Suitable Workstation Laptop (New).

[Kevin Exton]

Hi all,

I recently landed a developer job that is reimbursing me for a workstation but needs me to install Linux. I'd prefer a laptop, but given that there is a good chance that I'd be breaching the warranty by stripping out Windows I wanted to check with everyone which laptop brands are the most friendly to Linux. I've had good experiences with Lenovo and terrible ones with Toshiba, any other good options to consider?

I'll probably be installing Fedora.

-- Kevin

[C Isobelle]

Hi Kevin,

Full transparency before I talk, I am pretty new to this sphere compared to other people in this group.

I have also had very good experiences with Lenovo, specifically ThinkPads, and most of my Linux-using-friends and I have chosen Lenovo when needing to upgrade laptops. 

One brand that I am particularly interested in, although possibly not for work, is Framework. They’re newer to the scene but very customisable and their big sell point is repairability. I haven’t owned one, but two friends of mine use them as their daily laptop with Linux, and I am thinking of switching when my current one dies. Suggesting these mostly because you have the option to buy them with no operating system installed and to start from scratch, so no warranty issue :) They seem to work pretty closely with Linux communities to make sure everything can function as it should. 

Trust everyone else here more than me, and good luck finding something that works for you!

Cillian

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[A B]

Hey Kev, 

For what it's worth, I don't think installing Linux would exclude a device from a warranty repair (as generally non user induced hardware faults have nothing to do with an OS) pretty sure that would be anti competitive, what you might have trouble with is the additional layers for things like OEM software and Driver support, Lenovo (and my experience with Thinkpads) has been great - I have heard Dell also get a good wrap.

My 2015 ThinkPad running arch keeps up with most of the bloated entry level Windows devices just fine :D

- A

[Kevin Exton]

Welcome!

On 2/12/2026 3:41 PM, C Isobelle wrote:
> Full transparency before I talk, I am pretty new to this sphere
> compared to other people in this group.
> I have also had very good experiences with Lenovo, specifically
> ThinkPads, and most of my Linux-using-friends and I have chosen Lenovo
> when needing to upgrade laptops.
> One brand that I am particularly interested in, although possibly not
> for work, is Framework. They’re newer to the scene but very
> customisable and their big sell point is repairability. I haven’t
> owned one, but two friends of mine use them as their daily laptop with
> Linux, and I am thinking of switching when my current one dies.
> Suggesting these mostly because you have the option to buy them with
> no operating system installed and to start from scratch, so no
> warranty issue :) They seem to work pretty closely with Linux
> communities to make sure everything can function as it should.

Framework was a good suggestion! Unfortunately, it exceeds my employer
provided reimbursement limit for the specs they have asked for.

-- Kevin

[Howard Joseph]

G'day Kevin,

In the past I have bought a couple of Toshiba laptops off of this site that I have found worked well and were in my price range at the time:

https://www.linuxnow.com.au/nsintro.html

They also maintain a list of the most recent laptops and their compatibilty with the major distros that you may want to look at. 

The list itself is extensive and worth looking at. If you are doing the install and purchase for yourself, you may be able to find better pricing.

Hope this helps.

Howard

Philosophers say a great deal about what is absolutely necessary for science, and it is always, so far as one can see, rather naive, and probably wrong.
Dr. Richard Feynman

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[zak martell]

I hold a 13" AMD 7840U Framework for my linux use. I believe I brought it to one of the meetups once to show Duncan. 

I bought with 0 HDD and 0 RAM and just bought myself at scorptec. Was able to easily do 2TB + 64GB RAM because of that. Was before the whole RAM situation of course though. 

Not sure if buying like that is helpful/ within budget. 

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[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 3:44 PM, A B wrote:
> Hey Kev,
>
> For what it's worth, I don't think installing Linux would exclude a
> device from a warranty repair (as generally non user induced hardware
> faults have nothing to do with an OS) pretty sure that would be anti
> competitive, what you might have trouble with is the additional layers
> for things like OEM software and Driver support, Lenovo (and my
> experience with Thinkpads) has been great - I have heard Dell also get
> a good wrap.
>
> My 2015 ThinkPad running arch keeps up with most of the bloated entry
> level Windows devices just fine :D
>
> - A

Maybe... I'm not sure what happens if there is a hardware fault that
looks like a driver issue though (i.e., WiFi stops working properly).
Seems like it would be standard for warranty providers to fight hard to
reject repairs if the OS is not what the device was sold with. Maybe I'm
wrong about this though?

