

Ask HN: Ultrabook with linux - bugBunny

Hi Linux hackers, 
I need to change my laptop, as its aging.. Would like ultrabook for mobility, Full HD display, possibly touch screen with SSD and intel GPU, since radeon graphics had been too hot for my previous laptop in linux (Bad drivers though).
Also I would love some great brand, such as Dell, Lenovo, Hp, MSI and so on... 
Would like it work out of box, and I heard Dell xps 13 is having this Sputnik project  behind, which sounds great. Whats the expirience there?
please advice
======
cik
If you're okay with it, I'd actually suggest buying a MacBook Air and running
Linux on it. My experience in the rest of the "ultrabook" world is that they
just weigh far too much.

On the flip side, I'm also using a System76, which I've come to love. If
you're interested, I wrote a review on my blog
([http://www.lyricalsoftware.com/blog/system76-galago-
review/](http://www.lyricalsoftware.com/blog/system76-galago-review/))

~~~
dutchrapley
That's a pretty nice review. I hadn't heard of System76 before. Looks like
they make some solid hardware.

I had similar touch pad issues with a HP where the sensitivity was either too
much or not enough. When I ran Xubuntu, I saw the same issues and could never
get it dialed in where I wanted it. I eventually jumped over to using
CrunchBang (uses OpenBox for the DE, built on Debian) and my touchpad was
pretty much dialed in from the get go. Makes me wonder if the sensitivity
issues may be with the touchpad drivers that Ubuntu provides, granted it they
are different than what's packaged with Debian.

------
determinant
I highly recommend the Acer Aspire S7. It is a pain to get Linux onto, but
once you do get it on there, it's an absolute pleasure to work with in Ubuntu.
The keyboard will take some getting used to. I have literally written tens of
thousands of lines of code on this device and can't imagine using another
laptop anymore.

To get the thing to run Linux properly, you have to disable some bios
settings, create a software raid device, and play some games with a recovery
CD to get the installation to boot properly. It took me a week to figure it
out. I wish it weren't so painful, but the hardware is so light and thin that
it was worth the pain.

Highly recommend!

------
Kjeldahl
I've had the best luck with laptops which are "pure" Intel based, including
graphics. For most non-hardcore gaming uses, Intel integrated graphics is fast
enough, and it seems well supported on most of the traditional Linux desktops
(meaning it uses hardware for compositing, windowing effects and similar).

It's true that Nvidia and AMD has better raw performance numbers, but for some
reason - despite all the years gone by since both Nvidia and AMD pledged
support - both Nvidia and AMD drivers still suck IMHO. Nvidia seems more
stable than AMD, but overall less stable than the standard Intel drivers. It
seems there's always something that does not work properly with either of the
drivers, being trouble waking up from suspend/hybernate, glitches/hangs (which
destroys any notion of "fluidness") and occasional total driver breakage with
new laptops, new linux releases or similar.

The only annoying thing is that even though the intel driver works nicely,
there are still many things it does not support. If you're using Chrome, type
in "chrome://gpu" in your browser and count the number of colored lines in the
first section. On my f __ __* up Nvidia Optimus system (yeah, current office
standard, oh the number of hours I 've wasted on that computer) I get 5
greens, 3 greenorangy and 3 reds. For comparison, my Macbook Air Pro running
OSX I get 11 green and 1 greenorangy. I do not have my pure Intel laptop
handy, but if I remember correctly it has very few if any greens at all. That
means Chrome is doing all the heavy lifting without much hardware support.
That often means it's the same for most apps, possibly except the desktop
environments themselves who seems to do a decent job on linux desktops
already.

Anyway, here's hoping that there will be decent Intel drivers for Linux
laptops sometimes in the near future, so Chrome and other apps can get more
greens and comparable general graphics performance as Nvidia and AMD on OSX
and Windows.

~~~
bugBunny
I had so many problems with nvidia mobile and its was getting too much heat
out of the fan BOX, while comparing other laptops with Intels GPU it was
completely different story. I had to install nvidia drivers as I had to have
external display support. As a developer with just a few graphical requests in
total, I don't need nvidia or amd ati... ;-) Also, I have no time to tweak it
up and make it work, I would like something that works out of box, I think
thats normal request, right :)

~~~
Kjeldahl
Yes. It also means you should definitively go for a pure Intel-based laptop
(with Intel HD graphics of some sorts) whatever choice you end up with. Good
luck!

