4 ms·

Agreed. One laptop worth investigating that I haven't seen anyone discussing in this thread is the Precision 7520. It is the same chassis as the XPS 15" laptop,

Agreed. One laptop worth investigating that I haven't seen anyone discussing in this thread is the Precision 7520. It is the same chassis as the XPS 15" laptop, but you can configure it with some more adult options. It is 2017 and I finally own a laptop with 32GiB of ECC(!) RAM. That is pretty damn cool. Allow me to roll out my specs, just cause I love this laptop: * Quad Core Xeon (1505M) * Discrete GPU with acceptable gaming performance and great at cracking passwords in a pinch * 32 GiB of ECC RAM * 1920x1080 15.6" (144ppi) display with no mic or web cam * An actually decent keyboard * Touchpad that is actually nice * So many ports. All the ports. The best ports (4 USB-3, 1 USB-C, HDMI, mini DP, Ethernet, SD Card slot, Smartcard Slot) * For the cost of equivalent Applecare, someone will show up to my house same day and fix this beast if something breaks * Expandable and replacement storage and memory Tell me all those ports don't make you a little jealous if you are using a Macbook, I won't believe you ;). It does come at he cost of this laptop being a bit chunky, so it won't be for everyone. You can also get it with a HiDPI display, but I actually prefer things right in this 120-144ppi range more than Retina. It is just a great computing package. End of story. I also still love my 2013 MBP. It is also a beautiful machine for its own reasons, so I am no Dell / Linux fanperson, but I have a bit of a crush on this laptop as I just got it about a month ago :)

purrcat259 9y ago
What laptop make and model is this please? Sounds great. Is the keyboard backlit?
- cpburns2009 9y ago
  > One laptop worth investigating that I haven't seen anyone discussing in this thread is the Precision 7520. He has a Dell Precision 7520. If you customize the model on the Dell website, there's a backlit keyboard option.
  - bitexploder 9y ago
    ^^^^ See above :) Just make sure anyone seriously considers this takes a long hard look at hte physical dimensions and weight. It is not a sleek or light machine :)
    - FireBeyond 9y ago
      The Precision 5520 has very close to the same options, in a sleeker body.
- deleted 9y ago
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gbuk2013 9y ago
I have a similar Dell 7510 running Debian Sid and my experience is also mostly positive. I had to disable the built in graphics in the BIOS to get my 2 external monitors to work (some Nvidia Quadro mess), suspend doesn’t work properly (common Linux problem) and the headphone port does not work unless you toggle microphone mute on an off first (could be some pulseausio wierdness but I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it so far). Even played some games on it, although I try to stay away from that sort of thing.
- molteanu 9y ago
  We're having similar problems at work regarding the headphones. You just have to remove them and plug them in (sometimes twice) before they work after a restart. This problem is present on both Lenovo and Dell laptops and in both cases with Windows 7.
bradstewart 9y ago
It's a lot bigger and heavier than an XPS 15 though. That said, I am a big fan of Dell's business lines. The Latitude 7000 series are great machines. I have a Latitude e7470 which I highly recommend, provided you don't need dedicated GPUs. It supports up to 32GB (non-ECC), has a wide array of ports, and is much closer to the XPS in terms of size and weight.
- FireBeyond 9y ago
  The Precision 5520 is pretty much the same as the XPS 15 though, in dimensions. And largely allows the same options (Xeon, 4K, different speed SSDs, etc.).
bproven 9y ago
Sounds like what I should have bought. How long have you had it? Any issues? I'm about to swear off Dell due to the XPS15 (9550) - this laptop has been a buggy mess since I got it: had to replace the oem wifi adapter for an Intel to get any kind of stability, battery issues, issues with it waking up randomly in my bag and almost overheating, random high speed fan for no reason (no CPU load or heat reason). I think Dell has issued a BIOS update at least once per month for the past year to try and fix everything :( I do like the fact that you can actually user repair it though (SSD, memory, wifi, battery) - otherwise it would have been gone a month after I got it. I wish Apple would do this on the "pro" macbooks... ugh.
- bitexploder 9y ago
  Only one month. I had an XPS 13 and it was much buggier. I figure the large chassis makes it easier to design the hardware. The 13 worked but was a real battle for the first week. This machine on 1604 is a dream so far. I do see Dell has more production issues, especially on XPS machines. Intel WiFi is a must. I learned a lot about what Dell does best on the 13" XPS.
exikyut 9y ago
Hastily gets nonexistant wallet out to go buy one I like how Ubuntu and Red Hat are in the officially supported list of OSes. Why didn't you go for 64GB ECC DDR4? :P I couldn't see a smartcard slot on it, and then I learned that the smartcard reader is contactless. And it supports SD cards up to 2TB in size even. The GPU only supports 4GB RAM though. --- So I just found the order page and have been having a bunch of fun speccing out the most expensive possible device. After wading through the comedy of - LINUX/RED HAT Operating Systems are not available with Dell Threat Protection and Endpoint Security Suite option. Please change one of these selections. - The Operating System you've selected does not support the ENERGY STAR Energy Efficient Option. - The LINUX Operating System is not compatible with the Processor. The absolute winner of - The Operating System you've selected does not support Office Productivity Software. And the (easily fixed) legacy annoyance of - The Ubuntu Operating System does not support the Wireless Card you've selected. I finally reached: Starting at Price: $8,383.58 Total Savings: $3,005.11 Dell Price: $5,378.47 <-- the actual cost Niiiiiice. I added absolutely everything but kept the screen at 1080p (which adds capacitative touch!). So it has 64GB RAM, two 1TB SSDs, a 4GB Quadro M2200, a 3.9GHz Xeon E3, and an IPS display. I like how vPro can be left unchecked :> I'm confused why it's still saying Linux is incompatible with the processor though. Why? :( Let's see if this URL breaks Arc: http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/new-precision-7520/spd/precision-15-7520-laptop/xctop752015_us_sapp?selectionState=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 http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-noteboo...

