This post will be a little different; I'm going to tell you a laptop that I wouldn't strongly recommend for running Linux.
Thinkpad P51 is a really great laptop imo, but unfortunately it has some issues on Linux due to the Optimus setup. It can be disabled in BIOS, but then there are some issues with external displays with the dock. `gnome-shell` goes insane if I connect the dock with the internal display on, eventually resolving to switch to internal-only mode.
It's a shame because the laptop is great, but it is still acting pretty poorly with latest Arch Linux and the proprietary NVIDIA drivers.
I'd be OK with Nouveau myself, but unfortunately external displays won't even connect in Nouvuea.
In defense of Linux: even the Windows drivers stammer a bit with Optimus disabled, so it's clearly not that well-supported. Not so with Optimus enabled though, so that one is covered by the famous Linus Torvalds quote.
I've heard the Thinkpad X270 is all around a better option for Linux. I've had a Thinkpad X1 Carbon and it worked great with Linux, but I found it to be too "ultrabook"-y for my tastes, which is why I resolved to the much bulkier P51.
I have the P51 also, and have had a really good experience so far. In contrast to my previous unpleasant experiences with Optimus, this time I installed Fedora and everything worked out of the box. I don't use a dock, but the HDMI and VGA outputs work fine when I need to hook up a projector. Battery life seems decent, without any optimisation on my part.
Oh, really? I am going to have to try Fedora 27. I'm a big Arch Linux fan, so it'll be a tough pill to swallow, but hopefully everyone else will catch up soon. Thanks for the pointer.
I have a x270 I am trying to dump, I found it to be too small. The sweep spot for me was the t450s, so if I were to buy again I would likely go with the t470 (maybe the s version if I thought the battery was good enough).
Thinkpad P51 is a really great laptop imo, but unfortunately it has some issues on Linux due to the Optimus setup. It can be disabled in BIOS, but then there are some issues with external displays with the dock. `gnome-shell` goes insane if I connect the dock with the internal display on, eventually resolving to switch to internal-only mode.
It's a shame because the laptop is great, but it is still acting pretty poorly with latest Arch Linux and the proprietary NVIDIA drivers.
I'd be OK with Nouveau myself, but unfortunately external displays won't even connect in Nouvuea.
In defense of Linux: even the Windows drivers stammer a bit with Optimus disabled, so it's clearly not that well-supported. Not so with Optimus enabled though, so that one is covered by the famous Linus Torvalds quote.
I've heard the Thinkpad X270 is all around a better option for Linux. I've had a Thinkpad X1 Carbon and it worked great with Linux, but I found it to be too "ultrabook"-y for my tastes, which is why I resolved to the much bulkier P51.