NS51 Series 15.6 inch coreboot ultrabook

(13 customer reviews)

From: 1.100 EUR

A sturdy laptop with Thunderbolt 4 support, a beautiful screen and coreboot based firmware. With a 12th generation Intel Core processor and Intel Xe integrated graphics, you can now do more without a second graphics card. The 73WH battery allows you to work up to 7.5 hours without a power adapter. With its light weight of just 1.7 kilograms, you can take this laptop anywhere. Thin bezels, a good air-flow and an elegant grey casing are further plus points of this high-quality 15.6-inch laptop.

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About the author: Wessel Klein Snakenborg is passionate about technology since childhood. He launched NovaCustom in 2015, crafting tailor-made laptops with privacy and security in mind. With a focus on user-friendliness, NovaCustom continues to redefine the laptop experience, led by Wessel's commitment to innovation and collaboration.

Specifications

Processor CPU Refer to configurator
Display
15.6” (39.62cm) FHD (1920×1080) 16:9 panel, Mat N7
Color reproduction: 72% NTSC, ~ 98% sRGB
Luminance: 300 cd/m²
Contrast ratio: 700:1
Treatment: anti-glare, Hard coating (3H), IPS likelyScreen model: LG LP156WFC-SPB1 / BOE NV156FHM-N63
Memory
• Dual channel DDR4
• Two 260 pins SODIMM sockets, support DDR4 3200MHz (Real operation frequency depends on processor)
• Expandable memory up to 64GB, depends on 4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB SODIMM Module
Video Controller GPU
• Intel® Xe Graphics
Storage
• 2x M.2 SSD 2280, PCIe Gen3/Gen4 interface
Sound
• High Definition Audio
• Built in array microphone
• Built in two speakers
Keyboard
• Multi languages Multi-Color illuminated full size keyboard with numeric pad
Mouse • Built in Touch pad with Microsoft PTP multi-gesture and scrolling function
I/O Ports
• 1 x USB 2.0 port
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port (Type A)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (Type C) Thunderbolt™ 4 combo port – supports charging over USB-C (PowerDelivery, min. 87W), Display Alt Mode (up to two external monitors via USB-C)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (Type C)
• 1 x HDMI™ output port (with HDCP)
• 1 x 2-in-1 Audio Jack combo port (Headphone / Microphone)
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN port
• 1 x DC-in jack
Card Reader
• Micro-SD Card reader
Communication
• Built in 10/100/1000Mb Base-TX Ethernet LAN
• WiFi card, refer to configurator
• 1.0M HD video camera or (Factory Option) Windows Hello Camera
Power
• Full Range AC adapter, AC in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, DC output 19V 3.42A, 65W (Tiger Lake)
• Full Range AC adapter, AC in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, DC output 19V 4.73A, 90W (Alder Lake)
• Embedded Polymer Smart Lithium-Ion battery pack, 73WH
• Battery life: 450 minutes (with 73WH battery)
Security
• Security (Kensington® Type) Lock Slot
• TPM 2.0
• Area Fingerprint (optional)
Design
• Metal (bottom part)
• Resilient synthetic material (other parts)
• USB Power Delivery / DC-in Function
Firmware NovaCustom open source coreboot firmware with 5 years of security updates, provided by Dasharo. Please check out details on the coreboot firmware tab.

Open source Embedded Controller (EC) firmware.

Dasharo firmware features:
– TPM 2.0 support
– Verified boot
– Measured boot
– Secure boot support
– Intel ME disabling options (HECI and HAP)
– OS independent keyboard backlight control
– OS independent fan profiles
– Fn lock hotkey to switch F1-F12 and the function keys (Fn + Caps Lock)
– Easy installation of firmware updates via the Dasharo Tool Suite (DTS)
– And many other features, check docs.dasharo.com. Not all Ecosystem features might be available. Please contact us if you want to be sure about any feature that is not listed here.

The laptop only supports modern standby (S0ix), it does not support S3 suspend mode.

Dimensions
• 357(W) x 220.5(D) x 19.9(H)mm
• 1.7kg,Including Barebone and 73WH battery

coreboot firmware


This laptop is very unique because of its firmware. Where other laptop suppliers use the default Insyde proprietary BIOS, we supply our laptops with open source Dasharo coreboot based firmware.

