Linux Compatible Used Laptops with a 'Like New Experience'
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- čas přidán 22. 11. 2022
- This is a little bit different approach. Instead of just telling you to use an old computer to run Linux, this time I will actually tell you what newer used laptop to buy that is Linux compatible and target a budget of $500 or less. This target value should give you a "like new" Linux computer experience.
Example Products:
Amazon - Lenovo X1 Carbon
amzn.to/3VgzW3E
amzn.to/3V2ZcKW
amzn.to/3GElNJs
Amazon - Dell XPS 13
amzn.to/3AzPnw3
amzn.to/3EWSjFy
Ebay - Lenovo X1 Carbon
www.ebay.com/itm/165646042257
www.ebay.com/itm/275535090256
www.ebay.com/itm/165767678827
Ebay - Dell XPS 13
www.ebay.com/itm/266003225225
www.ebay.com/itm/304653222078
www.ebay.com/itm/265592513652
Swappa - Macbook Pro
swappa.com/buy/macbooks/macbo...
swappa.com/buy/macbooks/macbo...
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Excellent! In 2004 I abandoned Windows entirely for the very first version of Ubuntu and have never looked back. After a few years I started using refurbished laptops and desktop computers due to the higher compatibility between older models and Linux and I saved a ton of money. Once you use Linux you will walk into a major computer store and not see a single thing that you either need or desire. There is also no need to ever upgrade to new hardware due to OS upgrades being foisted down upon you.
So true about not being forced to upgrade, but one should avoid 32-bit hardware for a more satisfying user experience. The CPU choices Rob is advocating here get around this limitation neatly without actually discussing it.
Ditto! Class of 2006.
I tried Linux, the file browser could not do the same as WinExp. What file browser would you recommend?
@@sotecluxan4221 It can be argued that a Bash shell (the Unix/Linux terminal) is the best file browser in existence but that does not in the least help users migrating from WIndows. You are perfectly correct in saying that nothing even comes close to WinExp and that includes my very limited experience on Apple OS-products as well.
It is a philosophical question whether the multitude of actions that Windows Explorer can do, should be bundled into a single tool where the Unix philosophy has always been that of creating a single tool that does only one thing but doing it well.
That Windows has bundled everything into the one tool of Windows Explorer has proven a security nightmare for the Windows platform ever since Win95, something that the Linux and Apple platforms have largely avoided due to their use of single purpose tools where any possible security vulnerabilities could be rapidly corrected.
There are a variety of GUI file browsers on Linux and collectively they probably all do everthing that WIndows Explorer can do but on an individual levels they all offer basic navigation of file structure and file manipulation while the support of additional functions vary and often delivers significant instability issues, at least in my experience.
This does not mean that I don't sympathise with you since for as long as I have used Linux, I have decried the devilish complexities involved in mounting removable media such as USB drives compared to the ease of use of WinExp, although it has improved in recent years.
Even if a GUI file browsing tool in Linux does offer the functionality to mount USB drives or to browse available network shares, it still uses the underlying purpose built tools in Linux with all the associated complexities of that tool. Unfortunately this often translates into a user experience of something appearing to simply not working event though there is a sound reason in terms of how Linux was designed such as that a particular user simply does not have the required file permissions or has not been added to a group allowing access to a particular device or action. The problem is that most bespoke GUI tools hides the actual diagnostic error messages returned by a utility from the user which adds to user frustration and leads to an inability to address the underlying issue.
The bad news is that this situation is not going to change soon. The good news is that the longer that you use Linux, the more your skills improve enabling a highly productive and fluid Unix experience.
For what it's worth, the GUI file manager I can live with without turning the air blue with curses is PcManFM-QT though I make very limited use of it.
