I currently use a 2021 Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition and I really enjoy it. It's a bit pricey at $1650 MSRP but it comes with a high end all AMD 5900HX, 6800M, 2 SoDIMM slots, and 2 M.2 slots. Plenty of ports: 3x USB-A, 1x USB-C, Ethernet, HDMI, headphone jack, and power jack; I've needed all of them and it's just enough. Quite good battery life for a gaming laptop and supports USB-C charging. I currently dual boot Windows and Ubuntu. Biggest flaws are the preinstalled SSD is crap and there's no webcam.
I just bought a Framework 13, and I got say, it’s amazing. First of all, everything works out of the box. That’s surprising for a laptop with Linux. Even the Dell I used to own that specifically advertised compatibility with Linux and even came with Ubuntu had a fingerprint reader with no Linux support. Meanwhile, the fingerprint reader on my Framework has worked flawlessly.
Second, it’s blazing fast. I got the new AMD one, and it’s definitely fast enough to handle everything I’ve thrown at it.
Third, if something breaks on it, like the screen, replacing the part is incredibly easy. I’ve replaced a couple laptop screens before, and while they’re easier than phone screens, it’s still a PITA. And that’s if you can find a replacement screen.
And then lastly, eventually I’ll be able to upgrade it. I like that.
So yeah, if you can afford the price premium, I highly recommend the Framework 13.
As an owner of a 13 I really like it. I only use it mostly as a YouTube and email machine while most ofy heavy duty work is on a desktop but it does well enough running popos. They are a bit pricey to buy new thiugh so either get one of the older one used or go the used think pad route for a similarly repairable experience.
I use my Framework 13 (Intel 12th gen) for some heavy CPU workloads and it's been a champ! For the balance of quality, performance, cost, and repairability I really don't think it can be beat.
Thinkpad A485. If you're going used, I would grab a T460, T470, or T480. Really reliable models, all those can be had for $300 or less online, work great with Linux, and last forever. Plus they are decently repairable.
If new, I would also go with Framework laptops. Super repairable and sustainable. And very high quality laptops. My friend got one and it is super nice. Runs Fedora on it flawlessly.
I had one of those, but the trackpad occasionally wouldn't work until I rebooted several times (I was using fedora). Did you run into any similar issue?
I personally use a ThinkPad Z13 (all AMD; it's nice but pricey), but I'd recommend getting a Framework (which wasn't an option for me back then). I think modular and repairable laptops are cool, plus they seem to be well supported by the Linux community.
They don’t have a BIOS updater for Linux (yet) and they have a history of overpromising stable updates. I get they’re hamstrung by upstream providers, but it’s a bad look on them to basically deliver a promised Thunderbolt update 1.5 years after announcing it. The CEO did say at least that they’ve hired on a new development team to get things moving, so hopefully they’ll be able to catch up.
Everything else I’ve heard about Framework is stellar.