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grier-devon
February 17th, 2015, 01:13 AM
Hey Ubuntu Community,
I just picked up a System76 Galago UltaPro and have been on the computer for about a week. I had bought Lenovo Z510 last year and the computer was nice however certain things like the low quality 1080p display, poor touch pad and keyboard and under three hours battery life I knew this was not going to be a computer to last me for two to three years. I have always bought Dell or Lenovo but I am always hearing good things about System76 and the only complaint I have ever heard was the cost. So I decided to go with the System76 this time around and the only thing I changed from the base spec was I opted for the 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and 250 GB msata SSD. I was a little worried about the $1400 priace tag once tax and three day shipping was added to the price. However when considering who else makes a laptop with the Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics, IPS 1080p display in a 14" diagonal .75" thick I decided it would be worth it and went for it.

Guys I will tell you that this machine is worth every red cent, the quality has been perfect and I was just playing Borderlands 2 at 1080p flawlessly which on integrated graphics is just breath taking. Finally Ubuntu runs perfect on the computer, I know some would rather fiddle with there laptop to save a buck however I like things just to work so I can spend time on work rather then working on my computer.

Just wanted to give System76 a thumb's up and anyone in the market to take a look at a company which supports Ubuntu and Linux and you don't have to get a model as expensive as mine as they have them in all ranges.

mooreted
February 17th, 2015, 04:38 AM
I don't know why people complain about the cost. System76 doesn't make cheap Chinese junk like HP so naturally it's going to cost more. People need to learn that quality costs money.

I'm glad you like your new system, I'm sure it will last you a good, long time.

grier-devon
February 17th, 2015, 05:21 AM
appreciate the response, I do agree. I have read numerous post on the subject of System76 and so many people complain about the cost, but honestly when I try to price out a machine with the same hardware from any other large OEM and they would always fall short on either price or quality of hardware. The biggest difference I notice from this and my lenovo is the quality of the screen. They are both 1080p displays but for some reason the color and sharpness look so much better on the Galago UltraPro.

Thanks for the response.

sffvba[e0rt
February 17th, 2015, 06:07 AM
Enjoy your new system :)

Dragonbite
February 17th, 2015, 03:56 PM
Make sure to post your feelings after a little bit of time using it!

I'm sure having 100% hardware compatibility will feel really, really nice! I keep eyeing a System76, but haven't bought a NEW machine since 2000! I keep getting company cast-offs and throw-aways that I resurrect with Linux and give it a second life.

mooreted
February 18th, 2015, 12:00 AM
Recycling is a noble cause. As long as it does the job, it's better than throwing it away.

MrSteve
February 18th, 2015, 01:26 AM
good system, always good to get a system that runs your preferred OS out of the box.
i build my own and always use components that are supported and that run on Linux

but its always better buying a good system that runs it perfectly, please enjoy ...

grier-devon
February 18th, 2015, 03:29 AM
Make sure to post your feelings after a little bit of time using it!

I'm sure having 100% hardware compatibility will feel really, really nice! I keep eyeing a System76, but haven't bought a NEW machine since 2000! I keep getting company cast-offs and throw-aways that I resurrect with Linux and give it a second life.

I will post an update probably in the next six months or so, I have already had this computer for a week and I am on it for anywhere from 3-6 hours a day depending on work flow.

Thanks to everyone else for your positive responses, I am glad to see no one bashing the brand.

fkkroundabout
February 18th, 2015, 11:46 AM
yes i think it's kind of the same ethos as mac - you pay extra for something with a better guarantee of working out the box, and being relatively low maintenance in the future

but i have no experience configuring linux on laptops to be able to back this up

Dragonbite
February 18th, 2015, 02:47 PM
The other handy thing is you don't have to lie when talking with Tech Support


"What version of Windows are you using?...."
"uhh... I'm not using Windows."
"What? What are you running?"
"uhh... Linux"
"We don't support Linux"
*click*

mips
February 18th, 2015, 04:23 PM
I don't know why people complain about the cost. System76 doesn't make cheap Chinese junk like HP so naturally it's going to cost more. People need to learn that quality costs money.

Hehe. You do realise that System 76 does not make laptops? They are rebranded Clevo/Sager laptops last time I checked with a possible modified bios.

