Linux and laptops, which ones are good?

[jetdrone]

Hi,

I'm thinking in buying a new laptop, my current laptop is about 5 years old and I'm quite happy with it, it travel around the world with me, fall from the table when my cat got stuck on the power cord and never gave me any hardware issue except now that the 5 in one card reader just died.

Oddly enough this was a Sony VAIO which also gave me lots of headaches to get linux to work ok on it, although with mandriva it miraculous works out of the box.

What I am looking is a laptop where i can run linux, but also needs to have a good GPU such as an ATI or NVidia which give me full 3D acceleration and CUDA/OpenCL development environment. I am also looking for something with a nice CPU such as an i5 or a i7

Of course since I am happy with vaio old VAIO i looked into the VAIO F11M1E which comes with:
i5 520m
4Gb ram
GeForce GT 330M
1920x1080 screen
500Gb HDD @5400rpm

and less than 1000 euros, however i cannot find many blogs or people with linux on it. Can someone tell their experiences on laptops such as this or with similar specs.

BTW I want everything to work, 3D, microphone, webcam because I do multimedia development and these are fundamental selling points for me to buy a linux laptop

and... I do not like mac, apple or anything like that, so don't bother trying to sell me that

Thanks and let me hear from you guys!!!

[Telengard]

Re: Linux and laptops, which ones are good?

VAIO F11M1E

Sorry, but that model number does not compute! A search of Sony's entire site turned up no results. Care to link to it or at least check the model number?

Model Numbers are usually located on a sticker located on the back or bottom of the unit. They may also be listed on the product manual. Double-check that you are using the model number, not the serial number.

I ran Debian, Kubuntu, and Slackware on my HP Pavilion notebook. It all worked great to the best of my recollection. Although I don't think I even tried to get wireless working, it used to be really complicated, Kubuntu has made some progress since that time.

Testing/Laptop - Ubuntu Wiki: The Laptop Testing Project is open to anyone who would like to provide important hardware information of their own laptops. We're on a mission to get Ubuntu to work great on as many different makes and models of laptops as possible. To do this, we need to know which hardware works straight off the install CD and which hardware needs configuring or is poorly supported.

Also see the old laptop test page.

Hardware & Laptops - Ubuntu Forums: Problems with hardware & laptops not being detected or supported during or after install.

LinuxQuestions.org HCL - Laptops and Netbooks: All Laptops, Netbooks and Mobile Computers. ThinkPads, Latitudes, Actius, VAIOs, etc.

LinLap.com [Linux Laptop Wiki]: The aim of this website is to provide a central wiki for people to post their experiences with Linux on the model of laptop or notebook they are using. Hopefully we will generate a large database of laptops where people can come and quickly see if the laptop they are interested in works with Linux.

Linux on Laptops: Reports on running Linux on notebook or laptop computers

HTH

[GreyGeek]

Re: Linux and laptops, which ones are good?

My Sony VAIO VGN-FW140E notebook works great with Kubuntu Lucid Lynx. The ONLY complaint I have about it is that the GM45 video chip is only a medium speed chip. A little less speedy than I thought it would be. But, with Stellarium I can get up to 60 fps, and with SecondLife I can get between 15-30 fps, so it's fast enough for most 3D stuff and KDenlive or OpenShot, Blender, GIMP, Inkscape and most Linux games run fast enough. I don't do the RPG stuff or 3D intensive stuff so I guess it doesn't really matter.

[Jook_roberts]

Re: Linux and laptops, which ones are good?

Don't get anything with VIA chips in it. My experience is that VIA has poor Linux support. Two different video and one sound chip sucked.

I have had no issues with Intel and NVidia chips. From what I have read, ATI chips seem fine to.

[jetdrone]

Re: Linux and laptops, which ones are good?

VAIO F11M1E

Sorry, but that model number does not compute! A search of Sony's entire site turned up no results. Care to link to it or at least check the model number?

Maybe if you were not just looking in US but Europe too you would find it:

http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=193843
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/laptops/sony...-vpc-f11m1e-h/
and lots of other shops...

It is the F11 series and the extra letters and numbers are the configuration options.

My problem with laplin and related sites is that most people say everything works but noone cares about 3d acceleration, usage of the internal mic and webcam which i do. That is why i asked for fully compatible systems. I've read as GreyGeek says that the FW is a good option but I'll see if i can find a model with similar specs and a nice 3D card...

[GreyGeek]

Re: Linux and laptops, which ones are good?

....
My problem with laplin and related sites is that most people say everything works but noone cares about 3d acceleration, usage of the internal mic and webcam which i do. That is why i asked for fully compatible systems. I've read as GreyGeek says that the FW is a good option but I'll see if i can find a model with similar specs and a nice 3D card...

IF you can buy it locally, and IF the store will let you boot a LiveCD and TEST the sound, web cam, and 3D graphics, then that is what I'd do. Otherwise, using the resources Telengard gave you is your only option to avoid getting stuck with incompatible hardware.

[Snowhog]

Re: Linux and laptops, which ones are good?

Bringing a LiveCD of the OS you intend to install/use on the PC, whether a desktop, laptop, or netbook, is a great idea. Likely though, that you will get a "We can't allow that" response from the sales clerk. Just ask to see their manager. Let them scan the CD if they want. But let them know, that if they want to make a sale, you want to 'test' what you are about to buy to ensure that it will work 'for you.'

Make sure they understand, that the LiveCD doesn't install anything on the PC unless you/they opt to do so. Let the sales clerk/manager fire it up if necessary.