@@sotecluxan4221 I use Xubuntu 20.04LTS which comes with XFCE desktop and Thunar file manager. It has some slick features you won't find in any winblows OS. Another decent file manager is PCManFM
I just bought a Panasonic toughbook that's about 4 years old and run a dual boot, windows and Linux mint. At about 8 lb it is not lightweight but you can run over it with a truck and still function. Plus it has every connection you can imagine, including a DB15 connector as well as a HDMI connector, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi both bands, as well as cell service by simply inserting a SIM card. It also has a solid state drive, DVD burner and USB 3.0. The DVD burner can be removed and a second battery inserted for up to 20 hours of continuous use. Everything functions under Linux mint so far, and at less than $600, it's affordable! One of the great features that no other laptop has is a actual handle on the front so it can be carried like a satchel which also houses the touch screen stylus. I'm loving it!
Rob Braxman Tech; Your work is always brilliant. Sharing on the twit.
The laptop I am currently using is a Core 2 Duo HP Elitebook 6930p from 2008 with a 2.8 GHz CPU and 4GB RAM running Gentoo Linux.
I paid the equivalent of $1 plus shipping (about $6) for it on eBay. It was grubby, so I gave it a good clean and I spent about $30 for a hard disk drive cover, hard disk caddy and 128 GB SSD drive.
It's a perfectly fine daily drive machine for next to no money.
There is a huge amount of really cheap hardware on eBay now because of the sufferers of "Microsoft Stockholm Syndrome" going back to be re-abused by them and upgrading to Windows 11 - at which point they have to upgrade their PCs in order to have them controlled by Microsoft, turned into surveillance devices and then "leased" back to them.
You don't need to spend anywhere near $500 for a working Linux machine.
You are so right! I have similar stories.
LOL amen! Although I'll spend 100 to 200 bucks for a high spec refurb on ebay, I like i5 and faster CPUs.
As an IT guy I support windows at work, but none of that crap at home for me! I've even used Linux Mint for various server tasks. If I am building a real server its time to break out TrueNAS though.
@@WhoMe87799 I've used FreeNAS and I like BSD a lot - but most of the time I am not building high performance systems for hundreds of simultaneous users and therefore most of the time, Linux does the job well enough.
Because I use Gentoo, I can build Linux my way with appropriate optimisations for the platform I am building it on.
One of my favourite laptops in an IBM Thinkpad T22 from around 2003 with an 800 MHz Pentium III CPU and 512 MB RAM in it. I run Gentoo on it, I use it several times a month to write shell scripts when SSH-ed into my home server, it has a great keyboard and is a very nice and distraction-free way of using a computer - like we used to do.
My wife's old MacBookPro 2012 makes a great little linux travel laptop. Ripped out the harddrive for an SSD. Removed the broken optical drive entirely. Took the heatpipes out, cleaned the old dry crusty thermal paste and apllied some fresh stuff and cleaned the fans. Installed Linux Mint Mate edition and it has gone with me on multiple trips for work as well as vacations. No worries about it being stolen or getting broken.
The best all-round computing device that I have ever owned is a Lenovo Thinkpad X220 running Gentoo Linux - mine goes everywhere with me (I don't do mobile computing on phones or tablets) and I have had it for 11 years now.
My wife recently upgraded to an Apple M1 Macbook and she gave me her old Macbook Retina from 2013. I put Gentoo Linux on it (I had to downgrade the wifi card in it to the previous model to have it supported under Linux) but, when I finished, I discovered that the keyboard was inferior to the one on the X220 and font scaling on the hi-res Macbook screen was a pain in the backside to resolve.
In the end, I put MacOS back on it, sold it on eBay for the equivalent of $400, gave the money to my wife as a surprise and went back to my Thinkpad.
She was happy, I was happy and the person that purchased the Macbook on eBay was also happy. Nothing more to add.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 Yeah the 2012 doesn't have a "retina" display so I don't need to worry about font and UI scaling. (Though on my desktop with a 4k monitor this seems to have been improved a lot in the latest Linux Mint Cinnamon.) I will add that I had my own MacBook Pro that had discrete graphics switching and it was absolutely terrible with linux. I eventually gave it to my Mom with MacOS back on and she is happy.
