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