3mo ago

Recommend a laptop with good GNU/Linux support for a 3D artist

My wife is looking for a portable device primarily for modeling in Blender and optionally for drawing in Krita. So we looking for something with a GNU/Linux support from manufacturer.

We considered https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/TUXEDO-InfinityFlex-14-Gen1, it looks nice, but maybe you have other suggestions? Do you have experience with convertibles, how convenient is to draw on them?

We also considered https://earth.starlabs.systems/pages/starlite for drawing and a separate device for Blender, but having two devices might not be convenient...

38 comments

For blender nvidia gpu is a the best for cycles as it has optiX support.
If she does ONLY modeling and uses eevee renders without viewport previews then integrated graphics could work.
If she wants viewport preview then dedicated GPU is a must. IDK how fares AMD gpu in blender as I didn't have one for years.
Some gaming laptops with dedicated GPUs need external kernel modules just to work if they even have one.
My best bet would be to go for old gaming laptop.
My second best bet would be to go for system76 as they have some gaming laptops
- cycles is hilariously usable on weak hardware (though faster hardware is definitely desirable), I tried it on my Intel hd4000 and it somehow works
  
  Can you explain a bit what did you do?
  How is cycles in viewport behaving?
- Thanks! Yes, she interested only in modeling. Cycles needed more for cool showcases 😅 Will take a look at System76.

Consider giving devices offered by NovaCustom a look.
When it comes to Linux-first laptop vendors, it's definitely my favorite out of the bunch.
On purchasing one of their devices, they offer:
3 years of warranty
5 years of firmware update support
7 years of (guaranteed) spare parts availability
I'm simply unaware of any other (Linux-first) firm that can compete regarding the above.
And I haven't even mentioned how vast their customization options are, or how well-praised their support is.
I'm actually stunned why it's not mentioned more often in these conversations.
Btw, I'd actually recommend you to consider the whereabouts of the respective support centers before you buy a device. You never hope to be in that situation, but it makes a real difference when it matters. So, in case you're unaware, AFAIK:
NovaCustom; Netherlands. But as long as you're in EU mainland, it should be good enough.
Star Labs; UK. EU outside of Great Britain is OK.
System76; USA.
Tuxedo; Germany. Again, EU mainland is fine.
- First time hear about it, but sounds very cool!
  I’d actually recommend you to consider the whereabouts of the respective support centers before you buy a device
  Totally agree, I take this into consideration. Tuxedo is very attractive to me because we planning to visit Germany personally. But I will take a look at NovaCustom as well since it's in EU.
  From Star Labs their StarLite tablet looks very attractive. Right now I considering buying a tablet for drawing and a laptop for 3D modeling instead of 2-in-1.
  
  From Star Labs their StarLite tablet looks very attractive. Right now I considering buying a tablet for drawing and a laptop for 3D modeling instead of 2-in-1.
  Honestly, this makes a lot of sense. It's unfortunate that all of your needs aren't satisfied by a single device. Assuming that the drawing capabilities of the Starlite and Infinityflex are up to par, their hardware specs don't come even close to Blender's recommended. So opting for a second device may indeed be necessary.
  Whatever you'll end up picking, I hope you and your wife will be satisfied with the end result 😉!

Does linux support from manufacturer really matter?
The tuxe laptop convertible may seem nice and if she wants to draw on the screen then you are going to be limited on other options. But I would be worried about that intel gpu.
If you want to do 3d modeling you will need something that is gaming grade. I would rather game on a crappy card than model using one. But i also confess i am not up to date with the last few years of developments in that space.
In my very humble experience with digital art a proper dedicated drawing tablet beats any kind of touchscreen drawing.
So if you comfortable installing a chosen linux distro from a usb. (It really is not difficult, ai and YouTube can guide you trough it) and she is not already adept at touchscreen drawing i would suggest:
Lenovo Legion Both my partner and their mom have one with a different graphics card. Most of this line have nvidia rtx cards and all of those will do the job. Naturally more expensive models will have newer/faster cards.
Wacom intuos i am biased to call wacom tablets great because i have never used any others. I can say the intuos line is much nicer then the older bamboo pen and touch/fun line. Models come in different sizes
- Does linux support from manufacturer really matter?
  Only they can truly answer for themselves, but from a business standpoint, yes. It might. Being able to get support direct from the people who made/sold the laptop, whether it be in the form of a warranty or tech support, could save you from having down time when you need to be working.
- Does linux support from manufacturer really matter?
  Not really, but from my experience Linux on laptops sometimes have issues with things like battery life.
  I have a SteamDeck to compare and it works just perfect, this is why I were looking at manufacturer support.

No manufacturer support. But zephyrus g14 (2022) is my favorite laptop ever. Very few issues with Linux.

