System 76... Good or Bad?

[slava84]

I have Kudu, and it sucks in several key aspects for the money I paid (1350$). When I bought it I had it upgraded with SSD, 16GB RAM and i7 core 2500MHz. I decided to see if Linux-dedicated computer will work any better then a random (originally Windows-based) with Ubuntu installed on it. Well, it's not - I see no difference at all. The Clevo brand is a cheap one (if someone didn't know System76 re-brands Clevo), I guess that's why they chose it. It is all plastic, flimsy-built, very thick, heavy, and very uncomfortable to work on. Touchpad SUCKS completely - completely unusable! - I have never seen one that was worse. They told me at system76 when I complained that I would need to get used to it - well, I could not, neither did anyone else I gave it a try. It is a big problem for me, much bigger then I had thought before. Even with minor task - the laptop starts to heat-up and turns on its fan - extremely noisy. When Im on Skype and the fan turns one people keep asking what a hell was that?. The charger is huge, and so heavy that can be used as a weapon. The main reason I did not return it - it was too late, and I wanted to make sure I use it long enough to get used to it properly. After 3 years I still didnt. It still feels awkward and I hate it every aspect of the laptop. I had problems with WiFi connectivity too. Overall - it work - yes it does, but so is the cheap 300$ HP laptop I picked at BestBuy, and installed Ubuntu on it. No problems at all. It used to be an issue in the past , but this days almost every laptop you chose will be compatible with Linux. System76 has a very fancy website and ability to customize the laptops you buy is attractive, but their return rate is huge, and I'm not sure who are the people who write positive reviews about their laptops and why. I suspect now it is a part of their marketing strategy. It still works - after 3 years, but these days it is not enough. I can only use it as a desktop replacement - it is a little more convenient, as I occasionally need to take it from my office back home. But if you think you can travel with it - forget it. I think it is VERY BAD, for the money they ask for it anyone can build a better laptop. When this piece of crap finally dies I will strip all the parts I upgraded it with to tune-up the cheapest laptop I will find at BestBuy, and I believe it will be a better tool. I will never buy anything else from System76 ever again!

[sonsofblades]

I've personally have been looking at System76 myself, have been rather impressed with their options over what Dell offers for Linux.

'Course, I'm coming from an Asus G73JH that is almost 8 years old, so almost anything would be an upgrade at this point.

[monkeybrain20122]

I think they use to give support on this thread, but apparently not anymore.

[Cowchip7]

I think they use to give support on this thread, but apparently not anymore.

Yeah. That was one of the things I liked about System76. If someone had a simple questions, he/she would post it in the forum and the community and System76 would respond. If the issue could not be resolved, System76 would request a private conversation. Given System76's lack of involvement in this forum nowadays would make me hesitant to buy another one.

[pauljw]

Yeah. That was one of the things I liked about System76. If someone had a simple questions, he/she would post it in the forum and the community and System76 would respond. If the issue could not be resolved, System76 would request a private conversation. Given System76's lack of involvement in this forum nowadays would make me hesitant to buy another one.

That's ridiculous, System76 provides lifetime support and they are very responsive, even providing live chat on their website. They're a small shop doing great things for the community. Support them or lose them.

[bodhin2]

well i had terrible tech help when i bought one when they first started. the guy did not know very much. more than i do but not enough to fix issues. it was nice looking at that time but since then - eh...

I like my X thinkpads and looking at a 13" asus that is lighter and nicer looking than the thinkpads. but i have run many thinkpads and linux over the years and i generally do not have too many issues if using a decent distro.

[Frogs Hair]

They have their own operating system now and that maybe why they don't visit here.

https://system76.com/pop

[1clue]

I haven't bought anything from system76 yet, but have done a few days of research. Not really in the market for laptops and haven't done the research for maybe 4 months, but in looking for a desktop I used the configurator and then tried to find a build-it-yourself parts list which most closely matched what the configurator had, as far as I could tell.

They seem to be a little more expensive than what you could find and build yourself. Which means they have more than average markup. Normally there's no way you could afford to build one for the same price you can buy for, but there are additional considerations. One is that with most off-the-shelf or even configurator-built stuff, you're never really sure what brand or quality of component you'll get, unless they specifically state the make and model of device on the configuration page. So speaking with a few decades of experience the times when you get a random pc or laptop where everything actually works on Linux and is of high quality is pretty rare. Just getting a high quality box with no junk hardware on it (easy enough if you spend money) but also everything works well on Linux is probably worth the markup.

[skade88]

My 4 year old Bonobo Extreme Laptop is still running great for me. Their support is amazing too.

[slava84]

I have Kudu and I have to admit that it's really BAD for the money they asked for it. I bought it customized - upgraded memory, SSD and processor. It works, but for the money I spent on it I could've purchased a much better and powerful computer. I was new to linux at this time and bought it to avoid any installation-related problems I anticipated for Ubuntu - just needed a Linux based machine to run smoothly right from the box. As it turned out - nos such problems even exist, and many forum thread I read claiming System 76 helps to avoid any such complications and does something extraordinary and useful were likely made by the company employees themselves. I installed Ubuntu on Asus laptops afterwards and it works no problem at all. But back to the laptop itself. From the practical standpoint - the computer is Very heavy (I knew it would be), but horrible touch pad - computer is completely unusable without mouse attached. It is unbelievably noisy - I can not use it for any public presentations for this reason. When the cooling fan starts - I can barely hear myself and people in the room start to laugh. The charger - it's a huge heavy brick. The battery life was not as they advertised - right from the box I could squeeze an hour and a half, and after several full discharge-charge cycles it didn't improve much. It consumes battery power like crazy even at the lowest screen setting, keyboard lights off, and only basic processor load. Basically - system76 Kudu can not operate without being plugged-in permanently. I keep this laptop at home now and it has almost no use these days - mostly used as a side for my desktop. Occasionally run quick computations. I really have to give credit to System 76 for the great marketing strategy. Their laptops would be awesome 10-15 years ago, but to sell it these days requires some good advertisement and marketing efforts. Their website is really great for it.