(Part 2) Best products from r/linuxhardware

I’m in the market right now for a laptop around $200-$300 and trust me, I’ve been researching it EXTENSIVELY.

As other people have pointed out, ThinkPads are a great choice and have very good Linux compatibility.

Now with that being said, there are literally hundreds, maybe thousands of laptops that fit your description. I’m learning that Linux works on basically any laptop now, and if you want something small with a good battery, you have PLENTY of options. I’ll link just a few off the top of my head that might be a good fit if you decide you want a newer laptop with a warranty.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N6S4SY1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dvdMDbS9CV66N

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RHMBGCF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QvdMDb96XM9VC

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D97S1CR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mwdMDbS7YPYBE

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TVFXPNN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_axdMDbKVGJMB0

Most of these are also available refurbished on Amazon as well, with a 90 day warranty. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

^(TL;DR: read the bits in bold.)

> No one has mentioned this but Lenovo has a white list in bios for most of the replaceable parts.

/u/testuser4567, this is the most important bit of advice you've been given thus far, and it's only one of the reasons I'll never recommend anyone buy Lenovo. That said, you've got what you've got already (and if you're anything like me it's a lot less hassle to do some basic research and swap out a wifi card than it is to sell/return a laptop and find a new one that's suitable), so as far as you're concerned we'll just call that a lesson for the future and move along to how best to deal with it.

Side note: others have already said that the wifi card's the one on the right, but for your own future reference this is something you can tell easily for yourself because there's going to be one or two little coaxial wires connected to it (these are for the antenna, which is usually looped around the display panel), as opposed to the SSD and RAM not having that. The easy way to tell those two apart, by the way, is comparing its length (distance from connector to farthest edge) to its width (distance along the connector): SSD is longer than it is wide, RAM is wider than it is long. And of course if all else fails, look at the part in question, find (or take your best guess at) what the model/part number is, and plug that into your search engine of choice.

Anyway, to actually answer your question, it seems you're not the first person to have this issue and the person in that thread found that an Intel 3165NGW worked for them. Lucky for you these cards are cheap as hell - like $5-10 shipped off ebay (depending on if you're buying new or are okay with used/open box), or if you prefer Amazon I'm seeing $13 for a single one or a 10-pack for $30.

Hope this helps!

Hi Xensky! Welcome to LinuxHardware. \^_^

According to online sources, support for the ALC1220 codec was added in kernel 4.11. Do you happen to know what kernel version you're currently using?

If it is not convenient to upgrade to a newer kernel or use a distro that comes with an updated kernel (Solus, Fedora, Antergos), the easiest solution would likely be to use an external USB soundcard like this, which would be plug'n'play.

Otherwise, you could instead get a PCI or PCI-e internal soundcard, like the ASUS Xonar series. However people have reported issues with these on Linux in the past, and I myself encountered issues with mine, eventually replacing it with an external DAC.

Also, if the audio being played from the ALC1220 is clear, and you're only experiencing issues with the microphone input, another option could be to purchase a USB microphone instead, bypassing the onboard sound entirely.

Hope that helps! :)

For working on a bus, you want a device that fits on your lap. So you don't want to go bigger than a light 14" device.

My #1 recommendation would be a Thinkpad X1 Carbon 4th Gen. These are really nice devices, old enough now to be hitting the refurb market at ~$600. Thin and light, 14", decent keyboard, very high quality construction.

Other similar options include the Thinkpad X250, Thinkpad T450, and Dell Lattitude E7470.

If you're on the bus, you definitely want decent battery life. The refurb devices I recommend above should all still be recent enough to have a battery that can reliably do three hours, but to be absolutely sure it's also worth considering new devices.

For that, I'd look at the T480, which comes with a really nice config new at under $800. If you have the budget to stretch higher than that, a new X1 Carbon would be really nice.

It's also worth considering the Librem 13 if you have new-computer budget. There's a good chance that's where I'm going for my next personal laptop.

So guess what? This Apple charger works! This charger does not. Despite the fact that one of the reviews says it works with an LG Gram 15". I haven't checked the charge rate carefully vs the stock charger but it's charging at a pretty good clip.

So I'm pretty happy. This is for traveling. With a backpack. A 2.1 lb laptop which can share a charger. Nice...

