Lenovo 81X2 IdeaPad Flex 5 14ARE05

English Hardware
#1

Brand new laptop.
Ryzen 7 4700 with renoir already upgrade to new bios: 16-apr-2021

I want to install Leap 15.3.

  1. Does it works?
  2. Any thing specific to watch for?

Thanks

#2

@elfroggio:

A DuckDuckGo search for “Linux Lenovo 81X2 IdeaPad Flex 5 14ARE05” revealed –

Your choice – maybe it does or, maybe it doesn’t …

#3

I did see the 1st one of arch, but I was wondering about opensuse. They are been always excellent at detecting all the weird hardware that’s often in laptops.

Thanks

#4

if it were me, I would look at the kernel version of those distros where it worked. With new hardware, if you go for a version of openSUSE with an older kernel version, there is IMHO a greater chance that some aspects won’t work.

I note kernels in the links provided had for arch ( 5.12.8-arch1-1 kernel) and for Fedora-33 examples of 5.9.16-200.fc33.x86_64 and 5.9.14-200.fc33.x86_64

For the Ubuntu-20.04 examples were kernel 5.6.0-1029-oem and 5.8.0-050800-generic and for the Ubuntu-20.10 kernel 5.8.0-29-generic. There was even an 5.8.11-1-MANJARO kernel mentioned.

What is the kernel version of LEAP-15.3? I think possibly a kernel version close to a 5.3.18 kernel, which is much older than the noted Fedora, Ubuntu, and Arch GNU/Linux kernels.

That would suggest to me that you may have issues. If it were me, in the absence of someone else chiming in with actual openSUSE experience with the hardware, I would try openSUSE-LEAP-15.3 (which may have issues due to an older kernel) and then if that failed, try openSUSE Tumbleweed, which has a newer kernel.

#5

What is the kernel version of LEAP-15.3? I think possibly a kernel version close to a 5.3.18 kernel,

Its a backported Kernel 5.9.
But you can also use newer kernels for Leap 15.3 from the kernel:stable:backported Repo.

#6

I didn’t think that way.

I have 15.3 on another older laptop. In a previous life, I tried TW but many things didn’t work properly which is why I switched to leap 15.2 and eventually 15.3.

Thank you for taking the time to check the various kernels.

#7

I would give Tumbleweed a try, especially with new hardware. Just create an USB boot image, boot it and see how things work.

#8

But using a rolling release unstable distro for daily use is not a good idea right? a many applications wont work, you can have problems after an update and there can be data loss

why do you recommend it then ? not sure?
newb here , just curious:)

#9

Why I suggested to give Tumbleweed a try is that it is fast and easy (download image, put it on a USB stick, boot) while you does not make anything permanent (yet).

As to using to installing it:

  • A rolling release sounds more scary then my experience with Tumbleweed
  • If you use (something like) BTRFS with snapper support, it is easy to go back after an upgrade that broke things.
#10

Ohhh…
makes sense

Makes me wanna try rolling distros on my main machine , lets see how it goes:)