I’m so into my new Linux Life that I sold my old Acer Nitro 5 laptop. I could never get the fans to run without Nitro Sense. Plus the video switching from the Intel graphics to Nvidia in Linux was clunky mostly. So I did some research and settled on System76.
I tried Pop! OS before and didn’t have much fun with it. Not a Gnome fan. Even though they have customized it to be their own, I still didn’t take to it well. But I’m gonna give it another try and give my thoughts here on the machine and software.
My laptops are generally backup computers and travel options, more than they are front-line gaming machines for me. But still I find myself bored in remote locations and feel the need to game. Thus I generally have always bought mid-range gaming laptops. This one is about $500 more than I normally would spend. Hopefully the i7-12700H is worth the extra scratch.
My Config:
- Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS with full disk-encryption
- 4.7 GHz i7-12700H (up to 4.7 GHz – 24 MB Cache – 14 Cores – 20 Threads)
- 16 GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 3200 MHz (2 x 8GB)
- 1 TB PCIe Gen3 Up to Seq Read: 2400 MB/s, Seq Write: 1950 MB/s
- 4 GB RTX 3050 Ti w/ 2560 CUDA Cores
- 17.3″ Matte Full HD 1080p (144 Hz)
- Multicolor backlit keyboard with numpad
- WiFi 6 + Bluetooth 5
I will also report on things you haven’t seen on most reviews. Since those have been done over and over by many other people and YouTuber’s. I have yet to hear about battery life and how it performs. Or if it will run on my favorite distro, Linux Mint. Or if I’ll fall in love with Pop! OS this time.