System76 Thelio r3 ZDNET's key takeaways The System76 Thelio r3 comes in three configurations, starting at $1,499.
It's sleek, beautiful, powerful, and can handle anything you throw at it.
Some might find it pricey, but the longevity, performance, and attention to detail is worth every penny. View now at System76
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I've been a big fan of System76 for years. They've been champions of Linux machines for a long time and every time I get a chance to work with one of their new computers, they never fail to impress me on every level that counts.
I purchased my first system from the company (a Leopard Extreme) back in 2013. That machine served me for six years, at which point I upgraded to their latest offering, the Thelio. That was back in 2019, and it performed like a champ until just recently, when the On/Off button stopped working and one of the HDMI ports ceased to send a signal.
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Although the second machine didn't last nearly as long as the first, I had to remind myself that I purchased that first Thelio as soon as they were released, meaning it was a first iteration. Since then, the company has made serious changes to the Thelio line-up and improved each machine all around.
When my original Thelio hinted that it was on its last legs, I had to act fast. I spend a lot of time working at my desk, and that machine is essential to my day-to-day. So, I started configuring my new PC and quickly decided I was going to do something I'd never done: shrug off Intel. That's right, I went the AMD route with a Ryzen 9 7900X (12 cores/24 threads). The rest of the custom specs look like this:
RAM - 32 GB DDR5 4800 MHz (1x32)
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