Questions Before I Buy Anything

[Tourma]

Hi all,



So my main comp is starting(?) to die and repairing it is rated as "pain in the butt."  So alongside researching that, I'm also looking into a cheap daily driver.  Pinebook Pros sound like that, though I still have some questions.



How "snappy" is it? -  Right now I'm using a old Windows Tablet and it can barely handle Win10.  Its aggravating as all get out. 

• What I mean is say, when I try and load a website, is the only restriction my internet speed, or is there a the lack of RAM that gets in the way?
  
• And more broadly, how quickly do the usual suspects, (like firefox, libreoffice, the music player,) load?
  

Can it remember where it was?  Like, I was on Mastodon with Firefox on this shabby windows device earlier and went to a new tab and shopped for a bit.  When I came back, Mastodon had reloaded back at the top, having to reallocate its RAM to Walmart.



How is the keybaord/touchpad?

• Is there any lag to characters appearing on the screen?
  
• double presses/ignored presses?
  

            Can you tell some other issues I have with this current machine?

• do the keys feel logical? I've had laptops for years and never got used to the layout.
     Not this one!  An old HP I had.
• backlit?
     A high hope for something so inexpensive, but I do enjoy them.

I was thinking of adding an SSD if I get one, do I need a heatsink too?  I've never done that on any computer.  I see Samsung 980s are on sale.  There are also ones with built in headsinks.



I've mooched around with Mint as a Virtual Machine, but that's my extent of Linux experience.  Is there anything I should know abut Manjaro before diving in?

• Does Discord have a reliable distribution for it?
  
• Does Steam run at all?
  
• Itchio etc?
  

~~~



I might think of more questions, but thanks in advance!



Leia

[zetabeta]

Hi all,



So my main comp is starting(?) to die and repairing it is rated as "pain in the butt."  So alongside researching that, I'm also looking into a cheap daily driver.  Pinebook Pros sound like that, though I still have some questions.



How "snappy" is it? -  Right now I'm using a old Windows Tablet and it can barely handle Win10.  Its aggravating as all get out. 

• What I mean is say, when I try and load a website, is the only restriction my internet speed, or is there a the lack of RAM that gets in the way?
  
• And more broadly, how quickly do the usual suspects, (like firefox, libreoffice, the music player,) load?
  

Can it remember where it was?  Like, I was on Mastodon with Firefox on this shabby windows device earlier and went to a new tab and shopped for a bit.  When I came back, Mastodon had reloaded back at the top, having to reallocate its RAM to Walmart.



How is the keybaord/touchpad?

• Is there any lag to characters appearing on the screen?
  
• double presses/ignored presses?
  

            Can you tell some other issues I have with this current machine?

• do the keys feel logical? I've had laptops for years and never got used to the layout.
     Not this one!  An old HP I had.
  
• backlit?
     A high hope for something so inexpensive, but I do enjoy them.
  

I was thinking of adding an SSD if I get one, do I need a heatsink too?  I've never done that on any computer.  I see Samsung 980s are on sale.  There are also ones with built in headsinks.



I've mooched around with Mint as a Virtual Machine, but that's my extent of Linux experience.  Is there anything I should know abut Manjaro before diving in?

• Does Discord have a reliable distribution for it?
  
• Does Steam run at all?
  
• Itchio etc?
  

~~~



I might think of more questions, but thanks in advance!



Leia

first, i own pinephones and pinephone pro, not pinebooks or pb pros.

i don't answer everything here, but reading between the lines, i don't think pinebook pro is a device for you. you might be better off with x86(64bit) laptop.

let's start cpu architecture, it's a hardware feature. windows usually runs on x86 (64bit) cpus, and even most linux distributions runs on x86 cpus. software is heavily available for x86 windows, and many software is available for x86 (64bit) linux as well, like discord, steam. i have used discord and ms teams on x86 linux, but not steam.

pinebook pro uses arm cpu, (risk-v version uses risk-v, for pinetab-v). it means lot of software is not available. my short guess is, forget discord, steam and similar. some software could be compiled into arm version, but because arm o.s. has some differences, therefore compilement may not succeed.

what i'm reading here and there. software and o.s. for pinebook pro is in development more or less. except some bugs. at least wifi driver is buggy. actually, pinetab2 and pinetab-v is in development.

edit: correction, risk-v is for pinetab-v. and confusing with pinebook pro and pinetab2.

[dachalife]

Hi,

I’ll try to answer a few of your questions, I have been using my PBP since 9/2022.
Note: I am not using the default installed operating system (Manjaro), nor the stock kernel.

Start up times:
Power on to log in screen: 40 seconds, (I have a 10 s. delay for multiple boot/kernel options).
XFCE, from application launcher click:
Firefox: 14 s., average news site: 6.3 s.; it’s fine for the sites I mainly use at work with 2-3 tabs open. VLC & Parole: 2 s. & Libre Office: 6 s.

The keyboard is great to type on with no key problems. The trackpad performance depends upon which firmware is installed.
A SSD will work (check the wiki), but it draws more power. You also need to purchase the adapter separately and it’s not too hard to install, as long as you’re comfortable opening the case. I bought and installed one, but it was way overkill; I never filled the internal & SD card storage.
I can’t comment on the applications you mentioned, as I don’t use them; you’ll need to check.

Other items:
You would also need an externally powered hub/dock if you plan to use large external drives or need to access external DVD/CD drives.
The speakers are tinny, but sound is fine with headphones/Bluetooth earbuds/external speakers (JBL works fine).
It’s suitable for me; lightweight with decent battery life and didn’t take too long to customize exactly the way I wanted it. I’m also mainly using it for work related tasks, not games or social media, as I have other devices for that.

If it’ll be a good fit for you, I can’t say; browse through the wiki, forum & go from there.

[tophneal]

i can say for certain that there is a very useable discord client you can install (i use it on both my pinebook and tab) called 'armcord'

[moobythegoldensock]

This device has a great form factor, keyboard, and build quality. However, if you’re looking for snappy and to run steam games, this isn’t the best buy for you.

You can get a used x86_64 laptop with an SSD and 8 GB of RAM for less than the PBP on Facebook Marketplace. You might have to get a new battery for it and blow the fans with compressed air, but that’ll cost you like $30 total. Then you can install a light linux on it like Mint XFCE and enjoy a snappy laptop.

[Tourma]

Honestly, Steam seemed far fetched when I asked. I only know it works on some Linux machines because Steam Decks exist. :p

I figure the SSD installation is more doable on one of these as its designed to be opened, as opposed to the 20 screws and puzzle design of my MSI.

I figure most of my home computer time is mooching around on the internet. I do game on it, but with its aging 1060, that's becoming a more limited prospect. Further, with my PS5, I'll probably shift back to just a sturdy laptop rather than a medium range gaming rig fo mry next windows pc.

I do want to get a Linux machine eventually to see if I can get the hang of it before I have to upgrade. I read in an FTC case against Microsoft, (antitrust via ActivisionBlizzar I believe,) they were forced to unveil long range plans of turning Windows into a cloud-based subscription service.

Fuck.
That.

But yeah. Under your recommendation, if I go that route I'll likely try a cheap X86 instead.

I do own a PineTime and enjoy the thing. Still looking for a watchband that is thin enough for it though. I tried two from Amazon and had to send both back. They're the right width, but too thick.

Anyway. Thanks.

If anyone else has any advice, please still post.