System76 introduces Thelio Prime, an 11-liter Linux PC with Ryzen 9000, starting at $1,599
On November 18, the Thelio Prime, the new desktop computer from System76, goes on sale, occupying 11 liters and it costs from $1,599. It has AMD Ryzen 9000 processors, a dedicated AMD or NVIDIA graphics card and up to 96 GB of dual-channel DDR5 memory. It is manufactured in the United States, in the company’s plant in Denver, and arrives with Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS and the COSMIC desktop environment, although it can also be ordered with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
Supports up to 8TB of storage on two M.2 NVMe drives, one in a Gen5 PCIe slot and one in a Gen4. For Internet connection, it includes 2.5 Gb/s Ethernet, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. As for power, a 600 W source with 80+ certification and an efficiency equal to or greater than 90%. Here we leave it all summarized in a table.
Technical specifications of the Thelio Prime
| Feature | Thelio Prime |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS with COSMIC or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9000 |
| Graphics | Integrated AMD Radeon. Dedicated graphics from AMD or NVIDIA |
| Memory | Up to 96GB dual-channel DDR5 |
| Storage | Up to 8TB. 1 x M.2 PCIe Gen5 NVMe and 1 x M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe |
| video outputs | With integrated graphics: 1 x HDMI 2.1 and 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4. With dedicated graphics, depending on the model; most include 3 x DisplayPort and 1 x HDMI |
| Upper ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, microphone and headphones |
| Rear ports | 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 4 x USB 2.0 and BIOS Flashback button |
| Rear audio | Microphone in and line out |
| Connectivity | Ethernet 2.5 GbE, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Power supply | 600W 80+ (90% efficiency or higher) |
| Dimensions (vertical, with legs) | 288 x 148.9 x 281.9mm |
| Volume | 11 liters |
| Model | thelio-r5-n2 |
| Price | From $1,599 |
| Availability | November 18 |
Two thermal cameras and magnetic legs to put it horizontally
Something that stands out for this desktop is that its interior is divided into two thermal cameras. In this way, the processor and graphics card each have their own airflow. The chassis is made of 1.5 mm aluminum, with milled stainless steel and aluminum parts, and the front is made of smoked glass. The panels attach with magnets and are removed without tools, so the device can be opened for cleaning or expanded with standard components.
The Thelio Prime can be placed vertically, next to the monitor, or lying on a shelf. To move from one position to another, simply move the magnetic legs from the base to one of the sides. At the top it has two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, one Type-C and one Type-A, in addition to the microphone and headphone jacks. Behind it is the BIOS Flashback button, which is used to update the BIOS from a USB memory without having to boot the system.
It must be remembered that System76 develops both the hardware and Pop!_OS and COSMIC. In any case, nothing prevents you from installing a different Linux distribution later. At the moment, on their website you can only sign up to receive a notification when the Thelio Prime is on sale.
