Dell laptops with linux

How to Pick the Best Dell Laptop to Run Linux?

The goal of this article is to help you pick the best Dell laptop to run Linux. We assume that you already know the difference between a dual-core and a quad-core CPU, so we’ll leave the hardware considerations aside and focus on more general aspects of choosing the best Dell laptop instead.

Linux-Ready Systems from Dell

“Part of Project Sputnik, Dell started an open-ended exploratory project to identify what developers wanted in an ideal system,” Dell explains the origin of its Linux-ready systems. “The systems come with either Ubuntu or Red Hat Enterprise Linux. With Canonical and Red Hat certification, Dell validation, and factory install options, you can be assured that your system just works, allowing you to focus on creating value and driving business results.”

Two most popular Linux-ready systems from Dell at the moment are the Dell XPS 13 and the Dell Precision 5520. The former is a sleek, ultra-thin 13.3-inch laptop with a beautiful InfinityEdge display, a powerful CPU from Intel, and up to 16 GB of memory. The latter is a productivity-oriented workstation with a 15-inch display, the latest Intel Core and Xeon processors, NVIDIA Quadro M1200 professional graphics card, and up to 32 GB of memory.

New or Used?

Because of their popularity, there’s always a steady supply of used and refurbished Dell laptops on sites like eBay and Amazon. If you’re on a tight budget, a used or refurbished laptop can save you a lot of money, with minimal downsides.

While used laptops are typically sold directly by their former users, refurbished laptops have been returned to a manufacturer or vendor for various reasons. Manufacturers and vendors test refurbished products for functionality and defects, repair them, and resell them. Apart from minor cosmetic damage, refurbished laptops from Dell tend to be in mint condition, a brand-new battery included.

Check Linux Compatibility Databases

Unless you choose one of Dell’s Linux-ready laptops, you should always check if your favorite model is compatible with Linux. Hardware database project H-Code is a good place to start, but many other similar sites are available as well. Most popular Linux distributions have their own individual hardware compatibility resources, including Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Arch.

Even if you don’t find your favorite model on any list, you can still get a pretty good idea about its compatibility with the Linux operating system simply by evaluating how many models from the same manufacturer are compatible with Linux. And if that fails as well, there are always forum boards where you can ask fellow Linux users whether they have experience with the Laptop you want to buy.

Conclusion

These days, choosing a Linux laptop doesn’t differ too much from choosing a laptop in general, especially if you decide to go with Dell. Most Dell laptops work right-out-of-the-box with all major Linux distributions, and Dell even sells a line of Linux-ready machines with Canonical and Red Hat certification.

(This post contains affiliate links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services.)

About the author

David Morelo

David Morelo is a professional content writer in the technology niche, covering everything from consumer products to emerging technologies and their cross-industry application

Источник

В портфолио Dell — уже 7 отличных ноутбуков, созданных для Ubuntu

Ноутбук для разработчиков: Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition с Ubuntu Linux

5 лет назад Dell организовала специальный проект «Sputnik», цель которого — увеличить ту небольшую долю рынка ОС, которую занимала Ubuntu Linux. На сегодняшний день лишь несколько именитых брэндов предлагают компьютеры с предустановленной Ubuntu Linux, зато у Dell есть по меньшей мере 7 различных моделей (а также 27-дюймовый ПК AiO, который поставляется с этой же операционной системой).

В дополнение к ноутбуку Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (который сейчас поставляется с процессором Intel Kaby Lake и портом Thunderbolt 3, объёмом оперативной памяти до 16 ГБ, а также возможностью выбора экрана с разрешением до 3200×1800 пикселей), этот американский производитель сейчас предлагает довольно разнообразную гамму продуктов с Ubuntu:

