Chrultrabook-compatible Chromebook deals

If you stumble across a good deal, use this thread to share it with the class

Saw this on Best Buy:

AFAICS, it is supported:

Device Support Status | Chrultrabook Docs
Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5601) FELWINTER

I really, really, really don’t recommend buying a Chromebook just to run Windows/Linux. There’s very few cases where that makes sense.

Curious to hear more on your perspective as one of the key members in the community. I can see the argument that relative to a Windows laptop, there aren’t any compatible current/last gen models. I can also see it as an unnecessary handicap if it is your sole device and you plan on doing CPU-intensive tasks.

With that said, I’ve been using chromebooks for over a decade and turned my current device into a chrultrabook two years ago. Based on my experience:

  • The keyboard layout/shortcuts are better-suited for modern computing usage, which (even on Linux) is disproportionately internet browser/web app-related for most users. I have a (more powerful) Windows laptop that I turned into a headless Debian server because F-keys feel so unintuitive in a browser.
  • Hardware-wise, chromebooks typically embrace a lighter, more modern aesthetic compared to the Windows laptops at the same price level
  • The fingerprint scanner and one of my USB-C ports have never worked, but everything has otherwise been a standard Linux experience and/or is no longer an issue in the current iteration of the chrultrabook project.
  • I have a desktop and the laptop-turned-server for work/CPU-intensive tasks. While I wouldn’t call my chrultrabook a throwaway device, it is an inexpensive media consumption powerhouse where I do the majority of my movie/youtube watching, SSHing into my server, forum browsing, coffee shop studying, etc. To me, it’s like a tablet… unnecessary for many yet irreplaceable to those that find a workflow with it.

My understanding is that if they have the same chipset, Linux on a Chromebook vs Linux a Windows laptop will have largely similar performance overall. Let me know if I’m mistaken here.

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sure, the base SoC is the same in many cases. But the audio setup is completely different on Chromebooks, and keeping it working with mainline linux is a cat and mouse game. USB/TB support is completely different on Chromebooks as well, requiring workarounds. Touchpad calibration tends to be different. Just lots of little things that add up, that if you aren’t a tech enthusiast willing to put in the work, result in a very frustrating experience.

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All good points.

I think that I am a bit privileged being a downstream end user as opposed to a maintainer on the frontline. My current stability is the fruit of your labor years ago and might not be emblematic of current/future project friction.

Threw a couple bucks your way on paypal and will look to make it recurring once I get a new job lol.

Should I try installing Windows on Chromebook plus 514 with i3n305?
will I get all the drivers needed or smooth installation .tell me should I go because I it fails I cant be able to get back to chromeos

I have a very strong opinion on this topic: if you’re not a highly technical Windows user – and by that, I mean if you can’t solve Windows install/driver/other issues blindfolded – you should not be running Windows on a ChromeOS device, especially not if it’s your primary device and/or can’t deal with it not being available. This is not something you can do by just following directions when you don’t understand how things work under the hood.

if you can’t read the instructions and figure out how to get back to ChromeOS, then you absolutely should not attempt to install Windows. This is common sense.

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This is where I bought my Morphius √ Simpaticotech™ Notebook Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga G1 ChromeBook Ryzen 5-3500C 16GB 256GB SSD 13.3' Touch Chrome [Grade B] | 30 giorni di prova gratuita - 5i - media voti 5 / 5 - Ricondizionato Rigenerato Prezzo Offerta but I paid for it 250 Euros instead of 175.

Getting everything working on Fedora 41 - ultramarine actually required some effort and a few hours so I agree that it’s not a wise move for everybody. In my case, I was forced to switching to Gnu Linux because of very poor battery performance (5-6 hours) which got doubled after the switch. The bad thing is that the Amd cpu requires a patched kernel for audio to work, so that you have got to be very careful when upgrading the mainline packages.

This makes zero sense. Picasso chromebooks have had working audio on mainline for years now. My morphius has everything working on mainline.

Really? I must have misunderstood something. I am using the submarine install, i.e. without flashing Mr Chromebox firmware, in the ultramarine wiki they say their kernel has been patched for audio to work.

When I updated to Fedora 42 (kernel included) audio stopped working and executing your script did not work either. At least I was unable to let it work, so I supposed I needed a patched kernel. May I ask you which would be the right way of updating/upgradind the kernel and getting functional sound too? Thanks.

That patched kernel is general and applies to other platforms (most notably, stoneyridge). What likely happened is you ran into an upstream UCM bug. I’m not sure if upstream has created a new release since the fix though.

Thanks, I will investgate a bit further before moving to Fedora 42.

I have bought multiple Jinlons from Wistek Market which has the best prices (then u upgrade the NVMe yourself). It is not in stock right now but it is often in stock: Search: 1 result found for "c1030".

I also bought Redrixes (Search: 5 results found for "dragonfly"), but the Linux experience on Redrix is not as smooth (especially the touchpad can be glitchy), so I would not recommend buying a Redrix to run Linux on. I always end up switching from redrix back to jinlon because even though jinlon is not as powerful, reliability is more important.

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Just for the records, let me share that have just moved to Fedora 42 through the official Ultramarine update and audio works fine.