2024-09-07
I have a Dell XPS 13 7390 "Developer Edition," which means it was the Ubuntu Linux version instead of Microsoft Windows. I use this as my primary machine, now with Void Linux, after a bit of distrohopping 3 years ago (Ubuntu with Gnome -> RegolithOS (an Ubuntu spin with i3 window manager) -> Void. All this has been documented on my gemlog here previously. I purchased the laptop in fall 2019. I should be embarassed to say it was purchased on Cyber Monday, but I will tell you that it was and I specifically waited for that date to order for about 5 months and bought the computer at 23% off.
My previous computers had always been refurbished Macs but I was switching to a dedicated Linux machine for the first time, and bought new, hoping that the machine would be fairly robust. I had read so many reviews before purchasing the machine. I also considered the beloved hacker classic Thinkpad laptops, but when I borrowed one for CCC fest in 2018 I hadn't loved how bulky it was. I was coming from having a small Macbook Air previously, and I know I like the 13" screen size. The XPS 13 was pretty much the same size and weight as my previous and in one review it said it should last "at least 3 or 4 years."
Four or five years was generally about how long I had kept my previous Mac laptops and computers. My first personal computer was a big iMac with clear back, from 2000 - 2005ish when I went off to college. Then I purchased a refurbished v1 Mac Mini, which I used from 2005 - 2010. After that I purchased a used Macbook on ebay, kept up to date for about 4 years until it began to seriously "degrade" due to Apple's planned obsolescence for updates. Then I sold it and bought a Macbook Air, which died when I and the computer were electrocuted in 2014, and I rebought the same computer used. I found I was gradually over time using the command line more and more. I was skipping "Finder" and much of the GUI applications jumping back and forth between the browser and the command line 90% of the time. This is around the time software, hardware and other services started selling "subscriptions" and I was ready to ditch the walled garden. When the Macbook continued to go downhill through "planned obsolescence" and a failing not-easily-erplaceable battery in 2019 I was definitely beyond ready to run Linux on a "PC".
I purchased the XPS 13 and I loved my new computer. It was way more fun to use and customize, faster than my Mac, and responsive. I had been getting more and more into open source software tools, and felt like I was learning so much and enjoying myself. I had been warned that coming from a Mac that I'd be frustrated by things that didn't work well, or that the hardware wouldn't be as well-designed, but on the contrary I found the XPS was well-made, light, looked good, tracked my mouse movement, and the keyboard felt strong and my software was selected based on my own interests and needs. The hardware was comparable to my previous macs. The software was a better fit for me. In fact, the ability to continuously update and use my system and software, replace the battery, and diagnose most problems on my own or in community has meant this computer can last way longer, and feels as snappy to me now as it did when I purchased it.
This last spring or early summer as the computer was approaching 5 years old the bottom case of my laptop began separating from the body. At first, I didn't think it was a big deal. I had only had the laptop worked on once previously. I had bought a new battery from Dell to replace the old degrading one, maybe 6 months previously, then brought it to a local computer repair shop that had good reviews, who quoted me and fixed the battery. I have a hunch this repair place didn't tighten the tiny torx screws to close the case exactly correct, but I don't know. I'm also not gentle on my stuff, so it could just be me. I often bike with my laptop in a bag suspended from my bike, and I flop around with the laptop from couch to desk to studio space pretty willy-nilly. So when I saw the bottom of the laptop was separating, I noticed two of the torx screws had disappeared. Each time I opened and closed the laptop, the hinge under the screen pulled apart a bit, exposing a bit of the innards of the machine maybe half a centimeter. I found replacement screws for fairly cheap online, but with shipping, it worked out to $35. I am embarassed to say that I did not purchase that (bad premonition starts here) but instead I used electrical tape for a month or two. Then when this no longer proved sufficient to prevent strain on the hinge and body I tried adding a binder clip. But eventually, the gap between computer innards and plate persisted and increased. Just the process of opening and closing the laptop so often put wear on the parts. Probably I should have just spent that $35. You can possibly guess where this is going next.
