Wait is over - coreboot on the AMD StarBook
23 points by juuso
23 points by juuso
I may be in the market for something Linux to replace my MacBook, so was curious, but they don't appear to have any AMD notebooks for sale at all? Is this effort for an older model or an upcoming model?
The model in question is from 2023. Starlabs advertised the AMD variant to have coreboot eventually (their Intel models have always had it). I'm not certain, but I'd wager that the reason they don't stock any AMD variants is that they'd like to offer feature parity with the Intel ones first, given how long it took to implement this.
I personally own the model discussed in the article to which I switched from MacBook M1 in 2024. I have been happy with mine and the Starlabs' customer support -- when I wanted an USBC-Ethernet adapter to be supported by the AMI BIOS for netbooting, they added that in the next update.
When switching from a Mac, the one thing I'd keep an eye on is the supported display resolution and FPS via HDMI/USBC. The VI model only supports 30fps at 4K, but I'd imagine anyone using an external display use is looking for at least 60fps support.
I've considered the StarFighter as their most "MacBook-like" laptop, due to the haptic trackpad and other nice specs.
The Intel version of the StarFighter is available for shipping in 3-4 days (in my country at least). The AMD version has been shipped to customers and reviewed on Reddit, but it is currently sold out, and you can ask to be notified when it is available again (according to their website).
Perhaps the ongoing supply chain issues and CPU shortage are affecting their ability to source AMD CPUs as a small business?
The timing of this announcement couldn't be more perfect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnOpIQJnYWU