MacBook Pro Replacement with Linux support

Question

I'm looking for a MacBook Pro replacement that works out of the box with Linux. Since my income depends on this machine, i can't afford taking time to tinker much with the machine.

I bought a maxed out 15" 2017 MacBook Pro in October 2017 and have so far been disappointed by a keyboard failure, thermal throttling, graphics card failure and need something a bit more reliable. I also can't stand Windows which obviously limits my options to only Apple laptops (which are no longer an option due to their horrific build quality) and a few other brands that have good Linux support.

How good is the Linux support on the Dell XPS Machines? I'm looking at a i7/i9/Xeon with 32GB of RAM. The Precision 5530 is listed with Linux support, but it doesn't seem like anyone is selling the Precision series in South Africa, only the XPS which probably means that i won't be getting any support in South Africa if i import it.

nyc10036 · Answer

https://certification.ubuntu.com/certification/make/Dell/?query=&category=Laptop&release=18.04+LTS&level=Any laptops certified to run Ubuntu 18.04 how about the XPS 13 ?

janvladimirmostert · Answer

13' is a bit small, would have been great if that list contained 15' machines. The Precision 5530 seems like a good option, does it come with a full aluminium body? (can't see from the pics) Also, how does warranties work if i have to ship it to South Africa, do i have to ship it back to the states for any repairs?

nyc10036 · Answer

@janvladimirmostert wrote: 13' is a bit small, would have been great if that list contained 15' machines. The Precision 5530 seems like a good option, does it come with a full aluminium body? (can't see from the pics) Also, how does warranties work if i have to ship it to South Africa, do i have to ship it back to the states for any repairs? Don't know anything about the 5530. I have read on these forums that if the laptop is not sold in your country, you won't be able to get a warranty for it. You'll need to check with Dell in South Africa to be certain. You're one of the few people I have read that rates Apple's products poorly.   .

janvladimirmostert · Answer

i was quite happy with the older machines from 2011 - 2015. These new touchbar machines have terrible keyboards, i thought people were just being dramatic until i started getting dead / stuck keys at no fault of my own on the 2017 version, then a graphics chip failure, all within 14 months of purchase.

Thanks for the info, i'll search for Dell ZA and contact them to see what machines i can get here.

XPS

MacBook Pro Replacement with Linux support

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