Users have been pestering Linux hardware vendor and Pop!_OS distribution maker System76 for some time to make an AMD powered laptop, even in our comments we've seen plenty of calls for it and so they listened. Today they announced the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen powered Serval WS.
System76 say it has desktop-level power in a portable housing, making it "uniquely positioned for a wide variety of uses". They're not really overstating that either. The new Serval WS will come with either the 3rd Gen Ryzen 3600, 3700X, or 3900 CPU making all models quite a power-house and good for gaming too.
Have a look at some images provided by System76, including a sweet interior shot - click for a gallery:
"Our twelfth generation Serval WS breaks new ground with AMD Ryzen desktop CPUs in a laptop starting at only $1,299," says Carl Richell, Founder and CEO. "As such, it's the perfect companion for professionals requiring desktop performance while mobile."
Not only does it have a top processor, it's not short on the graphics side either. They didn't go with AMD for graphics though, sticking with NVIDIA instead giving the choice of either an NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti or an RTX 2070. On top of that you can kit it out with a huge amount of hard drive space with up to 4TB NVMe.
Here's the full specs they sent over:
| Operating System |
Pop!_OS 20.04 LTS (64-bit) or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (64-bit) |
| Processor |
3rd Gen AMD® Ryzen™ 5 3600: 3.6 up to 4.2 GHz - 6 Cores - 12 Threads 3rd Gen AMD® Ryzen™ 7 3700X: 3.6 up to 4.4 GHz - 8 Cores - 16 Threads 3rd Gen AMD® Ryzen™ 9 PRO 3900: 3.1 up to 4.3 GHz - 12 Cores - 24 Threads |
| Display |
15.6” FHD (1920x1080) Matte Finished, 120 Hz |
| Graphics |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2070 |
| Memory |
8GB DDR4 2933Mhz as standard, upgradeable to 64GB dual-channel DDR4 |
| Storage |
2 x M.2 (SATA or PCIe NVMe), 1 x 2.5" 7mm height drive, Up to 8 TB total |
| Expansion |
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 1 x USB 2.0, SD Card Reader |
| Input |
Multitouch Touchpad, Multi-Color Backlit Chiclet US QWERTY Keyboard |
| Networking |
Gigabit Ethernet, Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX + Bluetooth |
| Video Ports |
HDMI (w/HDCP), Mini DisplayPort (1.4), USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C w/ DisplayPort (1.4) |
| Audio |
2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone / Microphone), Microphone Jack, Stereo Speakers |
| Camera |
1.0M HD Video Camera |
| Security |
Kensington® Lock |
| Battery |
Removable 6 cell Smart Lithium-Ion battery pack 62Wh |
| Charger |
Dependent on Graphics: GTX 1660 Ti: 180 Watts, AC-in 100~240V, 50~60Hz RTX 2070: 230 Watts, AC-in 100~240V, 50~60Hz |
| Dimensions |
(Height × Width × Depth): 1.28" x 14.21" x 10.16" (32.51 mm x 360.934 mm x 258.06 mm) |
| Weight |
5.95 lbs (2.70 kg) Base weight. Varies on configuration |
According to System76 press the AMD Ryzen powered Serval WS will be available today, June 11. You can see more and order from System76.com. The direct page for the Serval WS is here.
Fantastic to see System76 continue to expand. Over the last 2 or so years they've really become quite a force to be reckoned with in the Linux hardware and software space. Starting off from humble beginnings offering somewhat generic devices although with their full Linux tailored support, they moved onto their very fancy custom-built Thelio desktop line. From there they progressed even further into more open source with things like Coreboot and open firmware on the Lemur Pro from this year. This is another great step to offer more choice to consumers.
On another related note, System76 are hiring! They need a Software Engineer to work on their Linux distribution Pop!_OS. Seems you need to be US-based but you can do it remotely. Have a look on their jobs page.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
I can't help but wonder if AMD has all their mobile APU supply tied up with the big OEM's.
Nope, no thanks. Never giving them money again if I can help it, until they follow AMD's lead and properly open source + get their drivers into mainline, like AMDGPU, which works miles better on my partner's newer desktop w/ an RX 580. No more losing video drivers every time there's a kernel update.
Hopefully it's just a lack of decent options on the AMD side being available in channels yet, so give it another 6 months and maybe this will change.
