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author | luxagraf <sng@luxagraf.net> | 2017-06-22 10:44:56 -0600 |
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committer | luxagraf <sng@luxagraf.net> | 2017-06-22 10:44:56 -0600 |
commit | cb8711e38a9b658a40cd15a392234156854dd20e (patch) | |
tree | b1e5050370a80bcc3ee87a59458d92bf466a1477 | |
parent | 4aa39dcfd3e76bd411ef8f0392cd23fc9594064a (diff) |
wrote more of dell review
-rw-r--r-- | dell7520.txt | 32 |
1 files changed, 32 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/dell7520.txt b/dell7520.txt index 3e3490f..adb4a1a 100644 --- a/dell7520.txt +++ b/dell7520.txt @@ -10,5 +10,37 @@ Naturally Linux will probably work just fine on plenty of hardware not specifica And now, with the revamped Sputnik lineup you can get your just works Linux rig and all the power and RAM of a bigger laptop in the form of the Dell Precision 7520. +## Hardware + The machine Dell sent me for testing was a Dell 7520 Developer Edition with tk RAM, tk GB of hard drive space and the brilliant tk screen. +The 7520 boasts a full size keyboard complete with number pad, though the arrow keys, page up/down, and home/end keys are all half size keys, which some may find annoying. There's also "nub" cursor controller in the middle of the keyboard, which would be great were it not so stiff. The really brilliant piece of engineers in the keyboard though is the mouse buttons -- separate left, middle and right -- just below the space bar, which makes it possible to, for example, right click with your thumb without ever taking your fingers off the home row or otherwise interrupting your typing. + +I like this bit so much I've had some trouble going back to my Lenovo, I still routinely tap my right thumb just below the space bar only to fine there's nothing there. That said, I can see where some people might not like this feature since, especially at first, there's a tendency to accidentally hit the mouse buttons when you meant to hit the space bar. In my case it only took about half a hour o typing for that to go away, but it might be worth heading to a brick and mortar store to try out the keyboard before you rush off to order one. + +The keys themselves are your basic chiclet-style keys, though as is the case with other Dell laptops I've tested, they manage to have a rather solid, satisfying feeling with a good bit of give to them. If, like me, you tend to pound on your keys like you're still using a Model M, Dell offers one of the better keyboard experiences in a laptop today. + +The trackpad is less remarkable, though it's plenty responsive and smooth enough with separate buttons just below it. With Ubuntu's stock trackpad drivers you can configure the trackpad to respond to taps if you don't like the separate buttons, but there is no Apple-style push anywhere on the trackpad to left-click. + +For ports the Precision 7520 offers 4 USB 3.0 ports with PowerShare, three on the left side, one on the right. Also on the left is a Thunderbolt 3 type C port, HDMI, and Mini display port connector. On the right, along with the three USB ports, there's a memory card reader, headphone jack and security lock. The back the Precision 7520 sports a RJ45 port and the power adapter port. There's also a finger print reader and an optional smart card slot. + +The case of the Precision 7520 is a soft carbonite finish with a very sturdy metal chassis that doesn't flex much even when you carry it open with one hand, which you shouldn't do because this thing is pretty heavy. It's not off the charts but at around six and half pounds (exact weight varies according to customizations) it's definitely a two hander, at least when it's open. It's worth noting though that the hinge is quite smooth and opening it up with one hand isn't difficult. + +The Precision 7520 is just under 15in wide, 10.38 inches deep and a little over an inch thick, tapering from the back to front. In other words it's neither a massive beast, nor the most svelte thing on the market. Personally, the extra bulk is nothing compared to the power gained by having the bulk. + +The tk processor in the machine I tested handled everything I ever threw at it without breaking a sweat. I was able to edit through and render a backlog of video editing that I had been dreading trying to do on my i5 8GB Lenovo. So I crunched through several hours worth of footage, compiled and rendered out my edits and the Dell hardly even spun up its fans. A note on those fans though: they didn't run very often in normal use, but when I pushed it they did kick in and they're not the quietest things around. They did, however, do an excellent job of keeping things cool even when I was rendering video while sitting in the afternoon sun while camping in Louisiana swamps in June. I should note here that while the model I tested had 32GB of RAM, you can, for a price, push that up to 64GB of RAM. + +The last hardware bit of note is the screen. + +## Software + +Ubuntu 16.04 +performance +hidpi support +future with gnome and drivers + +## overall impressions + +everyday use +batteyr life sucks. with great power comes terrible battery life +size of charger |