• USB-C - deal breaker?

    From David@21:1/5 to All on Fri Nov 1 15:12:54 2024
    I'm shopping for a friend to get a replacement laptop.

    I am struggling with the differences in USB port specifications.

    My latest laptop, a Dell XPS 9315. has 2 USB-C ports, one of which is used
    for charging.
    No other connections, use adapters!
    So more expense.

    The Dell Inspiron 3520 from Dell Outlet, on the other hand, has 2 * USB
    3.2 amongst other things.

    What would my friend lose by having USB 3.2 instead of USB-C (assuming use
    of adapters)?
    For a low intensity home user it it worth having at least one USB-C?

    Cheers



    Dave R

    --
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  • From Theo@21:1/5 to David on Sat Nov 2 11:37:11 2024
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    I'm shopping for a friend to get a replacement laptop.

    I am struggling with the differences in USB port specifications.

    My latest laptop, a Dell XPS 9315. has 2 USB-C ports, one of which is used for charging.
    No other connections, use adapters!
    So more expense.

    The Dell Inspiron 3520 from Dell Outlet, on the other hand, has 2 * USB
    3.2 amongst other things.

    What would my friend lose by having USB 3.2 instead of USB-C (assuming use
    of adapters)?
    For a low intensity home user it it worth having at least one USB-C?

    It appears the 3520 has no USB-C ports. That means you can't charge from
    any random USB-C charger (of sufficient wattage) you have lying around, you have to drag around the proprietary Dell charger.

    USB-C has changed the way I charge - I have various chargers dotted around
    the place and plug into the nearest one to charge phone/tablet/laptop/earphones/etc. That means I don't have to go rummaging about for mains plugs. It also means you can use any charger if the Dell
    one breaks (as one of mine did).

    For data, most of the time you can buy USB-C to X cables, eg if you need
    micro USB for some widget don't use an adapter just buy a USB-C to microUSB cable. Simple adapters are annoying but cheap, for eg USB sticks which have
    a USB-A built in. Fancier adapters (HDMI, ethernet, etc) are more
    expensive but you only really need those if you want those outputs.

    Thin and light laptops tend to use USB-C because the port is smaller than a USB-A. Larger laptops can have more dedicated ports (charger, USB-A, HDMI,
    SD reader, ethernet, ...) but there's not space on smaller machines.

    USB-C allows video (Displayport) and Thunderbolt (high speed peripherals
    like eGPUs) which you can't do over USB-A. It allows use with docking
    stations where you can plug into charger, monitor, network with one cable.

    A home user might not be using it for high intensity things, but still appreciate being able to plug into the same charger as their phone or use it both on a desk with a monitor and then easily take it somewhere.

    Personally I'd look for a mix of USB-C and at least one USB-A port, but I
    don't use laptops with USB-A any more and it's fine.

    Theo

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  • From GB@21:1/5 to Theo on Sat Nov 2 12:58:43 2024
    On 02/11/2024 11:37, Theo wrote:
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    I'm shopping for a friend to get a replacement laptop.

    I am struggling with the differences in USB port specifications.

    My latest laptop, a Dell XPS 9315. has 2 USB-C ports, one of which is used >> for charging.
    No other connections, use adapters!
    So more expense.

    The Dell Inspiron 3520 from Dell Outlet, on the other hand, has 2 * USB
    3.2 amongst other things.

    What would my friend lose by having USB 3.2 instead of USB-C (assuming use >> of adapters)?
    For a low intensity home user it it worth having at least one USB-C?

    It appears the 3520 has no USB-C ports. That means you can't charge from
    any random USB-C charger (of sufficient wattage) you have lying around, you have to drag around the proprietary Dell charger.

    USB-C has changed the way I charge - I have various chargers dotted around the place and plug into the nearest one to charge phone/tablet/laptop/earphones/etc. That means I don't have to go rummaging about for mains plugs. It also means you can use any charger if the Dell
    one breaks (as one of mine did).

    For data, most of the time you can buy USB-C to X cables, eg if you need micro USB for some widget don't use an adapter just buy a USB-C to microUSB cable. Simple adapters are annoying but cheap, for eg USB sticks which have a USB-A built in. Fancier adapters (HDMI, ethernet, etc) are more
    expensive but you only really need those if you want those outputs.

    Thin and light laptops tend to use USB-C because the port is smaller than a USB-A. Larger laptops can have more dedicated ports (charger, USB-A, HDMI, SD reader, ethernet, ...) but there's not space on smaller machines.

