If what you described is what it's really like out of the box then there should be a lot more scathing reviews. I have a feeling you probably installed some third party software from some random website.
The parent comment mentioned a Thunderbolt monitor. That's a more likely explanation for glitching issues. Linux users generally don't install random software from random websites.
A "thunderbolt" monitor is likely just Mini DisplayPort, unless he's talking about some funky thing that daisy chains a USB hub through the same cable.
The parent comment mentioned a Thunderbolt monitor. That's a more likely explanation for glitching issues. Linux users generally don't install random software from random websites.