The Framework 16 looks pretty great. Repairable & upgradable, discrete graphics (AMD), and guaranteed Linux support.
- I love the idea of a framework but their battery life apparently really sucks

To be honest. I had a similar question for my girlfriend for drawing with krita. A drawing tablet + a traditional laptop is better for almost everyone except students who will be taking notes in class and people who have to be drawing in a chair or meeting room with no desk setup.
Otherwise a drawing tablet is more accurate, faster, and with better features than a 2-in-1. Much better sensitivity, generally better pressure and tilt functions, and a much better feel (more like paper)
You don't even have to spring for a Wacom. They have been resting on their laurels for over a decade and have become completely uncompetitive in the past 5 years (kind of the Intel of drawing tablets).
An XPPen Deco Pro Gen II (as an example) has good ergonomics, rotary knobs for zooming, rotating, and scaling, and works over Bluetooth. Their Linux drivers (4.0.x) are pretty great at a fraction of the price of a Wacom or the price difference between a traditional laptop and a 2-in-1.
It ends up being way more ergonomic also to look at a screen and not having to hunch over a tablet. It just takes a week or so to get used to not looking at your hands.
- Thanks!
  We just planning to travel a lot soon and wanted to avoid carry a lot of stuff with us. But you probably right, it's better to have a dedicated device...

I think it depends on your budget and where you live. North America has System76, UK has Starlabs, Germany has Tuxedo, Netherlands has laptopswithlinux and Spain has Slimbook. I think Starlabs are the only ones who do a tablet. Has your wife tried using an external graphics tablet? I don't use Krita myself but if you want to save money and buy a second hand convertible it might be worth asking/searching on a Krita forum about what others are using from the bigger manufacturers.
- Thanks, will take a look!
  We looked for convertible because planning to travel a lot. But judging by what others say, it's probably better to have a dedicated device for drawing...

Thinkpad P series. 2nd hand are also good. Top tier Linux support.

Laptops from over 5 years ago are well supported by Linux (for the most part). However, the very modern laptops have bits and pieces that aren't supported, from fan profiles, to the new intel webcams etc. They will run Linux, but you might fry them if your fans don't work properly. So your best bet would be to get either an old one (I got a Macbook Air from 2015 with 8GB RAM, works great), or get a Tuxedo, or a System76 one, or a couple more Linux-specific ones. And it's not because suddenly Linux does worse job supporting hardware, but it's because these machines are. getting more complex and they need drivers for every little thing. Back in the day, things were more generic (e.g. the fans) and worked with a single driver.
- They will run Linux, but you might fry them if your fans don't work properly.
  The EFI will control the fans just fine.
  
  Not the case with all laptops, e.g. some asus ones, and not even the tuxedo ones that require drivers.
- Agree! That's why we are looking for something for a manufacturer support. We don't consider used market only because thinking about something powerful.
  I have a SteamDeck and very satisfied with how GNU/Linux runs on it. Windows even run worse on it 😅

@Shatur any laptop with a fairly recent amd GPU should be just fine honestly. Even if nvidia cards are slightly better, they can fuck up your whole desktop environment in a random update (among other errors on that line), so imo it's not worth the trouble.
- Yeah, I have an Nvidia GPU on my desktop and I regret that I didn't buy an AMD card.
  We looking for a laptop with good manufacturer support because they quite often have either battery or sleep issues.

Since lots of ppl already cover laptop different options, i will skip this part.
Blender is a huge topic. What exactly does your wife exactly do? Something like sculpting, rigging don't need much gpu power. How complicated the scene is it? For a complicated scene with un-optimisted mesh, it can be expensive. The most expensive part should be high quality rendering. But you can use render farm to "outsourcing" jobs to remote hosts.
Also, it's 2024. Ww can already launch and run blender remotely thru vm and streaming technology smoothly.
- Mostly sculpting, less rendering. So yeah, we aren't GPU bound. Right now considering just a mini PC. Should be cheaper then a latpop since we don't planning to work on the go, just need something portable. And a tablet for drawing.
  
  My 4 generation i7 4g desktop is still fine to do that. Lol.
  I won't use that pc for complicated scanned un-optimisted scene though.

Dell laptops usually have good Linux support, and they offer powerful machines, requirements and budget permitting.
- I have a Dell. Linux support is pretty amazing. But I wouldn't recommend using blender unless it's a Dell XPS.
  
  I agree. For the spec though, Dell aren't any better value for money than laptops from the smaller 'for linux' sellers. Which is pretty cool. Of course it's much easier to find used Dell laptops though.
  
  They're not cheap, but the Precision series has all the CAD power you can ask for in a laptop.

if she can do the blending at home and everything else on the move, your options expand dramatically. namely, you can equip a laptop with an eGPU so you can attach a desktop GPU to it.
an ultralight used convertible 2-in-1 in the sub$200 region is plenty powerful for everyday use, drawing, whathaveyous. a $50 eGPU slot, a $15 PSU and a used 8 GB GPU in the $100 region will blow out of the water anything new for up to $1K and possibly beyond. double the budget for the graphics and there's nothing comparable but the top of Apple's line-up (no drawing on those, though).
- Thanks for the suggestion, eGPU sounds nice!
  We don't planning to actually work on the go, just planning to travel a lot. eGPU could be considered portable. Maybe we even don't need a laptop, just a mini PC 🤔
  
  Bit of a joke suggestion but purely hardware wise steam deck might do the trick, its graphics processing is very good considering the size and lack of discrete GPU
  Also quite subsidized because valve expect people to make up the value in buying games, so more bang for your buck
  Plugged into a keyboard and possibly monitor could do the trick

https://kfocus.org/spec/
- Didn't know about them, cool!

38 comments