    USB-C allows video (Displayport) and Thunderbolt (high speed peripherals
    like eGPUs) which you can't do over USB-A. It allows use with docking stations where you can plug into charger, monitor, network with one cable.

    A home user might not be using it for high intensity things, but still appreciate being able to plug into the same charger as their phone or use it both on a desk with a monitor and then easily take it somewhere.

    Personally I'd look for a mix of USB-C and at least one USB-A port, but I don't use laptops with USB-A any more and it's fine.

    Theo

    USB-C is going to be in place for the foreseeable future. I don't think
    I'd buy any new USB-A gear. It feels very Betamax! :)

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  • From Richard Kettlewell@21:1/5 to David on Sat Nov 2 14:34:29 2024
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> writes:
    I'm shopping for a friend to get a replacement laptop.

    I am struggling with the differences in USB port specifications.

    My latest laptop, a Dell XPS 9315. has 2 USB-C ports, one of which is used for charging.
    No other connections, use adapters!
    So more expense.

    The Dell Inspiron 3520 from Dell Outlet, on the other hand, has 2 * USB
    3.2 amongst other things.

    What would my friend lose by having USB 3.2 instead of USB-C (assuming
    use of adapters)? For a low intensity home user it it worth having at
    least one USB-C?

    If the laptop is on the move a lot remember that the 3520 has some kind
    of external power brick to drag around, while a USB-powered laptop just
    needs a USB-C plug (or not even that if you can rely on one being in
    place already). Total weight may (or may not) matter more than £10-20 on
    the budget.

    Thinking about use case would help too. A travel laptop might need
    nothing more than power. A work setup might need keyboard, mouse,
    camera, headphones and one or more external monitors.

    --
    https://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/

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  • From David@21:1/5 to David on Sat Nov 2 19:05:49 2024
    On Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:12:54 +0000, David wrote:

    I'm shopping for a friend to get a replacement laptop.

    I am struggling with the differences in USB port specifications.

    My latest laptop, a Dell XPS 9315. has 2 USB-C ports, one of which is
    used for charging.
    No other connections, use adapters!
    So more expense.

    The Dell Inspiron 3520 from Dell Outlet, on the other hand, has 2 * USB
    3.2 amongst other things.

    What would my friend lose by having USB 3.2 instead of USB-C (assuming
    use of adapters)?
    For a low intensity home user it it worth having at least one USB-C?

    Thanks for all the responses.

    Came across a deal for a 13" Dell XPS, USB-C only, but looked very good
    value.
    Bluetooth mouse required.

    Waiting to find the hidden "gotcha".

    Cheers



    Dave R


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  • From GB@21:1/5 to David on Sun Nov 3 11:17:40 2024
    On 02/11/2024 19:05, David wrote:
    On Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:12:54 +0000, David wrote:

    I'm shopping for a friend to get a replacement laptop.

    I am struggling with the differences in USB port specifications.

    My latest laptop, a Dell XPS 9315. has 2 USB-C ports, one of which is
    used for charging.
    No other connections, use adapters!
    So more expense.

    The Dell Inspiron 3520 from Dell Outlet, on the other hand, has 2 * USB
    3.2 amongst other things.

    What would my friend lose by having USB 3.2 instead of USB-C (assuming
    use of adapters)?
    For a low intensity home user it it worth having at least one USB-C?

    Thanks for all the responses.

    Came across a deal for a 13" Dell XPS, USB-C only, but looked very good value.
    Bluetooth mouse required.

    Waiting to find the hidden "gotcha".

    Do you have a linky, please? Or, it's a one-off? I'm looking for a new
    laptop.



    Cheers



    Dave R



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  • From David@21:1/5 to All on Sun Nov 3 15:34:41 2024
    On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 11:17:40 +0000, GB wrote:

    On 02/11/2024 19:05, David wrote:
    On Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:12:54 +0000, David wrote:

    I'm shopping for a friend to get a replacement laptop.

    I am struggling with the differences in USB port specifications.

    My latest laptop, a Dell XPS 9315. has 2 USB-C ports, one of which is
    used for charging.
    No other connections, use adapters!
    So more expense.

    The Dell Inspiron 3520 from Dell Outlet, on the other hand, has 2 *
    USB 3.2 amongst other things.

    What would my friend lose by having USB 3.2 instead of USB-C (assuming
    use of adapters)?
    For a low intensity home user it it worth having at least one USB-C?

    Thanks for all the responses.

    Came across a deal for a 13" Dell XPS, USB-C only, but looked very good
    value.
    Bluetooth mouse required.

    Waiting to find the hidden "gotcha".

    Do you have a linky, please? Or, it's a one-off? I'm looking for a new laptop.

