As mentioned earlier, I finally broke down and ordered a Dell Dimension E520 with Ubuntu Linux to replace my doddering primary workstation which is four years old at this point. Rather than writing a review right after opening the box, I thought I’d use the new rig for a few weeks and kick it around a bit before summarizing my experiences with the new machine.
Although I’ve read a couple of reviews of the XPS system here and there, I thought I’d go ahead and post my experiences with the least expensive Dell Ubuntu workstation, the Dell Dimension E520.
The Aesthetics
One thing I noticed as soon as I took the machine out of the box– it’s actually built quite well for an inexpensive workstation. The sides are made from fairly sturdy metal panels, and the general fit and feel was much better than I expected. This is not a machine I would be afraid to put in a car and move across the country with, or use as a doorstop when it gets old.
At the same time I think the majority of Dell’s system designs for the past year or so have been terribly corny and gaudy ripoffs of Apple. I think the only brand identity that Dell has with their hardware is to use a bunch of different colors and grades of material, and then top it off by making sure it says DELL. YES, ITS A MOTHERFUCKING DELL. HEY, LOOK, I’M STILL A DELL everywhere. For the price I can’t complain, but I think Dell could certainly stand to continue to try and make their machines look less like IM IN UR HOUSE LOOKING LIKE UR COMPUTRON, and more like something you don’t mind having on display. I think recent designs of LCD TV’s are a good example of this.
I’d take some photos of the new machine, but with 3 other machines on my desk (a server, my old workstation, and my work laptop) there’s just too much chaos on my desk for such things.
Ubuntu Installation & Configuration
There’s really not much to report here, though it was certainly pretty painless compared to the recent experience I had installing Ubuntu Feisty on a Lenovo T60. When I booted-up the machine some sort of Dell looking screen appeared that I had to agree to, and then the Ubuntu installation started. Admittedly it’s been awhile so I can’t remember every exact detail, but essentially there were only 4 install screens which let me set things such as time zone, keyboard layout, currency, and language preference, and it was pretty much done.
Once it rebooted I was somewhat disappointed– the display did not account for the Dell 2007WFP 20″ widescreen monitor I ordered and would only display in 1024×768. This would be a complete show-stopper for the average computer user, and I couldn’t believe that this wasn’t something which was accounted for in the installation process.
Also missing was the restricted driver for the Nvidia video card. This oversight is certainly debatable, but it also goes to show that there wasn’t much time put into tweaking the shipped version of Ubuntu to be Dell friendly (at least on the Dimension E520). I ended-up having to do the dreadful task of poking around in xorg.conf to get the monitor and video card to play nicely with each other, and now I’m using it in 1680×1050 glory.
After finally getting the resolution tweaked, I got all of the multimedia foo in working order by installing various codecs and applications using Automatix. I also installed VMWare Server and created a Windows XP virtual machine just because I could and also attempt to push the new hardware a bit, but I have yet to really do anything in the Virtual Machine other than get updates installed.
I’m still waiting for the whole Compiz / Beryl merger to happen with an actual release, so I haven’t played with the window effects at all. I did install Synergy which was quite painless and can now use the same mouse and keyboard as well as copy and paste across two other machines. Very nice!
Life With Ubuntu
Being that I switched to using Ubuntu as my primary operating system at home last year, and use it on my work laptop for writing software, I pretty much already knew what to expect. For the most part Ubuntu provides you with ways do do almost everything you can already do with Windows, including:
- Surfing the internet and using various instant messaging protocols
- An office suite for Word Processing, Spreadsheets, etc
- Support for removable media such as USB drives or Flash Memory cards from digital cameras
- Image editing and photo management
- Managing your iPod and music library
- Support for video, music, flash, and more via Automatix
- The ability to burn CD’s and DVD’s
- Built-in support for printers and other devices
About the only thing I can’t do with it at the moment is manage my Samsung Blackjack smartphone. I’ll probably keep my old Windows XP box around specifically for this purpose. Otherwise, Ubuntu has been a really great choice for me. In fact, one thing that surprised me is that it automatically installed a driver for and supported an old 3Com HomeConnect webcam I have which is about 7 years old now and almost impossible to find Windows drivers for.
