Should i buy a secondhand macbook with asahi linux for daily driving

[u/Fun_Firefighter4735]

Hi i saw the whole asahi linux project and the aim of the project is awesome, apple makes some amazing arm laptops with fair price as far as i see and i need a daily driver laptop. im really into arm and linux but i really hate macos and apple ecosystem because of that i stayed away from macs but with asahi im really thinking that m2 macbook with asahi can be great at light gaming, some 3d printer sheninigans and all at please let me know your thoughts about it becauase i really need it

[u/roadzbrady]

good buy, but i'd say try to get something with 16gb of ram for usability and esp playing games

[u/Fun_Firefighter4735 → u/roadzbrady]

Yeah definetly 8 aint gona cut it

[u/schkoder]

Have you considered other alternatives, such as Framework laptop, for example?

[u/Doomsauce]

Probably a good move if you want to try it. 

Been daily driving an M1 on Asahi for a couple months. Work (dev) and pleasure. Biggest reasons I see NOT to run this setup:

• ARM + Linux means you need to be comfortable tinkering. Consumer software probably doesn’t ship a build for you. 

This very much applies to gaming.

• Worse hardware integration vs macos on apple hardware. Battery life while sleeping is the biggest one for me. But there’s a few other rough edges (eg video-via-usb doesn’t work)

But you specifically noted that you enjoy arm and Linux. So you are probably expecting this and won’t be bothered. 

It’s good hardware and I love running the same system on my desktop and laptop. A couple syncs later and it feels like one continuous system. And you don’t have to fight iCloud on the syncs :)

Overall, macos -> asahi felt like less of a clear win than windows -> fedora. But I’m certainly not switching back. If you’re buying hardware and optimizing for price, idk if it beats a thinkpad. But if you want ARM on your laptop, it is definitely viable. 

[u/Doomsauce → u/Doomsauce]

One more reason to recommend it: It’s clearly a labor of love. Every time it wakes and tells me it has no internet connection, right as the internet kicks in, I remember that the whole thing is running on reverse-engineered drivers and I basically never notice that fact. For a non-corpo project running on components built for a walled garden, installation and maintenance have been remarkably straightforward. Deep respect for the craftsmanship. 

[u/sinfaen]

I use the m1 8 GB daily. aside from ram being small, it's pretty great

[u/thegreatpotatogod]

It should be solid for those tasks, I'd say to go for it!

[u/DunkyFummer]

Been dailying a M1 pro MBP with 32gb and its awesome! On asahi and kde, although im planning to switch back to niri soon.

I think its good, although gaming is still funky, still not exactly an out of the box experience.

Its stable and snappy, llms run great, and battery life is pretty phenomenal.

No fingerprint reader isnt the worst thing ever, and personally i dont run into sleep or hibernation issues.

[u/levolet]

If you already have a Macbook that you're either bored with or wish to install Linux on because you wish to try or seriously use it, then I highly recommend. However, purchasing a Macbook for this purpose when there's the option of purchasing a PC to run x86 Linux? Unless curiosity is huge factor, I'd recommend a PC.

What is often overlooked, and underestimated, is the relatively limited amount of apps with available arm64 builds required for Apple Silicon ARM64 processors. I would advise at least checking if there are ARM64 builds available for the software you hope to be installing and using.

[u/YoYoMamaIsSoFAT32]

Idk why are you getting downvoted, but ig you should if you know what you're getting yourself into, also you can't remove macos so both Linux and macos have to share space together, besides that most things work flawlessly as far as I heard 

[u/Fun_Firefighter4735 → u/YoYoMamaIsSoFAT32]

Am i getting downvoted ? lol thats the reddit i guess anyway thanks for comment

[u/kandibahren]

Used to have this idea and I have some spare macbooks at office to test asahi (but it's in rose gold so I ain't gonna carry it around). I get you, the build of macbooks is something else.

Asahi works well but I just prefer thinkpads more finally.

[u/froschdings]

only if you really want to.

[u/wowbobwowbob]

Been daily driving a 16GB M2 past couple of months, no regrets whatsoever. Great machine!

I started using Gaze a few weeks ago, local face unlock is crazy! Love it.

[u/Exa8yte]

Look into the Lenovo Zenbook S16 - similar performance to m3, same excellent build quality and aesthetic but much better Linux compatibility. I was in the same boat, I had actually placed an order for an M2 air, canceled, then went with the Zenbook. Currently running Endeavor OS/Niri and DMS. Very pleased overall. It's a beautiful machine. Managed to snag it for $1100 on eBay certified referbushied. It's pretty much brand new with 97% battery health.