OV9

Any recommendations? My XPS13 is doing weird stuff - running hot for no discernable reason, apps closing at random - it's 5 years old so perhaps time for a new one.

Small
Powerful
Good battery life

I may well buy a new XPS but keen to hear what else is out there.

Before you scrap the old one, have you checked that the fan (assuming it has one) isn't full of crap? As for app issues, a reset to factory could fix that.

My XPS13 isn't five years old so maybe not the same model but it did start running very very hot and it turned out to be slightly hidden setting that made the CPU run full pelt even when idle.

"Minimum Processor State". Should be 5% but had somehow got set to 90 or 99.

I did open it up and pull a chunk of fluff out of the fan, but it continued to do the same. I think the heat is coming from the battery... which is not the original one as that one developed an intermittent fault and needed swapping out. Seems odd though.

I'll give the power settings tweak a try though - I otherwise really like my XPS, it does everything I need and it would be a shame to get rid.

Sundayjumper wrote: ↑Thu Jun 23, 2022 9:21 pm My XPS13 isn't five years old so maybe not the same model but it did start running very very hot and it turned out to be slightly hidden setting that made the CPU run full pelt even when idle.

"Minimum Processor State". Should be 5% but had somehow got set to 90 or 99.

I'm also very impressed at the work has gone into making the explainer image.

I'm kinda interested in this thread what with my soon to be new found financial freedom.

I'll probably stick with a Chromebook first though

Explosive Newt wrote: ↑Sat Jun 25, 2022 9:27 pm I'm also very impressed at the work has gone into making the explainer image.

Not my work I’m afraid ! I shamelessly stole it from somewhere on the internet.

Might be looking for a new laptop soon. Wife tripped going up the stairs carrying her laptop and it smashed into the floor just on the right side hinge. Everything works, but it might be beyond economical repair to replace bits. Hinge properly broken and frame also looking rather sad.

Upon closer examination the hinge is intact. It is the mount in the screen that snapped off the backing. Mount is also intact, so I've gorilla glued it back in place. Fingers crossed that'll work as a zero cost fix.

First attempt as glueing failed. Bond came away as soon as there was pressure on it. Trying to clean the broken bit it snapped in three.

Now trying again with a different glue and more patience.

Fingers crossed it holds.

I've had a 13" HP Probook 2in1 for the last year. The newer XPS stuff don't have many ports making a dock or hub essential !

It was similar spec, metal case, 16gb RAM etc but has USBC, A plus a HDMI and a fair chunk cheaper than the Dell.

If it can't be fixed it isn't a big issue. Bought used two years ago today (as it happens) and isn't Win11 capable, so will replace it with something newer if it that's how it ends up. To fit with docking station it'll need to be a Lenovo T480s or newer. They seem to be about £3-400 on eBay which seems reasonable. It is used for nothing more demanding than surfing the web and office productivity, so no reason to spend more.

Old XPS had 2 USB-A, a thunderbolt port, a charge port, an SD card reader, a headphone jack and a conventional power port. New just has 2 thunderbolts and the headphone jack. So it means a dock takes more importance and you will need a dongle for USB-A stuff (frustrating).

That said, I am definitely using USB-A a lot less these days; my mouse is bluetooth now and I very seldom use USB sticks with everything online.

I'm finding myself using the power mostly when I've got it plugged into a second monitor and multiple tabs/windows open. Teams etc seem depressingly resource heavy.

That's another bonus is the Probook has a conventional power point when used at my desk with a monitor but when out and about i use a usb-c for it and my phone so only need one charger.

Carlos wrote: ↑Sun Jun 26, 2022 2:30 pm That's another bonus is the Probook has a conventional power point when used at my desk with a monitor but when out and about i use a usb-c for it and my phone so only need one charger.

Exactly the same with my current XPS - and increasing numbers of things charge with USB-C so it’s kinda handy. The downside of this though is that the only way to connect to an external monitor is USB-C, so I can’t do both at the same time unless I have a standard charger. Two ports would be useful from that perspective.

My XPS - a couple of years old now - has two USB-C ports, so no problem to charge & use some kind of dongle at the same time.

There’s one port on each side and either can be used for charging or connecting to a dock, a small point but that flexibility helps keep the desk tidy.

DTEN, I wouldn't be surprised if the thermal paste on your cooler has dried up and stopped working. Worth whipping off the cooler, cleaning it with some alcohol then whacking some new paste on there to see if it improves things.

There was a thermal controller driver update - I have installed that and it seems to have settled down, so looks like there is life in the old dog yet.

Glueing didn't work. As soon as I reattached the hinge the bond failed. So, have ordered a used T480s from eBay. Oh well.

T480 any good?
I'm in the market for a midrange used laptop....