Sager laptops and Ubuntu - compatibility and issues?

I'm considering purchasing a NP8278 or NP8268 /w GTX 8x0 card without OS and to install Ubuntu and maybe a Windows partition for games only.

I know that some laptops have chronic loud fan and sometimes driver issues with Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 13.10 is the latest release with 14.04 LTS coming out very soon.

Does anyone have experiences to share with similar models that have Nvidia GPUs. (I know these Sager models are brand new, but there are similar predecessor models.)

 

I should have my NP8278 in a week or so. If someone doesn't do it before I get mine I will test Ubuntu for you and report back.

 

Thanks! I look forward to it - I'll literally be waiting to purchase it based on your reported experience.

 

Looks like it's going to be a couple of weeks before my machine arrives. I am having some customization done. Just wanted to give you a heads up on that.

 

Not 100% on Ubuntu with this particular unit. We've seen several W650xxs and W670s take Linux. I'm not sure if that's worth anything to you, though. I believe a few P370s have taken Linux also, although I'm not sure as to which distro (I think the W models mentioned were equipped with Ubuntu).

 

Have you considered system76 laptops? I think they currently only have 5 models to choose but might want to check them out. Very reasonable prices and Ubuntu out of the box.

Sent from my SM-N9005

 

I need a (mini) Displayport to drive a 4K monitor and the Bonobo Extreme is pricey compared to Sager models similarly equipped.

 

Was trying to help. I've seen good mention of their hardware. Their prices are similar to saver's and similar ad in good value compared to mainstream vendors like dell and HP. And everything works out of box. A drivers available and no tweakin needed. They sell these mainly to developers so they preload with many common tools devs use so you can get cracking as soon as you open it up.

Sent from my SM-N9005

 

FYI: I received my NP8278-S today. It is an absolute beast. It is a little bigger and chunkier than I thought it would be. And the power brick is huge compared to what i've been used to with previous laptops. Although my other laptops weren't gaming rigs like this. Windows 7 SP1 installed super fast and I was up and running in no time at all. So far I have played a few games like Diablo III and had everything cranked to the max setting and it played flawlessly. It is very fast with the SSD drive and the backlit keyboard is awesome. I suggest changing the color though from the default to a more ice white, or light blue color, the deafult color looked kinda gross. Try it out and you'll be thanking me for the color change. Looks so much better now! Other than that, everything seems to be working great. Make sure you use the driver disc that comes with it, and then you can go onto the intel site and use the update utility. There was a couple of newer drivers on there. The system does seem to run fairly warm, even just general browsing, the CPU fan side gets warm enough that it bothers me to have it on my lap. I think i'm going to need something under it if i want to sit on my couch and use it on my lap in future, so as I don't burn my legs and other things! I really wish it wasn't as hot as it is. I was hoping all this new technology would have been a little better with the cooling side of things. I guess with power comes heat. There's always a trade off. Such is life.

 

Very sorry for my delayed response. I am running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS desktop on my NP8278-S off of a USB drive via USB Installer. It's fast and it found all my hardware, even the Intel AC wireless and BT modules. I am displaying a picture that is stored on my Synology NAS (that's me on the CBR). All I had to do was enter my username and password.
It even found my Plugable USB 3.0 dock. I did have to download the codecs to enable music and video playback. That should not be a surprise.

I have my two external displays running via HDMI and DisplayPort as I type this. I was playing Three Doors Down and an AVI of a Mechwarrior Online session.



Edit:
Of course, I have only been playing with it for about an hour. Not sure exactly what you are looking for.