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The day has finally arrived, Linux hardware vendor System76 has officially revealed their new custom-built desktop the Thelio.

Manufactured and built by System76 in their new facility in the US, they told us their final goal is to take "the next leap" with a fully open source computer although no one is quite there just yet (according to them). They're chipping away at the proprietary parts and will continue to do so until it's "100% open source". To do so, they're using a daughter board called the Thelio Io. Using "open firmware" along with the hardware of the Thelio Io being "OSHWA certified" (Open Source Hardware Association) it also provides controls for LED settings and power.

The Thelio desktop unit comes in 3 sizes:

  • Thelio - Up to 32GB RAM, 24TB storage
    • Case size - Height × Width × Depth: 12.75" × 8" × 11.5" / 324mm × 207mm × 209mm
  • Thelio Major - Up to 128GB RAM, 46TB storage and space for 4 GPUs
    • Case size - Height × Width × Depth: 18.19" × 10.32" × 16.06" / 462mm × 262mm × 408mm
  • Thelio Massive - Up to 768GB of ECC Memory, 86TB storage
    • Case size - Height × Width × Depth: 19.37″ × 10.32" × 20.75″ / 492mm × 262mm × 527mm

All three variants offer either Pop!_OS 18.10 (Pop is System76's Ubuntu-based distribution) or Ubuntu 18.04 LTS/18.10 (64-bit).

On top of that, they're now offering both AMD and Intel CPU options for the Thelio and Thelio Major (the Massive is Intel only) which I am sure will please many AMD fans and possibly even net them some more sales. All three versions allow either an NVIDIA or AMD GPU too. To be honest, I would be wary of any company not offering the choice for desktops so it's nice to see.

Images provided to us by System76 (click to enlarge):

My first thought, is that it looks quite bulky. Personally though, I really like the homely style to it. Wouldn't mind having a case like that myself. As a reminder, you can make it since the design of it will be open too if that's your thing.

They also shared this short teaser video with us:

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The fact that a Linux hardware vendor has enough funding from people purchasing their units, to have their own facility and expand like this is an incredible sign in my book. Really pleased to see them be able to move forward, it's a positive sign for Linux for sure.

The only downside, is that right now it's not available to purchase outside of North America. Eventually, it would be nice if they could expand into Europe so we could get some better prices outside the US. Who knows, maybe they will one day.

Find out more on the System76 website.

Pricing was not in the details provided.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware
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DarthJarjar Nov 1, 2018
Those would fit into rustic interiors at least.
Gamer PCs are those who wouldn't fit in any interior IMO. I mean, they don't even fit into dark interiors... How can't you fit into dark interiors ?
wvstolzing Nov 1, 2018
Quoting: KithopWood grain finish?!

Someone get LGR on the horn, ASAP! :p

It did cross my mind that it would be great if this were to prompt Clint to look into UNIX history. Remaining entirely within LGR's established format, he could find a wealth of material to cover; e.g. big box games from the early 00s. 'AkBKuKu' teased some of that material on his channel, though I'm not sure if he did anything further.
m0nt3 Nov 1, 2018
Quoting: tmtvlI mean, it's ugly as sin, so if I bought one I'd have to buy a proper case as well...

...but I so want a Sys76 with an AMD GPU.

Looks like you can get a Ryzen CPU and a RX 550 or RX 580 with the Thelio. I really want them to have a Ryzen Laptop.
cRaZy-bisCuiT Nov 1, 2018
How open can a PC be if the CPU and GPU are proprietary because the Firmware is closed...!? Of course I do appreciate their work,but it's still a way to go...


Last edited by cRaZy-bisCuiT on 1 November 2018 at 6:10 pm UTC
Nezchan Nov 1, 2018
No USB or headphone/mic ports on the front? That seems inconvenient.

Otherwise, they look fantastic.
xavi Nov 1, 2018
I like them, I live in Spain and according to their shipment website, they ship there:

https://system76.com/shipping

I don't find the place where it says what Liam says: "The only downside, is that right now it's not available to purchase outside of North America. Eventually, it would be nice if they could expand into Europe so we could get some better prices outside the US. Who knows, maybe they will one day."

Can anyone clarify if it's send to Europe or not?

Thanks.
slaapliedje Nov 1, 2018
Quoting: m0nt3
Quoting: tmtvlI mean, it's ugly as sin, so if I bought one I'd have to buy a proper case as well...

...but I so want a Sys76 with an AMD GPU.

Looks like you can get a Ryzen CPU and a RX 550 or RX 580 with the Thelio. I really want them to have a Ryzen Laptop.

This ^^ I'm in the middle of trying to decide which laptop to buy. I'm leaning toward a Thinkpad P52 due to them still having the best keyboard you can get on a laptop. Everyone else uses stupid chicklet keys, which I can't stand to type on.

The Oryx Pro does look pretty tempting already though.
tmtvl Nov 1, 2018
Quoting: Purple Library GuyMost computer cases are ugly as sin. Just wondering--are you saying it's ugly because of the woodgrain or despite it? Personally, I really think it's past time design in computers got over the whole "We're so hypermodern and futuristic" thing, so the woodgrain is kind of welcome.

The wood grain definitely doesn't help, but I'm mainly talking about the "black monolith with a white button" look. Add some relief, dangit. How do you even open the DVD drive on those things?

And the light wood variant is the most kitschy thing I've seen since the '70s.
Ray54 Nov 1, 2018
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Don't they look like HiFi loudspeakers, just stick a Wharfedale label on one and put it next to a record deck and you could hide it in plain sight.

I actually like the wood grain styling, but I would like to know more about how open the boot process is and if it allows you to stop or limit the 2 other operating systems, besides the one you want, that Intel and AMD architectures force on you.
xavi Nov 1, 2018
What do you think about the different equipments, is the small enough or do you recommend the second?
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