Suggest a Cheap (use) laptop compatible with Linux for web browsing ?

[DaveMedan]

Any Recommendation?

 

thx

[Bombastinator]

Cheap?  A vague word.   Just about any x86 machine is capable of running Linux.  Could probably find something used in the sub$100 range that would do it.

[8tg]

Sandy or Ivy Bridge thinkpads.

T420 or T430 for 14” 

T520 or T530 for 15” and better resolution displays 

W520 or W530 for a mobile nvidia Quadro, quadcores and better displays

X220 or X230 for 13”

X220T or X230T for a 13” tablet convertible with a Wacom display

All of these will have good Linux support and be less than $200 in ready to go condition, ie resellers who have already done minor hardware upgrades, installed windows, included an ac adapter, etc.

With the exception of the W520/530, those are still fairly expensive and for what they are I usually just recommend going to the $400-500 point and buying a P50 because even it’s low end configurations will absolutely smoke a W530 unless you’re just really into the aesthetics of the W530

[jaslion]

Budget?

 

Under 300 go used basically always. Easy to get an 8th gen or newer intel system

[Bombastinator]

58 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Budget?

 

Under 300 go used basically always. Easy to get an 8th gen or newer intel system

Oh, you can get a brand new Intel laptop for under $150, the problem is is it fit for purpose? The biggest problem with laptops and Linux at least used to be are there stable and available Linux drivers written for its various subsystems? so it’s kind of a model by model thing.  A machine that, say has everything work but the wifi may work fine if wifi isn’t needed. Just plug in a usb wifi dongle.  If it is ever needed.  Cpu wise they generally all work.  The bugbear is (or was) the ancillary systems.  Generally the older a device is the more likely everything works.  Laptops had particular issues with this one.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Bombastinator

[Pasi123]

1 hour ago, Bombastinator said:

Oh, you can get a brand new Intel laptop for under $150, the problem is is it fit for purpose? The biggest problem with laptops and Linux at least used to be are there stable and available Linux drivers written for its various subsystems? so it’s kind of a model by model thing.  A machine that, say has everything work but the wifi may work fine if wifi isn’t needed. Just plug in a usb wifi dongle.  If it is ever needed.  Cpu wise they generally all work.  The bugbear is (or was) the ancillary systems.  Generally the older a device is the more likely everything works.  Laptops had particular issues with this one.

Those cheap new laptops usually have low amount of soldered memory and non-upgradeable slow eMMC storage. They also have Intel Atom based Celerons or Pentiums which don't use much power but are much, much slower than what used laptops have in the same price range.

[jaslion]

1 hour ago, Bombastinator said:

Oh, you can get a brand new Intel laptop for under $150, the problem is is it fit for purpose? The biggest problem with laptops and Linux at least used to be are there stable and available Linux drivers written for its various subsystems? so it’s kind of a model by model thing.  A machine that, say has everything work but the wifi may work fine if wifi isn’t needed. Just plug in a usb wifi dongle.  If it is ever needed.  Cpu wise they generally all work.  The bugbear is (or was) the ancillary systems.  Generally the older a device is the more likely everything works.  Laptops had particular issues with this one.

Issue with the new ones is its either a celeron or pentium with the performanc of AT BEST a q6600 when boosting (which they often cant do for long). Coupled with bargain bin emmc storage and usually 4gb of soldered memory you get an awful windows laptop.

 

Its why those devices arent recommended. Even linux cant really save em. As chromebooks they are also very slow.

[Bombastinator]

Yup.  There’s a reason that those cheapass new laptops are cheapass.  Used laptops generally have much better features.  Used laptops are also often older and have higher end parts in them, both of which increase the likelihood that there will be drivers written for the various subsystems.  Old Macs and tankbooks are among some of the most likely to work well.  Modern MacOS actually is a true *nix.  Specifically a version of BSD.  Generally the more popular the laptop was when new the more likely they are to have all systems working.  This isn’t always true because some use various subsystems of other formerly popular laptops and as a result there are drivers anyway.

Laptops deployed in fleets usually have a good chance too.  Some IT pro gets a laptop assigned to him by his employer but it doesn’t completely run the OS he likes to use so s/he writes the drivers necessary to fix it.  The older a laptop is the more likely this has happened.  What I would do rather than looking for specific models is search by preferred features, and then check that laptop to make sure everything works.  The laptops will be differentiated not by brand, but by the various subsystems they have and whether someone or other has written a driver for that subsystem or not.  So not the brand of the laptop but the brand of the subsystem.  Most intel NICs are covered for instance.  Or at least used to be.  Nvidia doesn’t release source for their video cards, or didn’t for a long time, so machines with Nvidia video systems are less likely to work well. There can and will be exceptions though.

 

if I had to just pick something I’d say go with one of the intel macs that doesn’t have a butterfly keyboard.  Those things are ridiculously common at places like NASA.  Might be out of range price wise though.  The advantage of such a thing is the build quality is high and they’ll run everything.