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Dell XPS 13 Review

anandtech.com

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Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#61

Post by listic »

zanny wrote: post #24
listic wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does 'official support' for Ubuntu look like?

http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/555/campaigns/xps-linux-lapt...

Nice. I wish ThinkPads had that. I'm ok with the way Ubuntu works on my old X200s, but I'm uncertain about the device support for latest ThinkPad models.

Do you know of similar official support for Ubuntu in other decent laptops?

EDIT: Oh wow, ThinkPad X240s and X250, along with many other models, are certified. http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/desktop/models/?query=&c... I wonder how am I supposed to use fingerprint scanner on my laptop?

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#62

Post by hsitz »

jbk wrote: post #37
commandar wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The MBP is a different class of machine. This thing is roughly the size of an 11 inch MBA.

The weight isn't that different, though.

Current 13.3" Macbook Pro weighs 3.46 pounds. The Dell XPS 13 weighs 2.6 pounds. The MBP thus weighs 32% more (0.8 pounds) than the Dell. That's a big difference to me, and to lots of people.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#63

Post by Someone1234 »

jakevn wrote: post #14
bryanlarsen wrote: post #7

The interesting difference between this review and that of most others is that Anandtech endorsed Dell's claims of 15 hours of battery life. Reviews like at The Verge[1] measured the battery life at 6.5 hours. I trust Anandtech more than The Verge to conduct properly controlled tests, but it really does illustrate the point that usage has a far bigger impact on battery life on modern notebooks than it did in the past…

Apparently simply disabling Windows Indexing increased battery life from 7.5 hours to 9.5 hours in some tests.

If you have a Pro or Enterprise edition of Windows, you can configure this:

1) Launch mmc (Win+R, "mmc")

2) File -> Add/Remove Snap-In

3) Group Policy Object Editor -> Add -> Local Computer -> Ok

4) Expand Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Search

5) Find "Prevent indexing when running on battery power to conserve energy"

6) Enable -> OK -> Close

If you're on Home Edition then make a new *.reg file with the following content:

     Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

     [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search]
     "PreventIndexOnBattery"=dword:00000001
And run it.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#65

Post by JamesMcMinn »

01Michael10 wrote: post #53
jbk wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, my Ux31 is my main machine. I often plug an extra screen, though.

Sorry, didn't realize you guys were using a 13.3" PC for real work. Yikes! I guess spoiled here to have separate PCs for work (two 21" displays), home (24" display plus TV as second display), and a laptop for portable use. Using a small display laptop as my main box would be to limiting for me. When I am running a VM or logged on to another PC remotely, I like to view it on a second display instead of switching back…

I use a Dell XPS 13 (2014 edition) as my main dev machine with an i7, 512GB SSD and 8GB RAM.

It supports DisplayPort 1.2, which means I can Daisychain monitors. I plug in one DisplayPort cable and it connects to my 27" 1440p monitor and my 24" 1080p portrait monitor, giving me 3 separate displays to use.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#66

Post by rayiner »

mrjatx wrote: post #51
rayiner wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've played around with a few of those devices, had a Surface for awhile, etc. Ended up moving back to a big-ass laptop (15" rMBP) and a big-ass phone (iPhone 6+). It's really hard to beat the combination of quad-core power, tons of RAM, giant battery, and lots of screen real estate.

I'm the opposite, I loathe big laptops. I always used Thinkpad X's or the Vaio Z's connected to monitors. That way when I leave I just pop them off the dock and carry them out the door with my paperwork. Take 'em to a coffee shop or out on the porch and get some work done. On that note, I can't do the 11s though. I initially had an 11" MBA and that was way too small. I'll never do another 15" laptop!

Fair enough. Though, my 15" rMBP is slightly lighter and 40% thinner than the 12" PowerBook G4 that used to be the height of portability not too long ago.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#68

Post by sliverstorm »

micv wrote: post #34
at-fates-hands wrote: post #8

As much as I love SSD's, is 256GB actually enough for power users? Or are they assuming the OS will be on the SSD and you can hook up an external HD for more space? Just curious.

What are your usage patterns? I've found 256GB to be a bit of a sweet spot. I can't get everything I would ever want on the disc, but it's enough with maintenance and uninstalling things I'm no longer using to any great extent. And the performance advantage of an SDD is so ridiculously nice that I would never give it up for a bit of extra convenience. If you're doing things that are seriously space heavy like video e…

If you're doing things that are seriously space heavy like video editing, you'd probably need an external storage source to make up the difference.

You'd probably need external storage either way. I used to have some friends who were big into video editing, they could chew through 1TB with just a few projects.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#69

Post by JamesMcMinn »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #8

As much as I love SSD's, is 256GB actually enough for power users? Or are they assuming the OS will be on the SSD and you can hook up an external HD for more space? Just curious.

They offered the 2014 version with a 512GB SSD, I'd imagine this years version will have that option too.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review

#70

Post by tramjoe_ »

01Michael10 wrote: post #53
jbk wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, my Ux31 is my main machine. I often plug an extra screen, though.

Sorry, didn't realize you guys were using a 13.3" PC for real work. Yikes! I guess spoiled here to have separate PCs for work (two 21" displays), home (24" display plus TV as second display), and a laptop for portable use. Using a small display laptop as my main box would be to limiting for me. When I am running a VM or logged on to another PC remotely, I like to view it on a second display instead of switching back…

You do not understand, do you? We do work on these machines. Using VMs, mostly headless. I have 10 to 20 VMs running on my X220 while on the road - in my case mostly build environments - and _none_ of them is taking a sinlge pixel on my display.
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