-- Kevin

[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 3:48 PM, Howard Joseph wrote:
> In the past I have bought a couple of Toshiba laptops off of this site
> that I have found worked well and were in my price range at the time:
> https://www.linuxnow.com.au/nsintro.html
>
> They also maintain a list of the most recent laptops and their
> compatibilty with the major distros that you may want to look at.
>
> The list itself is extensive and worth looking at. If you are doing
> the install and purchase for yourself, you may be able to find better
> pricing.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Howard

That list is really helpful Howard! Now that I think about it, I think I
have had a really smooth experience with Dell Latitudes in the past as
well. Warranty is great too given that it will be for work, but those
prices suck! It's a shame, really...

I remember Toshiba's having weird hardware issues around power
management. The last two Toshiba's I've installed Linux on always booted
with ACPI warnings/errors that I just accepted because I didn't want to
figure out what the hardware was trying to do (no other brand I have
played with has been so difficult, I suspect Toshiba doesn't do things
in a standards compliant way).

-- Kevin

[A B]

Valid concern - I was in hardware for a bit, we usually had BIOS level diagnostics for this reason - but depending on the level of warranty you get the service technician being versed on these things really varies.

Sadly vendors have stopped a lot of the "shipping with Ubuntu" options which were super popular a few years back. A lot of the people who ran linux on popular vendor hardware would keep a copy of the OEM OS on a drive ready to go if they needed to do a warranty claim to avoid explaining a bunch of things to someone who didn't understand linux based OS's.

[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 3:51 PM, zak martell wrote:

I hold a 13" AMD 7840U Framework for my linux use. I believe I brought it to one of the meetups once to show Duncan. 

I bought with 0 HDD and 0 RAM and just bought myself at scorptec. Was able to easily do 2TB + 64GB RAM because of that. Was before the whole RAM situation of course though. 

Not sure if buying like that is helpful/ within budget. 

On Thu, Feb 12, 2026 at 3:48 PM Kevin Exton <kcex...@gmail.com> wrote:

Welcome!

On 2/12/2026 3:41 PM, C Isobelle wrote:
> Full transparency before I talk, I am pretty new to this sphere
> compared to other people in this group.
> I have also had very good experiences with Lenovo, specifically
> ThinkPads, and most of my Linux-using-friends and I have chosen Lenovo
> when needing to upgrade laptops.
> One brand that I am particularly interested in, although possibly not
> for work, is Framework. They’re newer to the scene but very
> customisable and their big sell point is repairability. I haven’t
> owned one, but two friends of mine use them as their daily laptop with
> Linux, and I am thinking of switching when my current one dies.
> Suggesting these mostly because you have the option to buy them with
> no operating system installed and to start from scratch, so no
> warranty issue :) They seem to work pretty closely with Linux
> communities to make sure everything can function as it should.

Framework was a good suggestion! Unfortunately, it exceeds my employer
provided reimbursement limit for the specs they have asked for.

-- Kevin

Wait. Do the Framework laptops just take normal sticks of RAM? I didn't even consider that they wouldn't be soldered to the board. Still not sure that this is the most cost effective approach though.

-- Kevin

[Howard Joseph]

G'day Kevin,

Yeah, the prices suck, but not that they include installation and
support. These days I use the site mostly as a compatibility check and
then look for the hardware elsewhere. If you order a Dell laptop
through Dell, you can have Linux installed by the company on the
barebones machine, getting around any warranty issues.

Howard

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[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 4:15 PM, Howard Joseph wrote:

On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 at 16:01, Kevin Exton <kcex...@gmail.com> wrote:

On 2/12/2026 3:48 PM, Howard Joseph wrote:

In the past I have bought a couple of Toshiba laptops off of this site
that I have found worked well and were in my price range at the time:
https://www.linuxnow.com.au/nsintro.html

They also maintain a list of the most recent laptops and their
compatibilty with the major distros that you may want to look at.

The list itself is extensive and worth looking at. If you are doing
the install and purchase for yourself, you may be able to find better
pricing.

That list is really helpful Howard! Now that I think about it, I think I
have had a really smooth experience with Dell Latitudes in the past as
well. Warranty is great too given that it will be for work, but those
prices suck! It's a shame, really...

I remember Toshiba's having weird hardware issues around power
management. The last two Toshiba's I've installed Linux on always booted
with ACPI warnings/errors that I just accepted because I didn't want to
figure out what the hardware was trying to do (no other brand I have
played with has been so difficult, I suspect Toshiba doesn't do things
in a standards compliant way).