I don't mind the keyboard on the MacBook Pro since I was using MacOS and Macs exclusively from about 2006 to 2014. The way Apple was going though put me off and moved to various linux distros and never looked back.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 400$ for 2013model is great
Rob you must have read my mind. This is exactly what I've been looking to do for the last couple of months. Thanks for all the great info.👍
Me too! It's amazing, the telepathy!
I am in tears I wanted two family members to start learning how to code and I was so stressed trying to find 16gb ssd laptops to help them out this makes so much stress go away
RAM in these models is, apparently, soldered and not upgradeable. 16GB is ok but 8 might not be enough for virtualization or anything serious.
I truly appreciate you and your fight for strength of the individual.
The only person who can fight for the "strength of the individual" is the individual - Rob just tells you how to do it, you have to put in the time and effort.
If all you do is sit there consuming videos and occasionally "blowing smoke up his a$$", you will achieve nothing for you, the individual.
Purchased a Lenovo ThinkCenter M910q for $100 on EBay. Loaded it with Mint 21. Works wonderfully and fast. Had 8gb ram and 250gb M.2Nvme hard drive. I added a second Sata hard drive, 350gb. Very happy with the new setup.
Don't be afraid of the T440p Thinkpads. I'm still using one. I got it on eBay for $120, added an m.2 sata ssd, replaced the DVD drive with another 1tb ssd for storage, I'm using the small ssd that came in it to run Linux Mint from. The m.2 drive I use to play with other distros. Oh, I also upgraded the panel with an ips 1080p panel($75 on ebay), and put a 16gb ram kit in it. All in, I'm right at $230 and it's plenty fast. Mine was an i5 variant, so I may drop in an i7 later on, but the i5 does just fine.
The two drive set up is perfect to put Windows on for a real dual booting experience without headaches. I hate Windows and having to run it, but I occasionally need it unfortunately. I'm 99.9% Linux now anyhow.
Did you replace the touchpad? That's the only thing I don't like on the T440, the crazy button-less touchpad.
@@MnemonicCarrier No, I've never met a touchpad I liked anyway, so I'm not too bothered by it. I use the keyboard mostly, and the trackpoint some. It's easy enough to click on the left side of the touchpad when I need to
Remember the older a lappie the more useless its battery will be. But know that they can be easily and cheaply replaced. If you're daunted at the idea of opening a laptop up, and/or fearful of finding a good quality replacement battery, have a local repair shop do it for you and make it Somebody Else's Problem. Then enjoy your good-as-new laptop.
And a newer lappy can and will have issues also. Lucky me, I bought a chromebook by accident. 😑
I tried to steer clear of chromebooks so bad, but the laptop wasn't listed as a chrome book. The laptop does have battery issues. Can't be unplugged maybe 1 1/2hrs.
I do miss using a Linux OS, but had to step away due to extension issues from free art programs (at the time) not taken into consideration. But other organizations or businesses that used a standard extension.
I do miss the days that laptops had their CD drive in the laptop also. Between that and having Windows 11, I'm ready to switch my OS to Linux-based.
BTW, I had a better, more thorough comment, but just as I was getting ready to post, an add popped up for this video.
Nothing wrong with this channel using ads for financial means. Just something is up with YT. When an add kicks in, it disrupts the comment section and I have to write the comment all over again.
Best to pause the video, so you can leave a comment. Must be a glitch in the yt app program. Because I never had issues leaving comments on yt before. 🤔
You are so correct , especialy about the X1 Carbon. Because I cant find comparable XPS 13 for similar price in Australia I have not owned one those, yet. A special shout out to the older 4th Gen X1 Carbon 8gb i5 256gb (2017) which seems to have a better build quality than more recent versions I own, and although it lacks USB C, and weighs a tiny bit more, is often around half the price of the next model, and does the same job.
Thank you very much... I can tell you're a very smart fella, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your patience in relaying information that an old dummy like me can understand. This is very clear information
Rob your a badass ! thank you ! I will be watching alot more of your content
I enjoy Bob's videos.
The Asus 14" E410MA is now $99 new at Best Buy.
