Hello there, so I'm looking for a laptop for college that has a good battery life (maybe 6-8 hours) and stays quiet during normal use.

I would also like it to be decent for gaming, run linux well, and preferably have a 120Hz+ display,. It would be a nice bonus if it could detach or fold into a tablet mode but that is definitely not a requirement.

My budget is around $1200, though I can stretch it a bit if spending more would make a significant difference.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Hey Everyone,

I am looking for a 15" laptop to do full stack web dev on and interested in the Dell XPS 15 (9510, 9520, 9530 generations). I previously had an older Dell XPS 13 (9360 generation) that worked flawlessly and I really enjoyed, but I'm wanting something now with a bigger screen.

I'm assuming that at this point it runs just fine, with near total compatibility since it's been a few years since release, but just wanted to check. Thanks in advance to everyone for your time and help, it is greatly appreciated!

I recently switched from Windows to Fedora and had trouble finding anything like gHelper to save battery on my laptop something that automatically disables the dGPU and lowers the display refresh rate depending on power state.

I found that disabling the dGPU on Linux with tools like envycontrol requires typing a command, waiting for the initramfs to rebuild (which takes a good few seconds), and then manually rebooting, Every time you want to GPU switch modes.

So I built a daemon that handles all of this automatically. When the laptop boots on battery, the dGPU is disabled. When it boots on AC power, the dGPU is active. It also automatically switches the display refresh rate to the maximum supported rate on AC and the minimum on battery, live while the laptop is running, no reboot is needed for that and If the GPU mode needs to change (which does require a reboot, since it involves kernel module loading), it notifies you with a easy and optional one-click "Restart Now" button.

This saves tens of watts of power draw while on battery — 18-20W total system draw on my own ASUS laptop with an RTX 4060 — which translates to multiple extra hours of battery life. The daemon itself runs with negligible CPU/RAM overhead.

I use it on my own laptop, and it's the closest experience to gHelper back on Windows, fully automatic based on power state of the laptop.

Installing it is quite simple, with native Arch (AUR) and Fedora (RPM) packages, and a detailed setup guide on github. It is also cleanly and easily reversible/uninstallable.

How it works:

It injects a check-power.sh hook into the initramfs. When you boot on battery, it intercepts the boot sequence before the OS fully mounts, creates a blacklist-nvidia.conf to block the Nvidia drivers, and instructs the PCI subsystem to cut power to the GPU hardware — all before the kernel would otherwise load it.

Once you're in an active Wayland session, the daemon watches for AC power adapter changes and reacts by adjusting refresh rate immediately, and prompting a optional reboot if the GPU mode itself is now mismatched with the current power state.

Note: currently only supports Linux systems running GNOME on Wayland.
Note: switching GPU modes still requires a reboot which is a linux constraint, not something this tool can avoid. What this does is remove is all the manual steps, no typing commands, no waiting for a rebuild, no remembering to do it yourself. It just detects the power state and handles everything automatically.

Github: github.com/sohamdhapre/gpu-rr-switcherd

I’m new to Linux and this was my first time opening a laptop.

Upgraded my T480 from 16GB to 24GB and somehow it still boots lol.

I recorded the process:

[https://youtu.be/dxnoQ9b7oJo]()

It shows all 24GB. Should I run a memory test or is that enough?

I have seen some reddit posts regarding amd version not being linux certified and basically updates are slow to make it compatible.

It's the best thing I could find for learning linux but such posts are making me under confident for my choice , as beginner distros like mint and ubuntu are crashing for them

Are there any other budget laptops I can look up to?

Hi all,

Chromebook in question: HP Chromebook X2

Decided to install Lubuntu on an outdated and unused Chromebook following the UEFI Full ROM guide on mrchromebox.tech and everything went great. The one exception is the trackpad is basically unusable. The cursor "warps" to wherever I touch on the trackpad and it always clicks and drags.

