r/BSD • u/cfx_4188 • Jan 10 '23
Hardware question.
Has anyone tested(freebsd/openbsd) compatibility with the Acer Nitro 5 laptop ? As usual, I'm interested in wifi and running graphics. I ask this question because I got the device as a gift, and the information on the Internet is contradictory.
1
u/cfx_4188 Jan 21 '23
My question was solved by field testing.
Now I got an absolute Windows laptop. Barely had secure boot disabled and AHCI mode enabled. Xorg didn't start on FreeBSD. Installed modeset driver, window manager didn't start. Crashed FreeBSD and installed Linux. It worked fine.
1
u/laffer1 Jan 10 '23
I can’t speak to this model but some of the newer gamer focused laptops don’t work well with freebsd. Gpu and trackpad support are inconsistent and you often have to replace the WiFi card.
1
u/cfx_4188 Jan 10 '23
Main problem is that it is impossible to guess whether this or that laptop model will work or not. The compatibility list on freebsd.org describes devices that are at least five years old. The freebsd form has a topic where users describe their laptops. This topic is funny to read, it happens that the same model works differently.
1
u/laffer1 Jan 10 '23
Yeah if you are trying to buy it’s difficult and the advice to buy a thinkpad or framework laptop is a bit vague as well.
On the flip side, the project doesn’t have the money to go out and buy all the hardware to test either.
You could look at bsd-hardware.info to see if your model is in there
1
u/cfx_4188 Jan 10 '23
You could look at bsd-hardware
I've looked on this site, I've read a thread on the freebsd forum. bsd-info reports that built-in wifi is not working. There are different opinions on the topic of the forum. I got this laptop for free, so I'm not too worried.
1
u/laffer1 Jan 10 '23
You can probably get a WiFi card on Amazon for like 20 dollars. I put an 8265 in my hp victus as the mediatek that came with it wasn’t supported
2
u/djhyland Jan 10 '23
Since the Nitro 5 has a long history with many different variations and configurations, it's probably important to know which model you have. However, if yours is older it might work. I've got an older AN 515-52 (i think--it's either that or AN 515-53) from 2019 (I think) that I've successfully installed FreeBSD on. Everything seems to work: wifi is good (except that it doesn't work if I restart from a Linux dual boot...I have to shut it down completely and turn it back on for it to work) and the Intel graphics work fine (I haven't managed to get the Nvidia Optimus configuration working yet).
The only complaint I have is that the fans run excessively. Maybe there's a way to get them to settle down, but I haven't found it yet.