In the summer my headphone port stopped working. I am often not at home, working at a writer's co-working space or studio or just the noisy environs of NYC. Or I plug my computer into my stereo system's powered speakers. I also work on sound synthesis, and listen to music as I code. So for all these reason, a working headphone port seems like a must to me. I did various tests but it just wasn't detected anymore. I went back to the place that repaired my laptop battery for help, and they said they weren't liable to help me solve it since it wasn't clear how the damage happened, and they also said they didn't have the expertise to diagnose and repair a broken headphone port anyway. They were at least friendly about it. Fair enough. They let me try a small DAC that converts USB to audio out 1/8"/3.55mm and offered to give that to me for free, which is very nice, but they are a small business and I paid them for it. I think these are used on USB-C phones that don't have headphone ports. It worked, so through this solution I was able to use one of my USB-C ports for audio out. And that worked for the past 2 1/2 months.
Fast forward a bit. Last week one of the three USB-C ports stopped working as it appeared it had disconnected from the board. Then a second stopped working. I only realized this when my computer died as it ran out of charge and I realized plugging it into the port did not seem to work. Somehow one USB port still worked as I carefully opened and closed the laptop. I backed up my machine (twice! on two external drives), then headed to a different repair shop to see if they could get to the root of the issue, and fix the machine before the last USB-C port went kaput.
Now since it's 5 years old, I wasn't sure if it would be worth it to repair. Again, my previous computers were all refurbished and used Macs that I would generally keep for about 4-5 years. That's how old this machine is, but this is my new era of Linux on a PC. This computer had no other issues I was aware of, and felt as good to me as ever. I teach programming, game design, new media art, CS and the like. I've not had any issues. I'm trying to say: I don't feel a need for a faster machine from a speed/processing side of things. I would love the computer to "live" as long as possible, so that I don't need to continue the cycle of overconsumption.
I went to Microcenter, which is somewhat of a big computer chain, though in my head it's not evil the same way Best Buy is for example. In any case, that's what I chose near me, and got an assessment that it would be $250 to repair. I was suprised by the price, but it was listed as $100 parts and $150 labor. I looked up how much it would cost to buy my machine new, which appeared to be around $400 - 500, or different used ones were about $250 - 400 on ebay, depending on specs, with mine coming in at that top end based on having a zippy i7 and sizeable hard drive. I thought about it briefly, then decided to get the computer repaired. This seemed the most economical, the most logical, and fits my values to repair rather than replace. I did briefly entertain whether I could do the repair myself, but I wasn't confident in myself after reading the following opening sentence:
There are only 8 Torx-head screws that keep you from the insides of this machine. After you unscrew them, you should start prying very, very carefully. Keep in mind that the material is super fragile around the USB Type-C ports.
Since the USB-C ports were on the blitz, and I only had 1 still functioning, I decided I'd go with the certified Dell repair. I left the machine and a week later returned to pick it up. They tried to charge me about $100 more at pickup, saying the parts cost a little more, but New York state law requires an up front accounting of all costs when you drop off a computer for repair, and for this info to be posted in a public location at the repair place. I pointed to the sign and to the original price sheet I had been given and they agreed to the original price. I also don't feel bad as it is a huge business. And I'm not sure I would have agreed to get this fixed if it had been quoted to me at that price. I think I would have buckled down and tried to repair it myself. In any case, they honored their original pricing.
Was it worth it? Well I'm listening to music through my headphones as I type this on the machine now. When I tried it out I saw they had fully replaced the main body plate (i.e. the top plate of the bottom half of the laptop, where the keys and trackpad are plugged into). Then they attached all of the parts like the ports and boards. I think because the plate's been replaced, in terms of look and feel the computer feels new to me, or at least refurbished, which I guess it is! All of the USB ports work and the headphone port is good. I feel stupid for not having replaced the torx screws 4 months ago, as perhaps I could have avoided needing this full repair. But I can't dwell on that now. I have my computer back and functioning and I'll try to keep it alive at least a few more years.
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