Project update 3 of 38
Hello backers!
This update comes bearing news of exciting new hardware options for the Librem 15 Laptop, all thanks to the valuable feedback you’ve provided. Please keep it coming! This is a community effort and we strive to stay nimble enough to meet the community’s needs.
By popular demand, we have upgraded the CPU from the Intel i7-4712MQ to the i7-4770HQ, which includes VT-x and VT-d, while still avoiding the nasty vPro AMT.
However, to do that, we have to use the onboard Intel® Iris™ Pro Graphics 5200 video, rather than having a hybrid that includes the NVIDIA GT840M 3D controller. For most backers, this will be welcome news, for some this will be an issue. So we have a plan to accommodate both. We have a very small run of i7-4712MQ + NVIDIA GT840M laptops that we built during our prototyping that we can offer to those that really want the NVIDIA graphics. For everybody else, you get upgraded to the beefier Intel i7-4770HQ with Iris Pro Graphics. If you do require the NVIDIA graphics, please email support@crowdsupply.com with your order number, so you can get one of the prototype builds.
Also by popular demand, we have gone from a 4-layer motherboard to a 6-layer motherboard, so we can offer 16GB of RAM as our physical maximum. We considered 32GB, but it would have been very, very costly to manufacture an 8-layer motherboard. If you have already ordered and want to upgrade to 16GB of RAM, place a new order, with a comment to cancel your previous order with less RAM. If you were waiting around for us to offer 16GB of RAM, now is the time to pre-order!
Two weeks after launching our campaign, we got word we can source a 4K screen with 16:9 aspect ratio and 3840x2160 resolution, so we are now offering both the 1080p screen and the 4K screen as configuration options. If you want a screen upgrade, go ahead and place the upgraded order with a comment to cancel your previous order.
Thanks for all your great feedback and support!
Todd Weaver