On Sun, May 7, 2023 at 11:11 AM Max Pyziur <pyz@brama.com> wrote:

Greetings,

I've been using two Dell XPS L322X of early 2013 vintage acquired
used since late 2017. They work very well, but I'm considering newer versions of this laptop.
Dell XPS 13 9380s
Specifically, I've seen some Dell XPS 13 9380s of 2019 vintage.

A user on AskFedora is having problems with a Dell XPS 13 9380. inxi said:
Network:
  Device-1: Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter
    vendor: Rivet Networks Killer 1435 Wireless-AC driver: ath10k_pci v: kernel
    pcie: speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 168c:003e

The issues could be either the wifi driver or the battery.   High-end models used
Intel wifi.


There is some installation help at this webpage:
https://raynix.info/archives/4232

With the L322X I was able to do some maintenance on my own, specifically
replacing the SSD from a 125MB to a 1TB and then installing Fedora via
USB.

And also installing a new batter and wifi network cards.

I would hope to do the same with a 9380 (or whatever else might be
recommended).

Any opinions pro/con?

The XPS 13 9380 was sold with "128" GB or larger SSD, but the heatsink on
the 128GB SSD is not adequate for larger drives, and the ultralight form factor
limits cooling options.   You can't upgrade RAM.  Avoid ultralight unless
portability is a priority.

I advise looking for a system that can charge via USB C.  I recommend getting
a 2nd power source for laptops.  One 60 watt USB C power source works can
power many devices.  I have the Dewalt USB-C Kit that includes a USB-c charger
for Dewalt batteries that can also provide USB-C power to portable devices. using
either USB-C power brick or a Dewalt 20V battery pack.

--
George N. White III