Yeah, the prices suck, but not that they include installation and
support. These days I use the site mostly as a compatibility check and
then look for the hardware elsewhere. If you order a Dell laptop
through Dell, you can have Linux installed by the company on the
barebones machine, getting around any warranty issues.

Can I? I just checked the Dell website and I only seem to have the option of Windows 11 Home/Pro.

[zak martell]

The framework laptops (unlike the framework desktop) is not soldered to the board. Nothing really is except the CPU to the motherboard. 

In my case - it takes DDR5 "Laptop" RAM. I bought 2x32GB DDR5-5600 sticks. I've heard people were able to do 48GB * 2 but that seemed like too much.

 

Even things like the wifi chip, camera etc are just screwed in. Its really modular. You can replace the speakers with a screwdriver, and the screen itself just snaps on/off mostly. 

The purpose is repairability, and modular. 

If you try to buy memory stick at bottom will be: "none bring your own", same with HDD. 

I bought mine originally because sometimes i use laptops on ladders and such, and i am always scared of dropping my fancy Macbook Pro. While this, if it breaks, i just order a new part just fine, and likely do an upgrade at the same time. If i want to upgrade the CPU, i can buy a new mainboard, swap it, then repurpose the old one into a server with a 3d printed case. 

You pay a premium for the modularity, but it really is modular. You dont tend to worry about warranty in the business sense, because you can buy every single spare part and just "do it yourself" https://frame.work/au/en/marketplace / https://frame.work/au/en/marketplace/parts since its just a simple screwdriver replace. 

The idea is that down the road, it will be cheaper, because your next upgrade or laptop wont be a whole unit all over again, it might be "i want a better screen" and "Wifi 7" in which case its a "$250 screen" + a wifi 7 chip at $49. Or you want more HDD space, and you just buy a nice new 8TB SSD on ebay, and then you can give your 2TB one to someone else in office or have as spare for broken parts, and dont need "everything changed". 

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[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 4:31 PM, zak martell wrote:

The framework laptops (unlike the framework desktop) is not soldered to the board. Nothing really is except the CPU to the motherboard. 

In my case - it takes DDR5 "Laptop" RAM. I bought 2x32GB DDR5-5600 sticks. I've heard people were able to do 48GB * 2 but that seemed like too much.

 

Even things like the wifi chip, camera etc are just screwed in. Its really modular. You can replace the speakers with a screwdriver, and the screen itself just snaps on/off mostly. 

The purpose is repairability, and modular. 

If you try to buy memory stick at bottom will be: "none bring your own", same with HDD. 

I bought mine originally because sometimes i use laptops on ladders and such, and i am always scared of dropping my fancy Macbook Pro. While this, if it breaks, i just order a new part just fine, and likely do an upgrade at the same time. If i want to upgrade the CPU, i can buy a new mainboard, swap it, then repurpose the old one into a server with a 3d printed case. 

You pay a premium for the modularity, but it really is modular. You dont tend to worry about warranty in the business sense, because you can buy every single spare part and just "do it yourself" https://frame.work/au/en/marketplace / https://frame.work/au/en/marketplace/parts since its just a simple screwdriver replace. 

The idea is that down the road, it will be cheaper, because your next upgrade or laptop wont be a whole unit all over again, it might be "i want a better screen" and "Wifi 7" in which case its a "$250 screen" + a wifi 7 chip at $49. Or you want more HDD space, and you just buy a nice new 8TB SSD on ebay, and then you can give your 2TB one to someone else in office or have as spare for broken parts, and dont need "everything changed". 

That makes sense. Do they offer any kind of e-waste recycling program?

[Pool Master]

Kevin for under $400 delivered you can get 1080p 14-15inch Windows 10-11 laptops from alibaba sellers, I think some might install linux if you ask them as a request before you consider buying. The CPU is basic INTEL but for any net browsing or viewing 1080p videos they can handle it easy. I dont have one myself but its the cheapest option. If youre "suspicious" of the O/S installed by anonymous seller just reinstall it again when you get it.

I know someone who is looking for new LINUX laptop, it must have Nvidia GPU, doesnt have to be most powerful, if anyone recommends where you can buy one?

On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 at 15:30, Kevin Exton <kcex...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 5:26 PM, Pool Master wrote:

On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 at 15:30, Kevin Exton <kcex...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all,

I recently landed a developer job that is reimbursing me for a workstation but needs me to install Linux. I'd prefer a laptop, but given that there is a good chance that I'd be breaching the warranty by stripping out Windows I wanted to check with everyone which laptop brands are the most friendly to Linux. I've had good experiences with Lenovo and terrible ones with Toshiba, any other good options to consider?

