Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#51

Post by caconym_ » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:23 PM UTC

zeusk wrote: post #8

Yes, I've been using a Retina MacBook Pro 13" (early 15) and 15" (mid 15) and just picked up the xps 13 9350 with iris pro. There are definitely some quality control issues but once you get a working model with no faults (I had one that wouldn't reboot and had terrible coil whine, one that had loose trackpad and yellow tint on screen but this could also be because of Amazon's shitty packaging where the laptop was in…

> once you get a working model with no faults (I had one that wouldn't reboot and had terrible coil whine, one that had loose trackpad and yellow tint on screen

I never understood how people can deal with multiple rounds of RMAing (or whatever) a defective product and still turn around and recommend it to other people. If a company can't consistently deliver their products intact and functional, why should I waste hours of my time (which effectively increases the price of the product by hundreds of dollars) picking up their mess?

The fact that this is still a thing kinda says to me that PC laptop OEMs still aren't ready to go toe to toe with Apple in the customer experience department, despite the overall improved quality of their offerings.

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#52

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:23 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#53

Post by vladimir-y » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:24 PM UTC

kminehart wrote: post #18

My girlfriend recently bought one for her daily driver. We decided to go with Arch Linux to gain access to packages as they release, rather than wait for the next iteration of Ubuntu or Fedora to get updates. Here are my pros and cons: Pros: 1. The hardware is great; the developer edition favors more Linux-compatible hardware (obviously), and for us, it didn't require very much setup. Usually the default configuratio…

I used Arch Linux for a few last years, but recently switched to the Manjaro (Arch Linux based distributive). Manjaro has a little better stability than pure Arch Linux since Manjaro before shipping packages does (I hope) some testing and verifying that core system components are not broken after updating. When you know what to do having you laptop not bootable after system update (not so likely, but it happens), then Arch Linux is for you :)

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#54

Post by buckbova » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:24 PM UTC

ifhs wrote: post #3

I recommend carbon 3rd gen

Seconded. I have this running xubuntu and all is fine with the world.

My only complaint is the limited ram.

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#55

Post by Kalium » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:25 PM UTC

I've got a Dell Precision 5510 with Ubuntu. I've been very happy with it. My only major grievance was the slightly slow graphics drivers, but it's not like I'm gaming on the thing.

I got some very good - and upgradable - hardware at a good price with an extended battery. Good call, would buy again.

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#56

Post by kag0 » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:25 PM UTC

Linux users on the xps13/15, with synaptic you typically can't rest your thumb in the corner of a touchpad while using it. Do you have this issue or any work arounds?

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#57

Post by kichik » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:25 PM UTC

snerbles wrote: post #47

toyg wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> so does OS X if you can replace the wifi card Please tell us more! What card am I supposed to replace it with, and is it anything involving soldering or just sockets and switches?

If it's anything like the 9343 model from 2015, a T5 Torx driver and a wedge tool can pop it open. I swapped the Broadcom card for an Intel 7620 in mine. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Dell+XPS+13+Teardown/36157

+1 on this. If you get the Broadcom card in your Dell, replace it ASAP. It can cause so many issues but it's really easy to replace. Costs around $40 including the torx driver and takes under 10 minutes.

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#58

Post by TazeTSchnitzel » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:26 PM UTC

manav wrote: post #2

Consider the outgoing Macbook Pros. You can probably get a good deal on one.

Apple sell refurbished MacBooks directly and they come with warranty and full accessories.

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#59

Post by troyk » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:26 PM UTC

086421357909764 wrote: post #4

14" Razer Blade 1060, grab a dbrand matte skin to cover the hideous Razer logo. No problems with Ubuntu 16.10 currently installed. Also have a 13" Dell XPS dev edition used for specific work. It's a nice system as well. The Razer def has more power if you want a full replacement.

I'm considering moving from a macbook pro to the blade and adding the core to get a beefed up desktop experience with the ability to unplug and take work anywhere it needs to go. I'm assuming I would need to stay in windows land with linux via Hyper-V. Besides iMessage, all my apps run on linux (more-so) or windows (less-so). Any thoughts?

Re: Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?

#60

Post by piptastic » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:27 PM UTC

I had a laptop from System76 at my previous job, which runs Ubuntu: https://system76.com/laptops

I liked it, but I didn't travel with it so not sure how carry-able it is. Current shop is Mac oriented but I would have gotten another one if it had been up to me.