First of all, I’m not sure this is the best community for this, so if you think there is a more suitable one, please inform me.

So I’ve been looking for manufacturers that sell computers with Linux out of the box and I remembered hearing about Tuxedo Computers. Some people seem to really like them, but I’ve also heard of some people complaining about them too.

And so I’ve come here to ask this community what are your experiences with this vendor? Is there somewhere else I should look? Thanks in advance.

  • naeap@sopuli.xyz
    5·
    6 hours ago

    I loved my Pulse 15 (Gen 1) from Tuxedo

    It was a performance monster and still had amazing battery life.
    But as others have said, they only take some finished Clevo models - like most small distributors, who can’t afford their own factory.

    But they verify that everything runs with Linux, else they sometimes patch stuff.

    And I need to highlight their support!
    After years with my Pulse 15 the battery became a pillow, because I used a USB C charger that wasn’t working right (always switched on and off, which killed the battery)
    Pretty much without questions asked I got a new battery for free.

    Now I have it to my nephew, who enjoys Minecraft on this laptop (still Linux), but the CMOS battery was dead.
    Got that one for free as well after warranty

    So, I can’t really complain about them.
    Actually the opposite.

    But I still settled for a Framework 16, because I wanted something different and the models at that time weren’t fitting my use case…

  • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
    10·
    8 hours ago

    when i bought one, they were nothing more than re-badged clevo and tongfeng laptops.

    that means that they costed a little bit more than windows based laptops with the same specs; but it also means that there was no headaches with hardware compatibility and that the battery life was better if you chose your hardware correctly. (it’s also smooth sailing if you pay for the support).

    i bought from kfocus most recently and it turns out it’s not any different than tuxedo and i suspect that all the linux laptop companies are the same; besides system76 who have started building their own laptops instead of re-badging clevo/tongfeng.

    • ggtdbz@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      1·
      5 hours ago

      I might be the wrong person to answer in this community since I daily drive Windows, but my Tongfang has been a dream and I’m thinking of buying a new one.

      Although in OP’s case I’d probably still be looking for the cliche used Thinkpad. Unbeatable.

      • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        4 hours ago

        do you buy directly from tongeng? i was always under they assumption that they didn’t sell to individuals.

    • murderisbad [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      3·
      7 hours ago

      I believe system76 still uses clevo laptops for now (although they are purportedly involved in the designs and specs), but has their own desktop PC.

      • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        7 hours ago

        very true and i’m waiting for them to expand further into their laptops for my next purchase.

    • CptKrkIsClmbngThMntn [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
      2·
      7 hours ago

      I quite like my Kubuntu Focus. I found some people complaining about the durability of System76 chassis (apparently they’re plastic) and that’s why I didn’t go with them.

      • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        7 hours ago

        mine’s on its last legs since i’m such a klutz w it; but it’s a trooper like my tuxedo was.

  • just_another_person@lemmy.world
    121·
    8 hours ago

    Describe more about your use-case. Tuxedo is just alright, but a bit overpriced IMO.

    The he absolute best performance and value laptop or desktop on the market is going to be a Framework, for instance, but maybe that’s not exactly what you want.

    • BusyBoredom@lemmy.ml
      122·
      7 hours ago

      Some caveats on the framework recommendation:

      • Its value proposition is in its repairability and upgradeability. You save money by repairing and upgrading the existing laptop later instead of buying a new one. If you don’t like tinkering, its not a great value.
      • Framework does not provide firmware support. Most framework mainboards only receive one or two firmware updates within the normal lifespan of a device. So if you need a secure bios, framework is not an option.
      • The actual performance per dollar of framework laptops the day you buy them is poor. A lenovo or a dell will beat it in perf/$ anyday.Frameworks laptops are only attractive perf/$ wise later when you start benefiting from cheap upgrades.
      • just_another_person@lemmy.world
        88·
        7 hours ago

        Well this is one of the worst takes I’ve seen around here 🤣

        1. Not sure where you’re getting this from. The value comes from buying a known Linux compatible platform at a similar price point to any other manufacturer. The Desktop is the first AMD Ryzen Max+ platform on the market in that form factor, and those chips are well above the performance of any other Ryzen chip on the market. Fair price as well.