Worked great for light web development. The screen in particular is amazing, but the keyboard is pretty meh, so I used it mostly docked. I would still be using it if my workflow didn't require a bunch of dockerized microservices.

Another good idea would be to find an old chrome pixel. I think it's pretty easy to find some of the lower end models, which still compare favorably to modern chromebooks. https://www.amazon.com/Google-Chromebook-Pixel-Display-i5-3427U/dp/B00BM7Y7DQ

A few tips:

1. You do not have to use Clevo Control Center. Obsidian PC has developed a utility for that, Control Station, which you can fetch here. You can reach the developer on NBR for more info on the tools, and the threads there concerning these facilities.
   
2. For Linux, you could use Tuxedo's fan control and keyboard backlight utilities. If you need help setting that up, I'd be glad to help. See this and these gists on how I set up these tools on my former Eurocom Q6, based on the Clevo P955ER chassis.
   
3. For thermals, a repaste will do. Personal recommendation: Use Phobya Nanogrease Extreme. It's composition (and viscosity) renders it the same advantages of the likes of Gelid GC Extreme, and is easy to apply. The longevity is also quite outstanding. One to avoid: The HeGrease variant. Its' garbage.
   
4. On BIOS and EC firmware: If you're considering a Clevo system in your purchase, get it from one of the Premamod Partners, such as XoticPC. The advantages of the Prema BIOS mods are self explanatory, including access to advanced BIOS settings and in-BIOS voltage controls (such as under-volting).

Intel Wi-Fi cards are generally the go-to for good Linux support since you say you don’t care about binary firmware blobs.

You’ll notice they don’t make their own PCIe cards directly, but I’ve had great luck with one of these which is basically just an adapter with a good Intel laptop form-factor card in it.

If you're looking for a desktop monitor this may not be it.. But I got a AOC I1601FWUX usb-c powered portable monitor (Amazon Prime Day sale this summer for $125). Note that the negative reviews are almost exclusively people who didn't realize that their laptop needed to have USB-C with displayport, hence they were unable to make it work - not really the monitor's fault! The monitor seems well made and comes with a cover that also works as a stand. Some reviews said the stand was not stable, but I haven't had any problems with it.

I don't have room to have a permanent desk setup at home, so this monitor is perfect for me. I try to avoid working from home, but when I really have to it's so nice to have two monitors! Have had a dual monitor setup at work for years, and it's now hard to be productive without it ;-) Anyway, I just plug it in and it works (Dell Latitude 7370 running Fedora Workstation 30). Also works great on my Chromebook (Asus C302 Flip). NOTE: while it's true that the monitor just uses one cable for video and power, it will significantly reduce your laptop's battery life. I usually opt to plug my laptop in when using the monitor, so it's still a two cable setup..

I see in the old thread that someone suggested the Dell WD-15 Business Dock, and I can confirm that "just works" with Linux too. I visited one of our other offices and they were equipped with dual-monitors hooked up to WD-15 docks. That was a really great setup, and if I had room for a permanent office space at home I would use that.

I really like the idea of this but I'm worried it might be too small (I think in reality it'd be fine, I just have some hesitation). It's a great price, higher pixel density than the 27", and flexible in terms of input.

I stopped by Best Buy tonight and they happened to have this LG 4k in stock. While I couldn't open up specific apps and play around, the picture seemed really nice. I think that's probably what I'll end up doing when I sell these damn Apple displays.

> Throw any strange thing you can at me.

The first thing I thought of was the Sharp Wizard OZ-770. A PDA of yore. Best small keyboard I have ever used and I have used many. I still miss this PDA. Battery life (a couple of AAs) was insane - I'm talking monthly with extensive use. Terrible suggestion, just wanted to give this device a shoutout:-)

A more reasonable suggestion would be a 7" Android Laptop as far as "low power, light weight and affordable" goes. Goes without saying: read the reviews.

You also have the Zagg Autofit Folio Case that will turn (nearly) any 7" Android Tablet into a laptop. I have the 10" version - keyboard isn't that great (keys just feel cramped) but love having my tablet actually behave like a real laptop, plus the Android specific buttons are fantastic.

Bunch of older clamshell devices running through my head right now but I think they're more trouble than they're worth in terms of sharing local data, connecting to other devices, keyboard issues, Windows CE (limited), etc.