I’m considering picking up a cheapish laptop for development, with the intent of installing Linux on it. Typically it’ll be Java development or other stuff in docket containers. Is there a best chipset to pick for Linux or are they pretty much identical these days?
Intel or AMD for the CPU, but AMD for the GPU if you need any graphical capabilities. AMD GPU’s are pretty solid as well. There’s definitely more choices available with Intel CPU’s but if you can find a good AMD chip then go for it.
I’ve always been an AMD fan and used those in my desktops, but for laptops it’s been harder to find something that pushes all the buttons for me.
On the flip side, if 3D graphics performance is not a priority then Intel graphics is incredibly well supported and is probably the most consistently reliable and bug-free graphics option.
Except for some stuff on the Atom processors, yup. Generally Intel’s video hardware has worked very reliably, if not powerfully. Their network cards (wireless and wired) also tend to be well-supported and perform well.
Regarding Atom, the x7-z8700 in my surface 3 caused problems for a while, and I’m not sure it’s still 100% in Linux, and it’s been out for ages.
Plus, if you’re planning on using Wayland with any wlroots compositor, Nvidia is essentially a non-starter.