I have been a mac user for a while and I am looking into moving to linux (I’m thinking Fedora Silverblue). I have read a few threads on the topic (including this one) but cannot seem to make up my mind yet.
From what I read, I would not go for System76 or Starlabs or Purism, and I don’t like Lenovo as a brand. I am thinking of a Framework or a Dell. Actually, maybe an old Dell to get started while the mac still runs.
What criteria would you base your decision on? Lay it on like I’m 5, I’ve been away from PCs for a long time and have no clue.
With Linux as your OS, most important thing in my opinion are;
if the company making it has official support for linux?
can you call them and get troubleshooting help?
If their offerings will fit your use case?
Can you upgrade, RAM, Storage or battery later on?
Dell has a lot more choice and many price points that will likely fit your budget. While Linux should work on most of their computers, not too sure how well they officially support it outside of few models I have seen that offer Ubuntu out of the box. Upgrade-ability is always a concern with traditional laptop manufacturers.
Framework does has official support for linux on all their laptops but you’re paying a premium price tag for the repairability aspect of it. Which I am personally bias towards. I own a Framework 13. Would recommend if, if it fits your budget and needs.
I previously owned and used lenovo laptops, I personally think they are very good linux laptops and upgradeable too in some aspects. I have swapped battery, RAM and storage over the years, without much trouble.
Sorry, missed that. As I mentioned in the link I gave, I am personally a fan of Framework (but their BIOS updates are slow). For the most part, the main thing I would look for in a computer is:
TPM 2.0 (all modern laptops should have it)
Good compatibility with Linux (i.e. don’t even think about NVIDIA graphics…)
A decent life expectancy (not for any privacy or security reasons, but just in order to get your money’s worth)
In the thread, I think that System76 was mentioned to be a bit overpriced (I have also heard that elsewhere). Dell computers were also mentioned to work fairly well in the thread (I have had success in the past with older Dell laptops, but my own experience does not extend to newer ones). I like Framework because of the modular ethos. In the end, it comes down to what your requirements are. If your goal is staying within a tighter budget, then an older Dell laptop might be what you want to go with.
Last thing, before you purchase, I would do a quick search just to make sure that the components the prospective purchase uses have good Linux compatibility (most do, save NVIDIA, but it’s always good to make sure).
There isn’t really much difference on the lower-end/entry market. If you’re interested in “better security” and achieving higher HSI levels then you need hardware more aimed at businesses etc. Newer versions GNOME now show this under Device Security.
That means laptops that fall into the “Windows Secured Core” (even if not running Windows) category, and with vPro or Ryzen Pro CPUs (needed for Encrypted RAM which is a HSI-4 level protection).
I have a question, in a section of the dell website “Dell Windows 11 Secured-core PCs” shows: Latitude Laptops, Optiplex Desktops and Precision Workstations. Are all of these models Secured-core PCs with vPro Processors? Is it all of them or just most of the modern ones?
Also, i wanted to know/learn how does having a Secured-core PC w/ vPro Processor make the device secure if the OS running on it is Linux? I thought these features were specifically catered to Windows 11 Pro machines?
I believe the secured-core standard as an “official” standard only really applies to laptops and AIO computers, so yes[1] pretty much all of them (from Dell)
The long story short is that there are a lot of hardware security features that are OS-agnostic and some firmware security features that Linux can also use. If you want more clarification on individual features then I (or someone else) can elaborate more.
there was a secured core standard by MS for windows 10 machines too but the windows 11 one goes further iirc and you wouldn’t want an older secured-core machine beyond a certain point due to firmware update support windows ↩︎
Same for HP. While I can’t see any specific requirements that Secure Core PCs need to have vPro, it’s likely certain features that are required are only offered by vPro and Ryzen Pro.
Yes in that table: What makes a Secured-core PC indicates it’s mostly hardware features, except for Windows Hello.
Any thoughts about the security of PC’s with Microsoft’s Pluton processor? Would a Secured-core PC with Pluton be more secure compared to one without it?
