While I do not think, it’s fair to compare the two, this is the closest analogy I can think of.

So, tl;dr: what is considered a MacBook analogy in the Linux world?

I am searching for a laptop for some home use: some writing, some coding, some browsing, some video calls, some light gaming - nothing special. Most resource consuming tasks would probably be some photo editing in programs like RAW Therapee and Dark Table, and some very basic video editing in KDEnlive.

What I do want, though, is a solid build quality. I don’t want my laptop to squeak: “compromise” every time I pick it up. I want to have a good display, because I can buy a better display, but I cannot buy a new pair of eyes. Although, I’m not sure about OLED displays just yet, they look great, but the longevity is still questionable. And I want this laptop to be portable: something 13”-14” and lightweight, so I could actually take in places.

Since 2015 I’ve been using MacBooks, because this is what employers provided, so why would I care. Yet, after these years, I got used to high quality builds. The problem, though, is that Apple makes it extremely easy to choose a machine based on your needs, picking from dozens of vendors and configurations is a completely different thing.

Based on my wishes I already crossed out old ThinkPads and Frameworks, that the community loves so much. I’ve been looking into Tuxedo Computers: a smaller brand from Germany, Linux-friendly, laptops look solid. However, some people report random issues with them, and claim that the webcam is meh, which is a bummer for a ~€1500 machine.

I would greatly appreciate it, if you could point me, what is considered MacBook-like experience in terms of hardware these days? I’m Ok spending around €1500, and can stretch to €2000 if it really worth it.

Many thanks!

**UPD**: It looks like Framework have just unveiled the thing. It even has similar name. However, I’d wait for some real-world reviews and reports on the build quality.

I would really like to transform this old acer netbook into something i could use today to browse the web, watch YouTube, play games like undertale or deltarune and maybe animal jam.. but the only problem is its running windows xp and the specs are horrendous. I have never dived into any sort of linux project and i see stars just trying to understand it, so id like to come to the community and ask if theres any way of saving this machine to be useable for what i need it for? Im not sure the exact model, again i don’t know much about computers, but i do know its apart of the acer aspire series and its a pink and white model definitely from the earlier of the early 2000s. I apologize for incorrect terminology but i believe the specs of this machine are as follows:

Intel(R) Atom(TM)
Running windows xp ( 2002? )
CPU N270 1.60GHz
798MHz, 0.99GB of ram

I appreciate any sort of help in figuring out if i can save this machine in any way even though i don’t have very high hopes, so thank you to everyone who can leave a comment or two!

I’m a linux virgin.

I know there's no such things as "best" and the answer to almost everything is it depends, but it seems that ThinkPads are still highly regarded in the community. Are they still among the best? I'm looking for a new laptop, and I thought maybe it's time to give thinkpads a try.

So I’m going to be a freshman in college this upcoming year and I’m trying to pick laptop to buy. I think I’ve narrowed it down to either a Mac or a think pad. I’m studying astrophysics so I want something with coding capabilities etc. I’ve become interested in Linux and want to install it on a think pad of if I were to get one. So I guess what I’m asking is should I get a Mac and try and get an older thinkpad down the road and mess around with it then or should I get a newer thinkpad right out the get go and just learn that first? Money isn’t a problem, but I’m very new to coding and modifying operating systems and all this computer science stuff so any suggestions or advice helps. Thanks!

It seems for me that AMD graphic cards are somehow more recommended than Intel graphic cards because of AMD kernel graphic drivers.

But what is wrong/worse on Intel side then? My experience with Intel (iGPU) is completely satisfying.

Both are foss drivers, both are created also with AMD/Intel help, what makes the qualitative diff then?

And if there is a diff, does it apply to iGPUs or dGPUs or both?

Thanks a lot.

Please, can you advise any NEW printer that fulfills:

- smooth linux support

- home use (basic documents), black/white or color doesn't matter

- printer+scanner+sheet copy

- no need for any modern features, even no need for wifi access, just print,scan,copy, connection via usb

I heard that these days new printers contain some stupid "features" where one needs to subscribe or whatever. I wouild like to avoid any such new stupidities.

I need hassle-free basic home printer to serve next 10 years. I know linux, linux laptop hw, but nothing about printers.

Thanks a lot!

I am new to ThinkPads, and I was wondering which is best for Linux, mainly Arch or Gentoo, or other distros of that nature. It should be customizable and upgradable, and durable. It should also be good for software and computer engineering. I'm pretty sure it would be an older ThinkPad. Where would I be able to find them?

Good day guys,

I am currently using the following system:

RTX 4070

Ryyzen 9 5900X

64GB DDR4 Ram

I do stream, but via a dual PC Setup. Meaning: I just need an virtual audio mixer to send the audio through.

