For those looking to splash out a bit on a new desktop, the Linux hardware vendor Entroware have unleashed Hades, a powerful new desktop computer with Linux pre-loaded.

This is their first AMD Ryzen powered desktop with multiple choices between the CPU and GPU, although they're still only providing NVIDIA GPUs with the Hades. For those looking at the ultimate performance, they've gone with the AMD Threadripper so it really is a bit of a beast.

CPU Options : Ryzen TR 1900x up to Ryzen TR 2990WX

: Ryzen TR 1900x up to Ryzen TR 2990WX GPU Options : NVIDIA® GT 1030, RTX 2070, RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 Ti Graphics

: NVIDIA® GT 1030, RTX 2070, RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 Ti Graphics RAM : 16GB DDR4 2933MHz up to 128GB DDR4 (with 2400MHz ECC options)

: 16GB DDR4 2933MHz up to 128GB DDR4 (with 2400MHz ECC options) Front Ports : 2 x USB Hi-Speed 2.0, 2 x USB SuperSpeed 3.0, 1 x USB SuperSpeed 3.0 Type-C, 1 x Headphone Jack, 1 x Microphone Jack

: 2 x USB Hi-Speed 2.0, 2 x USB SuperSpeed 3.0, 1 x USB SuperSpeed 3.0 Type-C, 1 x Headphone Jack, 1 x Microphone Jack Rear Ports : 1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Combo, 8 x USB SuperSpeed 3.1, 1 x USB SuperSpeed 3.1 10Gbps, 1 x USB SuperSpeed 3.1 10Gbps Type-C, 5 x Audio Jacks (Line In, Line Out, Mic In, Rear Speaker Out, Centre Speaker Out), 2 x RJ-45 Ethernet, 2 x WiFi Antenna Connector, 1 x Power Connector

It also comes with Bluetooth support built-in as well, so that's sweet.

Operating system choices are somewhat limited, with Entroware focusing on Ubuntu and Ubuntu MATE either 18.04 LTS (Long-term support) or 18.10. The more options they add in though, the more time consuming it would be so it's not a major issue. Anyone using other distributions likely know exactly what they're doing anyway.

You will need to dig deep though, since the price starts at £1,599.99. You can't pay for a top unit on the cheap though, it pays to future-proof yourself as much as possible of course. Still, it's quite high.

For shipping, they're currently available to people in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

I personally tested a laptop Entroware sent over back in 2015 and I was very impressed with them. For those outside the US they seem like a pretty decent company to go with for Linux hardware. While I usually build desktops myself from parts, for a laptop Entroware will absolutely be my go-to company. Even so, the Hades is an impressive unit.

Find out more about Hades on the Entroware site.