Other side of the coin,
http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1pwwr0/system76_is_screwing_me_need_a_laptop/
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1926489

Roasted
February 18th, 2015, 05:30 PM
I don't know why people complain about the cost. System76 doesn't make cheap Chinese junk like HP so naturally it's going to cost more. People need to learn that quality costs money.

I'm glad you like your new system, I'm sure it will last you a good, long time.

Not to mention, if you do a spec-for-spec comparison to what Lenovo, Dell, etc offer, you'll see System76 is actually *cheaper* in most cases. Every few months I'll do a comparison of a few of their units. I compared a System76 laptop and a Lenovo laptop, spec for spec. I forget the exact models at this point, but we were talking 1300 vs 1700 dollar difference, with System76 coming in the lead. Both systems were *identical* internally. Same size LCD. Same everything, as much as you could get with spec'ing out two entirely different laptop. Yet the price told the story. System76 is indeed more expensive than your average system, but it's a rock solid quality product, and in most cases, they're cheaper than an equally stacked competitor.

user1397
February 19th, 2015, 12:02 AM
I hope it lasts you!

I personally don't buy system76 just because I always dual-boot windows and some form of linux, so I always try to buy a linux-compatible machine that already has windows on it, then partition the disk and install ubuntu or something else alongside windows. I need windows for school/work :(

Dragonbite
February 19th, 2015, 05:27 PM
I hope it lasts you!

I personally don't buy system76 just because I always dual-boot windows and some form of linux, so I always try to buy a linux-compatible machine that already has windows on it, then partition the disk and install ubuntu or something else alongside windows. I need windows for school/work :(

They do, or they did, provide an option to either partition the disk as you want (so you could leave a partition to install Windows on it) or they may even install Windows and make it dual-boot for you before they ship it out (naturally you'd be paying for the Windows license).

I think you just need to call/contact them to find out.

monkeybrain20122
February 19th, 2015, 07:46 PM
I need windows for school/work :(

Vbox?

user1397
February 19th, 2015, 09:34 PM
Vbox?
meh...too inconvenient

monkeybrain20122
February 20th, 2015, 09:26 AM
meh...too inconvenient

How so? Much easier to set up than dual boot and don't need to reboot.

Gustaf_Alhll
February 20th, 2015, 01:24 PM
meh...too inconvenient

Then you can do it like me: Borrow your father's computer and remotely connect yours to it.
I'm doing that pretty frequently, since where I study we use C# and XNA that isn't supported on Linux due to Microsoft. With this technique, though, I can work on my regular Linux computer and do Windows homework on it.
If you can't borrow your father's computer, or a Windows computer in general, this is probably not an option for you.

And in case anyone asks, I use file sharing and NOT hacking.

Dragonbite
February 20th, 2015, 03:48 PM
Then you can do it like me: Borrow your father's computer and remotely connect yours to it.
I'm doing that pretty frequently, since where I study we use C# and XNA that isn't supported on Linux due to Microsoft. With this technique, though, I can work on my regular Linux computer and do Windows homework on it.
If you can't borrow your father's computer, or a Windows computer in general, this is probably not an option for you.

And in case anyone asks, I use file sharing and NOT hacking.

Where I work we can remote into the thin client server to do our work from home. Handiest thing possible because at home I'm running Linux so once I can get connected I have no issues running Windows.

On the personal side, add using OneDrive on Windows and onedrive-d or the browser interface on Linux and files are accessible where needed.

Dragonbite
February 20th, 2015, 03:52 PM
since where I study we use C# and XNA that isn't supported on Linux due to Microsoft

I assume you've checked out Monodevelop? It's no Visual Studio, but it works in Linux.

Maybe that support will change as Microsoft is open sourcing .NET and is trying to spread .NET access to other platforms with the help of Xamarin.

dhunt84971
February 28th, 2015, 03:57 PM
I finally broke down and got a Galago UltraPro. Very happy with this killer laptop. It has all the features I was looking for and was the first laptop I didn't reformat upon receiving. (I have always ended up reinstalling the OS initially because of all the adware and bloatware installed on Windows laptops and later because I was installing Linux.;)) So far I have been VERY HAPPY. And as far as the price, I think it was quite fair. Many laptops I have seen with the same features have cost much more and although I could have purchased the Clevo 'unbranded' laptop for a little less, it would not have been preinstalled, nor would it have had the Ubuntu logo on the superkey or been backed by System76. I'll pay a couple extra bucks for that.

