Considerations For Buying a New Laptop

2026-03-13 02:03 UTC

Hey all. I’ve recently swapped to Linux and I’ve been really enjoying it so far. I’m still pretty new to basically every aspect of it, though, so I’m not super sure what things I should be wary of with regard to hardware, in particular with Mint. I was looking at buying a newer laptop to keep up with my main game, but it occurred to me that newer hardware may come with either a host of issues or be less supported than older hardware. Any advice for laptops in this regard?

Replies (4)

@hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 2026-03-13 07:57

Depends. Sometimes you’ll get a PC magazine or blog cover an upcoming laptop and test Linux compatibility. Or someone writes a long Reddit post after they got it, or updates the Arch Wiki. There definitely are ways to learn about Linux-compatibility with new models. We used to have Amazon comments and reviews…Just be super cautious with all the AI bots and fake comparison sites out there. And it’s a bit more complicated with gaming stuff. Sometimes they’ll add a weird webcam, or unsupported RGB LED controller, or have weird quirks in the firmware. Some other model lines like a business laptop from Dell or Lenovo tend to be just fine and you’ll get 100% Linux compatibility. There’s no guarantee, but after a few Linux nerds blogged aboit it you should be fine.

Open ##630810
@jokeyrhyme@lemmy.ml 2026-03-13 09:16

you don’t have to use or like Ubuntu, but they do have a certified hardware list that might be helpful ubuntu.com/certified

Open ##631427
@juipeltje@lemmy.world 2026-03-13 12:55

Usually wifi cards are the biggest potential issue. If you’re buying something brand new that hasn’t been out yet for that long, your best bet is to probably use something arch-based as a distro so that you get the latest kernel versions. When i bought my ideapad years ago i tried installing void on it, but the kernel on the iso was too old and my wifi card wasn’t recognized. I had to use usb tethering on my phone to update the system. After that everything was working.

Open ##632677
@sevan@lemmy.ca 2026-03-13 22:30

I don’t know if this is a Mint limitation or my lack of experience with Linux, but I couldn’t get Mint to switch between the integrated graphics and dedicated GPU without manually selecting what I want and restarting. However, I switched to PopOS and everything works fine. This is on an older MSI laptop.

Open ##635730