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.
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. AMD-based systems in particular have been doing very well in this regard, because AMD simply invests a lot to make sure that their latest chips are fully supported with the latest kernels.
We're spoiled for choice these days, but here's what I'd recommend:
- Framework 13: This is the best Linux laptop I've tried so far. It's been my go-to for over a year now. 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 gets you 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).
- Beelink SER8: This miniPC blew my mind with its power-for-dollar ratio. It's less than $500, comes with 32GB RAM + 1TB NVMe, and an excellent AMD 8745HS chip.
- Beelink SER9: Nearly double the price of the SER8 at ~$929, but the HX370 adds ~20% higher performance (and much better bluetooth/wifi range). Not quite as good value as the SER8, but a superb machine for less than a thousand bucks none the less.
- 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!
- Beelink EQR5: The ultra-budget option is the $299 AMD 5825U 8-core Zen3 powered EQR5. It's a two-generation old chip at this point, but comes with 32GB RAM + 500GB NVMe. Surprisingly capable!
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 |