{"id":57298,"date":"2024-09-08T04:13:40","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T04:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/?p=57298"},"modified":"2024-09-08T04:13:40","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T04:13:40","slug":"system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"System76 Gazelle (gaze18) Review: A Portable Linux Powerhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >\u062c\u062f\u0648\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u062d\u062a\u0648\u064a\u0627\u062a<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse\/#Design_and_Connectivity_An_Absolute_Unit\" title=\"Design and Connectivity: An Absolute Unit\">Design and Connectivity: An Absolute Unit<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse\/#Audio_and_Video_Bring_Your_Own\" title=\"Audio and Video: Bring Your Own\">Audio and Video: Bring Your Own<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse\/#Software_Pop_Or_Not\" title=\"Software: Pop, Or Not?\">Software: Pop, Or Not?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse\/#Battery_and_Performance_Like_a_Gaming_Laptop\" title=\"Battery and Performance: Like a Gaming Laptop\">Battery and Performance: Like a Gaming Laptop<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse\/#Should_You_Buy_the_System76_Gazelle_gaze18\" title=\"Should You Buy the System76 Gazelle (gaze18)?\">Should You Buy the System76 Gazelle (gaze18)?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"valnet-gallery\">\n<div class=\"article__gallery single-image\">\n<div class=\"gallery__images grid_view landscape-only grid-layout-1 \">\n<div class=\"gallery__images__item gallery-1-images-370494747\" data-img-unique-id=\"1-1173756068\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.png\" data-img-class=\"gallery-1-images-370494747\" data-gallery-modal-id=\"gallery-modal-1-1800548983\" data-gallery-slides-container-id=\"gallery-modal-1-slides-container-1934605573\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img img-gallery-thumbnail-img\">\n<figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1197\" loading=\"lazy\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.png\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.png?resize=1200%2C1197&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"height:auto;max-width:100%\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":0,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":0,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":0,\"ruleCount\":200,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":240} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":1,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":1,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":0,\"ruleCount\":200,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":200,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<p> System76 sells desktops and laptops built specifically for Linux, and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/system76.com\/laptops\/gazelle\">Gazelle (gaze18)<\/a> is one of the company&#8217;s workstation laptops. It was recently updated with new hardware, and it might just be worth the asking price if you&#8217;re in the market for a Linux PC. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":1,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":1,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":1,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":264} --><br \/>\n<!-- No winning ad found for zone: below first paragraph! --><br \/>\n<!-- No winning ad found for zone: mid intro! --><\/p>\n<p> The System76 Gazelle has been around for years, but the latest iteration ships with an Intel Core i9 processor, NVIDIA RTX 3050 graphics, up to 8TB of storage, up to 64GB of RAM, and a 15 or 17-inch 1080p display. That hardware is paired with an array of ports and connectivity options, plus the luxury of a fully supported Linux experience. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":1,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":1,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":1,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":607} --><\/p>\n<p> If you&#8217;re looking for a powerful laptop built for Linux, the Gazelle might be for you, but there are some drawbacks to consider. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":1,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":1,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":1,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":737} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":737,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":163,\"nextBlockCount\":495,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1232} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":1,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":1,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":1,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":2,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":2,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":1,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- No winning ad found for zone: native in content! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"design-and-connectivity-an-absolute-unit\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Design_and_Connectivity_An_Absolute_Unit\"><\/span> Design and Connectivity: An Absolute Unit <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p> There&#8217;s no getting around it: the Gazelle is a big laptop. The model with the 15.6-inch screen I was provided for review is 14.15 inches across (359.5 mm), 9.37 inches tall (238 mm), nearly an inch in depth (22.7 mm) when closed, and 4.39 pounds (1.99 kg). This is less convenient to lug around with you to work, classes, or a coffee shop trip than a typical ultrabook, especially since the wall charger has a standalone power supply. I&#8217;d recommend a laptop bag\u00a0if you don&#8217;t have one already. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":2,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":2,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":2,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":332} --><\/p>\n<p> The entire laptop is coated in a black matte material. It&#8217;s a much more subtle design than you&#8217;d get from most gaming laptops or even some other workstation laptops&#8212;the only visible branding is a System76 logo on the back. There&#8217;s plenty of room for stickers on the rear shell. