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Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

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Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#51

Post by Isinlor »

I have XPS 9560 with i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SDD, and 1080p 15' screen. I switched from MacBook Pro 2014 Retina, the highest specs back then. I had an azerty keyboard layout that was driving me crazy. (Gosh, how I hate the stupid azerty! I always forget how to write a freaking pipe "|".)

Windows works very well. I had issues with CPU overheating when playing Witcher 3, but I reduced the voltage on CPU a little without reducing clock with an Intel program and it succeeded in reducing temperatures without stability issues.

On Ubuntu (https://github.com/stockmind/dell-xps-9560-ubuntu-respin) there was some fun in making sure that Nvidia GPU is off during normal work in order to reduce battery usage. I can get GPU back on with single command if I need to do some simple machine learning. Right now during my normal working (Firefox with 200+ tabs, Chrome, VS Code running) with 100% battery, powertop gives me a discharge rate of 12.3 W and estimated remaining time of 7 hours, 31 minutes. It normally is about enough for a full workday.

The Bluetooth sometimes goes off after closing the computer (suspend) while being connected to headphones. In order to fix the issue, I need to restart the computer waiting for about 10 seconds downtime before starting again. Funny enough, right now Ubuntu is claiming that Bloototh is off but it is actually working. There are also very sporadic issues with video. For example, sometimes YouTube will just crash and I will need to restart the system to get it back working.

I'm happy with the build quality (beside mentioned thermal properties). I especially like the sturdy screen. Keyboard and trackpad, for me at least, are about as good as Mac. I liked Mac trackpad maybe a little bit more. IO in XPS is good. I'm certainly missing MagSafe plug (charger plug that disconnects while pulled). I should also mention that when the battery is full and I'm connected to the charger I can hear a very weak coil whine. Kind of like an HDD head working but possibly even less noisy, most time I don't even notice. When I do notice I just disconnect it from the charger and the whine is gone.

I never had to deal with Dell support, so I don't know how it looks like. But I like that a lot of technical people use XPS, so it's easy to Google issues.

Overall, I would recommend XPS. (My girlfriend has one and she is happy with it.)

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#52

Post by tannhaeuser »

I've recently checked options for replacing my aging XPS 13, and AFAICT right now only Dell has first-party support for preinstalled Linux (Ubuntu), whereas Thinkpads come either with Windows or, rarely, without O/S, and are merely listed as Ubuntu-certified. But OTOH Thinkpad (480 and X1) notebooks have fantastic user communities on eg. notebookcheck and elsewhere sharing reliable support info.

I'd recommend testing the devices yourself. I had the luxury of testing an XPS vs a Carbon in a shop in 2016 and found the XPS's display, trackpad, and even keyboard better, certainly more Macbook-like (though Apple's Touchpads are bigger and better). Classic Thinkpads don't have flat trackpads, but use a somewhat special design and also have that pointer thingy (though the latest Carbon does have a flat trackpad I believe, and there's a new Lenovo line very much like Thinkpads, but using mainstream trackpad designs and doing away with pointers).

Be aware that current XPS 13s have only glare screens (which would very likely be a deal breaker for me) and can't be equipped with more than 16 GB. OTOH, the Carbon X1 has a 16:9 display (14") which could maybe also break the deal for me.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#53

Post by alpaca128 »

freedomben wrote: post #45

Get either: The Dell Precision 5520 (or whatever the latest verison of that is) with Ubuntu pre-installed (you can easily wipe and reinstall with distro of your choice, but this guarantees maximum compatibility. Pros: - Premium hardware (better than Apple IMHO, and I love Apple's hardware) - Nice trackpad - Good compatibility with Linux (except the Nvidia Optimus stuff, so avoid that if you can) - Good warranty - Tou…

Agreed with the Nvidia Optimus comment. My Thinkpad T460p runs pretty much every distro you throw at it, but the Nvidia Optimus card is almost always the cause of some headaches when something with graphics doesn't work. On the other hand the touchpad driver is better than the official one for Windows(which doesn't support middle mouse click with the center button).

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#54

Post by johnny22 »

bastard_op wrote: post #30

My xps15 9560 has been a basketcase under ubuntu or arch linux, mostly due to the nvidia gpu never playing well with, well any other gpu. In general I'd recommend avoiding anything with a "hybrid" gpu solution. The downside is you're stuck with a crappy intel gpu, which at high-res (4k) on my xps15 is pretty crap, so I wouldn't get anything beyond a 1080p display with it. I think life would be much better if we could…

I'm hoping to see ones shipping with midrange amd gpus soon.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#55

Post by robocat »

bastard_op wrote: post #30

My xps15 9560 has been a basketcase under ubuntu or arch linux, mostly due to the nvidia gpu never playing well with, well any other gpu. In general I'd recommend avoiding anything with a "hybrid" gpu solution. The downside is you're stuck with a crappy intel gpu, which at high-res (4k) on my xps15 is pretty crap, so I wouldn't get anything beyond a 1080p display with it. I think life would be much better if we could…

XPS 9570 (2018): i9-8950HQ, 32GB RAM, 1TB SDD, 15" 4k touch screen, Ubuntu 18.04.

