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Is there some kind of compatibility map or community forum where you can predict compatibility effort you'll have to invest in installations and tinkering of settings, for contemporary laptop models and the most recent versions of Ubuntu?

Such that you can choose a laptop model where everything works out of the box after installing Ubuntu, or at least a minimal number of driver installations and system tweaks need to be made?

Of course, there's trial and error and hearsay, both of which kind of wasteful.

In case this all (helpfully) digresses to specific recommendations at the absence of any kind of compatibility matrix, then we're talking about a strong i7 model and cache size, and 16 or 32 GB of RAM as the baseline criteria, for data-laden development of cpu intensive algorithms with Ubuntu 20.04.

matanox
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  • P.S. I think the most relevant yet outdated similar question: https://askubuntu.com/questions/9978/what-should-i-look-for-or-avoid-in-a-laptop-that-will-run-ubuntu – matanox Mar 03 '22 at 12:56
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    Why not buy a computer with Ubuntu preinstalled? Big brands like Dell and Lenovo sell them, not to mention smaller ones specializing in Linux computers. – user68186 Mar 03 '22 at 14:07

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As of 2022, you can check out Ubuntu certified hardware here. If you install Ubuntu yourself, there's almost always some tinkering.

For a preinstalled system with little to no tinkering, System76 has laptops with your choice of Ubuntu or PopOS!(System76 custom Ubuntu based OS) preinstalled direct from the factory. The laptops are quite affordable considering the specs, designed and built for running Ubuntu, quite powerful, and they have the specs you're looking for with a number of models to choose from. They have lightweight and powerful or powerful and rugged with capability to expand. Some even have the option to add additional NVMe drives and an additional 2.5 drive as well.

System76 also has tech support and I am fairly positive they only have tech support based in the United States as their entire operation is domestic and I believe the main facility is located in Colorado. They do not offer Windows and they are specifically designed and built for Ubuntu and/or PopOS!

Alternatively, Dell has laptops with Ubuntu preinstalled direct from the factory. The XPS 13 Developer edition is powerful and known for developer use. It is also light and thin if this is important to you. I cannot vouch for the ruggedness as I've only owned an Inspiron. XPS is a bit expensive considering the limited options but capable and it also meets your specs Although, an i5 option is available too. Again, the options aren't quite as robust compared to System76 and you'll have to speak with Dell about customer support.

Dell is known to outsource their tech support so mileage may vary. Also, they do make you pay for extended tech support. Dell does have good documentation for Ubuntu on their website and they keep track of bugs and often provide workable solutions.

mchid
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    It should be noted that questions about PopOS! are off topic here on Askubuntu because it's not an official Ubuntu flavor. However, you will often find the answers you need from other users as most Ubuntu answers apply to PopOS!. Questions about PopOS! are on topic at https://unix.stackexchange.com so you can also ask questions there. I think the difference is mostly style related and desktop setup. However, their laptops are designed to run either Pop or standard Ubuntu you can always go with 20.04. – mchid Mar 03 '22 at 14:23
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    All the "business" grade Lenovo computers, laptop and desktop, can be factory preinstalled with either Ubuntu or Fedora. See https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/d/linux-laptops-desktops/?orgRef=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F – user68186 Mar 03 '22 at 14:57
  • I forgot to initially include this: does 20.04 Ubuntu manage fan optimization? I have a vague memory of fan optimization only available through some combination of motherboard and drivers which were only tailored for Microsoft Windows with an earlier laptop I previously had from Dell. – matanox Mar 05 '22 at 12:08
  • Thanks for the information and the hardware certification link! it says though on that link, that on certified models it should work out of the box; doesn't that statement mean to include installing on your own without tinkering? – matanox Mar 05 '22 at 12:12
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    @matanster Yeah, for the most part but when you install yourself, it may not include all the tweaks and extra repositories mentioned here and here. That might be something you could work out with the support team but I think support only applies to pre-installed so you'd have to verify first. I know Dell has a pretty good community on their website though. – mchid Mar 06 '22 at 21:29
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    @matanster My main experience was with an i3 inspiron. Everything worked out of the box for the most part and I did add the extra Dell repositories. The only annoying problem was with CPU throttling when the laptop was unplugged and running on battery only. I don't remember how or if I ever fixed that issue but other than that, wifi, bluetooth and everything else worked fine out of the box. Also, if it uses Nvidia, you would have to use sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall after installing Ubuntu to install the proprietary Nvidia drivers. – mchid Mar 06 '22 at 21:32
  • @matanster And of course, I had to search for extra packages because they don't usually install themselves. I don't really remember if or what I installed. Personally, if I had the money, I'd go with System76 but that's just personal preference. Also, I think you'd have to check but I'm pretty sure most main brands like Dell, Levnovo, etc charge less for shipping Ubuntu instead of Windows on Linux specific laptops. – mchid Mar 06 '22 at 21:42
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    @matanster Not sure about the other brands but Dell does offer Ubuntu on other non-XPS models but then it usually costs extra and you'll get a dual boot laptop with Ubuntu and Windows. Although, you can get XPS with dual boot as well. – mchid Mar 06 '22 at 21:45
  • @matanster As for fan control, I do not think I had fan control but if it makes any difference, I didn't have fan control on Windows either. The fan just worked on both Ubuntu and Windows although, I did run sudo sensors-detect as I always do after installing ubuntu to properly detect all the sensors. – mchid Mar 06 '22 at 21:47