Conclusion
I’m at a point in life where I just don’t have time to build machines from scratch and troubleshoot their idiosyncrasies, so I prefer to buy pre-assembeled machines. I seem to be a repeat Dell customer because their machines are reasonably priced, run quietly, and are generally built fairly well for the money. Also, because they are such a popular platform, it’s fairly easy to find people who have had similar issues as you (especially in regards to Linux issues) by a well crafted Google search.
For a price just a bit North of $1,000 including a nice monitor and free shipping, I’m very happy with my Dell Dimension E520 system and would recommend it to others interested in getting a new Ubuntu system. Just make sure you customize the machine with more than the base options so you’ll be happier with it in the long run, and search online for Dell coupons and try several different ones for the best deal before placing your order. Granted you might want to order a minimum amount of RAM and install your own as it’s quite a bit cheaper to do so.
At the same time, I don’t think Dell did a very good job of integrating Dell specific needs into the install process. I think that Ubuntu Linux is good enough once configured correctly by someone who knows what they are doing for 80% of computer users, and Dell missed a chance to show the general populace that there are choices beyond Windows DRM Dogfood and Mac OS. However, give Ubuntu a couple more years at the pace they’ve been innovating and maybe they’ll take care of it themselves.
Et Cetera
If it’s of any comfort, I have no association with Dell and just wanted to present my honest experience. If you liked the article or also have a Dell E520 and are a new visitor, please come back as I’ll be posting tips and how-to’s for a few configuration issues I came across along the way with this machine and will do my best to keep this post updated. You can also subscribe to my RSS Feed.
7 Responses
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I have a Dell-Ubuntu E520N and am very happy with it.
For nVidia I use Envy — its very easy to use and installs everything for you.
I looked at Automatix on a previous machine but was unimpressed. Ubuntu recommends not to use Automatix.
Comparing same-spec Dell machines Ubuntu vs Vista, I saved $150 not having Vista (one step above basic) on the PC.
Vote for Linux with your $s. Support Dell-Ubuntu.:)
I bought a laptop from R Cubed http://www.shoprcubed.com a while back and was really happy with it, they worked on all the tweaking etc that you mentioned didn’t come with a dell. Don’t know how their desktops are but they sell them as well as servers.
Use Intel video, and you won’t have that graphics problem. I don’t know of any modern Intel chipsets these days that don’t have integrated video. Is it a h4xx0r g4m0rz dream? No, but they run either Sony Playstations (i. e. actual game consoles) or MS Windows anyway. Intel video certainly works well enough for the vast majority of computer users.
The reason that the nVidious driver isn’t included is because it can’t be without getting sued to high Heaven. The license for it is very restrictive, indeed. Besides, why use a video card that requires a binary blob when you don’t have to?
One final question: why did you install Ubuntu at all? Aren’t Dell’s Ubuntu PC’s supposed to have it already preinstalled…or is this not the case?
@John M
Yeah, another system provider is System 76 which is based here in Colorado. I’ll definitely be looking closely at them when I’m ready for my next laptop.
@Sum Yung Gai
I do play games from time to time, so upgrading to the Nvidia card was a no brainer for me. The Nvidia driver is actually provided by Nvidia themselves, so I guess I’m not sure what licensing problem there would be? Then again, I’m not sure what the exact terms of the license are.
I didn’t install Ubuntu on my own with my own CD– I was describing what happened out of the box when I ordered a Ubuntu based Dell system.
Personally I wouldn’t buy a Dell even if it’s cheaper than a local white box computer store (and they can be, depending on the store.)