You will get 5 years of security updates which can be downloaded and installed via the fwupd application (GNU/Linux only). The firmware can also be updated via the Dasharo Tools Suite pre-installed environment (requires an internet connection via Ethernet).

Spare parts

We offer spare parts up to 7 years after your purchase.

Before you apply any replacements, please consult the service manual. This can be found under the tab ‘service manual’ (Chapter 2: Disassembly).

Spare parts can be ordered here.

Service manual

We highly appreciate freedom. Therefore, we publish our service manuals that helps you to find and replace parts. The service manual also describes how to properly maintenance your device.

You can download the service manual here.

Drivers

Download drivers and firmware files from our external TransIP-Stack server.

13 reviews for NS51 Series 15.6 inch coreboot ultrabook

  1. English

    Pat (verified owner)

    The computer is very well assembled, the build time was way shorter than advertised, and the communication with Wessel is fast and very very useful. The thermals on the laptop itself are not great out of the box, so I would recommend going for the liquid metal thermal paste option (I had to do it myself after the fact and the difference is huge, the laptop doesn’t reach thermal throttling even under sustained stress).

  2. English

    Robert Borges (verified owner)

    ## Full spec of order:

    – OS: Linux Mint 20.1 x86_64
    – Host: NS50MU
    – Kernel: 5.11.0-25-generic
    – Shell: bash 5.0.17
    – Resolution: 1920×1080
    – DE: Cinnamon
    – WM: Mutter (Muffin)
    – Terminal: gnome-terminal
    – CPU: 11th Gen Intel i5-1135G7 (8) @ 4.200GHz
    – GPU: Intel Device 9a49
    – Memory: 1716MiB / 64117MiB

    ## Physical characteristics

    Sleek and attractive looking, solid feel in a compact, nice metal case. The screen is bright, with vivid colors and a thin bevel. The keyboard feels solid and has good response without too much clickity-clack. The track pad also has a good feel and very responsive scrolling (esp. compared to previous Clevo – 4ish years old, which was clumsy and required lots of effort/force to move the cursor). The fans are quiet but effective – nevertheless, I recommend spending the extra money for the liquid metal instead of basic heat paste – the bottom of the machine becomes hot to the touch while charging. Despite this CPU and other temp sensors remain in the low-normal range during operation. It’s also possible to adjust cooling settings in bios according to your use needs. Sound is as to be expected for a laptop. Loud enough, but a little too much treble/mid for avid music listening – totally sufficient for video conferencing, Netflix or the like.

    ## System / software

    This configuration approaches one of the most out-of-the-box ready systems I’ve had the pleasure of unboxing. Mint 20.1 Cinnamon is perfectly usable as is and seems very stable on this machine. The graphics are cooperative, even on multiple screens, and the RGB-keyboard can be controlled with fn key+ without fiddling with any additional software.

    ## Service

    Wessel is patient and attentive to questions, usually answering within a couple hours. No issues with billing or invoices. My order was put together and shipped faster than indicated on the order form.

  3. English

    Wilfried (verified owner)

    Vorige week mijn nieuwe ubuntu laptop ontvangen. Het bestelproces verliep er goed en er is snel geleverd wat er besteld is. De bestelde laptop is snel en werkt goed. Wel vind ik de werking van de trackpad wat tegenvallen. Hij is wat stroef en af en toe reageert hij wat onzeker. Ik kom af van een luxe chromebook en die had een perfecte trackpad, dus ik was wel verwend. Nu toch maar weer op zoek naar goede muis. De overgang van chromebook naar terug naar ubuntu is wel weer wennen, maar tot dusver ben ik er blij mee. Het geeft toch een lekker gevoel om weer meer controle te hebben over je data en applicaties dan bij gebruikmaking van een chromebook en afhankelijk te zijn van google.

  4. English

    Paolo (verified owner)

    Great service and great laptop! Delivered with expected timing, perfectly built.
    Also Wessel has been totally transparent in proposing a qualified alternative due to lack of a component which I originally ordered.

    Totally worth it, 100% recommended.