As for running Windows, I am a VMWare user so I just run my Windows virtualized. And at work, I have installed a Proxmox server which runs our Windows software virtually connected to our office PLC Lab equipment. This has allowed me to VPN into the office and access the Windows VMs running all the "Windows Only" tools we use directly from my Galago.

So far, I am loving my System76 laptop.

Welly Wu
March 7th, 2015, 09:36 PM
I used to own a System76 Lemur Ultra Thin (lemu4) notebook PC and it was terrific. Right out of the box, Ubuntu and most other GNU/Linux distributions were 100.00 percent compatible. Eventually, I decided to get my Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P high end gaming notebook PC. I purchased Crucial Ballistix Sport PC3L-12800 DDR3 16.00 GB 1,600 MHz SO-DIMM RAM, a Crucial M550 SATA-III 6 GB/s 1.0 TB solid state disk, and a Transcend M.2 42 mm NGFF SATA-III 6 GB/s 256.00 GB solid state disk. I use Ubuntu 14.04.2 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux and it is 100.00 percent compatible including UEFI and Secure Boot.

I am in the market to get a second high end Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux certified gaming notebook PC and I am eyeing the System76 Bonobo Extreme. My custom configuration is roughly $4,000.00+ USD excluding shipping fee. I'm going to wait until April 2016 before I give serious consideration toward purchasing it. I want Intel Corporations 6th generation "Skylake" Core i7 quad-core with Hyper Threading Extreme Edition CPU and one nVidia Geforce GTX 1080M with 8.0 GB of GDDR5 video RAM GPU along with a 2.5" SATA-III 6 GB/s 1.0 TB solid state disk, a 2.5" SATA-III 6 GB/s 2.0 TB 5,400 RPM hard disk drive, 32.00 GB of PC3L-12800 DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM, Intel 7260 dual-band 802.11 AC/B/G/N Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.0, a 17.3" Full HD 1920 X 1080P resolution screen, Intel's Thunderbolt, three Super Speed USB 3.0 and 3.1 Type-C ports, three year parts warranty, etc. In other words, this will be a monster Ubuntu GNU/Linux certified gaming notebook PC and it will become my primary PC. I plan to keep my Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P.

System76 builds extraordinarily high quality Ubuntu GNU/Linux certified desktops, notebooks, and servers. They are competitive in terms of pricing compared to similarly configured PCs from major PC OEMs in terms of PC hardware components. Their customer service and technical support are the gold standard within the GNU/Linux ecosystem and I consider them to be tier one. You get what you pay for most of the time. Not fighting with specific PC hardware components and features commonly found with Microsoft Windows desktop or notebook PCs when using GNU/Linux is a real treat. It allows me the freedom to play with GNU/Linux without being stuck when technical support tells me that they don't support GNU/Linux and I have voided my PC warranty.

System76 plans to announce the release of a new notebook PC sometime later this year. If they release a 15.6" high end gaming notebook PC, then I'll choose that one instead of the Bonobo Extreme, but I'll choose second tier PC hardware components to save money while still getting an excellent product. System76 is one of the leading GNU/Linux certified PC ODMs and I strongly recommend them to others considering to switch to Ubuntu in particular. Highly recommended!

user1397
March 20th, 2015, 03:03 AM
How so? Much easier to set up than dual boot and don't need to reboot.Even though it is easier to setup than dualboot, theres a few problems with virtual machines for me. First of all, I don't just have a copy of windows lying around, I only have the factory backup I made from my windows 8.1 laptop that I have saved to a flash drive, so I can't really install windows in a virtual machine. Second, I don't like how slow virtual machines can be (plus I only have 4GB ram) and also how much of a pain it is to transfer files to/from guest and host OS. In the end, MS Office is really the only huge app that is forcing me to stay in windows land, which really sucks because I would definitely rather just run linux. I don't like messing with WINE either. If you want to know, I have Office 2013 right now (not even sure if it works with wine).