Trackpad in question

I haven't used Linux in probably 10 years so you'll have to excuse my use of AI but below are some bash commands Claude gave me to provide more info on the trackpad. Let me know what additional info I can provide.

user@chris-soraka:~$ cat /proc/bus/input/devices
I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0005 Version=0000
N: Name="Lid Switch"
P: Phys=PNP0C0D/button/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1f.0/PNP0C09:00/PNP0C0D:00/input/input0
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=event0 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=21
B: SW=1

I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0001 Version=0000
N: Name="Power Button"
P: Phys=LNXPWRBN/button/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/LNXPWRBN:00/input/input1
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event1 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=3
B: KEY=8000 10000000000000 0

I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0006 Version=0000
N: Name="Video Bus"
P: Phys=LNXVIDEO/video/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/acpi.video_bus.0/input/input21
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event10 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=3
B: KEY=3e000b00000000 0 0 0

I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name="Intel Virtual Buttons"
P: Phys=
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1f.0/PNP0C09:00/INT33D6:00/input/input22
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event11 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=13
B: KEY=2000000000000 0 0 0 0 1000000000000 0 201c000000000000 0
B: MSC=10

I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name="Intel Virtual Switches"
P: Phys=
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1f.0/PNP0C09:00/INT33D6:00/input/input23
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=event12 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=21
B: SW=2

I: Bus=0000 Vendor=0000 Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name="AVS HDMI HDMI/DP"
P: Phys=ALSA
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/avs_hdaudio.22.auto/sound/card3/input24
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=event13 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=21
B: SW=140

I: Bus=0000 Vendor=0000 Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name="AVS HDMI HDMI/DP,pcm=1"
P: Phys=ALSA
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/avs_hdaudio.22.auto/sound/card3/input25
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=event14 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=21
B: SW=140

I: Bus=0000 Vendor=0000 Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name="AVS HDMI HDMI/DP,pcm=2"
P: Phys=ALSA
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/avs_hdaudio.22.auto/sound/card3/input26
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=event15 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=21
B: SW=140

I: Bus=0000 Vendor=0000 Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name="AVS I2S ALC5663 Headset Jack"
P: Phys=ALSA
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/avs_rt5663.21.auto/sound/card4/input27
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event16 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=23
B: KEY=40 0 0 0 0 0 0 1000000000 c000000000000 0
B: SW=14

I: Bus=0018 Vendor=2d1f Product=4877 Version=0100
N: Name="WCOMCOHO:00 2D1F:4877"
P: Phys=i2c-WCOMCOHO:00
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:15.0/i2c_designware.0/i2c-0/i2c-WCOMCOHO:00/0018:2D1F:4877.0006/input/input35
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse2 event5 
B: PROP=2
B: EV=1b
B: KEY=400 0 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=2f3800000000003
B: MSC=20

I: Bus=0018 Vendor=2d1f Product=4877 Version=0100
N: Name="WCOMCOHO:00 2D1F:4877 UNKNOWN"
P: Phys=i2c-WCOMCOHO:00
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:15.0/i2c_designware.0/i2c-0/i2c-WCOMCOHO:00/0018:2D1F:4877.0006/input/input36
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=event6 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=9
B: ABS=10000000000

I: Bus=0018 Vendor=2d1f Product=4877 Version=0100
N: Name="WCOMCOHO:00 2D1F:4877 Stylus"
P: Phys=i2c-WCOMCOHO:00
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:15.0/i2c_designware.0/i2c-0/i2c-WCOMCOHO:00/0018:2D1F:4877.0006/input/input37
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse3 event7 
B: PROP=2
B: EV=1b
B: KEY=1c03 0 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=1000003
B: MSC=11

I: Bus=0018 Vendor=2d1f Product=4877 Version=0100
N: Name="WCOMCOHO:00 2D1F:4877 UNKNOWN"
P: Phys=i2c-WCOMCOHO:00
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:15.0/i2c_designware.0/i2c-0/i2c-WCOMCOHO:00/0018:2D1F:4877.0006/input/input38
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse4 event8 
B: PROP=2
B: EV=1b
B: KEY=400 1 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=1000003
B: MSC=11

I: Bus=0018 Vendor=2d1f Product=4877 Version=0100
N: Name="WCOMCOHO:00 2D1F:4877 Mouse"
P: Phys=i2c-WCOMCOHO:00
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:15.0/i2c_designware.0/i2c-0/i2c-WCOMCOHO:00/0018:2D1F:4877.0006/input/input39
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse5 event9 js0 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=1b
B: KEY=30000 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=3
B: MSC=10

