Decent laptop for linux

Dave85 · 4 Aug 2021 at 00:10

Looking for a reasonable spec laptop that is light and can have ubuntu or pop os run fine on it with no mucking about. Will just be used for youtube and chrome for my partner. She is disabled so needs something light and thin. Been looking at macbook airs on ebay you can get a few decent 2015 models for around 280 just now with the discount.

So say budget of around £300 used is no issues. Thin, light, Screen size under 14" run ubuntu or pop os.

Or should I just get a chromebook or macbook air

Emlyn_Dewar · 4 Aug 2021 at 01:38

A used Dell XPS 13? They're pretty good with Ubuntu on them.

nine_tails · 4 Aug 2021 at 10:27

Yeah i have a dell xps 13 running arch + gnome . Smooth enough for basic tasks. Do you need a machine ? I think you can get away atleast entertainment using a tablet like Samsung S6. I picked up a used one on warehouse with a discount so might be out of budget at the mo.

If she already is part of mac ecosystem then i'd suggest going down mac route + not to mention ease of usage. Arch has never broken down on me but now and again i need to spend couple of hours looking for a solution and might be best to avoid that for general usage device.

Dave85 · 4 Aug 2021 at 10:36

No idea why I wrote tablet in the title when I was thinking laptop must have been tired. Looking for dells that seem decent they seem quite chunky. Was just wondering if anyone knew of a laptop like the MacBook Air that would run Linux well as it’s a bit less resource hungry than win10 doesn’t need to be amazing hardware. Mrs has never used macOS so not stuck into apple ecosystem

nine_tails · 4 Aug 2021 at 18:01

XPS is quite thin tbh. May be an older asus zenbook? I was running that on arch linux as well. It did die on me for unknown reasons, so reliability might be hit or miss (based on the only one i owned).

I have not kept up with chromebooks, but you might find some value there too.

andy_mk3 · 4 Aug 2021 at 18:04

My xps13 is almost identical in every dimension compared to my friends mac book air. It's every bit as nice in quality too.

Dave85 · 4 Aug 2021 at 20:39

Looking at the dimensions of the xps13 your right it is as light as the air. I must have been thinking of a different model. Looks like a good few bargains on ebay as well. Thanks for suggestions

d_brennen · 4 Aug 2021 at 20:48

Instead of linux, how about Neverware/Cloudready Chrome OS home for even less faff?

https://www.neverware.com/freedownload#intro-text

Runs well on a potato

Defy Belief · 4 Aug 2021 at 21:05

As above chrome OS/chrome book, they're light and tiny and you can pick them up for just over £100.

Tamas · 25 Aug 2021 at 13:43

I have got a very decent laptop targeted linux. I think the best is to get custom build laptop for linux. Not too expensive and good quality. Also the housing is not cheap plastic but metal.