We Need a Better PC • Hacker News Board

Re: We Need a Better PC

#21

Post by voltagex_ » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:20 AM UTC

ank_the_elder wrote: post #15

voltagex_ wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I looked at the 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Skylake variant of the XPS 13. Amazing looking machine, fits my filter criteria of "has service manual available to mortals" except for one problem - Dell won't sell me one, and neither will Microsoft (Signature Edition). They only seem to be available in the US and even if I was willing to spend the nearly $4000AUD to import one they won't ship to a non-US address.

Several of the best Dell laptops are sold here in Australia with a considerable markup, even allowing for exchange rate. I tried to buy an XPS variant which was considered a 'workstation' for Australian Dell and so had an exorbitant markup which I'm not willing to pay. Hopefully things have improved now.

If you find the right discount code or sales person (over the phone) you can get the price down. Many employers also have deals with Dell that give you 10-15 percent off.

My issue is that the variant isn't available at all.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#22

Post by ArchD » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:21 AM UTC

jolux wrote: post #7

Honestly if you get a Mac you can install rEFInd on it and boot Linux just fine, or run Linux in a VM. The hardware also almost never breaks and especially if you have AppleCare they frequently replace it for free. Yes, it may be difficult to upgrade yourself. That's entirely true and if it's a deal breaker there's not much else around. You might do well to look at https://puri.sm if you're a Linux user, they seem to…

Don't you get annoying hardware incompatibility when running Linux on Apple hardware? The Arch Linux wiki on Macbook Pro, for example, doesn't suggest running Linux on it is simple.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#23

Post by voltagex_ » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:22 AM UTC

vardump wrote: post #19

My dream laptop: 1) No malware/spyware tainted brand. 2) At least 32 GB ECC RAM, 16 GB is so 2010. ECC, because memory errors do happen and cause instability. 64 GB option wouldn't hurt either. 3) HiDPI (retina) display (IPS or equivalent) 4) Fast PCI-e attached SSD. 5) Ability to run two 4k monitors @60 Hz. 6) Stable USB3 ports (My 2015 RMBP keeps resetting USB3 ports, making it nearly impossible to run VMs on USB3…

>2015 RMBP keeps resetting USB3 ports

Do you know who OEMed those ports? I've had a horrible run of luck with crappy USB3 chipsets in desktops - with the same symptoms as you're having. Do you still get the resets in Windows 8.1/10?

Re: We Need a Better PC

#24

Post by sengork » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:23 AM UTC

vardump wrote: post #19

My dream laptop: 1) No malware/spyware tainted brand. 2) At least 32 GB ECC RAM, 16 GB is so 2010. ECC, because memory errors do happen and cause instability. 64 GB option wouldn't hurt either. 3) HiDPI (retina) display (IPS or equivalent) 4) Fast PCI-e attached SSD. 5) Ability to run two 4k monitors @60 Hz. 6) Stable USB3 ports (My 2015 RMBP keeps resetting USB3 ports, making it nearly impossible to run VMs on USB3…

ThinkPad P50 might be for you: http://www3.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-p-ser...

Re: We Need a Better PC

#25

Post by wldcordeiro » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:23 AM UTC

voltagex_ wrote: post #20

xlayn wrote: post #12

Do you like the MacBook but don't like the OS? go ahead and change it, you can have triple boot. Tiny fonts and pop ups doesn't have anything to do with the machine you are going to buy (unless you also want the website). HP makes the elitebook, magnesium construction a la thinkpad. And last but not least I would like to give this entry the RAGE post award, nomination points for What I want is a computer with: -Decen…

Add me to the rage brigade. I think the OP has missed the Microsoft "Signature" edition products. They're a clean Windows 10 image and you buy direct from Microsoft. I just wish they'd sell me the XPS 13 9350 (the highest spec'd one) in Australia. Edit: AFAICT a lot of the battery life on a MacBook comes from the way OS X works - friends who use Bootcamp tell me it significantly reduces their battery time.

That's lame they don't sell those there. I got a 9350 myself and loaded Ubuntu onto it and it's been fantastic. What do they limit you to? Just the basic XPS 13 models?

Also, what if someone in the US bought one and had it shipped to Australia? Is that doable?

Re: We Need a Better PC

#26

Post by narrator » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:23 AM UTC

I have a Toshiba p835-z370. It's a few years old but it still runs like a champ and all the hardware is supported on Ubuntu. Toshiba build quality is pretty good.

Here's the teardown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMH0r76zdt0 . It's only upgradeable to 6gb though. Would love it if they had a 16gb upgradeable version.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#27

Post by jsprogrammer » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:24 AM UTC

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Re: We Need a Better PC

#28

Post by gbrown » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:24 AM UTC

jitl wrote: post #6

Did you look at Dell's line of XPS ultrabooks? I don't own one myself, but the ultra narrow bezels and industrial design look quite nice.

The Precision M3800 is also a great 15" laptop for running Linux (but you can't trust them not to screw up the bundled Ubuntu distro, and need to write some systemd wifi-restart scripts).

Re: We Need a Better PC

#29

Post by mcmillion » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:24 AM UTC

vardump wrote: post #19

My dream laptop: 1) No malware/spyware tainted brand. 2) At least 32 GB ECC RAM, 16 GB is so 2010. ECC, because memory errors do happen and cause instability. 64 GB option wouldn't hurt either. 3) HiDPI (retina) display (IPS or equivalent) 4) Fast PCI-e attached SSD. 5) Ability to run two 4k monitors @60 Hz. 6) Stable USB3 ports (My 2015 RMBP keeps resetting USB3 ports, making it nearly impossible to run VMs on USB3…

Take your RMBP back to Apple, that shouldn't be happening.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#30

Post by r-w » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:24 AM UTC

That was a pretty quick dismissal of Lenovo, and a warped portrayal at that. As far as we can tell, Superfish was not intentionally installed by Lenovo, and any money it made didn’t go to them since it wasn’t their software. There’s nothing here to suggest that this is a sign of anything untrustworthy happening at Lenovo, any more than there is at any other major laptop seller. It seems like this was just a case of their software QA being not quite on par with their hardware QA. Also, all websites suck. Just sayin’.

tl;dr: “Picky, picky! wags finger”