Good: * Fast. * Regular BIOS updates for Linux (none affected me). * No hardware problems (I use Killer WiFi every work day; fingerprint not supported but doesn't matter to me).

Average: * No official Linux Dell support (need Latitude or 13") * No DisplayPort * Keyboard ok

Poor: * Linux support for 4k has problems (even with second 4k screen). * No PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys * Coil Whine - occasional noise depending on activity - like hearing old CPU on radio. * nVidia - causes fan to run - poor switching support - low battery life - so I just never use it. * Glossy screen (touch screen models always shiny)

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#56

Post by [deleted] »

erikw wrote: post #42

Does anyone have Linux experience with the Dell Inspiron 15 5000 AMD laptop? I was looking to get a Lenovo X490 or T590, especially now that they have an AMD version, but they've removed a lot of features that longtime Thinkpad fans like myself loved the series for. I noticed that Dell has this Ryzen 7 based laptop available at about half the price of Lenovo, and am considering it now that the Thinkpad line seems eff…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#57

Post by jdillaaa »

pixelmonkey wrote: post #7

Lenovo X1C is the standard-bearer for a Linux notebook experience that is hassle-free, hardware-wise, and includes a great keyboard, trackpad, screen, battery, all in a slim ultrabook format. I wrote up my experience of a 4th gen model here: https://amontalenti.com/2017/09/01/lenovo-linux If you care about outdoor usage, opt for the matte IPS screen rather than the glossy options. Lenovo sells both types on almost ev…

I have the X1C. Little thing I noticed about the matte IPS screen (which I selected for outdoor usage much like you said) is that the screen goes black when I wear my sunglasses with a polarized lens, so if your sunglasses are polarized perhaps consider buying some non-polarized ones :-)

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#58

Post by smacktoward »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #19
pixelmonkey wrote: post #7

Lenovo X1C is the standard-bearer for a Linux notebook experience that is hassle-free, hardware-wise, and includes a great keyboard, trackpad, screen, battery, all in a slim ultrabook format. I wrote up my experience of a 4th gen model here: https://amontalenti.com/2017/09/01/lenovo-linux If you care about outdoor usage, opt for the matte IPS screen rather than the glossy options. Lenovo sells both types on almost ev…

Complete agreement; I've used the X1 Carbon since the first generation. One issue, though: the 6th and 7th generations currently use a cell modem (the PCIe Fibocom L850-GL LTE-A) that doesn't work under Linux. The USB version works; the PCIe version has no driver.

I'm still using a circa-2013 X1 Carbon, running Ubuntu. Overall it's been great, with the one exception being the battery life, which has always been abysmal. I've never been able to get any more than 2 hours out of the battery, even after extensive tinkering with tools like powertop.

That machine is getting a bit long in the tooth now, so I've been thinking about what to buy to replace it; getting another X1C would be a no brainer if I wasn't worried about whether the battery life in the new ones is as bad as it was in my old one.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#59

Post by JoshTriplett »

smacktoward wrote: post #58
JoshTriplett wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Complete agreement; I've used the X1 Carbon since the first generation. One issue, though: the 6th and 7th generations currently use a cell modem (the PCIe Fibocom L850-GL LTE-A) that doesn't work under Linux. The USB version works; the PCIe version has no driver.

I'm still using a circa-2013 X1 Carbon, running Ubuntu. Overall it's been great, with the one exception being the battery life, which has always been abysmal. I've never been able to get any more than 2 hours out of the battery, even after extensive tinkering with tools like powertop. That machine is getting a bit long in the tooth now, so I've been thinking about what to buy to replace it; getting another X1C would…

I get 10+ hours of battery life out of mine, depending on workload. I run Debian, without any special tuning, beyond powertop and running an up-to-date kernel.

Re: Ask HN: Best Linux Laptop Replacing a Macbook Pro?

#60

Post by basch »

jdillaaa wrote: post #57
pixelmonkey wrote: post #7

Lenovo X1C is the standard-bearer for a Linux notebook experience that is hassle-free, hardware-wise, and includes a great keyboard, trackpad, screen, battery, all in a slim ultrabook format. I wrote up my experience of a 4th gen model here: https://amontalenti.com/2017/09/01/lenovo-linux If you care about outdoor usage, opt for the matte IPS screen rather than the glossy options. Lenovo sells both types on almost ev…

I have the X1C. Little thing I noticed about the matte IPS screen (which I selected for outdoor usage much like you said) is that the screen goes black when I wear my sunglasses with a polarized lens, so if your sunglasses are polarized perhaps consider buying some non-polarized ones :-)

or buy polarized lenses with the opposite orientation. if you turn your head 90 degrees can you see the screen?
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