Tea Glorious Tea!
Are system76 computers worth the extra money? The cheapest System76 desktop starts at $899. I could buy a more powerful dell or acer for much less than that. I assume the people in this forum are fans of System76, so tell me why they are worth the extra money?
Skinny Soy Caramel Ubuntu
My Mom is always telling me to "Do your shopping!" I suppose this all depends on your use case. If, for example, your income or assets depend on having a dependable Linux machine that needs quick dependable support for system problems then System76 offers their own in-house-developed Operating System (called Pop!OS and derived from Ubuntu). Combining Pop!OS with their extended support package should take care of any issues you may come up with. i know I was very happy with my experience with their extended support when my Serval Pro 7 was brand-new. However if your primary concern is sheer performance/price, then you may be able to better their products by a small margin; realizing of course that this may sacrifice Linux support for any issues you might encounter. Only you can set your priorities.So like my Mom says "Do your shopping!"
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Tea Glorious Tea!
Can you upgrade on your own when you are using Pop!OS ?
Skinny Soy Caramel Ubuntu
Sorry; I didn't see your follow-up question. i have not run Pop!OS personally, because I've been running Ubuntu since before there was a Pop!OS. I would imagine their support page would be best to ask that question. To the best of my understanding, Pop!OS is available for free download, so I imagine you could use it anyway you care to. How that would affect your warranty status on a new Systen76 machine is a different question altogether, however.
Reminder: If you start a thread asking for help with a problem, please remember to use the Thread Tools to mark the issue as "SOLVED" once you have a solution. This will help other people with the same problem when they search for answers.
Ubuntu addict and loving it
Yes, just like any other Ubuntu or Ubuntu derivative. No warranty issues.Originally Posted by Tom_Carr
Iced Blended Vanilla Crème Ubuntu
They used to send out a message notifying owners when a new release was ready.
First Cup of Ubuntu
I'm seriously thinking of getting the Galaga Pro 14", but I'm having trouble deciding getting it pre-installed with Ubuntu 18.4 or Pop!_OS
<--- Run xman to see that window.
Many buying decisions are a trade-off between time and money. Just depends on the individual and the purpose of the system. Apple has built a huge business around making things easy for the customer and, usually, making hardware that takes customer abuse. There is a clear price for buying Apple and there is a clear price for buying System76.
If you can address little issues that come up every few months on your own or get help here or other places online, then perhaps that value proposition isn't worth it. Really, the support would only come into play when there is a good answer that is quickly conveyed back to you.
If the HW has a failure, the system will still need to be shipped off, so you'll likely be without it at least a week, perhaps 2, but it is 1 place to call which can be exactly what you need. IDK.
OTOH, if you have another system already running the OS you like and have enough technical expertise AND TIME to work any issues on your own, then perhaps a less costly system would be a greater overall "value" for you?
I know that Dell's diagnostics always scared me, so I never used it. HP's diagnostics usually caused more problems than it solved. But these are just personal experiences from long ago, nothing current. I haven't purchased a full desktop computer since being burned by HP in the 1990s. Since then, I've done CPU+MB upgrades every 7-10 yrs and reused hardware.
One of my most used systems here has a case from 1999. The MB+CPU+RAM was $126 about 5 yrs ago. I don't know how old the PSU is. The keyboard is a used IBM 101M from the mid-1990s - it doesn't even have a USB connection. Monitor is from 2007. 2nd monitor is from 2010. It doesn't have a separate GPU, the built-in intel iGPU is fine. Mouse (rebranded Logitech) is from the HP desktop bought in 1999. See where I'm going? The "system" is just parts. Most of the parts last 15+ yrs if you stay with standards. Only the MB+CPU often need upgrading. So, if you have a desktop today that uses all standard parts, getting a new, faster, system for about $250 is very easy. In fact, you might not need to even reload the OS, thanks to Linux flexibility.
It really comes down to how far System76 will go to make you happy then things aren't going perfectly. I cannot answer that. Will they cross-ship a replacement system? Will they send parts if troubleshooting shows which part is failing? Does their OS have Diagnostics SW that recognizes the most common issues and corrects them quickly?
Is it worth knowing how to drive a car with a manual transmission? That's sorta the same question. The answer is, it depends.
It is a trade-off between time and money.
First Cup of Ubuntu
Nice perspective on the issue. Thanks for taking the time with your answer. It definitely helps.
Ubuntu addict and loving it
You can install a complete Linux OS in about twenty minutes. I don't see the value in worrying about whether it is pre-installed.
I've installed Linux on a number of Dell, HP, and Lenovo systems without incident. Depends in part on whether you want to preserve the existing Windows installation.
If you ask for help, do not abandon your request. Please have the courtesy to check for responses and thank the people who helped you.
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