I installed Pop! OS on it after adding a Samsung memory stick. It was necessary to turn off secure boot then it worked fine. The downside of this Asus is the screen is not awesome but for 99 bucks I can't complain. It's very light and has no fan so it's quiet too.
I picked up the ASUS L510 6W N5030 and an NVMe drive. Only 4GB non-upgradable RAM, but with a 4GB swap, it is running EndeavourOS very nicely, for under $275.
Great video and topic as normal👍 I bought my Dell Latitude from former employment 20$ add new memory, ssd and battery around + 400$ and been my Linux workhorse soon 3y
Thank you Mr Braxman.
XPS models, as far as I recall (at least the new ones), do not have an ability to upgrade their memory as it soldered on the board. FYI - HP EliteBook have that missing capacity.
The HP ZBook 14 G2 with an Intel i7-5500U CPU @ 2.4 GHz, that I rounded up used, has worked very well even with the Windows it came with. Though more memory would help it handle all the webpages I end up having up at once, better. It is now is needing the fan replaced. Though that process is not very expensive, and documented by HP on very short CZcams videos. Though you need to find the intermediate steps it mentions, as other very short ones.
Linux Mint and even Ubuntu is ridiculously easy to install these days. I started using it at home back in 2015.
Linux runs just fine on every Dell computer I've tried it on and Acer too. You can find Dell's business PCs used or refurbished on ebay or Amazon. The trick is to buy only from sellers with the very best ratings. High spec CPUs are the ONLY way to go, I won't go with anything less than an i5 or i7 CPU.
My latest purchase is a Dell Optiplex *micro* 7000 series, with an i5, 8 GB of ram and a 128GB SSD. It was 100 bucks on ebay from a seller that has a perfect positive rating and 14,000 feedback. These are desktops but they are tiny, comparable in size to an external desktop hard drive like the WD MyBook or Easystore.
Microsoft-free here since 2003. Multiple used Xeon-based Dell Precision workstations in the home. My daily driver is an i5-based Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M4600 with 4GB of RAM running PCLinuxOS (a distro that is free of systemd) using the XFCE lightweight desktop added to a standard KDE-based installation. This thing is a battlewagon of a laptop, with optical drive and a full HD 15.6 display with 8000:1 contrast ratio. Price? US $326.00 about eight years ago, and still going strong.
The point I'm making is that there are myriad options out there for running Linux, depending on one's use case.
Still using my 6th Gen Carbox X1 with zero issues. I picked it up used for next to nothing and immediately ditched Windows with Ubuntu.
Bought an X1 6gen (16gb/500ssd) from amazon for 400+tax. Trying Mx Linux, no issues so far. Could have found it cheaper on ebay, but the 90 day refurb warranty from amazon was worth it to me.
I got a Latitude 7490 (i5-8350u) for $189 from Amazon marketplace (seller with good reputation and several years on the business of renewed laptops) :D
I got a new, but very discounted, Lenovo X13s ARM laptop for £400. This is such a great laptop for going on the road with.
Hey Rob. There are some advantages to the T480 model over the X1 Carbon. The T480 can have the same 8-gen CPU. The T480 with 8th gen Intel CPU can take 64GB of ram, which is great when using virtual machines. It also comes with an internal and external battery pack. The keyboard and key travel on the T480 are very nice. I wonder if the X1 Carbon has less key travel due to being more compact.
what about t470?can it take 64gb?
@@dinozaurpickupline4221 I don't know. I did a quick search for T470 and 64gb but not much came up on the first page.
@@dinozaurpickupline4221 I have a T470, not sure if it can take 64GB (it probably can). However, be aware that the T470 only had a dual-core CPU (2 cores, 4 threads) whereas the T480 at 4 cores, 8 threads. I had to move to something "beefier" as I run compilers and Android virtual devices, and the T470 was simply too slow for this (it worked, was just slow).
@@MnemonicCarrier glad to know dear,thankyou!
I have an older Dell Inspiron, with a DVD writer,seems to be very compatible, with the Linux Distro I use.
