Newest generation 2020 notebook - bad idea? Advice please which hardware to buy.

[akrueger2]

Found some more resources for this one machine:

Linux:
* ubuntu certification for Dell G5 5500 - it's only a i5-10300H CPU - but tenth generation! Also a smaller GPU but also NVIDIA
* Installing Arch Linux on Dell G5 15 Gaming 5590 - that is NOT the exact same 5500 and it's 9th generation - but very detailed instructions.
* archwiki Dell G5 5590-9340 not the same machine, but similar?
* "how I made Ubuntu 18.04 working on my ... Dell G5 5587" a 2018 text about a predecessor with an "NVidia GTX 1060 Max-Q" and he gives a simple "final solution" at the end

Videos:
* 3 min "Dell G5 15 5500 - disassembly and upgrade options"
* 5 min "Unboxing Dell Gaming Series Laptop | G5 15 5500, i7-10750, 2070 MaxQ" = almost exactly the same machine, just a different screen
* LINUX on G5 15 (but the Ryzen + AMD version) long video, mentions some of the (minor) quirks, from minute 1 to minute 4 - needs "kernel 5.8 for best out of the box experience". And shows how to optimize fan control, regulate down the CPU, etc. - summary at 23-24 minutes

Looks as if I can dare to buy that beauty, right?

Dell G5 15 (cng5010) (Dell, German)
* Intel i7-10750H, 6 cores
* NVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB, Max-Q Design
* 16GB DDR4-2933MHz
* 1TB NVMe SSD
* 300 Hz display 15,6"-FHD
* Wi-Fi6 AX1650W, 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1

I think I have found it, no?

[kurt18947]

If I were buying a new laptop, I'd look at "business class" machines for Linux comparability. What follows is my opinion not document-able fact. Business class machines tend to use higher quality more durable components than bargain "consumer class" machines. Those higher quality components are more likely to work well with Linux. Consumer class "bargain" machines may use odd-ball chips that do not have decent linux support. The machine you're considering appears to be a business class machine. It's generally true that more recent kernels have better support for new hardware. I had more experience with this than I needed when I installed a Ryzen3 motherboard and the installed OS was Ubuntu 18.04. 20.04 fixed some problems. When you get your machine you could boot it off a live USB. That will tell you pretty quickly if the networking and WiFi work (new WiFi chips can be a problem with Linux), which function keys work as expected etc. Good luck with your purchase.

[akrueger2]

Thank you so much, @mastablasta @P-IH @oldfred @kurt18947, for your perspective and explanations.

I have indeed decided to buy the Dell G5 15 5500 "cng5010", see above.

because of
(a) their Linux laptops (even though this is not one) and their "popularity among Linux users",
(b) the good quality of a previous Dell that I own,
(c) the "mainstream" aspect (which might lead to earlier drivers implementation, and more instructions online),
(d) the radical 20%-off with BLACK20 code this week,
(e) the attractive price of <1300 EUR for a (i7-10, 2070 max-q) machine = which would cost me much more at other vendors, and

in spite of
(f) the mediocre test results in several notebook test sites, which (only available for similar models) mainly criticise:
(g) the rather high temperature at full power (*)
(h) and some don't like the keyboard/touchpad and the built-in sound, which both I use seldom anyways
(h) nor do the testers appreciate the sparkling plastic, which I could not care less about (I think, now, before I have to live with it, lol)

and on top of what I was looking for, I will get:
(i) a long battery life (most tests mentioned that)
(j) a 300 Hz screen. Not sure why I need that, but ... impressive.
(k) an NVMe disk. That could be even faster than an SATA SSD, right?
(l) a "Max Q" GPU = which is supposed to be thinner and more energy-efficient.
(m) a glowing front LED, lol:



(*)
Thinking about solutions for the HEAT PROBLEM, I might just:

(n) decrease the CPU and GPU speed a bit (see video 1min) - and with an i7 and a 2070 I will still have superb performance, right?
(o) for summer perhaps buy me a laptop cooling pad (here are ten "best" models in several different styles, all affordable)

The purchase has been made, so please do not make me doubt it again, lol, but I thought you deserve an update, because you were really helpful. Thanks!

Where do I start reading now, to prepare myself for December? WHEN MY NEW LAPTOP ARRIVES, HOORAY.