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Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

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Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#31

Post by rhizome »

acchow wrote: post #5
pwg wrote: post #2

More than likely, because switching to Linux also drops all the "paid pre-installed windows software" (companies paying Dell to pre-install their software) then this jump in price would give a hint as to how much Dell receives in payment for pre-installing all those windows extras.

What is the software that gets installed and what does it do? Do they actually show ads ?

A quick search for a default Dell/Windows desktop shows Spotify, Netflix, PicsArt, and there's a couplefew more in the tray, not to mention the start menu, which certainly has more who probably got a bit of a discount on their placement fees.

https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DSC00... https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22894952/t...

Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#32

Post by WesolyKubeczek »

leetcrew wrote: post #27
zaidhaan wrote: post #24

A bit off-topic, but if that's the case, then why don't you just buy the Windows version, then wipe the disk and install Linux on it. You effectively save yourself $200. Is there something I'm missing? Does selecting the developer version use different hardware that has better Linux support?

the kaby lake xps 13 linux skus had a different wifi card that was more reliable on linux (and arguably in general). could be some other subtle differences like that. to me it's easily worth $200 to not deal with those sorts of issues. also, I believe they sometimes don't offer the lowest tier windows hardware with linux at all.

Except that a wifi card costs $20.

Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#33

Post by pavlov »

znpy wrote: post #29
pavlov wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Further evidence that crypto is truly a cancer on software.

> Further evidence that crypto is truly a cancer on software. you might want to correct "crypto" with "cryptocurrency", at least

Realistically that ship has sailed. It's like "GNU/Linux".

Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#34

Post by adgjlsfhk1 »

nicolaslem wrote: post #16
encryptluks2 wrote: post #12

One thing to note is that using Arch I haven't had any issues with hardware on any computer I've tried, and usually you can find a comparable Acer or MSI with much better specs for significantly less. I usually don't see much benefit with purchasing overpriced hardware.

Every laptop is a linux laptop if you stay away from nvidia and get last year's hardware.

honestly since 20.04 ubuntu or so, nvidia works pretty well on linux (other than battery life on laptops which is still not good).

Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#35

Post by gwbas1c »

yumraj wrote: post #20

It is possible that it is strategic, to discourage customers from purchasing a Linux laptop. This could be for various reasons, such as: 1) Their production pipeline is optimized for windows, so Linux is a deviation requiring some manual intervention that costs extra. 2) Deals with Microsoft, wherein MS incentivizes them Dell based on some criteria, including but not limited to units sold. This is similar to car deal…

Makes me wonder: If Dell sold a Linux laptop for cheaper, what would happen? Would a lot of people return it? Call up customer support confused?

Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#36

Post by cjbgkagh »

leetcrew wrote: post #27
zaidhaan wrote: post #24

A bit off-topic, but if that's the case, then why don't you just buy the Windows version, then wipe the disk and install Linux on it. You effectively save yourself $200. Is there something I'm missing? Does selecting the developer version use different hardware that has better Linux support?

the kaby lake xps 13 linux skus had a different wifi card that was more reliable on linux (and arguably in general). could be some other subtle differences like that. to me it's easily worth $200 to not deal with those sorts of issues. also, I believe they sometimes don't offer the lowest tier windows hardware with linux at all.

Replacing the Killer WiFi card with an $40 Intel one is the first thing I do to every Dell laptop I get.

Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#39

Post by zaidhaan »

WesolyKubeczek wrote: post #32
leetcrew wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the kaby lake xps 13 linux skus had a different wifi card that was more reliable on linux (and arguably in general). could be some other subtle differences like that. to me it's easily worth $200 to not deal with those sorts of issues. also, I believe they sometimes don't offer the lowest tier windows hardware with linux at all.

Except that a wifi card costs $20.

Exactly. I feel like the costs of swapping out such components for better ones likely wouldn't exceed $200.

Maybe pwg is right and the discounted price with Windows is due to the paid pre-installed software. But that still leaves the customer with complete freedom to install something else on it.

Re: Ask HN: Why the $200 Overhead on Dell XPS Laptops with Linux?

#40

Post by leetcrew »

WesolyKubeczek wrote: post #32
leetcrew wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the kaby lake xps 13 linux skus had a different wifi card that was more reliable on linux (and arguably in general). could be some other subtle differences like that. to me it's easily worth $200 to not deal with those sorts of issues. also, I believe they sometimes don't offer the lowest tier windows hardware with linux at all.

Except that a wifi card costs $20.

the card itself does, but how do you value the time you spend on research and doing the replacement? I bought the windows version of that laptop when I was a student, and replaced the card myself. that made sense then, but if I bought it today to get work done, I'd gladly spend $200 extra to have it ready to go out of the box and not think about it. just my two cents, feel free to do whatever works for you.
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