* Where to buy
Some untested resources to buy laptops or desktops:

- https://starlabs.systems
- https://www.tuxedocomputers.com

FSF's [[https://h-node.org/][h-node]] rates hardware according to its compatibility with free
software.
* LDLC PC Zenifier-SSD
** assembly woes
Lots of impedance mismatches between "documentation" and actual
hardware:
- CPU cooler (fan) has spring screws; diagrams show retention clips.
  Had to dig into the [[https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/cpu-7][AMD knowledge base]] to find that some
  motherboards come with "speculative" clips, which must be unscrewed
  and removed in order to install the spring-screw cooler.
- Diagrams say to add thermal paste, but the fan already comes with a
  pre-applied layer.
- Documentation shows RAM clips for both ends of the sticks; the
  motherboard seems to only have clips for one end.
- =SYS_FAN1= header has 4 pins; front fan plug has 3 holes.  The
  Internet[[https://old.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/4139k8/3_pin_sys_fan2_vs_4_pin_sys_fan1/][[1]​]][[https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/sys_fan1-and-sys_fan2.3195778/][[2]​]] says it's fine.
- Motherboard has [[https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B550M-A-PRO/Specification]["8 mounting holes"]] but covers only 6 of the case's
  standoffs; none of the diagrams in the case's manual match the
  format of the motherboard.
- The diagram for inserting the power supply unit leaves a lot to the
  imagination.
- The [[https://www.snia.org/forums/cmsi/knowledge/formfactors#U2][SSD dimension nomenclature]] is weird as hell.  The SSD's user
  manual seems to imply that I have a 2.5″ model, but my measuring
  tape says the drive is 2.75″×3.875″ (diagonal 4.625″).
- The link to the LDLC guide for mounting the SSD is dead; the page is
  [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170901191800/http://www.ldlc.com/guides/AL00000817/comment-installer-un-ssd-dans-un-pc/][archived]], and merely contains a link to a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1dHVb6VuWU][video]].  No matter though,
  since it does not describe how to mount the drive on a 2.5″ bay.
- The case user manual says to use specific screws for the SSD drive;
  the SSD comes with its own set of screws.  Are they meant for the
  3.5″ adapter?  🤷

For novices, some steps range from "not very reassuring" to "downright
hostile":
- The amount of force needed to connect the CPU fan's first two
  diagonal screws is terrifying.
- The fan's case is asymmetric: one side has a small bump featuring
  the maker's brand.  If one does not attention when mounting the fan,
  there is a 50% chance that this bump will get in the way of a RAM
  stick.
- No instruction on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAWNzd-gc3Q&t=74s][how to force that I/O shield in]].
- No instruction on how to snap the motherboard into the I/O shield.
- Holy =$DEITY= that power supply unit has a *lot* of cables.  And of
  course I enthusiastically passed most of the small-headed ones
  through the designated case hole, and had to pass them back out
  because there was no room left to pass the 20-pin ATX connector.
- Power supply user manual was taped to the bubble wrap, so part of
  the "warnings" section got torn off.
** maintenance
*** Front panel
The case's manual has a terse illustration with two arrows to pull the
front panel "away and up" from the rest of the case.

Here too, the amount of force required to do that is terrifying.
Notice how [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUD0HyzVpLg][our friend here]] cuts abruptly at 8:17; that's because the
levels of violence required to tear that panel off are too graphic for
YouTube.
*** Front fan
Remember that fan from earlier, the one with only 3 holes for the
motherboard's 4 pins?  Turns out

1. that last "optional" pin is supposed to allow speed control;
   without it, the fan always spins at full speed;
2. the fan itself (ZA1225ASL) is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd6gDY7LPlU][complete and utter crap]]: it cannot be
   disassembled, so no cleaning off the dirt, no greasing.

So the thing is loud, it always spins at full speed, and if one day it
decides to become even louder than usual, you're SOL.
*** Motherboard
**** Firmware updates
Quoth ~fwupdmgr get-devices~:

#+begin_example
WARNING: UEFI capsule updates not available or enabled in firmware setup
See https://github.com/fwupd/fwupd/wiki/PluginFlag:capsules-unsupported for more information.
#+end_example

Quoth the wiki:

#+begin_quote
Most typically entering the firmware setup screen and enabling capsule
updates will cause this warning to disappear, and also make firmware
updates possible. The relevant option may be poorly labelled, for
example "allow Windows UEFI updates".
#+end_quote

Not seeing any such option in the boot menu.

#+begin_quote
It is possible, but unlikely, that flashing the latest vendor BIOS,
using either Windows or a LiveCD, will add support for [the thing that
correlates with capsule updates being enabled].
#+end_quote

Well then.  [[https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B550M-A-PRO/support#bios][Vendor says]] "put this on a stick; reboot; ask the menu to
flash from the stick".  Putting some feelers out first:

#+begin_quote
If you execute a UEFI update, this update might delete the existing
UEFI boot entries

— [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB#Installation][ArchWiki]], 2024
#+end_quote

#+begin_quote
Like others in this forum, I too suffered from a reformatted EFI
partition following a BIOS update on my desktop pc.  I had no idea
that the MSI BIOS team doesn’t care about Linux installs, so to my
surprise, following the update, my system booted straight to windows.

[…]

Ultimately, I completely wiped and recreated the EFI partition with
gparted (fat32), changed the structure to GPT with gdisk, and then
mounted that partition in the /mnt/efi location, and then proceeded to
generate a new fstab with genfstab.  After arch-chroot’ing into my
endeavoros install, I ran bootctl install (which complained about boot
loader not setting esp information) and then reinstall-kernels.  I
updated the loader.conf with the correct default boot ID, and set the
recommended options.  That got me back into my system after quite a
bit of trial and error.

— [[https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/endeavoros-efi-partition-wiped-by-msi-bios-update/54740][EndeavorOS forums]], May 2024
#+end_quote

#+begin_quote
when updating the bios, it cleared all my settings.  Apparently, this
includes clearing the list of boot loaders, which it set back to the
default of just Windows.  Sadly this bios does not provide the tools
to add boot entries as, apparently, some do.  To fix it, I managed to
boot to a Linux live USB and add the missing entry using the efiboomgr
command line tool"

— [[https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/updating-to-bios-7a32v1q1-wont-see-linux-uefi-boot.388109/][MSI AMD forums]], August 2023
#+end_quote

Welp.

OT1H, I could dedicate a couple of week-ends learning the joys and
wonders of efibootmgr, gdisk & friends.  OTOH I sort of like keeping
my desktop station… not bricked?

Pity, because otherwise I've had smooth and incident-free firmware
updates on other stations with ~fwupdmgr~ 🤷