pre purchase check: cosmos vii

Can I ask how you've managed to put an Intel graphics card in the cosmos vii? I emailed PCS to ask if it was possible (in order to avoid any driver issues in linux) and they told me it was only available with an Nvidia card

Hi

I'm a Linux noob so please excuse any noobiness. I'm looking at the Cosmos vii without OS with the intention of installing a Linux-based OS myself - only thing is I keep reading about lack of compatibility with Nvidia graphics cards. Is this going to be a massive pain in the rear or is there a relatively simple (given my aftermentioned noobiness) workaround? Or even better will it just work nicely? Am looking at the mx150 card.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

Edited:

The 15.6" and 17.3" Cosmos laptops have different GPU options

As far as I know it's not at all a big deal these days. Major linux distros work fine with Nvidia GPUs.

Hello Mark

First of all I can't answer your question about the Cosmos VII specifically.

My Linux OS supports NVidia graphics but, because I'm a very inexperienced Linux user, I was advised to stick with onboard graphics. I'm definitely not saying that you should too because lots of folk (probably most) have no problems - that advice applies to just me.

As Oussebon said, the Cosmos 15" and 17" are different and only the 17" has the onboard graphic option - so I chose that. It is bigger than I had hoped for; my first choice was the 15" but NVidia graphics are the only option.

I've just placed an order for the 17" so can't describe any experience.

I think the following is correct (or at least it's what I did): an easy way to list all laptops with onboard graphics, there is a "Refine by" filter at the top of the laptops page https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/laptops/

Leave everything else empty but in the Graphics field, choose Intel and the available laptops are immediately reduced to just those with an option to select onboard graphics.

I've run linux on PCs with GTX 970s and GTX 670s in them and they've been fine.

If you read these forums there were some issues specifically with the GTX 960M - which you won't find in any modern laptop any more. Plenty of people have bought higher end laptops with powerful Nvidia GPUs and posted Linux experiences on these forums. The GPUs are fine, it's mostly things like RGB keyboard backlighting not working (easily)

Oussebon said:

I've run linux on PCs with GTX 970s and GTX 670s in them and they've been fine.

If you read these forums there were some issues specifically with the GTX 960M - which you won't find in any modern laptop any more. Plenty of people have bought higher end laptops with powerful Nvidia GPUs and posted Linux experiences on these forums. The GPUs are fine, it's mostly things like RGB keyboard backlighting not working (easily)

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I think as well, from memory, that where people did have issues with the drivers, they've pretty much all been resolved now, as Oussebon says.

I know there've been some reports of some models' touchpads not working as well and I believe that the keyboard backlights work but you're limited to a blue colour at the moment, which most people seem to say is ok for them anyway.

Agree with above. The only real pain with drivers for the GPU was the old 960M but I have no GPU problems with my other four PCS machines, mostly running Ubuntu, although use Debian as well at times and have tried various distros. All my trackpads have worked OK, although as a mouse user I hardly need them. There are backlight fixes about but have never bothered to try.

I know there've been some reports of some models' touchpads not working as well

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Was this just the Recoil (which is Tongfang rather than Clevo) or were there some Clevo chassis affected too recently?

Yeah I think it might have been the tongfang chassis for the most part and I could be conflating issues but I thought I'd read about a clevo with no multi-touch.