Got my laptop in the mail came from Amazon in great condition very nice was the x1 carbon 6 gen 16gb 512ssd. It had a lot of fanspin when windows 10 was booting up. Once got the dual boot with Ubuntu fan spin is gone I read that windows 10 is very cpu intensive at times I may upgrade to 11 in the other boot just to make sure but so far so good
For a cheap "thin-and-light" laptop, I also have a Dell Inspiron 16 5625. I bought it brand new, and it runs Linux really well. Very surprised by the performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U chip (8 cores, 16 threads). Unfortunately, this laptop feels cheap (the shell, the keyboard, etc...), but the screen is great, and the speakers sound good. I also like the 16:10 screen (16 inch, 1920 x 1200). For the price, I'm not complaining - it's the laptop I usually throw in my bag if I'm going to a conference. For the first 5 or so months after buying the Dell, it wasn't resuming from sleep. However, a recently kernel update seems to have fixed this 😄
I've been considering getting into this business for many years but the rise of Chromebooks helped put me off to it.
Cheap Acer laptop + Linux Mint = great idea for most people.
any suggestions for used laptops capable of running linux that have a dedicated gpu? i need to edit videos (usually 1080p) and i prefer linux
Thank you! Honestly I stopped watching at the Install Section. That's really a separate video, or even several videos depending on the distro. Also pls make one for Arch btw xD
I have a Tuxedo Aura 15 Gen 1 with an AMD 6 core APU processor. A powerful little machine. I ironically run Pop!_OS on this laptop. I'm currently using pirated Windows 10 on my old 1st Gen Intel i5 Asus laptop. I used to Ubuntu Studio on it before. Even recorded an indy rock album on friends using that laptop. My one tip is to stick with AMD or Intel processors and GPUs. NVIDIA is a massive hassle for Linux distros. I hate having to use proprietary software. When I do I prefer to use Flatpak (on my Linux machine). Sandboxing apps like Skype is better for privacy.
peak thinkpad was the x220. Best layout and keyboard ever.
Is there a 12 step program for windows users? Best thing about being a linux user for year now, when a friend or neighbor calls for help with their windows computer, I tell them sorry, I can't do windows unless maybe it's winxp which isn't apt to happen.
I used to be "everyone's computer expert" and always had a few PCs from friends and family in my halllway waiting for me to repair them or as repaired PCs waiting to be collected by their owners.
(Gentoo) Linux has been my main OS since 2003 (I started using Linux in 1997 and UNIX about 6 years before that) and I stopped using Windows after support for Windows 7 ended - every Windows OS since then has been a complete spyware monstrosity.
Nowadays, if friends or family contact me for PC help, I can do something if it's a hardware issue but cannot support them for Windows 10 or 11 issues because I don't use either.
Good riddance to Windows and kudos to those of us who rid ourselves of our Microsoft abuser.
I can recommend HP Elitebooks, at least the ultrabook kind, like the 1030 x360 g2+, soldered memory is a downside, but they are built to last, amazing screens and works well with Linux.
much needed
Can you do more on linux please...
Sure. Depends on what people watch. Most people on my channel are not super techie.
It is still a mystery to many. Humans love safeguards. Our computers and devices are extensions of our brains. OSes are unique to certain people's brain development and progress. Keep digging Rob. Listeners want MORE!
It's only mystery if you are unwilling to put in time and effort into learning how computers and operating systems work.
We all started off in the same place and knowing absolutely nothing - from that point, two types of people emerge:
1. Those of us who want to understand how things work and read books, listen to experts and try things out for ourselves to understand how they work better, or
2. People that speak in "flowery language" and "buzz phrases" simply to hide their own lack of knowledge and experience, probably because they are too bone idle to put in the effort to learn.
