| 1 |
On Sun, Jun 21 2015, Alan McKinnon wrote: |
| 2 |
|
| 3 |
> On 21/06/2015 21:16, gottlieb@×××.edu wrote: |
| 4 |
>> I am seriously thinking of updating my dell 6430s laptop purchased 3 |
| 5 |
>> years ago. NYU has an arrangement with dell so that is the only maker |
| 6 |
>> I am considering. This machine will be essentially gentoo only (I |
| 7 |
>> configure my computers to dual boot some version of windows for ease |
| 8 |
>> in dealing with dell support). |
| 9 |
>> |
| 10 |
>> The hardest decision is size vs performance, but I know you can't help |
| 11 |
>> with that. I have pretty much decided on the dell 7450. My questions |
| 12 |
>> concern three options: Graphics, Wireless, Screen. But would appreciate |
| 13 |
>> any other advice you have. |
| 14 |
> |
| 15 |
> I've used nothing bur Dell laptops for 10 years (currently on #5), and |
| 16 |
> I've yet to run into any hardware support issues. |
| 17 |
|
| 18 |
Same here (but 20+ years). However, some friends and my children did |
| 19 |
have problems. I believe the difference is NYU buys many dells, whereas |
| 20 |
the friends/children were individual purchasers. |
| 21 |
|
| 22 |
>> I will definitely get |
| 23 |
>> * 16GB ram (2 x 8GB) |
| 24 |
>> * 512GB solid state disk |
| 25 |
>> * most powerful CPU compatible with the options chosen |
| 26 |
>> |
| 27 |
>> 1. Graphics. |
| 28 |
>> I can afford a high-end graphics co-processor, but prefer the |
| 29 |
>> software/administrative simplicity of intel graphics. Am I |
| 30 |
>> correct in believing that Linux (the kernel) supports |
| 31 |
>> (the dell option) |
| 32 |
>> Intel Core i7-5600U Processor, UMA graphics, Smart Card |
| 33 |
>> directly with no extra gentoo package needed? |
| 34 |
> |
| 35 |
> All intel cards I've ever seen are supported. |
| 36 |
|
| 37 |
Good. I will get the Core i7-5600U |
| 38 |
|
| 39 |
>> 2. Wireless. |
| 40 |
>> |
| 41 |
>> I would appreciate help choosing among the following dell options |
| 42 |
>> (the prices are about the same). |
| 43 |
>> a. Intel Tri Band Wireless-AC 17265 802.11AC |
| 44 |
>> Wi-Fi + Wi-Gig + BT 4.0 LE Wireless Card |
| 45 |
>> b. Dell Wireless 1707 802.11n Single Band |
| 46 |
>> Wi-Fi + BT 4.0LE Wireless Card |
| 47 |
>> c. Dell Wireless 1560 (802.11ac 2x2, WiFi & BT) |
| 48 |
>> d. Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 802.11AC |
| 49 |
>> Wi-Fi + BT 4.0 LE Wireless Card (2X2) |
| 50 |
> |
| 51 |
> Intel wifi cards OTH, seem to Just Work. I recommend you go with an |
| 52 |
> intel card, or swap it out later (they are fairly cheap). |
| 53 |
|
| 54 |
OK. I guess I will choose a. over d. above for the (stupid/naive) |
| 55 |
reason that "tri band is better than dual band". |
| 56 |
|
| 57 |
>> 3. Screen |
| 58 |
>> I am only considering 1920x1080 (best available) with a camera. |
| 59 |
>> a. Are touch screens supported on gentoo/gnome? |
| 60 |
> |
| 61 |
> No idea, never used one. |
| 62 |
> |
| 63 |
>> b. Is WiGig valuable and is it easy to administer? |
| 64 |
> |
| 65 |
> Never heard of it :-) |
| 66 |
|
| 67 |
OK. I will (shudder) ask dell which 1920x1080 w/ camera screen to get. |
| 68 |
|
| 69 |
> So on the whole, my experience with higher-end Dell is that hardware is |
| 70 |
> pretty much well-supported across the boards with very few gotchas. The |
| 71 |
> only two exceptions would be wifi cards (cheap to fix) and maybe GPU |
| 72 |
> co-processor (if you are unlucky to get an unsupported cutting edge one |
| 73 |
> and need to wait a bit for Linux support to catch up). |
| 74 |
|
| 75 |
I've had similar experiences but very much appreciate the confirmation |
| 76 |
and your comments. |
| 77 |
|
| 78 |
allan |
Archives