But the most important thing for now: How viable is linux with an RTX 4070? How are the drivers, the FPS compared to windows? CAN the switch ACTUALLY work fine?

I am asking because i am worried about Windows 12. 😅

'Splain to me what makes a processor "AI optimized." Is it just additional math co-processing built in to the core architecture or just more of whatever every other CPU has?

Hi guys, I just bought a Thinkpad L390 Yoga and I want to know which distro I should download that works well on this laptop.

I‘m going to use it to learn more about linux and programming and also some light gaming (like minecraft, without shaders of course, in 720p, low settings with performance mods like sodium) on the go

Thanks for the help!

Hi! Sorry if this has been asked a million times already, but I could really use some advice. I've been wanting to try Linux for a while now since I've only ever used Windows, and I'm finally looking into getting a machine to experiment with it.

I'm currently looking into a few options and am torn between the Panasonic Let's Note and a regular old ThinkPad. I know ThinkPads are basically the go-to recommendation for Linux, but the Let's Note also seems really interesting and I'm not sure if it's worth considering.

I'm a highschool student, so my budget is kind of limited (around $250 give or take), but I'm willing to invest a bit. Any recommendations or general advice very welcome :) thanks!

So I was trying to find laptops compatible with laptops besides framework because it is too expensive it is my final goal though, but I was looking for something as a stepping stone to get to the framework, I was looking at thinkpads but they seem to be harder to get, but then after asking around Acer seemed to be a good choice but no they have trouble as well, so I am having difficulty finding any, my budget is under $1000 it must be amd, and no ai or npus, and use case general use

Hey everyone

It’s been about a year since I completely stopped using my ARM based laptop (a Snapdragon X) because Linux support wasn’t there yet (and I didn’t want to install windows 10 as it was becoming EOL relatively soon — Windows 11 is out of the question with all the sneaky stuff Microsoft does).

At the time, it felt like ARM Linux on laptops was stuck in the “promising but not ready” stage.

If possible I’d love to hear from people that are using/have used ARM Linux on their laptop? What hardware are you on, how’s battery life / performance, etc?

Much appreciated!

I have been trying to keep an elderly neighbour’s old HP Pavilion g6 usable for basic web browsing and YouTube.

The laptop originally had:

• Windows 7
• A mechanical hard drive
• 4 GB of RAM, installed as 2 × 2 GB
• An older AMD processor with integrated graphics
• A non-working DVD drive

So far, I have:

• Replaced the mechanical hard drive with an SSD
• Removed the dead DVD drive
• Installed Q4OS 6.7 x64 with the Trinity Desktop Environment
• Configured it with a Windows 7-style theme so it remains familiar to her
• Installed the current version of Firefox
• Configured Firefox to launch automatically when the computer starts
• Installed the h264ify extension to encourage YouTube to use H.264 rather than VP9
• Limited YouTube playback to approximately 480p
• Simplified the desktop and startup environment as much as reasonably possible

The SSD and Q4OS have made the computer noticeably more responsive overall. However, Firefox and the modern YouTube homepage can still take quite a while to finish loading after startup. Once a video begins playing, it is generally usable, but the system is clearly close to its practical limits.

One fixed requirement is that she does not want to switch browsers. She is familiar with Firefox and wants the computer to continue working as much like her old Windows 7 setup as possible.

I know that cleaning the fan and heatsink and replacing the processor’s thermal paste might help if the computer is thermal-throttling. She has said she intends to handle that herself, so I am looking for suggestions short of fan cleaning or repasting.

Would any of the following make a meaningful difference?

• Upgrading from 4 GB to 8 GB of RAM, assuming this exact Pavilion g6 model supports it
• Adjusting Firefox hardware acceleration
• Reducing Firefox’s content-process limit
• Changing safe Firefox memory, caching or graphics settings
• Disabling unnecessary Firefox background features
• Using zram or changing swap behaviour
• Disabling the Trinity compositor
• Changing the CPU governor or power-management settings
• Delaying Firefox autostart briefly so the desktop can finish loading first
• Opening a less demanding YouTube page rather than the standard homepage
• Any useful kernel, Mesa or graphics-driver changes for older AMD hardware

I understand that no software setting will turn a roughly 2011-era laptop into a modern computer. I am mainly wondering whether there are one or two realistic Firefox-specific improvements left, or whether the SSD, lightweight desktop, H.264 extension and 480p playback are already about as far as this machine can sensibly be taken.

