Which CPU/IGP is better supported??

Im think of getting a new little laptop to replace my netbook and would be putting Linux on it (most likely Ubuntu) and im debating on ether and Intel solution (i3 or Atom) or one of the newish AMD APU-A chips.

What do you guys think? Do you guys recommend any 12"-15" inexpensive laptops that run linux well (at lest well enough)?

Thanks
Poplap

 

Whats your price range limited to?

I3's are greatly superior to Atoms and the difference would be very noticeable.

 

I dont really know yet im just looking around, but it will be purchased around the purchase of a desktop (for other tasks) so the budget will be small, im really just wondering on performance and compatibility.

my netbook's atom 270 cant do anything more then 480p youtube videos which will be the most intensive task i will be giving the notebook as the desktop would be for my higher demanding task such as video editing and gaming.

linux compatibility will be key, and is the purpose of these posts, AFAIK in the past linux has had problems with the IGP on the APUs and some of the Intel HD stuff too, and thats what im trying to clear up here.

Thanks

 

Well, seeing how Linux runs on just about anything, why not save yourself a little cash and get something like a refurbished Dell Latitude from DFS Direct Sales. It would be more than adequate for Linux and with the newer builds, all of the hardware in the system would have a better probability of being supported. The only downside I could see to getting an older system would be if you plan on using the computer for something that requires a fair bit of power.

 

Depends on what you're gonna do with it. If you're gonna do number crunching or set it up as a server, an i3 would be the way to go. If you're gonna run some games and play high definition videos on it then the AMD APU is the right choice, I recommend the A6 line, any lower is a significant drop in performance but any higher is almost no increase in performance.

 

I'm in the same boat because my eeepc is no longer functioning correctly and battery life has dropped to 1.5 hours.

I've been checking out the Lenovo x series thinkpads. I can't figure out which one I want:

x120e with AMD e350 for $400
x220 with i3 for $750

I don't doubt that the x220 is worth the extra cash but I'm not sure if I need that much netbook given the fact that my MSI 1651 is still going strong at 3+ years.

 

Ya ive been looking at those too, always loved the Thinkpad stuff and lenovo has been good to me so far (using one right now).

Like i said im just looking for compatibility and performance info, i will be using it for Internet, with youtube being the most intense, school work, messing around and SSHing in to my servers, nothing more really, maybe try out a linux game or two.

I have been looking at refurb stuff as well and older c2d stuff but this (and the desktop) will probably be the last computers i buy till after i finish school, so it could be a bit.

Most reviews of the AMD APUs with linux are a little old and i just wanted to know how much has changed in drivers and kernel support sense then, same for the intel stuff.

Thanks

 

I've read some good things on ubuntu forums about the latest kernel. I think there were some initial problems with ATI of course but everyone says that the recent ATI drivers are working as well as nvidia. Given the lack of support for optimus it is arguable that ATI might be the way to go for next year or so.

 

Watch videos with mplayer-mt and --lavdopts threads=2
This way you'll be able to watch 720p on a N270 with no problems. With more sophisticated options you'll even be able to watch many 1080p videos. I'll have to look up my config for more detailed info.

 

hardframedrop

That's probably the important one on an n270. Man, that's still a slideshow. I did that for a while myself.

 

(hard)framedrop is the last desperate thing to do when nothing else helps. But once you need that you should really get stronger hardware because even if you can live with a few dropped video frames, you usually can't live with dropped audio frames.

 

LOL...my n270 powers a 9 inch screen so I could care less about hd output. My 330 atom ion, however, runs 720p with no problem which I need for my television.

 

^^This i would never be able to really use HD stuff on a 10" display

Thats good to know. i guess i should now look up how well the batt is on AMD's APUs before i start looking at notebooks. Might still go with a refrub though

Thanks