This is the first AMD Ryzen laptop to come with Linux – making it easier than ever to ditch Windows 10

Tuxedo Book BA15
(Image credit: Tuxedo Computers)

Want a Linux laptop with an AMD Ryzen processor? Then you might be interested in the latest creation from a German PC maker, which is claiming a ‘world first’ with its Tuxedo Book BA15 having an AMD chip and Linux pre-installed.

While you can install Linux on many laptops if you so wish, having it arrive with the operating system already on the machine and fully configured means you don’t have to go through the hassle of wiping the portable of Windows 10 and installing (then setting up) the alternative OS. Also, those laptops which do come with Linux on-board run with Intel processors.

At least as far as we can tell, Tuxedo Computers is indeed the first to offer an AMD Ryzen-powered laptop which comes loaded with Linux out-of-the-box (at least without serious caveats), so the manufacturer earns some major kudos for that.

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The downside is that some elements of the spec of the Tuxedo Book BA15 are somewhat off-putting, namely the use of single-channel memory, which is going to hamper the performance of the integrated graphics on said Ryzen chip.

Also, the chip used is AMD’s Ryzen 5 3500U, so not one of the freshly unleashed Ryzen 4000 models which we’ve been hearing so much about in terms of their blistering laptop performance in recent times.

Solid proposition

Still, if you can accept those limitations, the Tuxedo Book BA15 looks like a solid enough proposition elsewhere, and carries a beefy 91Wh battery, with a claimed battery life of up to 13 hours.

It’s also a lightweight notebook with a magnesium alloy chassis which looks pretty smart with very thin bezels around the 15-inch Full HD display. The base model has 8GB of system RAM, but you can notch that up to 32GB if needed using the system configurator (and it’s possible to add a second M.2 SSD if you want).

The machine can be ordered with Tuxedo OS – which is based on Ubuntu with the Budgie desktop – or either plain Ubuntu or openSUSE. Tuxedo promises that the notebook arrives “completely configured and installed with all available updates and device drivers”, for a minimum of hassle.

In other words, ditching Windows 10 for Linux has never been easier for those who want a laptop that also benefits from a Ryzen mobile processor, and hopefully we’ll see Ryzen 4000 variants from Tuxedo soon enough.

As it stands, the base Tuxedo Book BA15 retails at €859 (around $940, £760) plus shipping and is on pre-order now, with shipping expected to start June 15.

Via Softpedia

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).