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[Question] What laptop to get? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/linux@lemmy.ml
25 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

So, I'm finally getting around to buying a Linux first laptop. I'm familiar with Macbooks, and so far liked them. I've also live stick used Fedora w/ KDE (though Gnome might fit too) and OpenSUSE Tumbleweed and liked them.

But I do want to have more freedom and privacy. My most important considerations are:

  1. The laptop is European (or at least, not from the US, unlikely to go Chinese either).
  2. Good specs for gaming (if need be I could virtualise for playing Mac games). I don't play shooter games, but do play Paradox games which iirc are more CPU heavy. Edit: the most intense user case is probably Cyberpunk 2077. I have no idea what makes a good processor - at least with SSDs and the like it's clear that 'higher number = better'. For me, battery life is important, as well screen resolution, clock speed, and graphic card and processor.
  3. Looks - I like the Macbook touch and feel. I don't want a numpad.

The four main laptops I'm considering are in no particular order:

  1. Star Labs (Starbook Horizon or Starfighter). British. Lookswise they are a great match but the specs I'm not sure. How well would they hold up to an Intel Macbook Pro from 2017?
  2. Tuxedo (Infinitybook Pro 14 or 15) Bit more well-known German brand.
  3. Slimbook (most likely the Evo). Spanish brand. Seems more customisable but again, I do not know shit with graphic cards and processors.
  4. Novacustom (PrivacyGuard V54). Dutch brand. Not a fan of the tiny ass arrow keys. 7 hours for battery life is also not much, imo.

If any of you know something better, please do tell!

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[–] uuj8za@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I bought the Starbook Mk VII Ultra in 2025.

I... would definitely not recommend it. I already sold it. The build quality is mostly pretty nice, but everything else is not great.

  • The laptop is heavy at 1.4 kg. I initially considered this a good thing as it makes the laptop feel more solid... but it ended up being a little annoying.
  • The laptop runs HOT. Using on my lap was no good. Using it on a desk was better, but the fans would still turn on at max speed for short periods every now and then.
  • The hardware was buggy? Like, it worked... but it was subtly buggy. For example, the keyboard was very sensitive. Every 5th (estimate) keypress would emit the keypress twice. That's annoying when writing because sometimes you'd get "sometthingg likee thiis" and it was super annoying for keyboard shortcuts because the shortcut is ctrl-v not ctrl-vv.
  • The printscreen key is odd... but not buggy. For some reason, they decided to have the printscreen key emit the wrong keycode? This means the printscreen key doesn't work properly in GNOME.
  • The LEDs on the laptop are extremely bright. I didn't notice during the day, but it was extremely annoying at night. The most annoying part is that there is a bright, pure blue, LED right below the screen. I tried putting tape to cover the light, but it was so bright that you could still see the light through the tape.

Next time I get a laptop I'll probably try a Tuxedo laptop.

(I ended up trading the Starlabs for a Lenovo T14 Gen 7, which works well with Linux, but doesn't meet your criteria.)

Looks - I like the Macbook touch and feel

I would just like to caution you about wanting to maintain the Apple taste, but runs Linux. You may have to adjust your taste preference if you want a laptop that runs Linux well.

[–] birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thanks for your explanation, I appreciate it :D - this was the kind of answer I'm looking for; someone who had experience with one of these models.

  • 1.4 kg is about equal to my current laptop, so I don't mind that at all. I actually feel it's relatively light.
  • It running hot is less good news. Did this occur with intense programs only, or for casual usage as well?
  • Interesting about the hardware and keyboard. Is there no way to adjust key sensitivity?
  • What do you mean with the wrong keycode? I intend on using KDE Plasma and making it look more like MacOS' interface, but this is good to know. I use a Cheatsheet programme that shows me all the available keybinds for whatever program I have open, maybe that could help.
  • What do you mean with the LEDs from the laptop? As in the screen brightness, or the keyboard backlit, or the light for the webcam, or-?

As for the Macbook touch and feel thing, it's moreso the general 'feel'. I don't mind if keys are a bit different, but I like the sleek feel. The models I gave all kind of satisfy that requirement, so Tuxedo should also work!

[–] uuj8za@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Here are my old notes: https://lemmy.world/post/35121451

Is there no way to adjust key sensitivity?

I never found away. I think I remember opening a support ticket, but it didn't go anywhere.

What do you mean with the wrong keycode?

Technically, the keyboard doesn't have a "Print Screen" key. It has a Sysrq key, which is used for the same purpose, but it's actually a different keycode. See https://github.com/StarLabsLtd/firmware/issues/28 Maybe Cheatsheet programme could help?

What do you mean with the LEDs from the laptop?

So above the function keys, but below where the screen actually starts, there are some LEDs. lol. I just checked and realized they conveniently edited out those LEDs from promotional material. Above the F2 and F3 keys there are BRIGHT LEDs that used for different statuses. There are also some LEDs on the side that turn on when the laptop is charging, which are also SUPER bright. I would normally toss a shirt on top of the laptop so I could charge it at night and not be bothered.