Looking for AMD APU based laptop with good FreeBSD support

[Michael B. Eichorn]

On Sat, 2015-12-12 at 20:06 +0600, Alexey Dokuchaev wrote:
> Hi there,
> 
> As FreeBSD currently still lacks proper support for Haswell, I'm
> starting
> to consider if getting an AMD APU based laptop, while its CPU being
> slower
> than even i3, could be a viable alternative for the time being
> (provided
> everything else, including but not limited to suspend/resume, works
> fine).
> 
> Requirements: 14", 4+ cores (or 2+ AMD modules), unsoldered RAM up to
> 16GB
> (2+ slots), no secondary (auxiliary, discrete) gfx card (AMD's
> internal
> graphics is good enough and I don't want another potential point of
> failure,
> standard SATA, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth.  Fully working
> suspend
> and resume: I can tolerate having to reinitialize network/sound card
> or
> Bluetooth stack, but not a reboot.
> 
> Would be nice: good/easy disassembly and repairability, IPS screen or
> being
> able to replace default TN one, standard DisplayPort rather than
> proprietary
> HDMI, optical drive (to replace with HDD/SSD caddy), backlit
> keyboard, no
> webcam, no preinstalled Windoze.  FireWire- or COM-port, unsoldered
> CPU --
> couldn't be better.
> 
> Candidates so far:
> 
> 1. HP ProBook 645 G1: looking at the datasheet [1] it has almost
> everything
> I need, plus you can probably ask for Atheros WiFi chip instead of
> Broadcom.
> Socketed APU (FS1r2) means you can get a cheap A4 and replace with
> A10 at a
> better price than HP currently offers.
> 
> 2. HP EliteBook 745 G2 and G3: got metal case, newer APU, but lacks
> CD/DVD
> drive, lighter than ProBook.  I don't see Atheros option in the
> datasheet [2]
> anymore though, and it says "1 USB 3.0; 1 USB 3.0 charging" for G3
> which is
> probably a typo (I hope) and there're still 4 USB ports total.  But
> it's more
> expensive than ProBook, so overall option #1 makes a better choice
> ATM.
> 
> Questions to the community:
> 
> Did anyone have chance to try FreeBSD and perhaps compare these two
> models?
> Shall I avoid them for some reason (bad craftsmanship, inefficient
> cooling
> system, battery leaking current, etc.)?  Are there other laptops on
> AMD APU
> except those HP's worth considering?  Thanks,

Well, HP is one of the worst offenders with device whitelisting,
swapping out wifi on them is rarely worth the trouble.

Also Haswell graphics is close, really close, I have been running the
git branch for a while now and things are almost there.

And finally, for what it is worth, Kris Moore of PCBSD has mentioned
that he has been able to run Haswell and Broadwell with the VESA driver
while waiting.

Just more data points, I am not saying your choices are bad or wrong,
just more data.