[PLUG] New computer working on old computer

[Mark Phillips]

Joe,

I didn't find any bad reviews of the current Gazelle Pro...I think they
changed it over time and the older reviews (by several years) talk about a
system different from the one on sale today.

I like the gazelle except for the video card...would rather have more
choices for gaming. I read some user reviews on Amazon for the Thinkpad
t540p, and they really did not like the machine.

One advantage of the gazelle is the multiple drive bays. I want to use a
large SSD for OS and my personal data, and after some research, I have
decided that SSDs are not mature enough to be used as a single drive for
all my data, so I am going to set two of them up in a RAID1 and LVM.

I also looked at a Dell XPS 15, but there are so many Internet complaints
about over heating that I don't want another space heater! It does have
better graphics and two drive bays and it looks good. However, there are
issues with Linux and some of the hardware, so that one is out. I also
don't want to pay for a touch screen that I will never use.

So, I am left with the System 76 gazelle pro. My first non-Dell computer in
10 years!

Mark




On Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 2:06 PM, Joe Shisei Niski <joeniski at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 1:22 PM, Mark Phillips <mark at phillipsmarketing.biz>
> wrote:
>
> > Jason,
> >
> > Not to hijack your thread, but how do you like your Bonobo Extreme? I am
> > thinking of getting new System 76, and I am deciding between the Gazelle
> > Pro or maybe the Bonobo Extreme. However, the Bononbo Extreme looks like
> a
> > beast, and may not be that portable. Is this your first System 76, or
> have
> > you used them in the past? I have been happy with lots of Dell laptops
> and
> > servers, but the new XPS 15 is a nice system, but has a real heat
> problem,
> > and I don't need another space heater in the house.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 1:04 PM, John Jason Jordan <johnxj at comcast.net>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I can't believe that this all worked.
> > >
> >
>
> Hi Mark:
>
> I bought my wife a netbook from System76 about five years ago. The price
> was OK, hardware build quality is what i expected for the price and form
> factor, and it's handled several Ubuntu dist-upgrades. The support has been
> very good (they spent a bunch of time helping me with a wireless problem
> that we eventually diagnosed as a flaky, dying DSL modem, god bless 'em).
>
> Check this thread for background on the Bonobo Extreme:
>
> http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/16se83/anyone_have_any_reviewsexperience_with_the/
>
> I've owned 2 Clevo machines (from the days when Sager resold them without
> an OS, which no longer seems to be an option they offer), both in the class
> of the Clevo repackaged as Bonobo Extreme (e.g. mobile
> workstation/desktop-replacement, 17" screen behemoths). They're rock-solid,
> and high performance - one of mine is still chugging away after 12 years,
> the other is 7 yrs old and never had any trouble, i've used both primarily
> for software development. Both have been easily user-upgradeable (ram &
> disk). Although i've been mostly statisfied with them, I have a few
> complaints:
>
> 1) At > 6 lbs (*without* the heavy power brick) they're really not very
> portable.
> 2) The batteries just don't last. I spent $100 on spare batteries, and they
> wore down in a couple of years. The machines are tethered to AC, reducing
> their portability further.
> 3) The fans keep the box cool, at the expense of sounding like a hovercraft
> preparing for takeoff. The noise hasn't gotten worse, but it's gottten
> subjectively  more annoying over the years (I'm spoiled by the MacBookPros
> my employer provides in that regard).
>
> I'm in the market for a nice 15" Linux-friendly laptop in the 5 lb range. I
> found a few reviews of the System76 Gazelle Pro, they were
> lukewarm/critical. I really like the specs and price of the ThinkPad t540p,
> but people have had UEFI problems with bricking the motherboard that, while
> avoidable, have me a little gun-shy.
>
> In comparison-shopping the Linux laptop VARs, it looks like the premium for
> a pre-loaded, vendor-supported machine is in the hundreds of dollars. Bare
> metal whitebox machines seem harder to come by than ever. Not sure what
> i'll do, except wait a bit.
>
> HTH,
> Joe
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