[GRLUG] Dell Ubuntu Computer Issue

[Grand Rapids Linux Users Group]

On 1/15/24 14:46, Grand Rapids Linux Users Group wrote:
> On Mon, 15 Jan 2024, Grand Rapids Linux Users Group wrote:
>> Except... this particular model has the SDD soldered to the 
>> motherboard, if my research is right. 
> Doubtful, .. would be a pain for even the factory to install - more 
> likely a verson of an M2 package, see replacing: 
> https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Dell+XPS+13+SSD+Replacement/76058 Perhaps 
> send it back to Dell repair and have THEM install a Windows OS, then, 
> when you get it back, wipe and install your favorite distro. Use a 
> live CD and try other distros if you feel like it, .. personally, I 
> dropped Ubuntu after the whole Unity thing many years ago. My HP Envy 
> (10+ years old, AMD A10) is still going strong, with no HW problems at 
> all with OpenSuSE. Lee 

It does seem to be the case that SDD and RAM are soldered in this model 
(though not in other XPS 13s).

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dell-xps-13-9315-repair-no-headphone-jack:

"The SSD, a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe drive, is in an 11.5 x 13 mm package, which 
Dell calls the smallest in the industry. It's in a BGA, or Ball Grid 
Array, which uses solder to permanently attach components. You won’t be 
replacing it if it fails or swapping in something bigger or faster down 
the line. And the battery is integrated, so replacing it will be a chore 
if you can do it all.

"Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability at iFixit, said there 
are several XPS 13 laptops with soldered RAM in her organization, which 
she had hoped to see change in future revisions.

""We have quite a few XPS 13s deployed at iFixit, and we have had 
reliability problems with XPS 13 machines with soldered-in RAM failing," 
Chamberlain said. "When that happens, we have to replace the entire 
expensive main board rather than swapping out RAM like we can on the XPS 
15. Rather than reversing that design mistake, Dell appears to be 
doubling down.""

And (https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dell-xps-13-9315):

"Unfortunately, It has become increasingly common for laptop 
manufacturers to use soldered RAM in the race to make laptops thinner 
and thinner. But Dell's SSD is mounted on a ball grid array, meaning 
that can't be replaced either. I wish this redesign had kept more 
repairability in mind. That being said, it does follow trends from 
Apple, and it's likely we'll see it more and more of this as companies 
make their motherboards smaller."

I just wish I could send it back. But they keep telling me, like a 
broken machine, that they do not support Ubuntu. I keep telling them 
it's a hardware, not a software problem but that doesn't seem to make 
any difference. In fact, the first tech I talked to refused to believe 
that Dell sold computers pre-installed with Linux.

So I'm stuck with an 1800 dollar brick. I'll try local repair (we have a 
Microcenter here) and see what a new motherboard+RAM (I paid for 32G 
when I ordered the machine)+ new SDD would cost.

In the end I tried to install from the Fedora USB live boot, but that 
didn't succeed either.

Time to take it in and see what a new motherboard cum RAM cum SSD will cost.

:-(

-- 
Eric Beversluis
www.ericbeversluis.com
2x Honorable Mention--Writer's Digest Contest