Sitting on YT endlessly consuming videos teaches you nothing - you have to put into practice what others tell you.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 Of course. Back in our day, the information pot was less than today. Yet, those like you took the initiative to dig in to this stuff and learn. I chose chef and restaurant training. Like you, I applied myself and learned. The computer environment today is very accessible. People are busy navigating life, bills, family and career. So, you and Rob have a captive audience that can use a bit of organized and well presented information. I do not think the majority of folks sit endlessly on YT. Life first.
can yu recommenda service to replace samsung phone batteries....I bought a used note205g but the batery don't last too long 4200mah
Hi, is i7-6550u still recommended? for X1 Carbon. Thinking of doing cybersec work and foubd a good one at a relatively good price.
For those that still prefer a desktop, the HP Pavillion Gaming Desktop with AMD Ryzen CPU and AMD graphics (sold at Walmart) is Linux compatible and screaming fast.
I have an hp laptop. The ram is 16 gigs the hdd iis 1 t .
And I'm running Linux mint on it.
What laptop would you recommend for someone that wants to use both windows and Linux and also need something for video production/ video editing. Thanks in advance.
Serious Video editing would require NVIDIA. I have an MSI Creator for that myself.
@@robbraxmantech Thanks !!just watched your Video review on the same laptop. You spoke about some intel back door tech “vpro ” kinda went over my head what was on the screen was not connect with your explanation am still new to this. You also mentioned a few other stuff you did not like. What would you pick up now or would it just have to have nvidia graphics and a chip with no back door.
So far, Chomp is working well with SMS for me
what do you guys think about new blockchain-based Bastyon social network? it ahs open-source code and true freedom of speech.
Rob.. those controlling the whole system... also control and run the shipping/customs. They will (have already) hack and /or damage the equipment... this is from my personal experience...
Same
This year I scored a ThinkPad t14 gen 1 AMD with 16gb ram and 512ssd for about USD 480. Trackpads on Linux are shit but overall I am fine with Fedora KDE on it
Thank you for the very informative video :-) But isn’t it a spyware risk when buying used laptops?
absolutely not since you are replacing the OS with Linux
@@robbraxmantech China made Lenovo was once suspected of factory installed spyware on the firmware.., has this changed?
@@robbraxmantech it would be good to make a video how to completely wipe a laptop clean and look for hidden partitions
@@robbraxmantech Suggestion: it's now ultra easy to make a bootable Live Linux USB key, or a DVD if people prefer to see if compatible with hardware. It's how I first learned to use Linux.
Thanks for your work. I really appreciate it 👍
@American-In-Asia What "naive attempts" have you made, precisely? If you need to disable IME on some IBM and Lenovo laptops, for example, you can install Coreboot, for which the process is clearly documented.
Don’t think i am capable to do. This i will keep watching until i can learn more
I am still using a Lenovo T430
My first laptop was a used IBM ThinkPad 380XD with Pentium II 266mhz and a massive 64MB RAM. Came originally with Win 95, I upgraded to 98, then 2000 Professional. I still have it, it still runzzzzzz zzzzZZZzzzzz. I've had several generations of ThinkPads since then. ! My first new ThinkPad was IBM/Lenovo T60 with XP. It is also still running, and runs WinDoze 10, though has been relegated to a back up unit that I take on the road, (if I lose it, I haven't lost much). My most common used laptop is a T500 and one I use at work is T560. I hate the newer keyboards on the later models. I think T520 was the last of the old IBM style keyboards. Sadly, the newer ThinkPads no longer have the LED ThinkLight at the top of the screen to light the keyboard. I am NOT impressed with the backlit keyboards at all. They have all served me well. I am a ThinkNut! Linux is dual booted on two of the machines. It runs great!
Using my 2012 laptop with Linux now on an SSD. Won't update til it breaks
My Thinkpad X220 running Gentoo Linux is from 2011 and is the best all-round computing device I have ever owned.
Hey Rob. What do you know about the Thinkpad firmware, bios, and Computrace/Absolue? Could you make a video on this topic? Why do many banks, medical and government institutions such as the police force, etc., use Thinkpads without fear of back doors and data leaks? IBM still gives Lenovo Thinkpads to workers, and I doubt they want the secrets of Quantum Computing and other corporate secrets to leak to a foreign government. Do they have independent reviews of Thinkpad machines and firmware/bios code? Are they relying on Computrace/Absolue to audit the firmware, bios, and drivers code? Where is all this trust coming from?