• Precision 3520 — до 32 ГБ ОЗУ, 15.6-дюймовый экран Full HD, видеоадаптер NVIDIA GeForce;
• Precision 5520 — процессор Xeon, до 32 ГБ ОЗУ, 15.6-дюймовый экран 4K, видеоадаптер NVIDIA Quadro;
• Precision 7520 — процессор Xeon, до 64 ГБ ОЗУ, 15.6-дюймовый экран 4K, видеоадаптеры NVIDIA Quadro или AMD Radeon Pro;
• Precision 7720 — 17.3-дюймовый вариант модели 7520 с объёмом дисков до 4 ТБ (до 3 ТБ в случае 7520);
• Precision 7510 — процессор Skylake, 15.6-дюймовый экран 3K, до 64 ГБ ОЗУ, объём дисков до 3 ТБ;
• Precision 7710 — процессор Skylake, 17.3-дюймовый экран 3K, до 64 ГБ ОЗУ, объём дисков до 4 ТБ .

Разумеется, можно купить ноутбук без операционной системы и просто установить на него дистрибутив Linux, но преимущество упомянутых выше продуктов Dell в том, что они изначально созданы для работы с Ubuntu (и протестированы на совместимость). Например, если использовать загрузочный (portable) дистрибутив на машине, созданной для Windows, то некоторые функциональные клавиши могут работать не так, как задумано.

Источник

Dell releases more high-end Ubuntu Linux laptops

Linux PCs are growing in popularity for professional programmers and Dell continues to back them.

See als

Canonical and Ubuntu Linux founder Mark Shuttleworth recently said, «We have seen companies signing up for Linux desktop support, because they want to have fleets of Ubuntu desktop for their artificial intelligence engineers.»

Dell has noticed, too.

Dell Senior Architect Barton George announced: «If mobile power is what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. And if AI is your need, the Precision 7540 and 7740 might just be what you’ve been looking for.»

Linux PCs may never catch up with Windows on consumer laptops, but they are starting to make a bigger impression on developer laptops. Even Microsoft is now building Linux into Windows with Windows Subsystem for Linux. Why? Because today’s developers are working on projects such as Kubernetes, AI, cloud-native computing, and machine learning, which live and die on Linux.

To do this requires more than just an ordinary Linux PC. That’s why Dell for years has been rolling out top-of-the-line XPS 13 laptops and Precision Mobile Workstations for programmers. This latest generation of hardware in its Project Sputnik line continues to meet the needs of high-end Linux developers.

The entire family comes with Ubuntu 18.04, the most recent long-term support (LTS) Ubuntu release. They also support Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Workstation 8.

The first of these, the Dell Precision 3540, is Dell’s most affordable mobile workstation. This comes with the latest 4-core Intel Core 8th generation processors. The default CPU is an Intel Core i5-8365U Processor with 4 cores. It comes with 4GBs of DDR4 RAM. This can be upgraded to 32GB. With its 15.6-inch display, its price starts at just over $700.

The rest of the latest Precision laptops aren’t available quite yet. You can expect to see them out in early July.

Must read

First up is the Precision 5540 mobile workstation. The lightest of the family, it comes with a choice of Intel Xeon E or 9th Gen Intel Core 8-core processors along with 4TBs of storage and up to 64GB of memory. If you want high-end graphics, it can support up to an NVIDIA Quadro T2000 (4GB) on its 15.6-inch InfinityEdge OLED display and 14-inch chassis. Pricing starts at $1,100.

It’s followed by Precision 7540 mobile workstation. The 5540’s big brother, it boasts either an Intel Xeon E or 9th Gen Intel Core 8-core processors under the hood. For memory, it can hold up to up to 128GB of 2666MHz ECC memory. With its 15.6-inch display, which maxes out with a UHD HDR 400 display, customers developing or analyzing detailed content will love that it’s up to 8K resolution and offers playback of HDR content via single Displayport 1.4. This beast’s starting price is $1,300.