purrcat259 9y ago

What laptop make and model is this please? Sounds great. Is the keyboard backlit?

cpburns2009 9y ago
> One laptop worth investigating that I haven't seen anyone discussing in this thread is the Precision 7520. He has a Dell Precision 7520. If you customize the model on the Dell website, there's a backlit keyboard option.
- bitexploder 9y ago
  ^^^^ See above :) Just make sure anyone seriously considers this takes a long hard look at hte physical dimensions and weight. It is not a sleek or light machine :)
  - FireBeyond 9y ago
    The Precision 5520 has very close to the same options, in a sleeker body.
deleted 9y ago
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gbuk2013 9y ago

I have a similar Dell 7510 running Debian Sid and my experience is also mostly positive. I had to disable the built in graphics in the BIOS to get my 2 external monitors to work (some Nvidia Quadro mess), suspend doesn’t work properly (common Linux problem) and the headphone port does not work unless you toggle microphone mute on an off first (could be some pulseausio wierdness but I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it so far). Even played some games on it, although I try to stay away from that sort of thing.

molteanu 9y ago
We're having similar problems at work regarding the headphones. You just have to remove them and plug them in (sometimes twice) before they work after a restart. This problem is present on both Lenovo and Dell laptops and in both cases with Windows 7.

bradstewart 9y ago

It's a lot bigger and heavier than an XPS 15 though. That said, I am a big fan of Dell's business lines. The Latitude 7000 series are great machines. I have a Latitude e7470 which I highly recommend, provided you don't need dedicated GPUs. It supports up to 32GB (non-ECC), has a wide array of ports, and is much closer to the XPS in terms of size and weight.

FireBeyond 9y ago
The Precision 5520 is pretty much the same as the XPS 15 though, in dimensions. And largely allows the same options (Xeon, 4K, different speed SSDs, etc.).

bproven 9y ago

Sounds like what I should have bought. How long have you had it? Any issues? I'm about to swear off Dell due to the XPS15 (9550) - this laptop has been a buggy mess since I got it: had to replace the oem wifi adapter for an Intel to get any kind of stability, battery issues, issues with it waking up randomly in my bag and almost overheating, random high speed fan for no reason (no CPU load or heat reason). I think Dell has issued a BIOS update at least once per month for the past year to try and fix everything :( I do like the fact that you can actually user repair it though (SSD, memory, wifi, battery) - otherwise it would have been gone a month after I got it. I wish Apple would do this on the "pro" macbooks... ugh.

bitexploder 9y ago
Only one month. I had an XPS 13 and it was much buggier. I figure the large chassis makes it easier to design the hardware. The 13 worked but was a real battle for the first week. This machine on 1604 is a dream so far. I do see Dell has more production issues, especially on XPS machines. Intel WiFi is a must. I learned a lot about what Dell does best on the 13" XPS.

exikyut 9y ago

Hastily gets nonexistant wallet out to go buy one I like how Ubuntu and Red Hat are in the officially supported list of OSes. Why didn't you go for 64GB ECC DDR4? :P I couldn't see a smartcard slot on it, and then I learned that the smartcard reader is contactless. And it supports SD cards up to 2TB in size even. The GPU only supports 4GB RAM though. --- So I just found the order page and have been having a bunch of fun speccing out the most expensive possible device. After wading through the comedy of - LINUX/RED HAT Operating Systems are not available with Dell Threat Protection and Endpoint Security Suite option. Please change one of these selections. - The Operating System you've selected does not support the ENERGY STAR Energy Efficient Option. - The LINUX Operating System is not compatible with the Processor. The absolute winner of - The Operating System you've selected does not support Office Productivity Software. And the (easily fixed) legacy annoyance of - The Ubuntu Operating System does not support the Wireless Card you've selected. I finally reached: Starting at Price: $8,383.58 Total Savings: $3,005.11 Dell Price: $5,378.47 <-- the actual cost Niiiiiice. I added absolutely everything but kept the screen at 1080p (which adds capacitative touch!). So it has 64GB RAM, two 1TB SSDs, a 4GB Quadro M2200, a 3.9GHz Xeon E3, and an IPS display. I like how vPro can be left unchecked :> I'm confused why it's still saying Linux is incompatible with the processor though. Why? :( Let's see if this URL breaks Arc: http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/new-precision-7520/spd/precision-15-7520-laptop/xctop752015_us_sapp?selectionState=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 http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-noteboo...