Thinkpads are still designed in the USA and maybe Japan, but I don't know if that makes a ThinkPad more secure and private. Who codes the drivers, bios, and firmware?
What would happen to Thinkpad firmware, bios, and driver updates after an invasion of Taiwan?
My head is in a spin, my feet can't touch the ground, I thinks that's how the song goes.
Interesting.
But I have a 16 GB RAM HP x360 and want more. I want 32 GB RAM. And a 1 TB SSD also.
Not one of the NON-Macbooks have more that 16 GB RAM.
I could and did swap my HP 1TB HD our for an SSD, but it is maxed out at 16GB RAM.
Stuck in 16 GB land.....
Since IBM sold its PC and Laptop business to the Chinese I have been a bit leary of them. I think that it is time to give them another look see.
By the way I still have an old T-42 running Linux just fine. Slackware.
The T4x series are great laptops - I have a T40, T41, T42, T43 and T43p, all running Gentoo Linux.
China is a diversion... to hide their criminal activities...
@@sanjaisai8418 More like, it is their way in to subvert the CCP. After all, whilst we are aware of Big Blues evil plan for world domination, the Chinese are more insular and xenophobic. When they sold the PC/Laptop division, they didn't give up the machine that built and installed, the extra EEPROM security chip, on the motherboards. It just installs them as part of the hardware build stream. Which leaves me to suspect, that IB of M has a secure backdoor, to all of those poor innocent mothers. The BOFH would be proud.
Computers that are compatible with Apple or Windows 11 are not able to have a Linux system installed! Microsoft require the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) a chip on your motherboard. It keeps out anything not approved by Microsoft....Like any Linux system!
I'm confused. My computer repair guy set me up with a new Dell touch laptop with 32Ram and 1terrabite solid state drive for $600. Why do I need a used laptop for $500.
Don't confuse some cheap plastic laptop with what I'm showing here. These are typically $1500 machines new. The issue is guaranteed Linux compatibility. For windows it doesn't matter
Forget Linux - if you don't understand Rob's core concept here then Linux is not for you.
@@robbraxmantech also if you get the 512gb ssd 16gb ram model that one is like 2500 brand new!
@@terrydaktyllus1320 perhaps
I require powerful machines for my job. At the moment, my daily driver is a Lenovo Legion 5 gen 5 (with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and Nvidia 1660ti, and 64GB of DDR4 RAM). For a workstation, it was very reasonably priced, and came with a 3 year onsite warranty. The design is very good, it's not covered in RGB or anything else that screams "GAMER!". There were Linux compatibility issues when it was first released, but they've all been sorted out since, everything just works out of the box now. The only issue with it now (and this is an issue with Windows too, so it's not Linux specific) is the video output ports are hardwired to the Nvidia GPU. This means it's impossible to run an external monitor without powering on the Nvidia GPU. It's not a big deal for me, but it would be nice to be able to drive an external monitor without having to power on the power hungry Nvidia GPU. BTW - I get around 8 hours on battery when the Nvidia GPU is powered down.
as noted by Rob and others NVIDIA does not play well with LINUX
@@TheoSmith249 I don't think that's entirely true. The latest Nvidia drivers work really well on all my machines with Nvidia GPUs. Also, it's much easier to use hardware encoding for video rendering with Nvidia on Linux (I still haven't been able to get KdenLive to use hardware encoding on my AMD GPUs). Also, nothing comes close to Nvidia when it comes to AI (machine learning). Nvidia's CUDA platform is light years ahead of the competition. But I get your point (and the point made by Rob and others) - Nvidia is proprietary, you have to install a separate binary (no easy for beginners), and support for things like Wayland is moving very slowly.