  5. English

    sebastien (verified owner)

    Core i5 11th gen, 32 Go de ram, SSD pro 500 Go supersonique, du Linux et du opensource jusqu’au Firmware, le tout installé pour moins de 1100€. En plus de ça, le paiement par virement se fait en moins de 5′. Le tout arrive super bien emballé en moins de 3 jours. Un service multilangue dans un excellent français pour des CGU très claires. C’est une belle promotion du libre, c’est européen (ça va pas jusqu’aux composants, mais ça c’est l’étape suivante …), c’est évolutif et réparable (mais j’espère surtout que je n’aurais pas à voir si ça l’est). Ce site est vraiment bluffant.
    Après, juste un bémol esthétique : les écritures sur le clavier sont un peu grossières (mais on va dire que c’est “inclusif”) et ça rebondit un peu trop à mon goût (sûrement l’effet de la légère surélévation, comparé à mes précédents laptops). Je vais m’y faire et ça ne vaut pas une poussière d’étoile de moins.
    À faire connaître autour de soi !

  6. English

    Aaron

    Core i5 12th Gen, 32 GB dualchannel memory, 1TB nvme SSD. The device is very elegant and modern looking. The keyboard has a bright backlight with a good variety of colors and feels very good for a laptop keyboard. Due to the newer Alder lake CPU the system consumes little power with lower loads, but performs pretty well under high loads. Also the received support by Wessel is very good, fast and helpful.
    Because the firmware did not pass some tests, I had the choice of waiting a little longer until the new release or receiving my unit right at the beginning of november which I chose. Since then, the correspondence with Wessel about some minor issues went pretty well and he was very helpful.
    Only issue may be that the device is running a bit hot when e.g. browsing Reddit while my older laptop just started hanging and lagging in those situations, so I’d just say it’s an optimization issue on the webpages side. But when running under sustained load with CPU temps from 60-80˚C, I’d recommend to put the device on a table (even just for better cooling) because that can become a bit uncomfortable. Also I’m impressed how cold the touched surfaces stay like touchpad, palm rest and keyboard when running so hot.

    Overall a very solid and performant, relatively compact and sleek device which I’m very happy with.

  7. French

    Lucas (verified owner)

    Aucun problème avec Coreboot, agréablement surpris par le PC en lui même, le clavier est agréable, la caméra et le micro sont corrects.
    Le côté negatif pour moi c’est qu’on ne peut pas appuyer tout en haut du trackpad pour cliquer. On peut cliquer partout en tapotant sur le trackpad, mais en appuyant, on ne peut pas cliquer sur le premier dixième du haut du trackpad.

  8. Dutch

    Dick Bronsdijk (verified owner)

    Again a excellent laptop from NovaCustom. (My third now)
    Very quick delivery and perfect quality.

  9. English

    Kirill

    I own the laptop almost for one year (11th gen). In general, I’m very satisfied with it. Positive sides are:
    1) Fully compatible with Ubuntu 22.04. The system installation and setup was absolutely smooth.
    2) Good performance even on i5 processor.
    3) Coreboot. Some problems in the begging were solved with last BIOS release.
    4) As “hidden” option, is support M2 SATA SSD in one of the slots. That was awesome, that I can reuse the disk from previous laptop!
    5) Good keyboard and touchpad.
    6) Nice looking (except the letters in the keyboard, the font is very strange). RGB keyboard light is a nice feature.
    7) Passive cooling in “office” using mode: internet browsing, LibreOffice, watching video from files and on youtube. But the fan is quite noisy in full load of processor.
    8) The display is normal. Nothing outstanding, but colors are good, no dead pixels. Of course, 4k can be better.
    9) Support from NovaCustom is super. Thanks to Wessel.

    But it has some problems:
    1) If you charge it from USB-C, from time to time bluetooth adapter can stop working. To solve the problem, you should unplug power, turn the computer off for 10 s minimum and power on it again.
    2) This is my 5th laptop and the second Clevo based one. For all of the laptops, in most of the cases, I did HW upgrade and small repair by myself. As I told before, in general, the hardware quality is very good. But with this model I’m very disappointed with battery. After ~9 month of using of the laptop, I realized that place near touchpad became convex. I’ve opened the laptop and saw that one of the cell in the battery is swollen. The NovaCustom send me a new one very fast, but changing the battery in the laptop is a nightmare for ordinary user. I don’t expect in 2023 that you can replace battery in a few seconds without even opening a laptop like it was in 2010. But the battery was glued by double side tape! It was much more difficult to remove it, that it was described in the service manual. I spend almost half an hour just to accurate remove the battery. The installation of the new one was also challenging. First of all, I don’t have proper double sided tape, so I should wait for delivery of the type also. The next thing, that new battery connector wire is longer than needed. I should solve a puzzle to put it in. If you need to replace the battery, I can suggest to go to laptop service, because 100% percent you will need tape and high chance that you will need to revamp the connector.

