Good Linux Hardware
Once upon a time, it was a pain to find hardware where everything just worked out of the box with Linux. Those days are long gone. There are now fantastic computer makers, like Framework, System76, and TUXEDO, who all specialize in making Linux-compatible systems. And most of the big mainstream PC-maker options work as well (even if they may require some tinkering).
But it also just doesn't matter as much as it once did. Most of the new miniPCs from makers such as Beelink and Minisforum work great with Linux, even if its not necessarily a big priority for the companies themselves.
We're spoiled for choice these days, but here's what I've used and would recommend:
Laptops
- Framework 13: This was my go-to laptop for over two years. It's got a superb keyboard with delicious travel, a 3:2-aspect, matte, 258ppi screen that's ideal for code, it's fully user repairable, and the 61kwh battery got me about 6 hours in mixed use. Highly recommended in both the high-end HX370 version and even the last-gen 7840U. (If the 6 hours of battery sounds a bit light to you, get a 74wh Anker powerbank to double that).
- Tuxedo InfiniteBook Pro 14: Great matte 3K screen, very large 80wh battery (a third larger than the Framework 13!), dual NVMe drives, built-in ethernet + HDMI, 5xUSB ports, and all in a package weighing just 1.45kg. Only nit is the awkwardly small right SHIFT key on the US ANSI keyboard option.
- Asus Zephyrous G14: Amazing 2.8K OLED display that pops in a way no regular IPS or micro-LED screen can match. Comes with a variety of NVIDIA GPU options, which gives it serious performance for both gaming and smaller local LLM models. Build quality is a notch above Framework and Tuxedo, and on par with a MacBook, while still being user-serviceable for changing SSD, Wi-Fi card, and battery.
Mini PCs
- Beelink EQR6 6800U: Very respectable option for less than $500, comes with 24GB RAM + 1TB NVMe.
- Beelink SER9: Great performance from the HX370, which is the same chip used in the top-end Framework 13, Tuxedo InfiniteBook, and G14. More than enough for almost anyone.
- Framework Desktop: This tiny little beast packs the insane AMD 395+ MAX chip, which with up to 128GB of shared memory, 16 CPU cores, and 40 GPU cores, is just a mad power house of a computer. And yet it's only 4.5L and completely silent. You'll pay for the privilege at around $2,000, but if you just want the best, this is it!
Benchmarks
To help you pick a computer that works for what you need, here are a handful of benchmarks that guide my purchasing decisions.
HEY App Test Suite
This is the full test suite for HEY.com, which uses a native Ruby setup against MySQL/Redis/ElasticSearch inside Docker.
| Model | Score |
|---|---|
| Apple M2 | 6m6s |
| Apple M4 | 3m54s |
| AMD 5825U | 2m59s |
| Apple M4 Pro 14c | 2m49s |
| AMD 7840U (F13) | 2m43s |
| AMD 8745HS (UM870/SER8) | 2m28s |
| Apple M4 Max 16c | 2m22s |
| AMD HX370 (F13/SER9) | 2m5s |
| AMD 7950X | 1m23s |
| Intel 14900K | 1m22s |
| AMD Max+ 395 | 1m21s |
| AMD 9950X | 1m16s |
| AMD 9955HX | 1m12s |
Geekbench 6
Single-core
| Model | Score |
|---|---|
| AMD 5825U | 2,082 |
| Apple M1 | 2,345 |
| AMD 7640U | 2,516 |
| AMD 7840U | 2,560 |
| AMD 8745HS | 2,595 |
| Apple M2 / M2 Pro | 2,588 |
| AMD AI 5 340 | 2,703 |
| AMD HX370 | 2,904 |
| AMD 7950X | 2,992 |
| Apple M3 / M3 Pro 12c | 3,142 |
| AMD Max+ 395 | 3,159 |
| Intel 14900K | 3,257 |
| AMD 9955HX | 3,370 |
| AMD 9950X | 3,410 |
| Apple M4 | 3,676 |
| Apple M4 Pro 14c | 3,860 |
| Apple M4 Max 16c | 4,054 |
Multi-core
| Model | Score |
|---|---|
| Apple M1 | 8,348 |
| AMD 5825U | 8,727 |
| Apple M2 | 9,690 |
| AMD 7640U | 10,779 |
| AMD AI 5 340 | 11,734 |
| AMD 7840U | 11,769 |
| Apple M3 8c | 12,039 |
| AMD 8745HS | 12,985 |
| Apple M4 10c | 13,386 |
| Apple M2 Pro 12c | 14,295 |
| Apple M3 Pro 12c | 15,251 |
| AMD HX370 | 15,500 |
| AMD 9955HX | 19,319 |
| Intel 14900K | 19,529 |
| AMD 7950X | 20,138 |
| AMD 9950X | 22,430 |
| Apple M4 Pro 14c | 22,532 |
| AMD Max+ 395 (Z3 Flow) | 22,570 |
| AMD Max+ 395 (desktop) | 25,118 |
| Apple M4 Max 16c | 25,913 |
Speedometer 2.1
(Run in Chrome 138 Incognito)
| Model | Score |
|---|---|
| AMD 5825U | 381 |
| AMD 7840U | 471 |
| AMD 8745HS | 506 |
| Apple M2 | 577 |
| AMD HX370 | 622 |
| AMD 7950X | 633 |
| AMD Max+ 395 | 667 |
| Intel 14900K | 733 |
| AMD 9900X | 744 |
| Apple M4 Pro | 758 |
Speedometer 3.1
(Run in Chrome 138 Incognito)
| Model | Score |
|---|---|
| AMD 5825U | 24 |
| AMD 7840U | 27 |
| AMD 8745HS | 30 |
| AMD HX370 | 35 |
| Apple M2 | 36 |
| AMD Max+ 395 | 37 |
| AMD 7950X | 37 |
| Intel 14900K | 40 |
| AMD 9900X | 44 |
| Apple M4 Pro | 53 |