This Week in Linux 110: AMD Ryzen Linux Laptops, Thunderbird 78, Cooler Master Raspberry Pi Case

Originally published at: 110: AMD Ryzen Linux Laptops, Thunderbird 78, Cooler Master Raspberry Pi Case - Podcasts - TuxDigital

On this episode of This Week in Linux, we’ve got some really cool hardware news, we’ve finally got some Linux laptops equipped with an AMD Ryzen 4000H series processor. These laptops are thanks to Tuxedo Computers and KDE Slimbook. Cooler Master has launched a kickstarter campaign to make a pretty slick Case for the Raspberry…

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Thanks, @MichaelTunnell! Best news of the week for me are custom Linux laptops with new AMD processors. I’m not really in the market for one myself, but I’m glad they have them, and have preinstalled distros that are appropriate for the hardware itself. As much as I love Debian, I’m not sure it would work on latest hardware.

Smaller companies than Cooler Master have made Pi cases. I’m not a fan when established companies crowdfund projects, especially when they themselves haven’t backed any campaigns. Cooler Master is literally an OEM used by major brands for chassis and heat management and they need to crowdfund why? Right now they have $242,326 on a goal of $10,556. That is almost a quarter of a million dollars just getting pocketed.

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It’s not a courage jack, it’s a freedom jack!

::eagle noise::

They said it’s a Kickstarter so they can get customer feedback before production. That’s a bit silly considering they can just do that on Reddit but Kickstarter does guarantee the feedback is coming from actual customers of that product instead of random people.

They could already afford to make it (on credit or directly) and the market’s already saturated so this felt like a cash grab going in… BUT… it looks like they’re making the best Pi case you can buy (imho).

Anodized only on one side for best cooling/wear resistance combo, full-case passive cooling, solid-core CPU block, lapped CPU surface, accessible GPIO, nothing to catch on a pocket, power button, low bulk. I don’t know of a case that doesn’t fail at least 3 of those.

Quote from Cooler Master:

We are going with Kickstarter to get feedback from professionals and hardcore hobbyists to make this product one that they’ll love to use. We are currently working with beta testers from all over Europe and the US… but we want more!

We want to know what you would like to see from Pi Case 40. Our goal is to provide you a tool for your needs.

A different mounting mechanism? Compatibility with older boards? A different color? What about being able to attach an SSD? Let us know!

Tell us in the comments what you would like to see!

And, for those of you who really want to make a difference, we have 10x Co-Developer Packages available! This extremely limited package includes an exclusive brainstorming session with the development team behind Pi Case 40 where you’ll be able to discuss potential changes and design revisions.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coolermaster/pi-case-40

Why did they need to hire a marketing firm and a publicist to help them with the kickstarter?

My old notebook had a courage jack that was a combo 3.5 mm headphone and mini-TOSLINK optical port. That’s the kind of courageousness I like to see from my notebook computer.

Wouldn’t they have to hire those types of people for the desired exposure either way?

I think you’re on to something with the propensity of big companies to suck all the oxygen out of the room especially in places startups depend on. I think this may be a clear exception though because the startups have had years to do their best and Cooler Master is coming in with the best case (imho) by a wide margin, not just selling their name.

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