Buying a System76 laptop?

[wburton72-a]

I'm really interested in the System76 laptops and the payment plan they have going on. I would consider getting a galago ultrapro or a lemur because they both look like really solid computers. Is System76 computers and payment plans any good? If so which computer would be a better deal?

[jeffrey11]

I bought a Gazelle Pro last month to use at home and this is my second laptop from System76. My first was a Pangolin P7 purchased in 2011 which has been under constant use at home and work and it has performed flawlessly. It is now work only. So far the Gazelle has been without issues of any kind.

I can't offer any info on the payment plans but I do consider System76 products to be of very high quality.

[contraversy]

Linux action show speaks highly of them. They look like nice machines especially since they use current hardware. My buddy was not happy with his laptop from them, but to each their own! Good luck!

[QIII]

Moved to The Cafe.

Not a support request.

[Welly Wu]

I used to own a 2012 System76 Lemur notebook PC and it worked perfectly for the most part. The great thing is that the warranty allows you to download and install virtually any GNU/Linux desktop operating system and most of them will be 100% compatible so you are not obligated to use Ubuntu. However, if you wish to receive technical support, then you must be using Ubuntu. They do not support Microsoft Windows. I recommend System76 as well. They do make high quality products that are reliable. Next year, I can see myself getting a top of the line System76 Serval WS mobile workstation as my gaming notebook PC. It's costly, but it has the kind of PC hardware components and performance that I desire to own.

[Kale_Freemon]

I recently purchased the 2015 Lemur using their payment plan. Now, the notebook isn't something to necessarily write home about. It has a few bugs here and there, and it kind of feels a bit cheap to me. However, it is the lowest end of their notebook offerings, so insane quality is not expected. This isn't to say that I'm not happy with it. It works very well and does what I need it to do.

The payment plan, however, if you can avoid it, then do so. The interest rate is so flipping high that I'm going to wind up paying ~$100 more than what System76 sells the notebook for. I just went this route because I really wanted a newer notebook (my newest one was five years old up to this point and was kinda broken) with Ubuntu preloaded (screw the Windows tax and bloatware), but I don't have a lot of money on hand at any one given time (I work at WalMart).

In the end, it's really up to you. Depending on what you get, you might not have to pay more than about $65/month. And yes, the payment plan covers shipping costs as well.

[mips]

You can do so much better at the same price (or less) if you shop around.

[user1397]

I've never owned (or even seen) a system76 computer, and they look like they are good quality and the company seems reputable and all that jazz, but I just don't get why you wouldn't just buy a cheaper windows laptop and dualboot. I would understand that if it's really important for you to support a company like system76 from an ideological perspective, that it would make sense for you to spend extra money on it. Or if you have the money and you like the quality of their products, and simply want an ubuntu computer that has actual technical support for ubuntu, that would also be a good reason.

But for most people (I would think), the most important factor usually is price, and you're not getting the best bang for your buck with system76. It's completely understandable as they can't possibly compete with the major manufacturers like Acer or Dell. I'm not blaming system76 for their higher prices. In fact, I think they do a very good job to keep their prices as competitive as possible.

Just as an example, you can buy their cheapest laptop, the Lemur, for a minimum of $599. It's core specs at that price are:

5th gen core i3 5010u
4GB ram
500GB HD
integrated intel graphics

whereas for example, this acer laptop has practically the same specs except an even better processor (the i5 5200u) and it only costs $349

Just doesn't seem worth the extra $250 right?

[Skaperen]

Just as an example, you can buy their cheapest laptop, the Lemur, for a minimum of $599. It's core specs at that price are:

5th gen core i3 5010u
4GB ram
500GB HD
integrated intel graphics

whereas for example, this acer laptop has practically the same specs except an even better processor (the i5 5200u) and it only costs $349

Just doesn't seem worth the extra $250 right?

if you can get that other os off there

[user1397]

if you can get that other os off there

You can if you want to. I just dualboot and rarely boot into windows just to update it and run maintenance mostly.