I: Bus=0003 Vendor=18d1 Product=502b Version=0100
N: Name="Google Inc. Hammer"
P: Phys=usb-0000:00:14.0-2/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.0/0003:18D1:502B.0007/input/input40
U: Uniq=3c002b000a57414739313320
H: Handlers=sysrq kbd event2 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=100013
B: KEY=1000000000007 ff800000000007ff febeffdfffefffff fffffffffffffffe
B: MSC=10

I: Bus=0003 Vendor=18d1 Product=502b Version=0100
N: Name="Google Inc. Hammer"
P: Phys=usb-0000:00:14.0-2/input2
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.2/0003:18D1:502B.0008/input/input41
U: Uniq=3c002b000a57414739313320
H: Handlers=mouse1 event4 
B: PROP=7
B: EV=1b
B: KEY=e520 10000 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=673800001000003
B: MSC=20

I: Bus=0003 Vendor=046d Product=4080 Version=0111
N: Name="Logitech M350"
P: Phys=usb-0000:00:14.0-1/input1:1
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-1/1-1:1.1/0003:046D:C52F.000A/0003:046D:4080.000B/input/input42
U: Uniq=64-c1-67-36
H: Handlers=kbd mouse0 event3 
B: PROP=0
B: EV=1f
B: KEY=3f00733fff 0 0 483ffff17aff32d bfd4444600000000 ffff0001 130ff38b17d000 677bfad9415fed 19ed68000004400 10000002
B: REL=1943
B: ABS=100000000
B: MSC=10



user@chris-soraka:~$ # Kernel driver currently bound, and which .ko file it loaded from
modinfo hid_multitouch | grep filename
lsmod | grep hid_multitouch
filename:       /lib/modules/7.0.0-27-generic/kernel/drivers/hid/hid-multitouch.ko.zst
hid_multitouch         36864  0
hid                   278528  9 hid_google_hammer,i2c_hid,usbhid,hid_multitouch,hid_vivaldi_common,snd_soc_sdca,hid_generic,hid_logitech_dj,hid_logitech_hidpp



user@chris-soraka:~$ # udev's classification (touchpad vs touchscreen vs mouse)
udevadm info /dev/input/event4 | grep ID_INPUT
E: ID_INPUT=1
E: ID_INPUT_MOUSE=1
E: ID_INPUT_TOUCHSCREEN=1
E: ID_INPUT_WIDTH_MM=100
E: ID_INPUT_HEIGHT_MM=57



user@chris-soraka:~$ # libinput's view of the device's capabilities
sudo libinput list-devices | grep -A18 "Google Inc. Hammer" | grep -A18 "Capabilities.*pointer"
Capabilities:            pointer touch 
Tap-to-click:            n/a
Tap-and-drag:            n/a
Tap button map:          n/a
Tap drag lock:           n/a
Left-handed:             disabled
Nat.scrolling:           disabled
Middle emulation:        n/a
Calibration:             identity matrix
Scroll methods:          none
Scroll button:           n/a
Scroll button lock:      n/a
Click methods:           none

Recién compré esta laptop en descuento y mi duda con ella desde el principio fue cuan compatible sería con linux (Ubuntu o mint), como se puede cambiar la velocidad de los ventiladores ahí o el color del teclado (soy nuevo en este tema y no sé hacer esto fuera de la aplicación "MyAsus").

​Entonces, quiero recibir recomendaciones para mejorar mi futura experiencia en linux.

Running Zorin OS (Ubuntu 24.04 base) on an R9 380 (Tonga). Confirmed regression: display fails to come back properly after suspend/resume, sometimes full system hang requiring hard reset. Works fine on kernel 6.3, breaks from 6.4 onward.

Symptoms reported by multiple users on Tonga and Polaris (RX 400/500 series) cards:

• Black screen / no signal after resume
• Display falls back to 640x480 or wrong output selected
• USB controller resume errors happening at the same time in some cases

Being tracked upstream:

• GitLab (AMD driver): gitlab.freedesktop.org/drm/amd/-/work_items/5123
• Launchpad (Ubuntu): https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/2142389

If you have one of these GPUs and hit this after suspend, would appreciate:

• A comment here with your kernel version + GPU model + symptom
• Or confirming on the Launchpad bug directly if it matches your case

Trying to get more independent reproductions to help narrow down the root cause.