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":2,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":2,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":2,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":613} --><\/p>\n<p> My main complaint with the design is that the Gazelle doesn&#8217;t feel like a $1300 laptop, at least to me. There&#8217;s a decent amount of flex on the top panel&#8212;probably because there&#8217;s no glossy glass panel to keep it rigid&#8212;and you can see the same effect if you press down hard enough on the keyboard area. I&#8217;m sure that going with a more rigid metal material would make the laptop even heavier and more expensive, though, and this laptop is already over four pounds. <\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":2,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":2,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":2,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":1080} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":3,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":3,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":2,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":3,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":3,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":3,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":240} --><\/p>\n<p> I don&#8217;t have any issues with the keyboard, which has a full function row and a number pad on the right side. There is a backlight, which can be toggled with the\u00a0Fn+* keyboard shortcut. You can also switch between a few color options with the Fn+\/ shortcut. There&#8217;s no way to change the backlight color or brightness through the Settings app on Pop!_OS, which seems a bit strange. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":3,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":3,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":3,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":622} --><\/p>\n<p> The trackpad below the keyboard is also fine. You can&#8217;t easily click from the top area, like you can on modern MacBooks, but it&#8217;s large enough for comfortable use. The right-click is a two-finger click (or a tap with two fingers) by default, but you can change it to a one-finger click in the bottom-right corner in Settings. However, the trackpad is positioned to the left of the laptop (directly under the spacebar) rather than centered normally. I didn&#8217;t really mind that, but it&#8217;s worth mentioning. <\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":3,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":3,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":3,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":1126} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":4,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":4,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":3,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<p> The port selection is one area where the Gazelle is unquestionably excellent, especially in comparison to most modern ultrabooks. You get two USB Type-A ports (one USB 2, one USB 3.2 Gen 1), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connectors, a microSD card reader, gigabit Ethernet, full-size HDMI with HDCP support, Mini DisplayPort 1.4, individual headphone and microphone audio jacks, and a Kensington lock. You almost certainly won&#8217;t need a USB-C hub with this laptop. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":4,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":4,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":4,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":460} --><\/p>\n<p> The display is another strong point for the Gazelle. It&#8217;s a 1080p panel with a refresh rate of 144Hz, so you get plenty of space to work in at the default 100% scaling, with super-smooth animations. The higher refresh rate also comes in handy for some gaming&#8212;more on that later. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":4,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":4,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":4,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":742} --><\/p>\n<p> You can replace or upgrade many of the Gazelle&#8217;s hardware components, including the RAM, SSD, Wi-Fi\/Bluetooth module, and battery. System76 even has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tech-docs.system76.com\/models\/gaze18\/repairs.html\">documentation with photos<\/a> to help you along the way. <\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":4,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":4,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":4,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":945} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":5,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":5,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":4,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":5,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":5,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":5,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"audio-and-video-bring-your-own\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Audio_and_Video_Bring_Your_Own\"><\/span> Audio and Video: Bring Your Own <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p> The System76 Gazelle has a dedicated microphone jack, as well as a combo jack, that can be used for headsets or regular headphones. USB seems to be more popular for microphones and headsets these days, but no matter what you have, you can probably plug it in without any adapters. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":5,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":5,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":5,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":282} --><\/p>\n<p> The built-in microphone is not great. At the default input volume, my voice comes across clearly in calls and recordings, but there&#8217;s a lot of static, and any keypresses and clicks are too loud. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":5,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":5,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":5,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":478} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":5,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":5,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":5,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":480} --><\/p>\n<p> You can turn down the volume in the Settings app, but then you have to speak louder to compensate. The noise cancellation options in services like Discord and Google Chat might help. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":5,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":5,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":5,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":664} --><\/p>\n<p> The integrated camera is what you would expect from a normal PC laptop. It&#8217;s only 1 MP, with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 720.