At one time, we had to do a lot of research and read a lot of reviews to find a machine that would work with the least amount of hassle on the Linux desktop distribution of our choice. Those days are long gone, and Linux runs on almost every machine. The Linux kernel community has done an excellent job of getting device driver support out of the box.
However, there are machines that can run Linux D and machines that can run Linux. Dell Computer falls into the latter category. Five years ago, Barton George started a project inside Dell to bring desktop Linux to high-end Dell systems at the consumer level. Starting with one machine, Linux can now be run on an entire line of high-end laptops and desktops.
Of these machines, the XPS 13 is my favorite. Although I needed a powerful desktop for 4K UHD, multi-location video production, I also needed an ultra-portable laptop that I could carry around without worrying about a bulky backpack and charger. The XPS 13 was also my first laptop and stayed with me for over seven years. So, yes, there is also an element of nostalgia.
Dell updates its XPS line almost every year, and the latest product demonstration was announced in October. [XPS 13 (7390)] 4 is an incremental update to the series, and Dell was happy to send me a test unit.
It is supported by a 6-core I7-10710U CPU. It comes with 16GB of ram and 1TB of SSD. At a base frequency of 1.10 GHz, which can be overclocked to 4.1 GHz, this is an excellent machine for regular workloads. It doesn’t use any dedicated GPU, so it’s not suitable for gaming or compiling Gentoo Linux or Arch Linux from source. However, I did manage to run a few Steam games on it.
If you want to run Kubernetes clusters, AI frameworks or virtual reality, there are even more powerful machines in the Precision family that can run Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu.
The chassis of the machine is the same as the previous generation. The bezels remain as thin as the previous generation, still thinner than the MacBook and Microsoft’s Surface Pro.
It has three ports, two of which are USB-C Thunderbolt 3, which can be used to connect 4K displays, USB attachments, and high-speed data transfers between computers for peer-to-peer networking.
It also has a microSD slot. As a video journalist, an SD card slot would be more useful. Heavy raspberry PI users will also appreciate the card.
It features four microphones and an improved camera that is now at the top (goodbye, nostril camera!). .
XPS 13 (7390) is smooth and thin. It weighs just 2.7 pounds (1.2kg), putting it on a par with Apple’s MacBook Air. The machine can be your travel companion and can perform everyday tasks such as checking email, browsing the Web and writing.
Its 4K UHD screen supports HDR, which means you can enjoy all The beauty of The Mandalorian. Plus, the car’s speakers aren’t that good, and they sound dull. They’re great for video chat or casual YouTube viewing, but if you want to watch episodes of The Witcher later this year, or listen to Music from Amazon, Apple Music or YouTube Music, you’ll need headphones or external speakers.
But how long can you use the machine before plugging in the charging cable? It gave me about 7-8 hours of battery life under normal workload: I opened a few tabs to browse the web and just watched movies or listened to music. Multitasking, especially Web activities, can accelerate battery drain. A few tweaks on Linux might give you more battery life, but on Windows 10, I got 10 + hours!
As a video journalist who still does a lot of writing, I love keyboards. But the trackpad story we’ve heard on Linux desktops for years hasn’t changed: it’s a far cry from the quality found on a MacBook or Windows. That may change one day. To their credit, they did release a trackpad driver to enhance the experience, but I didn’t run Ubuntu 18.04 LTS that came with the system. I installed Ubuntu 19.10 from scratch because Gnome was very slow in 18.04. I’ve tried openSUSE Tumbleweed, Zorin OS, Elementary OS, Fedora, KDE Neon, and Arch Linux. Everything is fine, although some require extra effort to run.
So who does the system work for? Clearly, this is for professionals who want high-end machines with well-designed brands they trust. For users who like the MacBook Air, but prefer the Linux desktop ecosystem. For people who want to work with Linux, not make Linux work.
My use of the machine for a week further illustrates why I love Dell’s XPS line so much. They are the best Linux laptops out there. This XPS 13 (7390), you deserve it!
Via: www.linux.com/articles/de…
Swapnil Bhartiya (Lujun9972
This article is originally compiled by LCTT and released in Linux China