I'll probably be installing Fedora.

Kevin for under $400 delivered you can get 1080p 14-15inch Windows 10-11 laptops from alibaba sellers, I think some might install linux if you ask them as a request before you consider buying. The CPU is basic INTEL but for any net browsing or viewing 1080p videos they can handle it easy. I dont have one myself but its the cheapest option. If youre "suspicious" of the O/S installed by anonymous seller just reinstall it again when you get it.

I know someone who is looking for new LINUX laptop, it must have Nvidia GPU, doesnt have to be most powerful, if anyone recommends where you can buy one?

Thanks! I'll take a look. But it will need to handle a serious workload. I don't need a GPU, but lots of RAM and disk. 

[Rob Norris]

I've run Lenovo for years sincing jumping from Mac, an X1 gen 7, then a gen 11, and just this month a T14. Always the latest one, and then I swap in the SSD from the previous one and go about my day. I run Debian stable exclusively and all the hardware that I care about just works (ie I don't know if the fingerprint reader works...)

As for warranty, well, I buy direct from Lenovo, and get any repairs done at Centrecom (my local authorised repairer). Linux has never once been mentioned, and they even managed to somehow sort out a warranty "repair" (almost total replacement) after the machine lost a fight with a leaky water bottle in my bag.

Point is, I will continue to buy Lenovo (at least, the high end ones) until I die or they build a lemon.

Rob.

[Howard Joseph]

G'day Kevin,

They come with Windows pre-installed, but if you go into the
customisation options when purchasing, one of the options available is
an alternative operating system,

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/dell-pro-max-16-plus-laptop/spd/dell-pro-max-mb16250-laptop/bto110rs_mb16250_au

This is just a quick search, which gave up a VERY expensive top end
laptop, but if you check the other laptops, I think that you will find
the same thing available for you.

Howard

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[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 5:12 PM, Howard Joseph wrote:

On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 at 16:20, Kevin Exton <kcex...@gmail.com> wrote:

On 2/12/2026 4:15 PM, Howard Joseph wrote:

On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 at 16:01, Kevin Exton <kcex...@gmail.com> wrote:

On 2/12/2026 3:48 PM, Howard Joseph wrote:

In the past I have bought a couple of Toshiba laptops off of this site
that I have found worked well and were in my price range at the time:
https://www.linuxnow.com.au/nsintro.html

That list is really helpful Howard! Now that I think about it, I think I
have had a really smooth experience with Dell Latitudes in the past as
well. Warranty is great too given that it will be for work, but those
prices suck! It's a shame, really...

Yeah, the prices suck, but not that they include installation and
support. These days I use the site mostly as a compatibility check and
then look for the hardware elsewhere. If you order a Dell laptop
through Dell, you can have Linux installed by the company on the
barebones machine, getting around any warranty issues.
Can I? I just checked the Dell website and I only seem to have the option of Windows 11 Home/Pro.

They come with Windows pre-installed, but if you go into the
customisation options when purchasing, one of the options available is
an alternative operating system,

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/dell-pro-max-16-plus-laptop/spd/dell-pro-max-mb16250-laptop/bto110rs_mb16250_au

This is just a quick search, which gave up a VERY expensive top end
laptop, but if you check the other laptops, I think that you will find
the same thing available for you.

It looks like it's just that device that has the option of installing Ubuntu.

[Kevin Exton]

On 2/12/2026 5:06 PM, Rob Norris wrote:

On Thu, 12 Feb 2026, at 3:29 PM, Kevin Exton wrote:

I recently landed a developer job that is reimbursing me for a workstation but needs me to install Linux. I'd prefer a laptop, but given that there is a good chance that I'd be breaching the warranty by stripping out Windows I wanted to check with everyone which laptop brands are the most friendly to Linux. I've had good experiences with Lenovo and terrible ones with Toshiba, any other good options to consider?

I've run Lenovo for years sincing jumping from Mac, an X1 gen 7, then a gen 11, and just this month a T14. Always the latest one, and then I swap in the SSD from the previous one and go about my day. I run Debian stable exclusively and all the hardware that I care about just works (ie I don't know if the fingerprint reader works...)

As for warranty, well, I buy direct from Lenovo, and get any repairs done at Centrecom (my local authorised repairer). Linux has never once been mentioned, and they even managed to somehow sort out a warranty "repair" (almost total replacement) after the machine lost a fight with a leaky water bottle in my bag.

Point is, I will continue to buy Lenovo (at least, the high end ones) until I die or they build a lemon.

I was leaning that way anyway. Glad I'm not alone.