\u00a0The quality is passable if you have lighting from above or behind the laptop, but in more challenging situations (like dark rooms or sunlight behind you), it falls apart. <\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":5,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":5,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":5,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":966} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":6,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":6,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":5,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":6,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":6,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":6,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":240} --><\/p>\n<p> Most PC laptops are a similar story, but for a computer that costs at least $1,300, I would have expected better. A 1080p resolution feels like the bare minimum, even though the sensor matters more than the resolution. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":6,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":6,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":6,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":460} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":6,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":6,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":6,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":460} --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"software-pop-or-not\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Software_Pop_Or_Not\"><\/span> Software: Pop, Or Not? <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p> You have two choices for the pre-installed operating system when buying a Gazelle. The main choice is Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS, which is developed by System76 itself, or regular Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. I primarily tested the laptop with the default Pop!_OS installation since that is supposed to be the most integrated experience. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":6,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":6,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":6,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":779} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":779,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":121,\"nextBlockCount\":581,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1360} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":6,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":6,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":6,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":7,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":7,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":6,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<p> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pop.system76.com\/\">Pop!_OS<\/a> is a desktop Linux distribution created by System76 and based on Ubuntu. For the moment, it&#8217;s still using a modified version of Gnome Shell with many Gnome applications, but the company does have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.system76.com\/post\/may-flowers-spring-cosmic-showers\">grander plans<\/a> for a fully custom desktop environment. There are a few exclusive features aimed at improving productivity, like window stacking and better keyboard navigation than stock Gnome. There&#8217;s also an application dock, like the app dock on Ubuntu or macOS, with view customization options. It can also be turned off completely if you want to reclaim that screen space. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":7,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":7,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":7,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":460} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":7,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":7,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":7,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":700} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":700,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":200,\"nextBlockCount\":509,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1209} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":7,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":7,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":7,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":8,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":8,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":7,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<p> I&#8217;ve used Pop!_OS on and off over the years, and I do prefer most of the changes System76 has implemented on top of the Ubuntu base&#8212;you won&#8217;t find any of those pesky Snap applications installed by default, for example. Pop!_OS also has excellent support for online account synchronization, largely thanks to its Ubuntu base. For example, you can sign into a Google or Microsoft account in the Settings app, and your emails, contacts, and calendars will automatically appear in the respective applications. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":8,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":8,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":8,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":309} --><\/p>\n<p> Pop!_OS also has the proper drivers for the Gazelle&#8217;s Nvidia graphics pre-installed, complete with a graphics mode switcher at the top-right control panel (click the battery menu). In addition to the usual power settings, you can change the graphics to only use the integrated Intel graphics, only use the dedicated GPU, or run in a hybrid mode. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":8,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":8,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":8,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":656} --><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"related-single\">Related: It&#8217;s Time to Stop Dual-Booting Linux and Windows<\/span> <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":8,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":8,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":8,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":715} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":715,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":185,\"nextBlockCount\":482,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1197} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":8,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":8,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":8,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":9,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":9,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":8,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<p> The Pop!