Why not one of the coreboot/openec powered machines from System76? Purism kinda...sucks lately, but there's also Tuxedo computers, the KDE laptop, and others as well...
There's also starlabs but their ship time is atrocious.
I assume you've seen those strange retrofit motherboards from China? I forget the name. I know one a few years ago got posted here after the owner ported Coreboot to it.
I bought a Tuxedo with one of the first Gen3 AMD processors available, and even though the machine it's mostly OK, the build quality and the battery are terrible. I have a Thinkpad P14s for work which is miles ahead on those fronts.
Lenovo and quality aren't two words I associate together anymore. The IBM thinkpads were great, I have a pile of them in my storage. In fact I have both some Lenovo and IBM branded T60 and T4XX models. The IBM units have obviously more bulk to them, and the lids are stronger with more metal inside...
I prioritize Coreboot and OpenEC over all else, Lenovo is known for security issues with their machines in the past and occasionally cripple features and even Linux boot support. Their track record is awful. If you're a tinkerer, why would you buy a ferrari you're not able or allowed to work on?
The higher end premium System76 machines are of excellent quality. The Serval WS - which I ordered 2 weeks ago - is such an example.
In addition the starlabs machines and tuxedo machines are ridiculous in terms of quality, even going as far as using cherry switches on their keyboards now...in the models well beyond my price point.
I realize everyone hates on clevo but it's only the lower end models that really suffer "quality" issues.
But my HP Spectre died (I know, don't laugh) - 8th gen i7. It was...fine...I almost finished porting coreboot but the EC init I never could get working right.
That said the Serval WS and other more premium builds, while clevos, are repairable, supported, and have parts and manuals available. I realize I could buy a clevo or get a clevo from Tuxedo (and pay 5k if I want one with a mech keyboard and a 4090 inside) but then determining if the Sys76 coreboot and ec firmwares would work on it would be a whole other journey that I'm not really interested in right now.
With most manufacturers, even if they have longevity, you're still stuck most of the time figuring stuff out on your own and buying from China or Ebay to repair when something breaks...at least System76 supports their products fully and provides repair guides.
Symmetry|2 years ago
ilikenwf|2 years ago
mariusor|2 years ago
Unfrozen0688|2 years ago
Have you used a Thinkpad?
The brands you mention do not quite measure up in terms of overall quality.
ilikenwf|2 years ago
I prioritize Coreboot and OpenEC over all else, Lenovo is known for security issues with their machines in the past and occasionally cripple features and even Linux boot support. Their track record is awful. If you're a tinkerer, why would you buy a ferrari you're not able or allowed to work on?
The higher end premium System76 machines are of excellent quality. The Serval WS - which I ordered 2 weeks ago - is such an example.
ilikenwf|2 years ago
I realize everyone hates on clevo but it's only the lower end models that really suffer "quality" issues.
Klonoar|2 years ago
The bigger problem with Starlabs is the wait times can be brutal.
skrtskrt|2 years ago
The ones that aren't Clevos are rebadged from other brands.
There are endless complaints about their build quality, keyboard plastic warped and peeling off and just destroyed after a couple years.
System76 is developing their own laptop though, which I will be keeping an eye on
ilikenwf|2 years ago
But my HP Spectre died (I know, don't laugh) - 8th gen i7. It was...fine...I almost finished porting coreboot but the EC init I never could get working right.
That said the Serval WS and other more premium builds, while clevos, are repairable, supported, and have parts and manuals available. I realize I could buy a clevo or get a clevo from Tuxedo (and pay 5k if I want one with a mech keyboard and a 4090 inside) but then determining if the Sys76 coreboot and ec firmwares would work on it would be a whole other journey that I'm not really interested in right now.
With most manufacturers, even if they have longevity, you're still stuck most of the time figuring stuff out on your own and buying from China or Ebay to repair when something breaks...at least System76 supports their products fully and provides repair guides.