~~~
bugBunny
thanks mate, so far I am in between xps 13 and xps 12... I really like how
they look and feel, even the price is not advantage though :)

------
teklulz
I had been looking for an ultrabook for linux not long ago. Here's my
experience, I ran Arch on a MacBook Air and it went by okay until the SSD died
and I returned it to Apple for a refund (if you buy apple products during the
holidays they have a very relaxed return policy). Had a Dell XPS 13 for about
3 days, returned it due some hardware and configuration issues. Borrowed a
Toshiba Kirabook for some time, however running Arch on it was, wow, much
pain.

I was using a System76 panp5 for sometime before, most System76 laptops are at
a great price point for the hardware as compared to many other brands, it got
me by but the build quality was poor. Clevo chassis are just generally not
good. I decided to downgrade to a netbook and upgrade my linode plan.
Depending on your needs, buying a cheap and upgradable Asus/Acer netbook,
maxing the RAM and putting in an SSD in, then using linode or the like for any
heavy lifting might be something to consider.

------
yaxu
I have a XPS13, the current 9333 model. It's nice, but it makes an annoying
noise, and it seems Dell aren't going to fix it, so I'm going to have to
return it. It seems this only effects people with good hearing, and work in
quiet environments, though. More info: [http://en.community.dell.com/support-
forums/laptop/f/3518/t/...](http://en.community.dell.com/support-
forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19538215.aspx)

I also wasn't impressed with the Ubuntu installation, it didn't work too well
out of the box for me (sorry I can't remember specifics, so take this with a
pinch of salt). I spent some time installing and configuring the latest
Ubuntu, got to something usable but it was some work.

I tried the chromebook pixel before, but installing linux was problematic, and
the specs are impractical. A shame as I liked the screen.

I will probably get a T series thinkpad now.

~~~
bugBunny
thats so sad... thanks for feedback, this is really disappointing. Which
thinkpad you have in mind, is there some with my requirements list and normal
price which would support linux?!

Does it stops the noise if you turn off keyboard lid?!

------
denniskubes
I just got a Asus UX31a-DH71. It has an 256SSD, i7 processor with 4M cache.
Long battery life. Great screen, 1920x1080. Keyboard stays cool.
Suspend/resume work great. Got touchpad working with multitouch scrolling and
clicking. About 2 pounds total weight.

I am running Linux Mint 16 with Cinnamon. Almost everything worked out of the
box. Install required turning off secure boot but other than that was easy.

I looked at the other ultrabooks and most top end models, including the newer
asus 301x, were selling for around 1800. You can get the UX31a on amazon, from
asus, for around 1,000.00.

------
cordite
My friend has the Dell XPS 13, he too complains about the keyboard backlight
noise. (They supposedly even make more noise when off..)

He installed Fedora on it, the kernels are always struggling with identifying
the touch screen properly. Sometimes it thinks the screen is the touch pad and
ignores the real one.

After downgrading a few times, he finally found one that worked well enough
and froze it to that.

~~~
bugBunny
did not get it, is the sound gone finally?

------
lsiebert
May I recommend either the Lenovo X240 or T440? Everything works great,
battery life is insanely long.

~~~
bugBunny
x240 and t440 are way too expensive here in Europe. They cost like 3 year old
used car :-).

But is it good with linux, does it recognizes touch screen normally?

------
bugBunny
Besides XPS 13, I really like xps 12 flip thing, which is great to have maybe
once in three months, but its nice to have :D... I am not sure are xps 13
repositories playable for xp13 as well?!

What about lenovo?

~~~
jonrx
I have an XPS12 (the first generation though, core i7, 8Gb RAM). Wonderful
little powerhouse : I don't use my desktop computer anymore beside games.

The battery life is not very good (especially the moment I listen to music or
watch videos while working) and the screen, while very pleasant to work on,
sometimes has some "shading" going on (my emacs has a dark grey background and
if I look carefully, I can slightly see where my code was a few seconds ago --
I think this is common on touchscreens). It's not annoying by any means and
I've heard the new generation has a better battery life and is running cooler.

And the flip option is sturdy and really fun to use. I don't use it as much as
I though I would though : it makes a heavy tablet.

------
rmtutty
I bought an Asus Zenbook Prime about a year ago. Been running Ubuntu 12.04,
then 13.04, now 13.10 on it with basically no issues. Multi-monitor, bluetooth
devices, wireless keyboard/mouse, the whole thing.

~~~
bugBunny
touch screen works as well?

------
japhyr
I've always thought a Lenovo X1 Carbon would be good for this, but I've never
seen one in real life (I live in AK). Does anyone have an X1? Is it a
worthwhile investment?

~~~
bugBunny
its extremely expensive. Usually small laptop is not your main computer, so I
guess you don't want to spend fortune on it.