_OS experience isn&#8217;t perfect, though. It doesn&#8217;t fully support fractional scaling, so if you want to avoid increased power usage and reduced sharpness, the only display settings are 100% or 200% scaling. The default 100% size at 1080p gives you plenty of room for multitasking, but text and some other elements are a bit too small for my preference. The KDE desktop generally has better fractional scaling support, which is one of the reasons I prefer <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/neon.kde.org\/\">KDE Neon<\/a> on laptops. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":9,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":9,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":9,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":297} --><\/p>\n<p> Thankfully, because the Gazelle has hardware specifically picked out for Linux, you should be able to switch to most other desktop Linux distributions. I tried the live USB images for Fedora Workstation and KDE Neon, and both immediately detected all available hardware, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the full 144Hz refresh rate. However, your graphics experience will depend on if you&#8217;re using X11 or Wayland, and which GPU drivers are in use. Pop!_OS uses NVIDIA&#8217;s own proprietary drivers (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.system76.com\/articles\/system76-driver\/\">packed by System76<\/a>), while many other distributions use the open-source\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/wiki.archlinux.org\/title\/Nouveau\">Nouveau<\/a> drivers by default. You might also have different (or no) options for hybrid graphics on some other distributions. <\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":9,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":9,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":9,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":988} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":10,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":10,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":9,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":10,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":10,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":10,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":240} --><\/p>\n<p> Windows should also work fine on this laptop, though I didn&#8217;t test that out. System76 has\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/system76\/windows-drivers\">links to the best drivers for Windows<\/a>, which has not yet been updated with links for this latest Gazelle (model &#8220;gaze18&#8221;). Dual-booting Windows and Linux on the included SSD may be possible, but that can cause problems that compromise the experience of both operating systems. The Gazelle has two M.2 slots for SSDs, so you could theoretically have one operating system on each drive. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":10,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":10,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":10,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":717} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":10,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":10,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":10,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":717} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":717,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":183,\"nextBlockCount\":602,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1319} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":10,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":10,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":10,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":11,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":11,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":10,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"battery-and-performance-like-a-gaming-laptop\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Battery_and_Performance_Like_a_Gaming_Laptop\"><\/span> Battery and Performance: Like a Gaming Laptop <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p> The System76 Gazelle ships with a\u00a013th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H processor, which has six performance cores and eight efficiency cores. In theory, the operating system is supposed to move processes between those cores to maximize battery life, but Linux still isn&#8217;t great at that yet. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomshardware.com\/news\/intel-thread-director-coming-to-linux-5-18\">Linux kernel 5.18 included some fixes<\/a> from Intel for that, and my review unit with Pop!_OS 22.04 was running an even newer 6.2 kernel. There&#8217;s also a dedicated NVIDIA RTX 3050 mobile graphics card (GA107M), which gives you more GPU power than most ultrabooks, but the Gazelle is not a high-end graphics workstation. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":11,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":11,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":11,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":419} --><\/p>\n<p> The rest of the hardware is configurable when you order the Gazelle. You can choose up to 64GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory and up to 8TB of storage across two M.2 slots (1x PCIe Gen4 &amp; 1x PCIe Gen3). The model I received for review has 16GB RAM, the base 250GB PCIe Gen 3 SSD, and no additional storage. The laptop starts at $1,299, but the 16GB upgrade I have pushes the price to $1,348. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":11,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":11,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":11,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":813} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":813,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":87,\"nextBlockCount\":306,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1119} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":11,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":11,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":11,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":12,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":12,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":11,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<p> I tried the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, and in the &#8220;Balanced&#8221; battery mode with the Gazelle plugged into the wall, the laptop earned a single-core score of 2,501 and a multi-core score of 10,960 (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/browser.geekbench.com\/v6\/cpu\/1313160\">full results<\/a>). For comparison, Apple&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/131182\/apple-macbook-air-m2-2022-review\/\">M2 MacBook Air<\/a>\u00a0(which normally starts at $1,200) has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/browser.geekbench.com\/macs\/macbook-air-2022\">similar