        2. This comment is disingenuous at best, and just wrong overall. They were slow on their firmware updates during their initial pilot shipments while the platform was still in validation, so they were making delayed changes to firmware in light of that until they cleared that hurdle. Been regular updates since. Also, firmware rarely decides the overall security of a hardware platforms unless known vulnerable portions are found and then intentionally NOT fixed, which is not what happened with all of that.

        3. Absolutely wrong. The price point is the same as any other machine in the same segment, which is not the general consumer crap Lenovo kicks out, but the slightly elevated professional segment. If you’re not looking for that in a new device, guess what, they have refurbs at have the price. Both conditionals right there completely invalidate whatever point you’re trying to make, especially when you’re buying for the stability on Linux as OP mentioned, and it’s a crapshoot at best with any other manufacturer in their cheaper segments of machines.

        I don’t know if you’re shilling for some specific point here, but you need to get informed.

        • BusyBoredom@lemmy.ml
          9·
          7 hours ago

          Not trying to be disingenuous, I have a framework 13 and I love it. Just pointing out some real tradeoffs with it that folks ought to be made aware of.

          You can get a lenovo or a dell or something else with the same specs for cheaper if you’re willing to give up repairability. I’m not, so I have a framework, but that’s not everyone.

          For firmware support, the 12 gen frameworks still haven’t received a single stable update on Linux since launch despite known vulnerabilities. That’s an ongoing issue, its not fixed. For some people in security a critical environments, that’s a deal breaker. Similarly the 13th gen only got 1 stable update on linux and the ryzen 300s (which I have now) again have started to get vulns reported but no patches yet.

          Most vendors patch vulnerabilities according to the coordinated disclosure, and framework doesn’t. Not saying framework is the devil or anything, just that there’s a real tradeoff for some people.

            • BusyBoredom@lemmy.ml
              111·
              6 hours ago

              Unfortunately no, that is only for installation via windows. There is no Linux updater for it. Still no stable update on Linux for the 12th gen :(

              Edit: oh nice actually I see they added an EFI updater! That’s great progress :) so I stand corrected – 3 years after launch, it got its first and only stable update on linux! Thanks for the correction.

                • BusyBoredom@lemmy.ml
                  2·
                  5 hours ago

                  Correct they do not, there are components on some models (like the 12th gen) that they do not support updating using fwupd. You must use either EFI updater or update from windows to get the full update on those platforms.

  • madnificent@lemmy.world
    51·
    7 hours ago

    We have a few Tuxedo computers and some other Linux brands at our company and are generally happy about them. Cheaper devices have a less than perfect keyboard (though I liked the one on the slimbook) a worse camera and microphone (though some are very ok).

    I’m very happy with these Linux devices. The few makes for which we needed parts also supplied them but sending the device their way for repair took longer than we’d have wanted.

  • addie@feddit.uk
    2·
    8 hours ago

    I have a Tuxedo Pulse 14 gen 3 as my personal laptop, was looking for something with a bit more display resolution than my old 1080p machine, but did not like the price of 4K laptops.

    It has been superb for over a year now. Came with Tuxedo’s own Linux, which looked pretty but wasn’t for me. Installed Arch on it, has been rock solid. Is a great machine for coding on, makes a great job of running Dwarf Fortress and less stressful 3D games - Crusader Kings 3 and Disco Elysium run great, for instance. Battery life impressive too.

    Been quite robust, too - heard complaints that the lid can get a bit loose but mine’s fine. All the rubber feet have come off the bottom, but that’s probably because I use mine on my lap. They prefer that you install their own fan control app rather than eg. just providing drivers so that you can set it up in CoolerControl, but it works fine.

    All in all, good machine. Better than the ThinkBook that it replaced, and those are fine laptops.