Old used Dell xps for Manjaro/arch Linux + MacBook Air M2 base OR MacBook Pro M2 running Arch in VM ?

[ZD_plguy17]

I considered buying Dell xps on eBay on used market but they are usually relatively highly bid for very old processor unless I look to spend above $500. Your are lucky if you can find used xps 13” with 8th Intel around $400. Usually it’s 6th generation with 8gb of ram. Usually models 9350 or 9443.



M1 Pro 14” MacBook Pro seems overkill though in my case I would benefit from 16gb ram upgrade for running VM.

Not sure how Manjaro/Arch runs well on Silicon Apple based VM and if their Arm distributions matured. Ubuntu has ARM so at least I could run it instead of Manjaro/Arch.


I am deep in apple ecosystem and and have iPhone and Mac mini 2014 late. The late Mini is getting long th in tooth and consider replacing it with MacBook that I can take on the go and use as desktop.

Should I pull trigger now for old Dell xps and buy later cheapest MBA or wait for midrange Pro?

 

[ryanmillercg]

An old Dell XPS will certainly save you some money. They are definitely good Windows and Linux machines, and tend to be pretty good Hackintosh machines as well, if that's something you're willing to try. If you think you'll be buying another one a year from now though, then the cost of replacing/maintaining may overshadow the initial savings.

Alternative operating systems are still quite experimental on Apple Silicon. They are improving all the time, but it's still not as good as the regular x86 experience.

All that being said, I've been using the Macbook Air for about 6 months now for all sorts of demanding tasks (3d modelling, game development, video editing, image editing, programming, all while plugged into a 4K monitor) and it's been marvellous. Far better than I would ever expect a fanless PC to be. IMO it's worth every penny.

If you're going to get a MBA, I do suggest you get 16gb of RAM and at least 512gb SSD. Those two stats will do wonders for it's resale value, as well as make it last quite a bit longer. People have said otherwise, but I think 8gb/256ssd is a really pathetic offering from Apple these days.

 

[ZD_plguy17]

If you think you'll be buying another one a year from now though, then the cost of replacing/maintaining may overshadow the initial savings.

I would then just buy new MBA but would probably need to settle on RAM and SSD if they still release 8gb/256ssd to limit spending after expensing on old XPS.

That said going VM, if ARM would be underwhelming, I could probably just load on KVM VM on my homelab Ubuntu 20 server with Intel X86 arch, and connect over VNC when at home which I already use to run Docker containers with web apps such as Bookstack.

All that being said, I've been using the Macbook Air for about 6 months now for all sorts of demanding tasks (3d modelling, game development, video editing, image editing, programming, all while plugged into a 4K monitor) and it's been marvellous.

That sounds like perfect fit if only I wasn't obsessed with Magsafe3. I used to have old mid-2009 MacBook Pro which had original MagSafe and loved it. Saved my laptop when my roomate's German shepherd ran over cable.

I am definitely going to get min 16gb ram if going without XPS. And now rumors saying that new midrange MacBook pros might be released in March, I will probably wait at least another 3 weeks to see what comes around.

 

[MBAir2010]

You can get a Dell XPS 13" and use that for Windows like I did and do, They are great laptops!
my goal was to use Ubuntu or any Linux program I could find, but grew to like Windows 10
i still use my Mini and MacBook air but this week my Dell XPS had been used more this week
for photo editing and i need to clear some data off the drive which was upgraded to 500 GB last march.

sometimes taking a break from the walled apple garden is a good ting!

 

[ryanmillercg]

I would then just buy new MBA but would probably need to settle on RAM and SSD if they still release 8gb/256ssd to limit spending after expensing on old XPS.

That said going VM, if ARM would be underwhelming, I could probably just load on KVM VM on my homelab Ubuntu 20 server with Intel X86 arch, and connect over VNC when at home which I already use to run Docker containers with web apps such as Bookstack.


That sounds like perfect fit if only I wasn't obsessed with Magsafe3. I used to have old mid-2009 MacBook Pro which had original MagSafe and loved it. Saved my laptop when my roomate's German shepherd ran over cable.

I am definitely going to get min 16gb ram if going without XPS. And now rumors saying that new midrange MacBook pros might be released in March, I will probably wait at least another 3 weeks to see what comes around.