results<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":12,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":12,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":12,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":219} --><\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img image-expandable img-article-item\">\n<figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Keyboard on the System76 Gazelle laptop\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"height:auto;max-width:100%\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"body-img-caption\">Hannah Stryker \/ How-To GeekHannah Stryker \/ Review GeekHannah Stryker \/ LifeSavvy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":12,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":12,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":12,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":459} --><\/p>\n<p> In real-life usage, I don&#8217;t have any complaints about the Gazelle&#8217;s performance. It only takes a few seconds to go from powered off to a login screen, applications open quickly, and the 144Hz screen makes the entire experience feel more responsive. Granted, I&#8217;m not doing anything that should push the limits of a workstation laptop&#8212;mostly a mix of Chrome tabs, Geary email, Slack, and Discord. I did work on a Dart project in Visual Studio Code, which also isn&#8217;t a super-demanding workload, but I had no issues there either. <\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":12,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":12,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":12,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":988} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":13,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":13,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":12,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<p> I also tried a few games on the Gazelle. Thanks to Valve&#8217;s recent work on the Proton compatibility layer, you can run plenty of Windows-only games on Linux distributions like Pop!_OS. I played some &#8220;Planet Coaster&#8221; and &#8220;Deep Rock Galactic&#8221; (the Steam versions of each),\u00a0and in both games, I was able to reach the laptop&#8217;s full 144Hz refresh rate after some trial and error with the graphical settings. Again, the RTX 3050 is not a powerful graphics card&#8212;you won&#8217;t get Xbox Series X or PS5-level performance out of this laptop. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":13,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":13,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":13,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":531} --><\/p>\n<p> The Gazelle is built like a gaming laptop, and that includes fans that can get loud after extended heavy use. That problem is unavoidable and also present on most gaming laptops. However, I did notice a problem that affects the laptop while it&#8217;s plugged into the wall: the fans will kick on at full speed for seemingly no reason. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":13,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":13,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":13,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":862} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":862,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":38,\"nextBlockCount\":601,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1463} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":13,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":13,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":13,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":14,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":14,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":13,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<p> The sudden loud fan noise happened once while the laptop was sitting idle while downloading a Steam game, and another time when I was installing software from the\u00a0Pop!_Shop, both in the &#8220;Balanced&#8221; power mode. In the latter event, CPU usage was under 50%, and GPU usage was close to 0%. The problem did not happen when running from battery power in my testing, so my guess is that there&#8217;s a bug with the power management or fan curve somewhere. Some gaming laptops allow you to set a custom fan curve, but that feature is not available on the Gazelle, regardless of what operating system is running. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":14,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":14,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":14,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":563} --><\/p>\n<p> Battery life is also what you would expect for a gaming laptop. I reached around three hours on a single charge while primarily working in Chrome and Slack, and anything CPU or GPU-intensive (compiling code, gaming, etc) is going to drop that further. A full workday out of the Gazelle will almost certainly require the power cable. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":14,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":14,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":14,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":897} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":14,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":14,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":14,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":897} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":897,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":3,\"nextBlockCount\":420,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1317} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":14,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":14,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":14,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":15,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":15,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":14,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"should-you-buy-the-system76-gazelle-gaze18\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_You_Buy_the_System76_Gazelle_gaze18\"><\/span> Should You Buy the System76 Gazelle (gaze18)? <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p> The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/system76.com\/laptops\/gazelle\">System76 Gazelle (gaze18)<\/a> is positioned as a mobile workstation with a fully-supported desktop Linux experience, and it meets that goal. The performance is excellent, the 14-inch display gives you plenty of room to work, and\u00a0Pop!_OS works well. The extensive array of ports, user-upgradable storage, and (single-zone) RGB keyboard will be the envy of your friends and coworkers with MacBooks and Dell XPS laptops. