good low end brand computer for running debian linux?

[yoserian]

hi, i'm new here. Skip to last paragraph for question but intro is i've been using Debian Linux for about 7 years. i've usually had Dell computers and they worked fine with Debian, except of course graphics, one of the computers was a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop [with IBM architecure like GE?65 gpu and Intel Petium CPU] and the other was Dell Inspiron [with AMD realated architecture Nvidia gpu, AMD Athalon cpu and for a time ATI Radeon graphics card which i gave up on]. Graphics were suitable on both [to me, not playing too many games, but no accleration on AMD arch. I've been running dual boot with Windows Vista and Debian Squeeze 6.0.10 for 5 or 6 years now. I had trouble on both computers [AMD and IBM architecture] with Debian 8 [screen freezes in both Gnome and XFCE] unless graphics accel set to off [noaccel = 1 ]. but noaccel=1 in kernel boot options really slowed things down. Laptop finally broke so ...

Recently i got Dell Inspiron 3552 with Windows 10 pre-installed. Trying to create dual boot with Windows 10 was very frustrating, when all had been so easy before. So i axed windows 10, and just tried to install Debian Squeeze [i know, trouble with Jessie kept me with Squeeze] and i don't like the new Totem cause i can't figure out how to make playlists].

So, returned newer Dell 3552 laptop to vendor, since every installation of Debian 6 [i might have tried 8 to can't remember] said disk partitions not lined up etc. and ran horribly horribly slow compared to the older computers.

OK ... so short form? Can Anyone recommend a good low end computer, from any maker that will work very well with Debian and hopefully not make me jump through hoops to get graphics accerlation. I'm not a big gamer, but occasionally venture into attemmpting to do simple OpenGL type programming. You can assume i'll eventually or currently be moving to Debian 8 [even though i'm still quite happy with Squeeze 6.0.10].

[Hallvor]

HP Elitebooks are nice. They are well built, have good batteries, are usually built from all Intel parts (wifi, CPU and GPU), and will generally work well.

Lenovo Thinkpads are also good for the same reason.

As long as it is a few years old all-Intel hardware, you can't go wrong, in my experience.

[Dai_trying]

I have a Dell Inspiron 3552

Code: Select all

Machine:   Device: portable System: Dell product: Inspiron 15-3552 v: 4.0.13
           Mobo: Dell model: 0T14MC v: A00 UEFI: Dell v: 4.0.13 date: 12/22/2016

and I find it works without issue if I use Stretch, my assumption is the newer kernel better accommodates the newer hardware, and my experience has verified this. I have used Jessie and after installing backported kernel and xorg video modules (and maybe a couple more that I have since forgot) it can work well, but I found Stretch to install and run with less messing about installing things afterwards.
I initially had a couple of issues with dual booting (machine didn't have Linux option when purchased so just Windows 10 installed initially), but after educating myself with the workings of UEFI I now have a total of 4 OS's multi-booting on this machine and they all run without issue.
I would certainly recommend this model to anyone using Linux as it can run with minimal changes to Bios (UEFI), I just disabled secure boot (that won't be required when Stretch goes stable as I read that Debian now has a signed EFI stub).

If you want to run older OS's on modern hardware there will be some adjustments to be made and you will also need to use either backported packages or compile them yourself to get the functionality out of the machine. It is certainly possible to get them running (and probably very well) but with a lot of work (IMO) to get it there.

[stevepusser]

If you're going to try to run squeeze on any modern laptop, you are setting yourself up for failure from the start.

[emariz]

Attach more weight to the internal parts than to the brand itself; buy a computer with as many Intel parts as possible.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Trying to create dual boot with Windows 10 was very frustrating, when all had been so easy before.

Windows 10 dual boot with both Debian jessie and the stretch rc3 installer is completely automagical as long as Secure Boot is disabled.

In respect of the OP, have you seen https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC?

I have a ThinkPad X201 that runs Debian (live) very well indeed but it does need firmware-iwlwifi and intel-microcode to work properly.

Also, OpenBSD runs better on that device

[yoserian]

thanks for all the reponses. should be quite helpful. i'm actually thinking the Dell 3552 might have had other issues ... [not good at forum stuff, like quoting and such but...]. stick to intel based stuff. think i already learned, very good advice...... i really wish i could go back to commodore 64. [sans all the trivial stuff which kills my cpu].

ThankYou.

[Bulkley]

I'd recommend looking for a sale on last year's model of just about any manufacturer. What I do is to keep scavenging parts from computers that friends are disposing of. The box I'm using was probably new a dozen years ago but has several cannibalized parts to sort of keep it up to date. Let's face it, a computer's usability and speed are dependent upon my typing speed.