@@MnemonicCarrier Scott, thank you for that comprehensive albeit (over my head) response- I've enough knowledge to be dangerous, as they say. I'm searching for a used Laptop at the moment and this video was excellent timing. I can afford to go pretty current with latest models, so will feel better if the right one has NVIDIA. Thanks again
@@TheoSmith249 You need to be careful with laptops and dedicated GPUs. In most modern laptops with dedicated GPUs, the video output ports are hard-wired to the dedicated GPU. This means it's impossible to use an external monitor without powering on the dedicated GPU. It can also be very challenging to set up Nvidia GPUs on a laptop. There are 3 modes for laptops with dedicated GPUs: 1. dedicated GPU only, 2. Hybrid, 3. Integrated GPU only. Over the years, I've gone through all kinds of heartache and grief trying to get Linux to work with all three. I want to be able to completely power down the dedicated GPU if I don't need it (to save battery), but this usually means I can't use an external monitor (there's no way around this with gaming laptops). Nvidia have someone in their latest generation GPUs called "RTD3" (Runtime D3). In short, this is where the GPU itself can power itself off (completely) when it's not needed, so you don't have to. It's a really cool feature. Sometimes this works without doing anything other than just installing the proprietary Nvidia drivers. I still like to be able to completely power off my Nvidia GPU though. On my Legion 5 (5th gen), I get around 8 hours on battery when the Nvidia GPU is completely powered down.
@@MnemonicCarrier that's superb information. My requirements will not involve external graphics. Everything will be viewed on the Ltop. appreciate the info very much.
Literaly any computer since 2010 with a cheap ssd and 4 gigs of RAM works just fine for 99% of people
Lowball the hell out of sellers. Never pay asking price. You might be able to score a gen6 Thinkpad Carbon X1 for $200.
Realtek card reader will not work in linux
I only buy used computers from dealers who have refurbished them and offer at least a 1-year warranty.
😅 👌👍
Rob, why throw out Windows when you can set up a multiboot instead, just in case you need a Windows app?
You can do whatever you want. This is just telling people about a Linux solution. If you're running Windows, obviously all non-Mac laptops already work as is and there is no need for this vide.
I would never recommend multiboot for anyone new to Linux - setting it up can be complicated and if someone ends up losing their Windows build, they will blame Linux for it.
Buy a cheap laptop for $50 on eBay, something like an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad T60, T61 or T400 with 4GB RAM would work well. Put Linux on that and just learn it, without risking your Windows installation.
Respect 🙏
Great ide for video! I think very important is to have SSD heard drive.
ThinkPad plus Fedora 🤍 I use TorBrowser and Brave in my Fedora37
Thank you Rob
Tried Linux for years ago, Ubunto I think, looked nice, worked fine, but the lack of drivers was a mess, when I contacted some forums, the overall message was; I just should compile drivers on myself, well I was a +60 carpenter and fairly home in windows since Dos ver.6.22 or so.
It will never make a homerun in the masses.
Who's watching this on an M1 MacBook Air?
I attempted to down load ubunto on a MAc Book. I almost ruined my computer. I had to go to an official Apple dealership to purge my computer of Linux. Configuration was beyond me!
WARNING: Cybersec professionals should not be recommendeding non-systemd-free LINUX distros (like UBUNTU) ! It is much harder to audit open source code for security when the Primary UNIX Philosophy is violated : Do ONE thing and do it well!
Cybersec is basically the opposite of privacy; the arch nemesis of privacy if you will.
I have used Gentoo Linux since 2003, it uses openrc as an init system.
Simultaneously, I have worked on Red Hat Linux servers for 20 years now, the last 15 of them as a cyber-security professional. Red Hat Linux uses systemd.
You are talking rubbish. I don't like systemd because it doesn't conform to the "do one job well" UNIX philosophy but I know how to administer it, Red Hat have put their weight behind it and it is still completely Open Source - so the code can be audited equally well as any other init system.
@@MadCowMusic No, security and privacy go "hand-in-hand", they are both about "mitigating the risk of data loss".
In simplistic terms, security is about keeping the bad guys from coming in and privacy is about stopping the data leaking out.
You have to consider both when protecting identity and confidential information.