## Context
- I received my first galp5 (iGPU) about 30 days ago; replacement galp5 (dGPU) arrived yesterday (defective thunderbolt port on first)
- I don't use my laptop as a daily driver as I'm working from home and I have a desktop workstation (HP Z840)
- Been a Linux desktop (Pop!_OS) user for about 100 days, migrated from macOS (10.5 - 10.14), have lightly managed linux servers for ~10 years
- Previous laptops:
    - 2007 15" MBP
    - 2011 15" MBP
    - 2010 17" MBP
    - 2011 17" MBP
    - 2014 15" rMBP dGPU
    - 2015 15" rMBP dGPU
 - Galp5 was purchased primarily for software engineering for the web (docker containerization and JavaScript bundling)
 - Secondarily, this machine should be a light media workstation for the field (photo and video media management) as well as docked in an office (photo editing and video post-production)
 - Other machines passed up for the galp5:
    - Apple 2020 M1 13" MBP
    - Apple 2019 16" MBP
    - System76 Lemur Pro (lemp10)
    - other i7-1165G7 laptops (Dell XPS 13" I think?)

## Builds tested
https://system76.com/laptops/galago

### i7 iGPU ($1,198)
- Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
- **i7-1165G7 CPU**
- 8GB DDR4 3200MHz (self upgraded to **32GB (2x16) DDR4 3200MHz**)
- 500GB NVMe PCIe 3 (WD Blue)

### i7 dGPU ($1,447)
- **NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650** 4GB VRAM (to my surprise, I received a 1650Ti)
- **i7-1165G7 CPU**
- 8GB DDR4 3200MHz (self upgraded to **32GB (2x16) DDR4 3200MHz**)
- 500GB NVMe PCIe 3 (WD Blue)

## Pros
### Port selection
- 1x Thunderbolt4/USB4
- 1x USB-C 3.1 rev2
- 2x USB-A 3.1 rev1
- 1x HDMI (full-size)
- RJ-45 1GbE
- 1x 3.5mm audio combo headset jack
- SDXC card reader

### Performance ([see benchmarks](https://gist.github.com/curiousercreative/d804ec512207da3f3bde88512b42f1f7#file-galp5-benchmarks-md))
My goal was to best my 2015 rMBP dGPU with an iGPU build and aside from the lack of VRAM (and support from DaVinci Resolve for Intel iGPU), it's a success. With the dGPU, it's a blow out. Simply put, it performs well in comparison to all computers and performs excellently when compared to thin and light laptops.

### Open firmware
- [keyboard layout customization](https://github.com/system76/ec/compare/master...curiousercreative:galp5#diff-4270367625a9de86825c17f9122ef7a9fd9398a822f8cb915955f3fdde6ee848) (I've got mine mimicking my '15 MBP)
- [fan curve personalization](https://github.com/system76/ec/compare/master...curiousercreative:galp5#diff-198f0231dadddcc1692e1557f98782a282a0e540eb1664fd95402cb0574caab8R53)
- [fan smoothing improvements](https://github.com/system76/ec/pull/139)

### Open OS
- [improved power profiles allowing better performance](https://github.com/pop-os/system76-power/pull/212)

### Keyboard
- layout
- key travel
- typeface printed on keys

### Trackpad
- size
- tap + click on trackpad itself

### Portability
Nice and light at just over 3lbs, 14" screen might be the sweet spot (if not a touch too small given the scaling).

### Customer/User experience
I've contacted System76 dozens of times (pre-sales, during assembly, technical support) and I've had pleasant experiences. Questions answered sufficiently, problems either solved or clarified and my first galp5 return accepted painlessly. Additionally, my interactions with engineers on [chat](https://chat.pop-os.org/) and [GitHub](https://github.com/system76) have been fantastic. I've never touched Rust (language), but there's a [channel on chat just for learning Rust](https://chat.pop-os.org/community/channels/rust) and with a [couple of pointers](https://chat.pop-os.org/community/channels/rust/tz8j33pjainsiquxiszzsey3ba) I was able to [submit a pull request](https://github.com/pop-os/system76-power/pull/212)
    
## Cons
### Battery life
While I haven't tested this thoroughly, looks like 3-4 hours of casual browser use.

### Standyby battery drain
When in standby (clamshell shut), expect ~2%/hour or about 48 hours of total standby time. I'll look into implementing hiberation myself if it becomes a bother. System76 recommends shutting down rather than standby, doesn't sound like they're working on improving standby time.

### Screen resolution and quality
16:9 1080p and sRGB gamut :/ Not a deal breaker thus far.

### Speaker volume & quality
Truly, the low point of this package. Doesn't matter much to me thankfully.

### Trackpad
Not as smooth as Apple and the clicking becomes "harder" towards the top of the trackpad. I've adjusted by now, but I wasn't sure that I would initially.

### Fan noise (pitch/timbre)
While I've updated firmware to make the fan curve and smoothness of adjustment to my liking, it's true that the fan noise is a bit high-pitched. It's taken me a long while to realize, but the high-pitch fan noise on my machine is not the fan itself but the air that's being pushed out. With the galp5 on my lap, I can tilt and move the laptop around and modify that sound. So it's actually something of a whistle noise that is less a problem when on a desk.

### USB headset bug (upstream pulseaudio)
If your USB headset isn't properly recognized, you can run `systemctl --user restart pulseaudio` after plugging in