Personally, and I don't think I'm alone here, but I was really hoping for a lighter, more compact Ryzen 4xxx APU based system then a workstation brick with a desktop CPU in it.
I can't help but wonder if AMD has all their mobile APU supply tied up with the big OEM's.
The Serval WS line has always been their "portable workstation" line that has a full desktop CPU and terrible battery life. Perhaps we'll see something when they refresh their Oryx Pro line, which is expected this month.
Does anyone know if AMD has something like Nvidia Optimus? I've noticed that switching from the Nvidia GPU in my Sys76 laptop to the Intel has had the option changed from "Intel" to "Integrated" recently. I've searched around a little to see if AMD has a solution for this, but I haven't found anything. I may just be searching for the wrong thing though. :/
Last edited by hiryu on 11 June 2020 at 4:30 pm UTC
Let them make a proper AMD laptop.
Last edited by Shmerl on 11 June 2020 at 4:32 pm UTC
PublicNuisance Jun 11, 2020
Does anyone know if AMD has something like Nvidia Optimus?
While not exclusive to AMD, GPU switching should work out of the box with vgaswitcheroo/PRIME.
https://01.org/linuxgraphics/gfx-docs/drm/gpu/vga-switcheroo.html
It also doesn't appear that Clevo makes a Ryzen-APU powered machine yet. There are leaks of benchmarks for models containing the Radeon 5600M so it's only a matter of time.
Last edited by drlamb on 11 June 2020 at 4:41 pm UTC
tuxintuxedo Jun 11, 2020
Perkeleen_Vittupää Jun 11, 2020
Well, picking Nvidia for graphics is a major no go for a Linux laptop. Pretty bad move on their part.
Let them make a proper AMD laptop.
Their hardware and drivers are not that great in my experience. The last AMD graphics card I bought was used for a month and then replaced with nVidia again. Maybe in a few years I'll look at them again but for now I'm sticking with nVidia under Linux.
Their hardware and drivers are not that great in my experience. The last AMD graphics card I bought was used for a month and then replaced with nVidia again. Maybe in a few years I'll look at them again but for now I'm sticking with nVidia under Linux.
I have AMD laptop for work (Zen+ generation) running Linux. It works out of the box, unlike horrors that plague Nvidia based ones.
Last edited by Shmerl on 11 June 2020 at 6:05 pm UTC
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 11 June 2020 at 7:01 pm UTC
Well, picking Nvidia for graphics is a major no go for a Linux laptop. Pretty bad move on their part.
Let them make a proper AMD laptop.
Nvidia graphic seems to be the only good option for graphic when still Linux game maker like Aspyr don't support AMD graphics on some of their games, like Civilization VI
Nvidia graphic seems to be the only good option for graphic when still Linux game maker like Aspyr don't support AMD graphics on some of their games, like Civilization VI
That hasn't been the case for years already. Some older games might say that since they were developed when Vulkan didn't exit, and Mesa didn't have OpenGL compliance. But it doesn't mean they actually don't work today.
Last edited by Shmerl on 12 June 2020 at 1:33 am UTC
I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall. I want to buy an all AMD linux laptop with hardware killswitches. Purism only does Intel. Even for graphics, so nevermind about the killswitches. System76 is now using AMD CPU's.... and why exactly do we not have an option for a 5700XT?
So, with that being the case, I'm just going to buy one of these when the price is back down around $500 and save some cash(it will probably ship with Fedora32 by the time I buy one, and if not it's an easy install, plus the touchscreen will work with Inkscape):
Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop, 14 Inch FHD Touchscreen Display, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Processor, 12GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB NVMe SSD, Windows 10, 81SS000DUS, Black, Pen Included
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TWHYTSQ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_6?smid=A3JCEXQJ2V9ZXA&psc=1
Last edited by jarhead_h on 12 June 2020 at 4:07 am UTC
Arehandoro Jun 12, 2020
Glad to see an AMD CPU on it though. As many have stated, an nvidia gpu makes it less of an option as well. In any case, I hope it sells well enough so System 76 can continue adding AMD in their products.
I may just get rid of my Acer Predator AMD/Vega Laptop as its been a complete letdown under Linux due to AMD's horrible driver stack of which I have been waiting over 1 year for a fix. I get constant no AC power issues and GPU crashes with it so its impossible to game with under Linux. Will NEVER buy Acer products again, Ever.
I got this laptop because AMD was supposed to be better than NVIDIA. Please dont believe the hype.
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