If you’re looking for a powerful and reliable Linux laptop, look no further than System76’s Oryx Pro. This laptop is packed with features and performance that will make it a favorite choice for gamers, web developers, and other professionals. The Oryx Pro is available in two different configurations: the basic model with a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2400M processor and 8GB of RAM, or the more powerful model with a 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-4790HQ processor and 16GB of RAM. The laptop also has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics card and an Intel HD Graphics 4600 webcam. System76’s Oryx Pro is one of the most affordable Linux laptops on the market today, making it perfect for anyone who wants to take their computing experience to the next level.
The Oryx Pro has the specifications of a high-end gaming laptop, and even though you can play games on it, the laptop is primarily intended for productivity work that requires a lot of graphics power. It has a 12th-generation Intel Core i7-12700H processor that runs at up to 4.7 GHz, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti or 3080 Ti graphics card, up to 64 GB RAM, Wi-Fi 6, USB Type-A and Type-C ports, Thunderbolt 4 support, Gigabit Ethernet, and a backlit keyboard.
This time around, System76 has updated the Oryx Pro with an optional 4K OLED screen and faster DDR5 RAM. The company said, “DDR5 RAM can achieve 50 percent faster transfer speeds than DDR4 while consuming less power. This is a significant speed boost for those who frequently work with large files or datasets.” Unfortunately, the 4K screen has a glossy finish, but the 1080p option retains a matte coating. You can buy the laptop with either a 15.6 or 17.3-inch screen.
The main selling point with System76’s computers is that they are specifically designed for use with Linux, which includes technical support if something doesn’t work — something most PC manufacturers only offer with Windows. Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS is installed by default, and you can swap it for any other Linux distribution that has decent support for NVIDIA graphics cards. Pop!_OS has all the required GPU drivers, and switches between integrated graphics and the dedicated GPU as needed to improve battery life, like some Windows-based gaming laptops.
The new Oryx Pro looks like an excellent choice for anyone who needs top-tier graphics in a Linux machine, but it will cost you — the base configuration with an RTX 3070 Ti is $2,198. If you don’t need that much GPU power in a Linux laptop, the Lemur Pro is much lighter and cheaper, or you can get the HP Dev One.