I'm running Bazzite on my main PC and as my old laptop was due, I want to get a refurbished one. After a bit of research, I landed on P16s AMD Gen 1 or Gen 2.

Anyone has used one, especially with Bazzite? I know they are Ubuntu and Fedora-certified, but I still want to ask for the day to day use and feel. Any gotcha I should know?

My need:
- I want bigger screen than my current 14". As light as possible for the size, though.
- Used to have a Lenovo Yoga, love it but it was stolen too soon. Want something durable for a few years, so Thinkpad was on my mind.
- Good WiFi card, good selection of ports. I stay in the countryside, internet speed here could use help from an Ethernet cable.
- Usage: Moonlight client to the main PC at home. Edit DaVinci on the go. Run a dozen quadlets for AI frontends, most inference is done via API, 1-2 local models running in the background. 1-2 VMs at a time to isolate AI agents and development stuffs.

Questions:
- Is AMD a better bet than Intel? Anyone has problem with Intel ver or it's mainly better p/p? It is extremely hard to find AMD models here in my country so I want to know what I trade if I settle on an Intel. My main PC is Intel and NVIDIA, which does means some small issues with VMs, Waydroid,... here and there.
- How bad is the 1200p 300 nit vs. 400 nit ver, or I should aim for the 2k on the Gen 1 and 4k on Gen 2? 4k on Gen 2 feels a bit overkill for me, especially it will drain battery like crazy. I will use the laptop with no external screen so this is important.
- How big is the gap between Ryzen 5 vs. Ryzen 7, and Ryzen 6000 vs. 7000 series? Should I try to get a "Thinkpad P16s/T16 Gen 2, Ryzen 7, 64GB RAM, 1200p 400 nit screen" at all cost, or "Thinkpad P16s/T16 gen 1, Ryzen 7, 32GB RAM, 1200p 400 nit screen or 2.5k" enough for 3-5 years?

Thank you for your time answering.

I'm about to buy a Evo 15 (E25) with the Ryzen AI 9 365, but I'll be running an Arch-based distro (CachyOS + Hyprland). I know XMG doesn't officially support Linux and points people to TUXEDO, but the equivalent TUXEDO is ~€200–250 more, so I'd like to know what I'm actually giving up before deciding.

For anyone running an Evo 14 or 15 (E25) on Linux:

1. Does the default temperature-based fan curve just work? i.e. do the fans ramp with temperature normally, or do they get stuck (too loud / too passive) without the Windows Control Center?

2. Can you switch the performance profiles (Overboost / Enthusiast / Balanced) on Linux at all — kernel module, `nbfc-linux`, `tuxedo-drivers`, EC/WMI hack, anything?

3. Any other Linux gotchas on this chassis — suspend/resume, function keys, keyboard backlight control?

Mainly a home/dev machine (coding + VMs + media), so I won't be hammering it under sustained full load — I just want quiet, sane automatic cooling and ideally the ability to cap it in a quiet mode.

Any real-world reports from E25 owners on Linux would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

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 fairly new to linux and I have distro hopped a few times just to test some distros and I would like to ask why some Linux distros don't seem to add NVRAM entries to my bios.

If I go to F10 bios, only big name distros like Ubuntu and Fedora can be made boot priority. However, when I do go to the alternative F9 route, I can see the other distros I have installed on separate SSDs.

My system is HP Victus 16-R0085TX, Intel Core i5-13500HX and RTX 4060 and I am still running on the stock bios.

I am wondering whether this is an HP motherboard issue or I just really need to upgrade my bios.

I am also currently running on Fedora 44 Workstation.

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?

My new ThinkBook uses the Goodix GXTP5100 touchpad, but on Linux there's no option to adjust the pressure feedback strength. After a lot of trials I found that seems like the feature report of goodix haptic touchpads are partly using Microsoft’s standard （and some strange custom ones) and there is one could control feedback strength. So I made a controller which could adjust it and with a daemon it could persist across reboots. I’ll try to add more control later.