But when you buy at your local white box computer store run by some Chinese guys out of a store front, you’ll likely get: 1) no crapware on the desktop; 2) a full install CD of Windows (for those going with Windows - no “Recovery CD” or “Recovery Partition” nonsense (which is useless if your hard drive goes out); 3) a diskette drive for flashing your BIOS or installing your SATA hard drive drivers in Windows XP - Dell leaves those out to cut their margins, and everybody thinks diskettes are obsolete - WRONG!
And I wouldn’t buy a Dell even if it’s a Linux OS on it. You’re still supporting Dell crapware on everybody else’s machine by buying a Dell.
Desktop PCs are commodities now. Buy them that way. Buy them from a local store that uses standard parts and gives you at least a 30-90 day warranty.
Now if you need a laptop, buy from somebody who has the tech muscle behind them to develop and support a laptop line - like Lenovo or HP or even Dell.
But if you don’t need to move your machine around on foot, in the car, or on a plane, do NOT buy a laptop to make it your primary machine. Buy a desktop - even if it is bigger (and get the biggest case you can afford - that extra room comes in handy when mucking around inside it - and you CAN muck around inside a desktop.)
Some laptops may have the CPU power and RAM and hard drive space to be primary machines, but unless you use external monitors and docking stations, they will never have big enough monitors or expandability. And why spend hundreds more for the laptop than a desktop, then spend another hundred or more for a docking station when you can get everything in one $500 desktop? Makes no sense at all…
It’s nice that Dell is selling Linux machines. Hopefully they will pressure some suppliers to provide certified drivers for Linux, which will help everybody. But in the end, it’s not really likely to help Linux that much as far as market share. That will happen when corporations realize that it’s not profitable or technologically effective to keep making Bill Gates the richest guy in the world with their IT dollars. When THEY switch to Linux, their hardware suppliers will support it, then the peripheral manufacturers will support it, and there will be drivers, and all the supposed Linux “problems” will go away.
I am a customer advocate here at Dell headquarters in Texas. I found this review and wanted to correct some of the information that Richard posted just above.
All Dell branded Windows Reinstallation CDs are “full installs” and not imaging software. Most Dell systems include an Image Restore partition, which when used will wipe the C drive and reinstall the Dell factory image, but a “clean” install using the CDs is still possible for anyone that wishes to do so.
The difference between the Dell version of the CD and Microsoft’s is that Dell adds in some Dell specific information and drivers, such as SATA drivers so you won’t need to fight with a floppy drive. The other two disks that all systems should have are the Dell Resource (aka Drivers & Utilities) CD and the Dell Applications CD (Dell branded and trial versions of third party software that does not ship its own CD with the system). In some cases when ordering you may have to make sure to check the “send me a Windows CD” option, but the disks are always available.
Richard is correct that computers have become commodity items, however, Dell’s practice since its founding of using industry standard, off-the-shelf parts is part of the reason for this. The parts may have the Dell name on them, but they no different than the parts you could purchase in any local computer store.
While the warranty for individual parts is 90 days, the computers themselves have at least a one year warranty, with an option for up to five years depending on the system. The different warranty lengths are there so our customers can select the warranty length that best meets their individual needs.
In selling computers with Ubuntu Linux Dell went from a request from our customers on IdeaStorm to a product for sale in about 60 days. Because of how fast things were done there have some teething problems. As with everything else at Dell, however, we are learning from the mistakes and constantly trying to improve things. I am confident that the problems Brandon ran into when setting up the E520 will be addressed, either by Canonical or Dell; most likely both working together.
If any of you have other questions about the system, or any other Dell, I will be more than happy to answer them.
Larry
Dell Customer Advocate
Just ordered a Inspiron 530N for the same reason: I couldn’t build a Linux machine cheaper. To be honest, I’ll might end up running a server edition, or reinstalling many times, but $439 shipped to my house is REALLY hard to beat.
I understand that some Linux zealots are “anti-establishment” and that Dell making a Linux machine available completely deflates their arguments. Don’t worry, you’ll still find tons of anti-Dell people to chat with.