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We Need a Better PC

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Re: We Need a Better PC

#681

Post by slantyyz »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #659
slantyyz wrote: post #617

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I run mostly dev tools, text editor, etc. But I have a bad habit of having more than 50 Chrome tabs open, and Chrome is a notorious pig on just about every OS. My Macbook Pro (2011, quad core i7) is famous for heating issues, but that aside, any app that forces use of the discrete GPU (at one point, even Coda did) would cause the fans to spin. I don't want to sound like a snob, but the 13" MBPs aren't comparable with…

Previously to this machine I had a 15" MacBook Pro (2012) and didn't have any issues either. I don't run many browser tabs, that might be the difference. Although I do think the fans spun up more often on the 15" you're right.

The 2012's had the second generation CPUs of that class, and they ran cooler than those used in 2011. A lot of people had major heat issues with the 2011, it's quite famous.

Apple was basically in denial about the issue until last year when they issued the repair order.

Having said that, most of the quad core models will get hot pretty fast, especially if you use something like Chrome. If you use Safari, you probably won't have those issues, as it's much more efficient than Chrome, but that's a preference thing.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#682

Post by silasdavis »

tluyben2 wrote: post #343
Zarel wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I googled around and found this: http://www.trustedreviews.com/dell-xps-13-2015-review-batter... which gives a rated battery life of 18 hours and a real-world use battery life of 9-10 hours http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/dell-xps-13-battery-life-f... This article suggests a battery life of 12 hours. What kind of battery life are you expecting?

Ah my bad; I read somewhere it was much much less. Maybe that's outdated information. But when people say 9 hours, basically I get 3-4 out of them... Usually.

I probably get 6 hours on arch Linux full back light. Battery life seems better on Windows (my friend's machine)

Re: We Need a Better PC

#683

Post by pmarreck »

spronkey wrote: post #657
pmarreck wrote: post #610

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you misunderstood what I'm trying to say. I don't have an issue with featuring third party reviews of your own product on your own page. But if you're going to show those, and they're only 3/5 star reviews, the assumed law of self-interestedness would seem to indicate that that was the best you could do... 3/5 stars. You're stating publicly that you can only satisfy your customers to 60%. Why are your standar…

... except for things like batteries, cables, and chargers, which have had 1 star reviews for literally years, and Apple has done nothing to change their design. Hrm.

People giving 1-star reviews due to price is dumb.

Reviews should rate quality.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#684

Post by scholia »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #577
scholia wrote: post #448

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are spending more than 3-4 hours per day on your laptop, you should really be using a desktop, for the sake of your long term health....

Just started a new job, since we're moving to a new building with an "open" concept and dual 24" monitors at each station, I didn't get a monitor since I'm in an older building. In less than two weeks I already have neck and back problems from hunching over my laptop all day. Thank god I only have two more days of this insanity.

Quick short-term fix is to stand the laptop on a pile of books and plug in a cheap USB keyboard......

Re: We Need a Better PC

#685

Post by sjwright »

mbrock wrote: post #677
sjwright wrote: post #662

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's certainly not a forum for one single particular type of computer enthusiast.

Right... which makes it kind of ridiculous to claim that any mention of configuring Linux to work with HiDPI is "bullshit." Because there are a lot of Linux enthusiasts here.

Far be it for me to defend somebody else's words, but I happen to entirely agree with askafriend when he described the manual tinkering required to get HiDPI functioning well as "things that I don't want to deal with. It's all just bullshit, and I don't have time to deal with bullshit like that. I really just don't want to even think about stuff like that. Not even a tiny bit, not even for a second."

There are indeed a lot of Linux enthusiasts here, myself included, but being a Linux enthusiast doesn't mean we all want to act as systems integrator all the time.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#687

Post by mbrock »

sjwright wrote: post #685
mbrock wrote: post #677

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right... which makes it kind of ridiculous to claim that any mention of configuring Linux to work with HiDPI is "bullshit." Because there are a lot of Linux enthusiasts here.

Far be it for me to defend somebody else's words, but I happen to entirely agree with askafriend when he described the manual tinkering required to get HiDPI functioning well as "things that I don't want to deal with. It's all just bullshit, and I don't have time to deal with bullshit like that. I really just don't want to even think about stuff like that. Not even a tiny bit, not even for a second." There are indeed…

This was a pointless squabble to begin with. I just reacted to "askafriend"'s way of arguing against my non-argumentative semi-helpful anecdote... because I think it's really tedious that mere mentions of Linux configurations can turn into a flame war... it also struck me as a little odd to be so ferociously reluctant to engage in any kind of computer configuration, "for even a second", on a forum about hacking.

I happen to see a lot of value in the availability of a free and open operating system, so I take offense when people rail against it in this sweeping way. Yeah, it's not polished perfect like Apple's products (let's imagine that they don't have any tedious bullshit problems), but it's free software and a community effort.

So when people say it's "insane for any normal human being" to use it... eh, that pushes my buttons.

If you install Postgres, you have to mess around with some configuration files. Some people might consider that tedious, painful, horrible bullshit. I just see it as a necessary reality, and I don't whine condescendingly at people who offer advice or anecdotes.

Re: We Need a Better PC

#688

Post by spronkey »

scholia wrote: post #663
spronkey wrote: post #658

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Latitude isn't entry-level, it's just the business line. Yes, they have the high end Precision workstation line, but Latitude models typically are built as good as or better than XPS models.

Nope. Latitude is the entry-level business line, then there's Optiplex, with Precison workstations on top. There's also Vostro, which is the small/home office line. I wasn't making a comment on build quality, just on Dell's branding and pricing.

The Vostro is their entry-level business line... Optiplex and Precision are desktop brands only. Latitude ~= Optiplex for laptops :)

Re: We Need a Better PC

#689

Post by spronkey »

pmarreck wrote: post #683
spronkey wrote: post #657

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... except for things like batteries, cables, and chargers, which have had 1 star reviews for literally years, and Apple has done nothing to change their design. Hrm.

People giving 1-star reviews due to price is dumb. Reviews should rate quality.

Plenty of them give 1-star reviews for stuff like... lack of strain relief causing premature failures on cables. But yes, agreed (within reason - $19 for the MagSafe->2 converter is a little ridiculous).

Re: We Need a Better PC

#690

Post by chaostheory »

pedalpete wrote: post #620
chaostheory wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can add whatever you want to the end of its name; it's still confusing. This is probably one reason why the blog's author isn't aware of it.

Really? Any more confusing than all the Mac's being called Mac? People get the difference between the Mac, Macbook, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro. Why is Surface, Surface Pro, Surfacebook any different?

It's really just Mac (the desktop line) and Macbook (the laptop line). It's simple.

The problem is that Surface can mean anything. It can mean a tablet, a laptop, or a ginormous screen or table e.g. Surface (a tablet, a table, or a laptop?), Surface Pro (a more powerful version of the tablet, table or laptop?), Surfacebook (another version of the tablet?)

Am I wrong? Think about it. Why would a blog post complaining about the absense of a great PC laptop get so many upvotes on HN when MS has the answer in the form of a 'Surface'? imo something is just really wrong with MS's marketing.

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