    Overall, I can highly recommend such laptop for Ubuntu users.

    • English

      NovaCustom_3ENm4 (verified owner)

      Hello Kirill,

      Many thanks for your review!

      We are not aware of issue 1. Are you sure sure you are running the latest firmware version (Dasharo v1.4.0 for NS51 Series with 11th Gen Tiger Lake processor at this moment)?

      I’m really sorry about the second mentioned problem. I have the same question for you about that issue. We are aware of battery problems in some cases with the proprietary EC firmware which we used to offer. So please make sure that you are running the latest BIOS and EC for your device. Here is how to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJHWbt_FNGA (note: Secure Boot has to be temporarily be disabled when performing a firmware update). That procedure will update both the BIOS and EC firmware. Together with your new battery, it should prevent this issue in the future.

      The battery is attached with sticky strips that must be very gently pulled so that the strips release. We agree that this system is nowhere near as fine as regular screwing, as you are risking the strips to fall apart while pulling it.

      Kind regards,

      Wessel – NovaCustom

  10. English

    Alexandre Khoury (verified owner)

    I really took my time to review my purchase, because I wanted to be 100% sure that this amazing company deserved my support, and it turns out it really does. The build quality of the laptop feels premium. The integration with the firmware, and the explanations that are provided by NovaCustom, are super smooth, and make me feel like I can use Linux and feel that I’m making the serious reasonable choice. Not just the geeky choice. Not just the privacy-counscious choice. Not just the ethically better choice. Not just the more customizable choice. But also the more practical choice.

    There is a free customer support that is golden and very relevant and fast, and that’s enough for me as an argument to purchase a laptop from NovaCustom and never look back. At this point, I think the choice of which laptop model you choose comes down to taste, they’re probably all great.

  11. French

    Patrick (verified owner)

    L’expédition du colis a été rapide avec un emballage triple très sécurisé. Le laptop en lui-même est excellent avec Coreboot et la possibilité de désactiver le Intel Management Engine.
    C’est parfait.

  12. French

    tbultel (verified owner)

    Expédition rapide et soignée
    Utilisation sous Linux (installation par mes soins, aucun soucis)
    Beaucoup plus stable que mon ancien laptop MSI
    J’apprécie de recevoir les notification d’update firmware

    Voici les quelques points ‘dommage’
    – Inutilité du charger jack. Pourquoi un jack au lieu d’un connecteur USB-C ? Il va rester dans un tiroir
    – Bruits électroniques: la carte mère émet de faibles sons désagréables, et audibles en l’absence de bruit ambiant
    – Un seul port thunderbolt (le MSI en avait 2, et je ne me posais pas la question)
    – La doc n’est pas claire sur ce qui fonctionne en terme de mise en veille, et pas d’infos au sujet de l’hibernation

  13. English

    andyprough (verified owner)

    I like that the NS51 has full-sized HDMI and ethernet ports, which are rare with modern laptops, and also has 4 USB ports, making this a real workhorse. The build seems quite solid and yet not heavy and still quite portable. The screen is very clear and bright. Here’s a list of features that made it an easy purchase decision – maxed it out with 64GB of memory; upgrading to a higher capacity Samsung nvme drive was very affordable, and it has an extra bay where we placed a second nvme drive; the backlit keyboard color options are nice looking and easy to access; the turbo boost fan option with the Fn-1 key combo is quite useful; Dasharo coreboot optimizes the battery life whether it is plugged in or not. NovaCustom offered to ship it without a built-in camera or microphone and with a wifi card that works without installing extra proprietary firmware, all of which made it a more private and secure computer for our uses. The ability to easily disable IME via the coreboot setup menu was one of the key features we required, and NovaCustom is one of the only computer makers offering this option. Overall this is a fast, powerful system with excellent privacy and security options, backed by excellent communication and fast shipping from NovaCustom. We will continue to purchase from NovaCustom, and look forward to their new Intel Meteor Lake cpu computers later this year.

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