Then you can do it like me: Borrow your father's computer and remotely connect yours to it.
I'm doing that pretty frequently, since where I study we use C# and XNA that isn't supported on Linux due to Microsoft. With this technique, though, I can work on my regular Linux computer and do Windows homework on it.
If you can't borrow your father's computer, or a Windows computer in general, this is probably not an option for you.

And in case anyone asks, I use file sharing and NOT hacking.
Haha, I like your solution but definitely not very practical for me, since my dad lives in another continent :P and his computer's on/off many times through out the day.

rewyllys
March 20th, 2015, 02:18 PM
Even though it is easier to setup than dualboot, theres a few problems with virtual machines for me. . . . Second, I don't like how . . . much of a pain it is to transfer files to/from guest and host OS. . . .
I have installed Dropbox in both my host OS, Linux Mint 17.1, and my copy of Windows 7 in VirtualBox. The transfer of files between host and guest OSes is thereby made painless.

Dragonbite
March 20th, 2015, 05:22 PM
I have installed Dropbox in both my host OS, Linux Mint 17.1, and my copy of Windows 7 in VirtualBox. The transfer of files between host and guest OSes is thereby made painless.

Nice thing with Dropbox is "sync-over-lan" so once there is a change in one place, the other doesn't have to download from the Internet.. it will get it from the system on the LAN.

rewyllys
March 20th, 2015, 08:16 PM
Nice thing with Dropbox is "sync-over-lan" so once there is a change in one place, the other doesn't have to download from the Internet.. it will get it from the system on the LAN.
Good point!

user1397
March 23rd, 2015, 02:01 AM
I have installed Dropbox in both my host OS, Linux Mint 17.1, and my copy of Windows 7 in VirtualBox. The transfer of files between host and guest OSes is thereby made painless.
I didn't really think about that before...

I actually forgot I do have a windows 7 iso but no optical drive on my computer, so I'm not sure I can install it inside virtualbox.

EDIT***: I'm dumb, of course you can install from an iso in virtualbox, gonna go fiddle around with it to see if I can make this work. Thanks.

9nonnatus
March 31st, 2015, 05:33 PM
I just ordered a Bonobo Extreme this morning. First non-budget laptop I've ever bought. They seem to be of amazing quality even compared with others in that price range, and for my work I need a "portable desktop" more than a laptop. Hope my experience is as awesome as everyone else's. I'll review it after a few weeks or so.

Welly Wu
April 9th, 2015, 06:47 AM
I plan to purchase my own System76 Bonobo Extreme gaming notebook PC sometime in the near future. I don't plan to play any 3D graphics PC games, but I will use it to play Arena Chess which is my favorite 2D PC game and for general purpose usage. I really like the idea of having nearly the power of a desktop PC in a portable notebook PC form factor and I don't mind the high price or the bulk and weight. I think that I will wait for nVidia Corporation to release their 1000M series GPUs with Pascall architecture sometime in 2016 along with Intel Corporation's 6th generation "Skylake" Core i7 quad-core with Hyper Threading mobile CPUs in Q4 2015. I'm saving up my money and my budget is roughly $4,300.00 USD including UPS overnight shipping.

Dragonbite
April 9th, 2015, 02:21 PM
I really like the idea of having nearly the power of a desktop PC in a portable notebook PC form factor

"nearly"?

That thing is a monster to overshadow all of the computers I have in the house even if they were clustered!

Sadly, all of the laptops are more powerful than the family desktop and my laptop. Only my wife's laptop is something newer than a Dual Core (pre-i3, i5, i7 chips)!

cptrohn
April 19th, 2015, 06:08 PM
System 76 gets their laptops from Clevo. Just go to the site and do some comparisons on the models.

Geoffrey_Arndt
April 21st, 2015, 05:17 AM
Despite being manufactured by Clevo Computer Company (hq Taiwan) . . . they are NOT the same as System76 insofar as type of firmware and drivers that are pre-setup (PPA for System76). Additionally, the level of hardware but especially software support may be quite different. Essentially, a System76 owner can open a problem ticket anytime during the life of the product (in other words, well after official hardware warranty has expired).