If you are after a powerful system to use with free software, don’t hesitate to support these companies: What they offer is worth the price.

Let’s us know in the comments about your experience with Tuxedo and other “penguin-friendly” companies.

Allegations that new Lenovo laptops—Yoga 900 ISK2m, Yoga 900s and Yoga 710s among them—lock out Linux installation on the manufacturer-installed SSD stirred up a storm in a teacup. Eventually the truth about the Lenovo hardware came out. The Linux drivers for the NVMe SSD in those Lenovo laptop models did not yet exist, and nothing was stopping anyone from developing the drivers.

All in all, a fairly standard situation for open source software and new hardware.

But damage control proved inelegant. A tech retailer (not Newegg) used less-than-accurate language explaining the situation; and Lenovo partook in its own unsavory behavior by deleting related discussion board threads on its support site. Both the vendor and retailer succumb to a fair amount of blowback, with the Microsoft Signature PC Program caught in the middle of a spurting geyser of misinformation.

This was the vibe in the Linux community this week.

Execution scene from ‘Notorious Life of John Lambe’ (1628)

Now an appeal for sanity—everyone just settle down and R-E-L-A-X. Lenovo laptops have traditionally been Linux-friendly. If history is any indicator, the SSD in the Lenovo Yoga models in question will eventually support some flavor of the famous open source OS. I don’t gamble but I bet someday soon you won’t need to hardware flash the BIOS using hand-made clips to run Linux on a Lenovo Yoga 900 ISK2.

Photo credit to Imgur user bownairo—a next-level warranty-voiding madman. See more

If you are intent on running Linux on a new Lenovo laptop right now, here are 10 models that are *Linux-certified by the manufacturer.

Lenovo IdeaPad 510

Lenovo IdeaPad 510

• Linux ED 5, Ubuntu 10.04, SLED 11
• Intel Core i5 6200U (2.30 GHz)
• 8 GB Memory 1 TB HDD
• NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
• 15.6″ – 1920 x 1080

Lenovo ThinkPad 13

Lenovo ThinkPad 13

• Ubuntu 14.04
• Intel Core i5 6200U (2.30 GHz)
• 8 GB Memory 1 TB HDD
• NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
• 13.3″ – 1920 x 1080

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E555

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E555

• Ubuntu 14.04
• AMD A10-Series A10-7300 (1.90 GHz)
• 4 GB Memory 500 GB HDD
• AMD Radeon R7 M260DX
• 1366 x 768

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E440

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E440

• Ubuntu 12.03.2
• Intel Core 1.5
• 4 GB Memory 500 GB HDD
• 14″ – 1366 x 768

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E431

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E431

• RHEL 7.0
• Intel Core i5 3230M (2.60 GHz)
• 4 GB Memory 500 GB HDD
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 1366 x 768

Lenovo ThinkPad T430

Lenovo ThinkPad T430

• Ubuntu 11.10
• Intel Core i5 3320M (2.60GHz)
• 4GB Memory 320GB HDD
• NVIDIA NVS 5400M
• 14″ – 1600 x 900

Lenovo ThinkPad L420

Lenovo ThinkPad L420

• Ubuntu 10.10
• Intel Core i3-2310U (2.10 GHz)
• 8 GB Memory 512 GB SSD
• 14″ – 1366 x 768

Lenovo ThinkPad T460s

Lenovo ThinkPad T460s

• RHEL7.2, Ubuntu 14.04
• Intel Core i7-6600U (3.4 GHz)
• 8GB DDR4 512 SSD
• 14″ – 1920 x 1080

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260

• Ubuntu 14.04
• Intel Core i5 6200U (2.30 GHz)
• 8 GB Memory 256 GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics 520
• 12.5″ Touchscreen 1920 x 1080

Lenovo ThinkPad X260

Lenovo ThinkPad X260

• RHEL 7.2 64-bit
• Intel Core i7 6600U (2.60 GHz)
• 16 GB Memory 256 GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics 520
• 1366 x 768

*Linux certification for Lenovo laptops is officially spelled out by the manufacturer here. See the manufacturer site for the complete list of Lenovo laptops that are Linux certified.

Adam Lovinus

A tech writer and Raspberry Pi enthusiast from Orange County, California.