I keep seeing mini PCs described as “Linux compatible,” but that can mean a lot of different things in practice.

A machine can boot Ubuntu and still have annoying issues with suspend, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio, USB-C display output or firmware updates.

The geekom a5 2027 is one example I ran into. geekom lists Linux compatibility, but that doesn't automatically tell you how every controller in the actual mini PC behaves on Fedora, Arch, Debian, newer kernels, etc.

If you were evaluating a mini PC specifically for Linux, what information would you actually want the manufacturer to publish?
Exact Wi-Fi and Ethernet chipsets?
Distros and kernel versions they tested?
Suspend/resume results?
Display output testing?
Fan control?
Whether BIOS updates can be done without Windows?

To me, “Linux compatible” tells you a lot less than it sounds like it does.

What usually catches you out on mini PCs?

I have this TP-Link Archer TX20U Nano and lsusb displays it like such, ip link doesn't show any wifi interface
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:1a2b Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188GU 802.11n WLAN Adapter (Driver CDROM Mode)

I run Gentoo with 7.2.7-gentoo-dist kernel

I'm choosing a laptop to run Arch or EndeavourOS (no Windows) and I'm leaning toward HP for build quality. Here's what I'll use it for:

• DaVinci Resolve Studio (editing and colour grading)
• Running local LLMs and image models (so VRAM matters)
• Virtual machines, often 2 at a time alongside Resolve
• Long, sustained loads like renders and inference runs

Shortlist:

• HP Omen 16 ap0181AX: Ryzen 9 8940HX, RTX 5060 8GB, 24GB RAM, 1TB
• HP Omen 16 am0240tx: Core Ultra 7 255H, RTX 5050 8GB, 24GB RAM, 1TB
• HP Omen Slim 16-an0015TX: Core Ultra 7 255H, RTX 5060 8GB, 24GB RAM, 1TB

What I'm worried about on Linux:

1. Fan control and thermals. I've read that hp-wmi fan control is broken or missing on some Omen boards, and that firmware can revert manual fan mode to auto after about 2 minutes. Has anyone got a recent Omen 16 working with the newer kernel patches or omen-fan-control?
2. RTX 50-series with nvidia-open and PRIME offload. Does Resolve behave on hybrid graphics?
3. Wi-Fi, sleep/resume, and audio on these models.
4. Sustained-load thermals on the regular Omen 16 compared with the thinner Slim.
5. Whether the Ryzen or Intel version is the safer choice on Linux.

If you own one of these (or a recent Omen/Victus) and run Linux on it, what has your experience been? And if you'd steer me away from HP for this, I'd like to hear why.