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Are there steps I ought to take to verify compatibility with Ubuntu before buying a new system? While I've never had any concerns in the past, I'm trying to be a little cautious.

Investigating driver availability component by component is all I can think of but I'm sure there are better strategies.

While I'm asking for advice on how to investigate, some might prefer to comment on a specific system. I'm considering the following as an option:

Dell Inspiron 16 5625 16" Laptop Computer - Silver AMD Ryzen 7 5825U 2.0GHz Processor; 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM; 1TB Solid State Drive; AMD Radeon Graphics

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Make an Ubuntu LiveUSB: Steps 1-4 of https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop

Do NOT proceed to Step 5. Do NOT install Ubuntu.

Instead, select the "Try Ubuntu" environment.

  • Test all of your hardware in the Try Ubuntu environment.
  • Test your network connectivity and speed
  • Test your printing and scanning
  • Test media streaming, audio and video. If you have Bluetooth, test it, too.
  • Test your keyboard and mouse
  • Test ALL your peripherals.
  • Test the software that you want to use. If you want to install specific software, run some test installs (The "Try Ubuntu" environment WON'T install the software to your hard drive).

Spend a whole afternoon putting your hardware through it's paces. All without touching your hard drive. Don't stop until you are completely confident that your hardware is compatible with Ubuntu.

That's what the "Try Ubuntu" environment is for: Testing compatibility. (It's NOT good for testing speed)

user535733
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