The best of the breed, Precision 7740, features the latest Intel Xeon E or 9th Gen Intel Core 8-core processors. The 7740 comes with up to 128GB of ECC memory and a large PCIe SSD storage capacity (up to 8TB). It also boasts the latest NVIDIA Quadro RTX graphics, up to the RTX5000, delivers real-time ray tracing and graphics-based AI acceleration for its 17.3-inch UltraSharp UHD IGZO display. It will also be available later with the next-generation AMD Radeon Pro processor. Its price starts at just over $1,400.

Clearly, these machines aren’t for everyone. But, if you feel the need for speed for your programming projects, you’ll need to check these out. You’ll be sorry if you don’t.

Источник

13 Places Where You Can Buy Linux Computers

Last updated March 25, 2021 By Abhishek Prakash 130 Comments

Looking for Linux laptops? Here I list some online shops that either sell Linux computers or specialize only in Linux systems.

Almost all the non-Apple computers sold these days come with Windows preinstalled on them. The standard procedure for Linux users is to buy such a computer and then either remove Windows and install Linux, or dual boot Linux with Windows.

But you don’t always have to go through Windows. You can buy Linux computers as well.

But why buy a computer preinstalled with Linux when you can easily install Linux on any computer? Here are some reasons:

• A computer with Windows always has a higher price, for the Windows license. You can avoid that.
• Computers preinstalled with Linux are well-tested for hardware compatibility. You can be sure that your system will have WiFi and Bluetooth working, instead of figuring these things out on your own.
• Buying Linux laptops and desktops indirectly supports Linux. More sale indicates that there is a demand for Linux products, and thus more vendors may be inclined to provide Linux as a choice of operating system.

If you are looking to get a new Linux laptop, let me suggest to you a few manufacturers and vendors that provide ready-to-use Linux systems.

13 places to buy Linux laptops and computers

Some disclaimers/information before you see the list of shops offering computers with Linux preloaded.

Please make a purchase based on your own decisions. I am simply listing the Linux computer sellers here, I cannot vouch for their product quality, after sale service, or other such things.

This is not a ranked list. The items listed here are in no particular order. The numbers are for the purpose of counting the items, not ranking them.

Let’s see where you can get desktops and laptops with Linux preinstalled from.

1. Dell

Dell has been offering Ubuntu laptops for several years now. Their flagship product XPS features a Developer Edition series that comes with Ubuntu preinstalled.

If you read my review of Dell XPS Ubuntu edition, you know that I loved this laptop. It’s been more than two years and this laptop is still in great condition, and performance has not deteriorated.

For this reason, I strongly recommend Dell XPS Developer Edition. You can order one from Amazon as they regularly provide attractive deals on it.

Dell XPS is an expensive device, with a price tag of around $1000. If that’s out of your budget, Dell also has an inexpensive offering in its Inspiron laptop line.

Do note that Dell doesn’t display the Ubuntu/Linux laptops on its website. Unless you already knew that Linux laptops are offered by Dell, you wouldn’t be able to find them.

So, go to Dell’s website and enter “Ubuntu” in its search box to see the products that ship with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled.

Availability: Most parts of the world.

2. System76

System76 is a prominent name in the world of Linux computers. This US-based company specializes in high-end computing devices that run Linux. Their targeted user base is software developers.

Initially, System76 offered Ubuntu on their machines. In 2017, they released their own Linux distribution, Pop!_OS, based on Ubuntu. Since then, Pop!_OS has been the default OS on their machines, with Ubuntu still available as a choice.

In addition to performance, System76 has put a great emphasis on the design of its computers. Their Thelio desktop series has a handcrafted wooden design.

You may check their Linux laptops offerings here. They also offer Linux-based mini PCs and servers.

Did I mention that System76 manufactures its computers in America instead of the obvious choices of China and Taiwan? Their products are on the expensive side, perhaps for this reason.

Availability: USA and 60 other countries. Extra custom duty may be applicable outside the US. More info here.

3. Lenovo

Lenovo ThinkPads are quite popular among Linux users, even with mixed feelings about them for its compatibility with Linux in the past. And, now that most of the Lenovo laptops will be Linux certified, it could be one of the best choices to go with to get a Laptop. And, you can order one for yourself through their official site.