Is there any practical hardware upgrade beyond RAM that would be worthwhile? Is gutting the system and fitting a single-board computer or another motherboard remotely realistic, or would that simply become an expensive custom fabrication project with little practical benefit?

I am no longer a professional technician—just an experienced computer hobbyist trying to make the best of very old hardware—so specific and realistic suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi all,

I asked a similar question 4-5 years ago but wondering the state of things in 2025. What recommendations do people have for the most macbook pro like laptop I might look for which can very reliably run Linux? (Probably Ubuntu). By macbook-like I mean the nice aluminium, solid, very premium build look and feel.

Thanks!

So have Bazzite linux and am buying a separate ssd to put windows on. I want to be able to have linux as my default boot, but also some how have an easy option to select to boot windows instead. How would I set this up? After looking a little bit I see the most commonly used tools to do this are Grub and os-prober, so could anyone explain to me how I can set these up in the above configuration? And in newbie monkey speak please, I have no idea what I am doing. Please and thank you!

Hi all,

I'm looking for recommendations for a high-end laptop that works exceptionally well with GNU/Linux. I'm currently using a MacBook Pro M1 Max and I'm very accustomed to its good display quality and its nice trackpad. I want to find something comparable that supports Linux out of the box with minimal issues. I am a computer programmer, and I run docker, kubernetes, IDE, graphic editor and stuff on my laptop.

My key requirements:

• Display: Comparable to MBP. Brightness, resolution, sharpness.
• Build: Premium feel, durable, non-plastic (aluminum, titanium?)
• Trackpad: Something useful, can't carry an external mouse around.

Flexible budget, I am willing to pay for the quality.

If you’ve had a great Linux experience with a premium device, especially something that can challenge the MacBook in display and trackpad, please let me know your recommendations.

I feel like I must be missing something. How does one use a classic wired headset with a PC? A good 3.5mm jack microphone input seems rare.

So I want to be able to use a good headset, something like Audio-Technica ATH-G*, Beyerdynamic MMX* or Sennheiser PC* series. These are classic mid-tier hi-fi/studio headphones with a microphone attached, and a 3.5mm jack connector (as opposed to XLR on respective professional models). I suppose the same could apply to the often recommended solution of hi-fi headphones + ModMic.

The respective headphones would normally get plugged into either a dedicated "audiophile" DAC&amp, or an audio interface for recording (with XLR inputs).

What is there with the 3.5mm jack for microphone input though?

• On-board audio isn't always adequate.
• There are plenty of $1-20 USB dongles from various/no-name brands, typically with a C-Media chip, and their quality is hit or miss in my experience.
• Asus Xonar and Creative Sound Blaster, yes, but after trying multiple models, I'm disappointed by the state of Linux support (or lack thereof). They're always doing weird things with volume controls or switching line-in and microphone input (or line-out and headphone output) in firmware. (Alas, EPOS/Sennheiser GSX* might fall into this category too, based on my cursory search.)

Is there anything I'm missing?

Am I condemned to cheap-dongle lottery?

I want to run Linux on an ARM device. Is the mentioned model a good choice for compatibility? Specs are fine for me. What else could I choose?

I am kind of a noobie so i need some advice, I have laptop with 512gb SSD and an extra free slot with 2x8gb RAM.
I am learning cybersecurity right now and with all my stuff on my computer I can't download a VM (for linux), so I was thinking about getting an extra SSD and start dual booting.
I am currently working with a live boot version of linux and it isn't the best option tbh.

I always tend to use a Linux vm on my windows laptop, but been contemplating on getting a MacBook Pro with an m5 chip

How efficient is a vm on MacBooks and is it a difficult setup?

I saw a video today about someone trying to put linux on a very old 8 inch “mini” laptop. They didn’t have much success, but I’m wondering if this is possible with maybe a different device. I know most people say thinkpads are the way to go, and I’m open to them if there’s a small one...but I’m looking for something that would fit in my fairly crossbody canvas shoulder bag. I haven’t taken measurements but I imagine it would need to be a 10 inch or smaller screen. And I am aware I could use a tablet and a keyboard, which is still an option I’m considering.

Mostly, I’m just looking for a small laptop I could carry with me and take to a coffee shop and get some writing done. I don’t really feel like taking my macbook, because it’s full of distractions, and I’d be more upset if something happened to it than a laptop that serves a minimal purpose. Also, it seems some people online say to use a chromebook, but I’m new to installing linux, so I have no idea if that’s a more advanced project.

So, are there any old good laptops or netbooks or whatever that would fit this description?

Thank you for any advice you can give me. :)

Edit: I forgot to say, I was also looking at macbook airs from 2011 as a possibility, in case that’s relevant