Recommend me a Linux gaming laptop
July 9, 2017 8:56 PM Subscribe
I'm in the market for a new laptop, and I'm leaning towards something with enough GPU to play some nice games, like Civ 6 or Stellaris or XCom2 or Rocket League and other random games, but still supported well under Linux. What laptops and brands should I look at for reliable support?
High level goals, roughly in order:
1. Is laptop
2. Runs linux (preferably Ubuntu) well
3. Hardware is generally supported -- suspend, projector/video out, docking, etc.
4. Plays 3d games acceptably well.
5. Isn't garishly designed -- can use in meetings without eye rolls.
6. smart card slot for GPG card.
So far I'm debating between a Lenovo t470p and a Razer Blade. But there's probably more out there.
High level goals, roughly in order:
1. Is laptop
2. Runs linux (preferably Ubuntu) well
3. Hardware is generally supported -- suspend, projector/video out, docking, etc.
4. Plays 3d games acceptably well.
5. Isn't garishly designed -- can use in meetings without eye rolls.
6. smart card slot for GPG card.
So far I'm debating between a Lenovo t470p and a Razer Blade. But there's probably more out there.
Thinkpad owner here, seconding ZaphodB that it sounds like it meets your needs. Don't expect great battery life though, and be careful with the settings for charging/discharging. Over 2-3 years, the capacity of one of mine somehow degraded to <15 min.
posted by rocketbadger at 1:43 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by rocketbadger at 1:43 AM on July 10, 2017
Warning that the video drivers for Ubuntu are a bit wonky, especially when it comes to projecting. I switched from Mac to Linux about a year ago (Ubuntu on Thinkpad) and I have never been able to configure an external monitor configured to my satisfaction. Otherwise, my Thinkpad running Ubuntu has been great and relatively easy to configure.
Have you thought about dual booting - windows for games, and Linux for everything else?
posted by askmehow at 4:43 AM on July 10, 2017
Have you thought about dual booting - windows for games, and Linux for everything else?
posted by askmehow at 4:43 AM on July 10, 2017
Always a Thinkpad. I love the crap out of my (Ubuntu running, games playing) p70, and would rebuy it or a t470p in a second.
posted by so fucking future at 6:32 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by so fucking future at 6:32 AM on July 10, 2017
How about a Dell XPS 15 developer edition?
You could do the XPS 13 but it's only got an onboard video card, which might not be good enough for the games you play. The developer edition comes with Linux.
I don't know about the smart card slot requirement.
posted by mr_silver at 8:36 AM on July 10, 2017
You could do the XPS 13 but it's only got an onboard video card, which might not be good enough for the games you play. The developer edition comes with Linux.
I don't know about the smart card slot requirement.
posted by mr_silver at 8:36 AM on July 10, 2017
Response by poster: For the record, my current work laptop is a T460, and things I've more or less got everything working. Dock, HDMI out, glxgears, etc. I like the form factor, and hardware, but the GPU is an Intel HD 530.
And my previous work laptop was an older T510 with dedicated NVIDIA graphics. And before that I was running Ubuntu on a Toshiba tabletPC (was looking at a Thinkpad with Wacom, but they hadn't refreshed in ages) with dedicated NVIDIA. All fairly successful through their lifetimes.
A lot of this comes down to research for hardware support, vendor, etc. Lenovo seems to have a dozen or more different laptop lineups, and I have no idea what most of the laptop model numbers mean. And even Thinkwiki doesn't know what the T460 is, let alone a T470p. Hence this AskMefi question.
posted by pwnguin at 9:16 AM on July 10, 2017
And my previous work laptop was an older T510 with dedicated NVIDIA graphics. And before that I was running Ubuntu on a Toshiba tabletPC (was looking at a Thinkpad with Wacom, but they hadn't refreshed in ages) with dedicated NVIDIA. All fairly successful through their lifetimes.
A lot of this comes down to research for hardware support, vendor, etc. Lenovo seems to have a dozen or more different laptop lineups, and I have no idea what most of the laptop model numbers mean. And even Thinkwiki doesn't know what the T460 is, let alone a T470p. Hence this AskMefi question.
posted by pwnguin at 9:16 AM on July 10, 2017
Best answer: ThinkWiki's list is a couple of years out of date at this point.
The T470p is a little too new for Linux-experience reviews, but on checking out the specs it's substantially similar to my T560 and that's run flawlessly on Ubuntu. I also note that the T470p is certified by Ubuntu for pre-install for some specific builds. If guaranteed comparability is a strict need, build a T470p to those specs and install Ubuntu.
posted by ZaphodB at 9:30 AM on July 10, 2017
The T470p is a little too new for Linux-experience reviews, but on checking out the specs it's substantially similar to my T560 and that's run flawlessly on Ubuntu. I also note that the T470p is certified by Ubuntu for pre-install for some specific builds. If guaranteed comparability is a strict need, build a T470p to those specs and install Ubuntu.
posted by ZaphodB at 9:30 AM on July 10, 2017
Note that Civ 6 is currently only supported on Linux if you have an Nvidia card. System 76 have a few laptops with built in 10 series Nvidia cards, e.g. the Oryx Pro, and test and provide support for Ubuntu.
posted by robertc at 9:58 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by robertc at 9:58 AM on July 10, 2017
Response by poster: The P70 looks a little too clunky for me, so I decided to go with the T470p, with the bells and whistles I'm looking for.
posted by pwnguin at 11:45 PM on July 10, 2017
posted by pwnguin at 11:45 PM on July 10, 2017
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posted by ZaphodB at 9:18 PM on July 9, 2017