Is it a meme?

Is it a meme?

I need a laptop for CS classes starting in the fall.

Should I get this, or just get a regular XPS 13, partition the drive, and install a distro of my liking on the other section?

Or does this have some kind of, I dunno, special proprietary drivers that I'd need for Linux that I can't get with the normal one, which is why this one costs more.

XPS 13 has been getting some good reviews. Only thing I'm not sold on, beyond what I've said above is

>that coil whine

My work just gave me an XPS13 from a couple years ago. The screen blows me away every time I open it

If you're just going into first year don't get it unless you're insecure and need to show everyone else that you can waste $1400 on a machine that compiles command line programs.

You can install Ubuntu for free

get a Thinkpad faggot

I have a new 15 and it doesn't have coil whine. I would recommend it. I don't think the developer edition is any different than if you installed Ubuntu on it yourself but I might be wrong.

XPS 13 owner here. If you get one, definitely don't get the developer edition. Costs way too much and is generally a meme. I dual boot windows 10 with Ubuntu on my machine, and that's pretty easy to do. Coil whine is an issue, it wouldn't ultimately make me pick a different model but it's annoying when it's really quiet and I can hear it when I scroll or type. Also, there are random driver issues and windows 10 is generally less pleasant to use on an XPS 13 than on a desktop due to bugs and hard to fix problems.

For that money, you're probably much better off with a Lenovo Thinkpad, they have some great looking designs and better compatibility. Also, you pay a premium for the XPS form factor, which honestly doesn't need to be that thin, even for a college laptop

Lol. I hear your point, but if I have the money, and want a nicer screen and battery than an older thinkpad, why not?

I know. Is there any reason to get this over the normal one then? I'm just worried about drivers.

They don't even specify what CPU it comes with. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why the dev edition costs $50 more than pic related. Especially when one of their selling points is:

>This laptop comes with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, the popular Linux distribution, backed by Dell ProSupport, so you won’t deal with the hassle and extra cost of another OS that you won’t use.
>extra cost of another OS that you won’t use.

Honestly user, I'd get a machine at System76 that'll be better for less money

Genuinly curious, why not get a notebook-tablet convertible? Something like Surface Pro or one of the Thinkpad lines...

I definitely wouldn't get an XPS 13 with an i7 processor. If you want to game, you shouldn't get an XPS 13 because it doesn't have a dedicated GPU

Excellent reply, this is what I was looking for.

If I get the normal edition, I was going to get rid of 10 and put 7 on it. I was told by my coworker I'd be paying a premium for the XPS/Dell tax, so I'm aware of that. He got a similarly equipped HP for a few hundred dollars cheaper. I dislike HP though. Shit, I'm not even big on Dell, but as mentioned in OP the 13 has been getting generally very positive reviews.

I think if mine has that bad of coil whine I'd send it back for another.

Thanks for your post.

>I definitely wouldn't get an XPS 13 with an i7 processor.

Why not? I wouldn't be gaming on this at all btw. I have a decently equipped rig for that. I'm trying to get away from games altogether though and get my shit together tbqh.

Battery life is defs an issue, but I'm sure you can get something with a suitable battery for less than the price of the XPS.

While it doesn't cover the screen requirements, I picked up a netbook when I started uni (This was back when netbooks were being pushed hard), and it allowed me to take notes and do work all day at uni and all I paid was like AUS$200.

It was underpowered and tiny, but it got the job done.

I'm not saying go out and buy some POS netbook, but shop around a bit.

Seems like you're paying extra for Dell support, but Ubuntu is pretty well supported on the interwebz so I'd say not worth the extra price

If you have the money then fine

but you will not be using the capabilities of that machine in your first year of CS, buy a laptop half that price then ebay it when it starts bogging down from your massive code*

*this will never happen

>They don't even specify what CPU it comes with.
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7560U Processor

Well I have no use for a tablet. And a surface pro that is well equipped enough to handle running VM's is going to set me back more than the XPS 13.

I'm sure what you had was perfect and suited for taking notes, I just want a bit more power. Noted though.

Noted. And I agree with you.

>Why not? I wouldn't be gaming on this at all btw. I have a decently equipped rig for that. I'm trying to get away from games altogether though and get my shit together tbqh.
because you will never approach needing that i7 power to take notes run Microsoft office and write fizzbuz?

Main difference is getting Dell support. If you install it yourself they won't support it.

enjoy your chincam

Ive had both the 13 and currently the 15. The coil whine is for some reason a bigger, if not isolated, issue in the 13. It was terrible on my machine so I returned it.

alienware laptop

They won't replace it for coil whine, at least not for me or for some others online. You'd have to return it and buy another, but that would take a while.