Is the Cosmos II suitable for use with Linux?

[Rhubbarb]

Hello,

I'm thinking of buying a Cosmos II with the following spec, and installing Linux (probably Kubuntu):

Cosmos II

• Chassis & Display: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080);
• Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™i3 Dual Core Mobile Processor i3-4000M (2.40GHz) 3MB;
• Memory (RAM): 8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 8GB);
• Graphics Card: INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 4600;
• Memory - Hard Disk: 1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE;
• mSATA SSD Drive: 120GB Kingston SSDNow mS200 mSATA;
• DVD/BLU-RAY Drive: 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer;
• Memory Card Reader: Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo);
• Thermal Paste: STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING;
• Sound Card: Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack;
• Bluetooth & Wireless: GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH;
• USB Options: 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD;
• Operating System: NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED;
• Keyboard Language: UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD;
• Notebook Mouse: INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE;
• Webcam: INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM.

Do you have any experience of using a machine like this with Kubuntu? Are the appropriate hardware drivers available?

Thanks,
Rob.

 

[Stephen M]

I dont't use Kubuntu but use Ubuntu t times and cannot see any major problems. I have had camera issues but found that installing CheeseWebcam solved those.

 

[Rhubbarb]

Thanks for the reply. I've ordered the machine.

 

[tonybyng]

Thanks for the reply. I've ordered the machine.

Hi Did your install work okay? Looking to get a similar specced machine bought although looking at just an SSD rather than SATA and SSD but main concerns are for wifi, sound and camera. Did they all work okay on ubuntu/kubuntu ?

Thanks

Tony

 

[Rhubbarb]

Hello Tony,

I've not spent long setting this machine up yet. However, for the most part, all has gone smoothly. In the past I've always had Windoze machines, but am fed up with those. So, I'm relatively unfamiliar with Linux.

I'm very pleased with the new machine. I needed a little help from a colleague setting up the partitions and mounting points on the HDD and SSD, including swap space. Other than that, the Kubuntu install was straightforward. (I think Unity on Ubuntu is horrible; I tried it for about 3 months, but never warmed to it. KDE on Kubuntu is superb.)

The WiFi works fine. The sound works, including to the output jack socket. (I didn't need to do anything; these just worked.) I've not tried the webcam (I doubt I'll ever use that), sorry.

It turned out I could not have all three of HDD, SSD and optical drives. So I have an external USB optical drive. I've not managed to get that working yet, but that may be a problem with the drive. All other USB devices I've tried have been fine: memory sticks and external HDDs.

[UPDATE: USB optical drive now working with DVDs; see <https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?33008-Kubuntu-and-Samsung-USB-optical-drive>]

I've yet to try connecting the laptop to my printers, but I imagine a generic PCL driver will be fine.

Rob.

 

[Rhubbarb]

I mentioned that on the Cosmos II 17.3", I could only have 2 from amongst HDD, SSD and optical drives.

I forgot to mention that I was advised that I could have all 3 by upgrading to the Optimus V 17.3". That model/chassis also includes a higher-spec graphics card, which I didn't require, and so didn't want the additional cost. However, this might be an option for those who would want the additional graphics processing power anyway.

Rob.