Good Linux Hardware · Omacom · DHH
Good Linux Hardware #
Once upon a time, it was a pain to find hardware where everything just worked out of the box with Linux. Those days are long gone. There are now fantastic computer makers, like Dell, Framework, System76, and TUXEDO, who all specialize in making Linux-compatible systems. And most of the other big mainstream PC-maker options work as well (even if they may require some tinkering).
But it also just doesn't matter as much as it once did. Most of the new miniPCs from makers such as Beelink and Minisforum work great with Linux, even if its not necessarily a big priority for the companies themselves.
We're spoiled for choice these days, but here's what I've used and would recommend:
Laptops #
Dell XPS 14/16: This is my favorite laptop at the moment. It's sporting Intel's superb Panther Lake CPU, so its got Apple M-chip levels of performance and efficiency, combined with a stunning tandem OLED screen that pops like nothing else. The build quality is also extremely good, and it's very light weight. Battery life in excess of 12 hours is possible. Get the 358H w/ OLED screen.
Framework 13 Pro: Wonderful keyboard, excellent 3:2 screen aspect ratio, and a battery that goes forever. This too features the Intel Panther Lake chip that's changed the game for modern Linux laptops. It's also entirely repairable. The nerd's nerdy computer. Love it.
Dell XPS 13: Dell's answer to the MacBook Neo betters it in almost every way. 120hz matte screen, check. Backlit keyboard, check. Great single-core performance from Intel Wildcat CPU, check. Its US launch price of $699 makes it the best deal on the x86 side of computing. Really good keyboard too! But you'll want to have a more powerful machine to SSH into if you're a developer working on heavy multi-core builds.
Tuxedo InfiniteBook Pro 14: Great matte 3K screen, very large 80wh battery (a third larger than the Framework 13!), dual NVMe drives, built-in ethernet + HDMI, 5xUSB ports, and all in a package weighing just 1.45kg. Only nit is the awkwardly small right SHIFT key on the US ANSI keyboard option.
Asus Zephyrous G14: Amazing 2.8K OLED display that pops in a way no regular IPS or micro-LED screen can match. Comes with a variety of NVIDIA GPU options, which gives it serious performance for both gaming and smaller local LLM models. Build quality is a notch above Framework and Tuxedo, and on par with a MacBook, while still being user-serviceable for changing SSD, Wi-Fi card, and battery.
Mini PCs #
Beelink EQ mini Wildcat: Very respectable option for less than $500, comes with 12GB RAM + 512GB NVMe.
Beelink SER10: Great performance from the HX470. More than enough for almost anyone!
Framework Desktop: This tiny little beast packs the insane AMD 395+ MAX chip, which with up to 192GB of shared memory, 16 CPU cores, and 40 GPU cores, is just a mad power house of a computer. And yet it's only 4.5L and completely silent. You'll pay for the privilege at current RAM prices, but if you just want the best, this is it!
Benchmarks #
To help you pick a computer that works for what you need, here are a handful of benchmarks that guide my purchasing decisions.
HEY App Test Suite #
This is the full test suite for HEY.com, which uses a native Ruby setup against MySQL/Redis/ElasticSearch inside Docker.
Model<br>Score
Apple M2<br>6m6s
Intel Core 5 320 (XPS 13)<br>4m48s
Apple M4<br>3m54s
AMD 5825U<br>2m59s
Apple M4 Pro 14c<br>2m49s
AMD 7840U (F13)<br>2m43s
AMD 8745HS (UM870/SER8)<br>2m28s
Apple M4 Max 16c<br>2m22s
AMD HX370 (F13/SER9)<br>2m5s
Intel X7 358H (F13P/XPS14-16)<br>1m57s
AMD 7950X<br>1m23s
Intel 14900K<br>1m22s
AMD Max+ 395<br>1m21s
AMD 9950X<br>1m16s
AMD 9955HX<br>1m12s
Geekbench 6 #<br>Single-core #
Model<br>Score
AMD 5825U<br>2,082
Apple M1<br>2,345
AMD 7640U<br>2,516
AMD 7840U<br>2,560
AMD 8745HS<br>2,595
Apple M2 / M2 Pro<br>2,588
AMD AI 5 340<br>2,703
AMD HX370<br>2,904
AMD 7950X<br>2,992
Intel Core X7 358H<br>3,082
Apple M3 / M3 Pro 12c<br>3,142
AMD Max+ 395<br>3,159
Intel 14900K<br>3,257
AMD 9955HX<br>3,370
AMD 9950X<br>3,410
Apple M4<br>3,676
Apple M4 Pro 14c<br>3,860
Apple M4 Max 16c<br>4,054
Multi-core #
Model<br>Score
Apple M1<br>8,348
AMD 5825U<br>8,727
Apple M2<br>9,690
AMD 7640U<br>10,779
AMD AI 5 340<br>11,734
AMD 7840U<br>11,769
Apple M3 8c<br>12,039
AMD 8745HS<br>12,985
Apple M4 10c<br>13,386
Apple M2 Pro 12c<br>14,295
Apple M3 Pro 12c<br>15,251
AMD HX370<br>15,500
Intel Core X7 358H<br>17,746
AMD 9955HX<br>19,319
Intel 14900K<br>19,529
AMD 7950X<br>20,138
AMD 9950X<br>22,430
Apple M4 Pro 14c<br>22,532
AMD Max+ 395 (desktop)<br>25,118
Apple M4 Max 16c<br>25,913
Speedometer 2.1 #
(Run in Chrome 138 Incognito)
Model<br>Score
AMD 5825U<br>381
AMD 7840U<br>471
Intel Core 5 320<br>504
AMD 8745HS<br>506
Intel Core X7 358H<br>549
Apple M2<br>577
AMD HX370<br>622
AMD 7950X<br>633
AMD Max+ 395<br>667
Intel 14900K<br>733
AMD 9900X<br>744
Apple M4 Pro<br>758
Speedometer 3.1 #
(Run in Chrome 138 Incognito)
Model<br>Score
AMD 5825U<br>24
AMD 7840U<br>27
Intel Core 5 320<br>29
AMD 8745HS<br>30
Intel Core X7 358H<br>31
AMD HX370<br>35
Apple M2<br>36
AMD Max+...