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":15,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":15,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":15,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":417} --><\/p>\n<p> However, the Gazelle is built like a gaming laptop, which means you have all the downsides that come with most gaming laptops. It&#8217;s large and heavy, with a power cable that has a brick in the middle for the power supply. The fan noise can also be annoying at times. If portability is a top concern, you might want to think about System76&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/system76.com\/laptops\/lemur\">Lemur Pro<\/a> instead or something else entirely. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":15,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":15,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":15,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":804} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":804,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":true,\"countRemainingForInjection\":96,\"nextBlockCount\":410,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":true,\"nextCount\":1214} --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":15,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":15,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":15,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":900} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":16,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":16,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":15,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":true,\"actualCount\":0} --><\/p>\n<p> System76 is selling the Gazelle at a starting price of $1,149, but that model ships with 8GB RAM, which I would strongly recommend against. If you select the 16GB RAM option, and leave the rest of the hardware options alone (giving you the same configuration reviewed here), you&#8217;ll be paying $1,348. That&#8217;s definitely an expensive laptop, but it&#8217;s not too far off from\u00a0Windows laptops with similar hardware. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":16,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":16,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":16,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":314} --><\/p>\n<p> There are also modern MacBook Air and Pro models to consider, especially the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/131182\/apple-macbook-air-m2-2022-review\/\">M2 MacBook Air<\/a>. Yes, those laptops don&#8217;t have the same user-upgradable hardware and extensive library of PC games, but they&#8217;re thinner, lighter, and nearly silent. I was primarily using desktop Linux myself until I <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.corbin.io\/post\/706477032079605761\/back-to-the-mac\">bought an M1 Air and Mac Mini in 2022<\/a>, and between cross-platform apps like Visual Studio Code and command-line tools from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/brew.sh\/\">Homebrew<\/a>, it wasn&#8217;t a difficult transition. <\/p>\n<p><!-- No repeatable ad for zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"none\",\"adPosition\":16,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":16,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":16,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"actualCount\":774} --><\/p>\n<p> If you need a powerful laptop that is built for Linux, and you are willing to trade some portability for a large screen and plenty of ports, the Gazelle might be for you. <\/p>\n<p><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"before\",\"adPosition\":16,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":16,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":16,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":946} --><!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"injection\":\"after\",\"adPosition\":17,\"startingPoint\":0,\"skipEvery\":null,\"nbrPlacementFilledEachSkip\":17,\"nbrPlacementsScanned\":16,\"ruleCount\":900,\"degradationStartingPoint\":1,\"stopAds\":null,\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"actualCount\":0} --><br \/>\n<!-- Repeatable debug data: {\"isEarlyInjection\":false,\"currentRuleCount\":900,\"actualCount\":0,\"hasActualCountMetThreshold\":null,\"countRemainingForInjection\":null,\"nextBlockCount\":null,\"hasCountRemainingForInjectionMetThreshold\":null} --><\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card scroll-offset tag large no-badge active-content \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"aa50-4d66-b5ae77a86b44\">\n<div class=\"w-img \">\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img img-article-square\">\n<figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"System76-Gazelle-gaze18-laptop-on-a-white-background\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/1725768817_176_System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.png\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/1725768817_176_System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.png?resize=1200%2C675&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"height:auto;max-width:100%\" title=\"\">  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"> System76 Gazelle (gaze18) <\/h5>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-pros-cons\">\n<div><strong class=\"sub-title\">Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"pro-list\">\n<li class=\"icon\">Great performance<\/li>\n<li class=\"icon\">Large display with a smooth 144Hz refresh rate<\/li>\n<li class=\"icon\">Excellent connectivity options<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div><strong class=\"sub-title\">Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"con-list\">\n<li class=\"icon\">Limited battery life compared to most ultrabooks<\/li>\n<li class=\"icon\">Fans can be loud sometimes<\/li>\n<li class=\"icon\">Built-in webcam and microphone are sub-par<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>System76 sells desktops and laptops built specifically for Linux, and the Gazelle (gaze18) is one of the company&#8217;s workstation laptops. It was recently updated with new hardware, and it might just be worth the asking price if you&#8217;re in the market for a Linux PC. The System76 Gazelle has been around for years, but the &#8230; <a title=\"System76 Gazelle (gaze18) Review: A Portable Linux Powerhouse\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/system76-gazelle-gaze18-review-a-portable-linux-powerhouse\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about System76 Gazelle (gaze18) Review: A Portable Linux Powerhouse\">\u0625\u0642\u0631\u0623 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0632\u064a\u062f<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[410,322,42],"class_list":["post-57298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-linux","tag-bigpic","tag-features","tag-linux"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/1725768818_System76-Gazelle-gaze18-Review-A-Portable-Linux-Powerhouse.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodwriterz.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}