Sager NP9150 and Linux

Hey guys,
As the date draws closer to making my purchase of the np9150 SE, I pose more questions.
Today is about Linux. Is it possible to run a version of Linux on the system and have all the drivers be compatible and easy to install? I want to be able to play all my games as well and not run into any problems. I use steam mostly by the way. I'm a complete linux noob so info would be great For those who don't know the GPU that comes pre-configured with the SE is the 680m not the 7970. Thanks in advance!

 

The biggest hurdle I've heard from other Linux users is with Optimus as Nvidia does not play nice with it. I've heard there are workarounds that people have found for this. I'll edit this as soon as I come back across those posts.

Edit:

https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/Bumblebee/wiki/FAQ

https://www.heise.de/artikel-archiv/ct/2012/08/184_Hilfsaggregat

 

As far as I know, you can run Linux on the machine. Overall functionality might be subjective to the distrobution you choose to go with, though. Ubuntu/Xubuntu/Kubuntu and Linux Mint are some of the most widely used, and therefore might have better support for the hardware.

But when it comes to driver support for the 680m, I really am not sure. Maybe Hutsady@Xotic can shed some light on driver compatibility for the Sager.

*Edit
Or Derek can beat my posting by a microsecond with some insight, too.

 

Hutsady doesn't have anything on me!

 

I will be honest, I'm not entirely sure what Optimus does. Is it just a power saver feature ?

 

It switches between the integrated and dedicated GPU in order to save power. In linux without any workarounds it'll run off of the Intel HD4000.

 

Ah, well that's no good...Seems pointless to purchase a 680m and not use it.

 

There's always the Bumblebee project, which recently got a stable release.

FAQ for it: https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/Bumblebee/wiki/FAQ

 

Interesting stuff The only real concern at this point would be game compatibility. I was reading a bit about "Wine" But even that doesn't support all games. I like the concept of Linux but it seems like quite a bit of work and tinkering to get things to work.

 

That's kind of the drawback of Linux. If you want to invest the time, you can get it to do anything you want and it doesn't cost you much more than that time. When things work, they work great, and there is a huge community to support you, but it's definitely a learning experience.

Hehe, great minds think alike