The flagship models are definitely expensive, but you will find a wide range of variants available starting from $500 range. Of course, the pricing will vary depending on your country but Lenovo laptops or ThinkPads in general is considered as a durable machine.

Lenovo’s laptops aren’t really known for any crazy design but the build quality. So, you have to keep that in mind and compare the prices on their official website before you decide.

It is also worth noting that you get the choice of having Fedora or Ubuntu pre-installed depending on what Laptop you’re going for (mostly in the U.S and Canada). However, that choice is not available for India yet through the official online store.

Availability: Most parts of the world.

4. Purism

Purism is a US-based company that takes pride in creating products and services that help you secure your data and privacy. That’s the reason why Purism calls itself a “Social Purpose Corporation.”

Purism started with a crowdfunding campaign for creating a high-end open source laptop with (almost) no proprietary software. The successful $250,000 crowdfunding campaign resulted in the Librem 15 laptop in 2015.

Later Purism released a 13″ version called Librem 13 and a 14″ variant Librem 14. Purism also created a Linux distribution, Pure OS, designed for keeping privacy and security in mind.

Pure OS can run on both desktop and mobile devices, and it is the default choice of operating system on Librem laptops and Librem 5 Linux phone.

Purism gets its components from China, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States, and assembles them in the US. All their devices have hardware kill switches to turn off the microphone/camera and wireless/bluetooth.

Availability: Worldwide with free international shipping. Custom duty may cost extra.

5. Slimbook

Slimbook is a Linux computer vendor based in Spain. Slimbook enetered the limelight after launching the first KDE branded laptop.

Their offerings are not limited to just KDE Neon. They offer Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Linux Mint, and Spanish distributions like Lliurex and Max. You can also choose Windows, at an additional cost, or opt for no operating system at all.

Slimbook has a wide variety of Linux laptops, desktops, and mini PCs available. An iMac-like 24″ curved monitor that has an in-built CPU is an awesome addition to their collection.

Want a liquid cooled Linux computer? Slimbook’s Kymera Aqua is for you.

Availability: Worldwide but may cost extra in shipping and custom duty

6. TUXEDO Computers

Another European candidate on this list of Linux computer vendors, TUXEDO Computers is based out of Germany and mainly focuses on German and other European users.

TUXEDO Computers only uses Linux, and the computers are “manufactured in Germany” and come with a 5 year guarantee and lifetime support.

TUXEDO Computers has put some real effort in customizing its hardware to run Linux. And if you ever run into trouble or want to start afresh, you have a system recovery option to restore the factory settings automatically.

TUXEDO Computers has a number of Linux laptops, desktops, and mini-PCs available. They have both Intel and AMD processors. Apart from the computers, TUXEDO Computers also has a range of Linux-supported accessories, like docking stations, DVD/Blue-Ray burners, power banks, and other peripheral devices.

Availability: Free shipping in Germany and Europe (for orders above 150 Euros). Extra shipping charges and custom duty for non-EU countries. More info here.

7. Vikings

Vikings is based in Germany (instead of Scandinavia :D). Certified by the Free Software Foundation, Vikings focuses exclusively on Libre-friendly hardware.

The Linux laptops and desktops by Vikings come with coreboot or Libreboot instead of proprietary boot systems like BIOS and UEFI. You can also buy server hardware running no proprietary software.

Vikings also has other accessories, like routers, docking stations, etc. The products are assembled in Germany.

Availability: Worldwide (except North Korea). Non-EU countries may charge custom duty. More information here.

8. Ubuntushop.be

No, it’s not the official Ubuntu Shop, even though it has Ubuntu in its name. Ubuntushop is based in Belgium and originally started selling computers installed with Ubuntu.

Today, you can get laptops preloaded with Linux distributions like Mint, Manjaro, and elementary OS. You can also request a distribution of your choice to be installed on the system you buy.

