Any issues with Ubuntu on the Asus N61JV laptop?

[bgilbert]

Hi,

I would really like to get the Asus N61JV laptop. Does anyone know of any issues running ubuntu on this laptop, or can spot any incompatible hardware pieces?

Thanks in advance!
-Bryan


You can find it on amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/N61JV-X2-16-In...7150586&sr=1-1

The specs are:
* 2.53GHz Intel Core i5-430M Processor
* 4GB of DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max
* 500GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM); Super Multi Optical Disk Drive; Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn
* 16-Inch HD LED LCD Display; 2.0MP Webcam; HDMI Port; NVidia GT325M Graphics Engine with 1GB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM

[avilella]

Has anyone tried the Nvidia optimus compatibility with Linux?

[phidia]

I think, as of yet, this technology is too new. Unless something has happened recently there are no linux drivers from nvidia. See this - the laptop in question could be a nice one only time will tell if nvidia releases linux drivers for the gpu.

[avilella]

Good news. It seems things have started moving in the Linux front:
http://airlied.livejournal.com/71734.html

I think, as of yet, this technology is too new. Unless something has happened recently there are no linux drivers from nvidia. See this - the laptop in question could be a nice one only time will tell if nvidia releases linux drivers for the gpu.

[gap1981]

i have a n61jv and i have tried the ubuntu 10.4 release candidate live cd. it seems to work ok, on intel graphics with compiz efects, wifi, etc. The system ofered me to install the nvidia porpietary driver but i didnt do it. I think is an error because there isnt a nvidia driver for optimus.

[palmira]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently also considering to purchase an ASUS N61 laptop. It's my preselection as the hardware makes the first impression of being somewhat Linux-friendly (NVidia graphics, Intel wireless, ... although I'm absolutely not an expert). My intention is clear: the preinstalled windows would not even experience a first start-up.

What's the current status? Do most things work out of the box?

What about the NVidia card? Does Ubuntu automatically suggest the right proprietary driver and does it survive kernel updates? Or does Ubuntu ignore the card and uses the Intel graphics instead?

Does USB 3.0 cause some weird problems?

I'd love to hear which experience you've had.

Thank you very much in advance,
palmira

[avilella]

Hi palmira,

even if you haven't bought the laptop, feel free to subscribe to the asus-n-series group and ask any questions you may have to the mailing list:

http://lists.launchpad.net/asus-n61-series

Hi everyone,

I'm currently also considering to purchase an ASUS N61 laptop. It's my preselection as the hardware makes the first impression of being somewhat Linux-friendly (NVidia graphics, Intel wireless, ... although I'm absolutely not an expert). My intention is clear: the preinstalled windows would not even experience a first start-up.

What's the current status? Do most things work out of the box?

What about the NVidia card? Does Ubuntu automatically suggest the right proprietary driver and does it survive kernel updates? Or does Ubuntu ignore the card and uses the Intel graphics instead?

Does USB 3.0 cause some weird problems?

I'd love to hear which experience you've had.

Thank you very much in advance,
palmira

[palmira]

Thank you very much, avilella, both for the tip and for initiating such a mailing list. I have just subscribed to the list and will ask there soon.

I think, however, that it would be very useful for all those who do some quick search through the web if this thread could provide at least some very basic answers. Most importantly: What can be expected to work out of the box, and where can small / big problems occur?

palmira

[palmira]

Okay, little update:

I have decided not to buy the ASUS N61 laptop as it seems that there are very serious problems with the graphics. The rest is said to work fine, except the USB 3.0 (an issue that has a relatively easy solution somewhere described in this forum).

Although our experience has taught us that NVIDIA cards work fine, one has to be extremely careful when it comes to new laptops. The ASUS N61, e.g., uses the Optimus technology which is supposed to automatically switch between an NVIDIA and an Intel chip (as far as I understood). Not only is there no Linux support for this switching; it even seems that it's impossible to use the NVIDIA card. One would be restricted to the Intel graphics. And, worst of all: a search through the web indicates that no solution is close.

palmira

[Welly Wu]

I am replying to see if there has been any progress made with regard to the ASUS N61JV-X2 and Ubuntu GNU/Linux 10.04 LTS. I bought my notebook PC about two weeks ago and I am contemplating whether or not to install Ubuntu on my laptop.

It seems that NVIDIA released a Linux x64 bit package version 256.44 certified on 08/02/2010. Here is the link:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-d...44-driver.html

What else seems to be working out of the box with this notebook PC and Ubuntu GNU/Linux?

I would appreciate replies from others on this matter. Thank you.