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June 1st, 2018 17:00
Precision 5520 Does it really support Linux?
Hey all,
So I'm moving for the OSX system back to a Linux one, I have been considering the Precision 5520 as it states that it fully supports Ubuntu.
After reading a number of threads though, I more than a little dubious of this claim.
It seems that I can purchase the laptop with Ubuntu 16, but thats it. If I decide to purchase with windows, there is no path to later install Ubuntu. Even though its a free OS, Dell doesn't provide the property drivers. Is this true?
Also it seems that upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu is a no go, again due to the custom OEM install of the ubuntu operating system. If this is the case, then I feel as though the statement of the company is very misleading. Really it should be, you can have Linux if its our version of it and thats it.
I really hope that I'm wrong in this understanding, as many Linux users want to use their own version of the OS and not one that is dictated to them. By restricting the version it seems to take away form the whole Linux experience. Of course I can understand only supporting a specific version, but to restrict people choices seems a little too far.
Anyway, Im looking for any feedback from users who maybe using the 5520 with a different version of Linux, or simply anyone who has updated the version of Ubuntu. Problems, issues, etc...
Kind regards
weijiajun
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September 8th, 2018 23:00
I know that this reply is probably later than you had hoped, however I felt like leaving a response could help someone else out in the future. Now what I am sharing is my own personal experience, so be aware that your mileage may vary.
I recently swapped out my work laptop from a Macbook pro to this precision 5520. I did this for the same reason that I assume you are looking to swap, because you just love Linux and while macs are great, they aren't a replacement. With that being said, I went into this endeavor expecting to spend at least a few hours getting everything setup, with the occasional maintenance time as well as custom scripts to enable/disable features to get the entire system working.
I was very wrong on that. The version of the 5520 that work purchased for me was the windows one, so I didn't see an option to download an Ubuntu ISO from dell, so I just installed the vanilla Ubuntu 18.04 desktop edition. I had to tweak a couple of bios settings around hard drive access (like disable RAID) however once that was done installation was quick and smooth. Once it booted up for the first time, I was excited to start getting everything else working, like dual monitor support. I didn't have to do anything. I just plugged in the dell dock using the thunderbolt connection and I instantly had my second monitor running, USB devices all working and everything from the dock. The best part is that it also works when I unplug it, reverting to just the laptop screen giving me the same experience that you would have on a windows or mac machine. This is by far the best experience that I have ever had running linux on a laptop. The laptop sleeps perfectly with the lid closed, wakes up fast and everything still runs and connects fine, a very smooth experience overall. Now it has only been a week or two since I received the updated but I could not be happier with the system I am currently using.
jncarlos
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August 4th, 2019 10:00
Hello, also probably a very late reply but nevertheless, here is my experience with Dell Laptops and Gnu/Linux distros.
I am currently using a windows version of the Precision 5520 i5 with the 4K panel. I am using Elementary OS Juno, mainly because of the aesthetics and simplicity, as I have been down the rabbit hole of modifying and adjusting that other distros require. In any case EOSJ is based on Ubuntu 18.04LTS, which is the version of Gnu/Linux some of the Precision/latitude laptops claim to fully support, though apparently only preinstalled by Dell themselves.
Here are some of the things I have experienced.
1. As the other reply, the main thing I had to do was to change the SSD settings from RAID because the SSD was not being picked up during installation.
2. Boot time is a bit slow for my taste being that I am using an M.2 NVMe, 24GB RAM and no Nvidia driver. But that is mainly an issue on Elementary OS, Opensuse and Xubuntu boot time is much shorter.
3. The camera app does not recognize the camera so it does not work, but I have read that is an issue with the app, as installing cheese fixes the issue, I however do not use the camera so have it disabled from BIOS.
4. Sometimes the wake time after suspend could be longer than normal extending a few more seconds, that I also read comes from upstream so it is something that will happen with Ubuntu and distros deriving from it.
5. Lastly, When using the Nvidia graphics card and the 390 driver, everything works fine, but there is an issue where login screen looks corrupted after suspend or opening lid having to occasionally force a reboot. There also might be a fix but I also don't really have use for the Nvidia card so I just keep it uninstalled and carry on with Intel card. That is not the case with Opensuse and Xubuntu as Nvidia driver work fine.
As mentioned, this is my experience while using Elementary OS Juno, some of the same issues appear on Xubuntu and Ubuntu, but not all.
On another note, I also use a Precision 3520, 5510, latitude 7480 and 90. Other than basic tweaks, everything just works out of the box.
Finally, per my experience, the windows versions Dell latitude and Precision have excellent Gnu/Linux support as almost zero tweaks need to be done and I would say everything just works out of the box. Hopefully this clears some questions by anyone trying to move to a Dell business laptop and Gnu/Linux which I highly recommend.