It depends largely on your VM needs. If I were to run a VM, it would only be worthwhile with excellent graphics acceleration. Parallels and Crossovers are "OK" at this, but not perfect. If you don't care about graphics, the current offerings may be a great fit. That also opens up other VMs like UTM https://mac.getutm.app/ (which is free). I can't comment on Docker. You can definitely find posts around the net for people's impressions of it on Apple Silicon.

I also missed Magsafe (and am glad it's back) but you should also consider that with these laptops getting 10+ hours of battery life, you likely won't need to plug it in anywhere precarious, except at your desk (where it's hopefully safe) when you're not using it. There are also USB-C adapters you can buy to fake magsafe on these models.

 

[ZD_plguy17]

Eventually battery wears out. I remember when my iPad Pro 2017 could have 50% battery left on third day after deplugging and now it’s close to 0%.

Third party usb-c to MagSafe are cool but nothing beats built-in.

I use docker containers on my x86 server running Ubuntu, not personal computers so docker compatibility is not issue.

Anyway I decided on this:
-if new macs are coming in March with new design, I am getting them with 16gb
-if they just put m2 with old design and call it a day, I will just get a used XPS and save money.

 

[ZD_plguy17]

So apple keynote passed this week and my friend is excited to get M1 air pad air. Nothing for me though.

I went ahead and got from Dell Outlet xps 9305 with 11 gen Intel like new condition for $600! Far better deal than any used older Dell on eBay. It’s got only 8gb but Arch Linux will run fine on it.

If for some reason are hardware compatibility issues like screen brightness auto adjustment I may try Fedora which has well known support for xps or even good ole Ubuntu.

I think I will get next year or so M1 Mac Mini with 16 or more GB RAM.

 

[ZD_plguy17]

An old Dell XPS will certainly save you some money. They are definitely good Windows and Linux machines, and tend to be pretty good Hackintosh machines as well, if that's something you're willing to try. If you think you'll be buying another one a year from now though, then the cost of replacing/maintaining may overshadow the initial savings.

Alternative operating systems are still quite experimental on Apple Silicon. They are improving all the time, but it's still not as good as the regular x86 experience.

All that being said, I've been using the Macbook Air for about 6 months now for all sorts of demanding tasks (3d modelling, game development, video editing, image editing, programming, all while plugged into a 4K monitor) and it's been marvellous. Far better than I would ever expect a fanless PC to be. IMO it's worth every penny.

If you're going to get a MBA, I do suggest you get 16gb of RAM and at least 512gb SSD. Those two stats will do wonders for it's resale value, as well as make it last quite a bit longer. People have said otherwise, but I think 8gb/256ssd is a really pathetic offering from Apple these days.

I have had Dell xps 9305 for 4 months. Got it at great discount as refurbished like new and cheap fast SSD upgrade from Samsung.

There was no “cheap deals” on eBay and if they were they were quite very old which pushed to get refurbished with full warranty.

It’s fantastic machine, running Arch Linux with KDE and inside running Windows 11 on KVM.

Since I have this laptop I no longer feel need to get MacBook Air like I used to few months ago. Altough I would have gladly spent more to get the taller screen and better keyboard. Page UP and Page Down above arrow keys are too easy to hit by accident. At least Linux makes it easy to remap keys.

But I am keeping my eye out for new M2 Mac Mini. Will try to get at least 16gb/512gb but can live also with 256 if it isn’t plagued by same issues as new m2 air as I will add fast external SSD to it anyway.

 

[ryanmillercg]

I have had Dell xps 9305 for 4 months. Got it at great discount as refurbished like new and cheap fast SSD upgrade from Samsung.

There was no “cheap deals” on eBay and if they were they were quite very old which pushed to get refurbished with full warranty.

It’s fantastic machine, running Arch Linux with KDE and inside running Windows 11 on KVM.

Since I have this laptop I no longer feel need to get MacBook Air like I used to few months ago. Altough I would have gladly spent more to get the taller screen and better keyboard. Page UP and Page Down above arrow keys are too easy to hit by accident. At least Linux makes it easy to remap keys.

But I am keeping my eye out for new M2 Mac Mini. Will try to get at least 16gb/512gb but can live also with 256 if it isn’t plagued by same issues as new m2 air as I will add fast external SSD to it anyway.

Glad you got something that works for you