One unique thing about Ubuntushop is that all of its computers come with a default Tails OS live option. So even if it has another Linux distribution installed for regular use, you can always choose to boot into the Tails OS (without a live USB). Tails OS is a Debian based distribution that deletes all traces of its use after logging out, and it uses the Tor network by default.

Unlike many other big players on this list, I feel that Ubuntushop is more of a “domestic operation,” where someone manually assembles your computer and installs Linux on it. But they have done quite a good job providing options like easy re-install, their own cloud server, etc.

Got an old PC? Send it to them while buying a new Linux computer and they will send it back to you after installing a lightweight Linux on it, so that the old computer is recycled and can still be put to some use.

Availability: Belgium and rest of Europe.

9. RetroFreedom

Minifree, short for Ministry of Freedom, was a company registered in England. However, amidst the pandemic, it temporarily shutdown its operations in June 2020 and has resumed operations with a re-brand to RetroFreedom.

It provides secure and privacy-respecting computers that come with Libreboot instead of BIOS or UEFI.

They also come pre-installed with Trisquel, endorsed by Free Software Foundation, which means that you can be sure that their computers adhere to the guidelines and principles of Free and Open Source Software.

Unlike many other Linux laptop vendors on this list, computers from RetroFreedom are not super-expensive. You can get a Libreboot Linux laptop running Trisquel GNU/Linux starting from 200 euro.

You get a 2-Year warranty for all the products. If you care to run only 100% free software like Richard Stallman, RetroFreedom is for you.

Availability: Worldwide. Shipping information is available here.

10. Entroware

Entroware is another UK-based vendor that specializes in Linux-based laptops, desktop, and servers.

Like many others on the list, Entroware also has Ubuntu as its choice of Linux distribution. Ubuntu MATE is also available as a choice on Entroware Linux laptops.

Apart from laptops, desktop, and servers, Entroware also has their mini-PC Aura and the iMac style monitor with built-in CPU, Ares.

Availability: UK, Ireland France, Germany, Italy, Spain

11. Juno Computers

This is a new Linux laptop vendor on our list. Juno Computers is also based in the UK and offers computers preinstalled with Linux. Elementary OS, Ubuntu, and Solus OS are the choices of Linux distributions here.

Juno offers a range of laptops and a mini-PC called Olympia. Like almost all the mini-PCs offered by other vendors here, Olympia is also basically an Intel NUC.

The main highlight from Juno Computers is a low-cost Chromebook alternative, Juve, that costs £299. It runs a dual-booted system of Solus/elementary with an Android-based desktop operating system, Prime OS.

Availability: UK, USA, Canada, Mexico, Most part of South America and Europe, Australia, New Zealand, some part of Asia and Africa. More information here.

12. Pine64

Pine64 is known for its single board computers. It also offers a budget laptop series called Pinebook.

Pinebook is basically a single board computer like Raspberry Pi, inside a plastic body. This laptop costs less than $100.

Since Pinebook is too low-end to be a usable desktop computer, Pine64 has an upgraded model called Pinebook Pro. This one has decent specifications for an entry level laptop.

13. Laptop with Linux

Laptop with Linux is a Netherlands-based company that helps you with Linux laptops and mini-PCs as well.

It lets you configure the specifications of your desired laptop offering a minimum 2 years warranty. You can choose from a range of Linux distros that includes Linux Mint and Ubuntu, among others.

The laptops offered are usually premium-looking with backlit keyboards in most of the cases. You can explore their website to know more about them.

Honorable mentions

I have listed 13 places to get Linux computers, but there are several other such shops available. I cannot include all of them on the main list, and a couple of them seem to be out of stock for most products. However, I am going to mention them here so that you may check them on your own:

Other mainstream computer manufacturers like Acer, Lenovo, etc. may also have some Linux systems in their catalog, so you may check their products as well.

Have you ever bought a Linux computer? Where did you buy it? How’s your experience with it? Is it worth buying a Linux laptop? Do share your thoughts.

Like what you read? Please share it with others.

Источник