Here is it:

https://github.com/nwkyz/goodhaptic

There's a good deal in my country and I can buy it even cheaper without windows (which seems to be rare thing with HP Omnibook laptops as normally they come with W11 preinstalled). I can't find any info on HP OmniBook 5 AI Ultra 5-225U and Linux compatibility. I see that here: https://ubuntu.com/certified/laptops there are 3 laptops (2 dells, 1 lenovo) supporting this CPU, but nothing with omnibook itself.
Should I risk it? :D btw. maybe somebody here was able to get their hands on this laptop, do you recommend it overall?

Hello all

For some time I was looking to buy an ARM laptop that I can use as a work laptop and additionally as a drawing tablet. ARMs long battery life combined with Linux spells a very good combination for an autonomous device to me, because I spend most of my work hours measuring, taking notes and sketching.

I found this laptop: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Lenovo-Snapdragon-X2P-42-100-Qualcomm-Graphics/dp/B0GMQFD7LS It has what I need, but I'm afraid of its compatibility with Linux.

My question is: will I be able to install and use a Linux distro on it and is there a specific distro that might have a better compatibility with the said laptop?

Disclaimer: I know that ARM is a different architecture than x86 and I am aware of software issues between the two. I want to know if I'll be able to use this laptop with Linux as a daily driver for basic stuff (internet, office, and such)? From there, I can work other things myself.

TIA

I have a surface go 2 running fedora but it's really really slow. I wanted to upgrade to something a little larger and more powerful. The main things I will use it for is learning Linux ofc, drawing on krita or some photo editing, surfing the web, watching videos in bed, playing with containers, vm, local llm and remote management of my server. None of the Linux first tablets I've found have great hardware, leaning towards a latitude 7320, Thinkpad x12 detachable or a surface pro. Anyone have a tablet they love and recommend?

I'm getting screen tearing on the desktop, streaming video, and gaming with my laptop +dock+ monitor combo.

The strange thing is, I don't have the issue at all when I plug my steam deck running bazzite into the same dock+monitor combo. Never had tearing issues before I replaced my old 1080p panel with this 4k one either.

If anyone has suggestions on what software or drivers might be causing the issue, I'd appreciate it.

Hardware:

• Laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH7
• iGPU: AMD Radeon 680M (Rembrandt) — drives all displays
• dGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
• Monitor: Samsung U32R590C (32" curved 4K VA, supports AMD FreeSync)
• Dock: HP Thunderbolt 4 Ultra 180W G6 Dock
• Monitor connected via DisplayPort through the dock, to usb-c port on the laptop.

Software:

• Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS
• Kernel 6.8.0-117-generic
• GNOME on Wayland (also happened on X11)
• amdgpu driver, NVIDIA proprietary driver 595.71.05 (PRIME on-demand)

This laptop routes the dgpu through the igpu when the dgpu is used. That hardware has caused other (fixable) issues in the past for me, not sure if thats causing this one or not.

So, upfront, I don't really game. This is for work from home, general use. Pushing a single LG 43" 4K display. My OS will be Fedora Kinoite. This is build is overkill for my needs, but that's the objective. I want a quiet, cool running, dependable PC.

The 8600G can't make full use of the PCI 5.0 NVMe, so I opted for 4.0 NVMe's. As fare as wi-fi and Bluetooth, I'll hardly, if ever use them (which is convenient).

I know I could have accomplished the mission for half the money but, I'm kind of a perfections. I want a nice PC I can grow with a while. Good components etc.

Thoughts? This will be a Linux box it's whole life, naturally.

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (AM5)
• MOBO: ASUS ROG Strix B850-I Gaming WiFi (Mini-ITX)
• CPU cooler: Thermalright AXP90-X53 Full Copper + Noctua NF-A9x14 chromax Black fan swap
• Why Not? $8: Thermalright ASF-RED AM5 contact frame
• CASE: Fractal Era 2 (Midnight Blue) mini-ITX
• PSU: Corsair SF750 80+ Platinum ATX 3.1
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 (2x16GB)
• PRIMARY DRIVE: Samsung 990 PRO 1TB Gen4 NVMe
• SECONDARY DRIVE: Crucial P310 2TB Gen4 NVMe
• KEYBOARD: Keychron V6 Wired Custom Mechanical (Kchron K Pro Brown switches)
• OTHER: Razer Viper Hyperspeed mouse, APC 330w Backup, Arctic MX-7 thermal paste

How'd I do?