    <https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6G46WYQ?th=1>
    I linked through from the "Retailers" part of the Which? review.

    So far I haven't spotted the hidden flaw.

    Low specification for an XPS, but looks a good price.

    Cheers



    Dave R

    --
    AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 10 x64

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  • From Theo@21:1/5 to David on Sun Nov 3 17:39:22 2024
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    <https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6G46WYQ?th=1>
    I linked through from the "Retailers" part of the Which? review.

    So far I haven't spotted the hidden flaw.

    CPU is 'ok', lower end and two generations old but it could be worse. At
    this price bracket you can't be too choosy.

    LPDDR5 RAM so very likely to non-upgradeable. That means you're stuck with 8GB.

    Seems like the SSD is soldered too: https://dl.dell.com/content/manual46406456-xps-13-9315-xps-9315-service-manual.pdf

    Reviews say the webcam is poor too.

    Low specification for an XPS, but looks a good price.

    Depends if the out of the box spec is acceptable, as you won't be able to improve it (unless you have external SSDs or similar).

    Theo

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  • From GB@21:1/5 to Theo on Mon Nov 4 11:01:10 2024
    On 03/11/2024 17:39, Theo wrote:
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    <https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6G46WYQ?th=1>
    I linked through from the "Retailers" part of the Which? review.

    So far I haven't spotted the hidden flaw.

    CPU is 'ok', lower end and two generations old but it could be worse. At this price bracket you can't be too choosy.

    LPDDR5 RAM so very likely to non-upgradeable. That means you're stuck with 8GB.

    Seems like the SSD is soldered too: https://dl.dell.com/content/manual46406456-xps-13-9315-xps-9315-service-manual.pdf

    Reviews say the webcam is poor too.

    Low specification for an XPS, but looks a good price.

    Depends if the out of the box spec is acceptable, as you won't be able to improve it (unless you have external SSDs or similar).

    Theo


    Google found the same machine for £200 less, and with 16GB RAM. Too good
    to be true?

    https://esupply.co.uk/dell-xps-13-9315-i5-1230u-16gb-512ssd-13-2-in-1-touch-sky-no-kb-w11h64-1yr-pro/

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  • From David@21:1/5 to David on Mon Nov 4 12:35:34 2024
    On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:28:44 +0000, David wrote:

    On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:01:10 +0000, GB wrote:

    On 03/11/2024 17:39, Theo wrote:
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    <https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6G46WYQ?th=1>
    I linked through from the "Retailers" part of the Which? review.

    So far I haven't spotted the hidden flaw.

    CPU is 'ok', lower end and two generations old but it could be worse.
    At this price bracket you can't be too choosy.

    LPDDR5 RAM so very likely to non-upgradeable. That means you're stuck
    with 8GB.

    Seems like the SSD is soldered too:
    https://dl.dell.com/content/manual46406456-xps-13-9315-xps-9315-
    service-
    manual.pdf

    Reviews say the webcam is poor too.

    Low specification for an XPS, but looks a good price.

    Depends if the out of the box spec is acceptable, as you won't be able
    to improve it (unless you have external SSDs or similar).

    Theo


    Google found the same machine for £200 less, and with 16GB RAM. Too
    good to be true?

    https://esupply.co.uk/dell-xps-13-9315-i5-1230u-16gb-512ssd-13-2-in-1-
    touch-sky-no-kb-w11h64-1yr-pro/

    That looks nothing like my XPS 13!

    No KB? As in keyboard?

    I would suggest that this is a dodgy listing through ignorance or
    something worse.

    Looking at it again this seems to be a 2 in 1 (that is, a tablet which can attach to a keyboard to make it a "laptop")

    No keyboard I assume means that this is only the tablet part.

    No longer available from Dell.

    Cheers



    Dave R



    --
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  • From David@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 4 12:28:44 2024
    On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:01:10 +0000, GB wrote:

    On 03/11/2024 17:39, Theo wrote:
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    <https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6G46WYQ?th=1>
    I linked through from the "Retailers" part of the Which? review.

    So far I haven't spotted the hidden flaw.

    CPU is 'ok', lower end and two generations old but it could be worse.
    At this price bracket you can't be too choosy.

    LPDDR5 RAM so very likely to non-upgradeable. That means you're stuck
    with 8GB.

    Seems like the SSD is soldered too:
    https://dl.dell.com/content/manual46406456-xps-13-9315-xps-9315-service- manual.pdf

    Reviews say the webcam is poor too.

    Low specification for an XPS, but looks a good price.

    Depends if the out of the box spec is acceptable, as you won't be able
    to improve it (unless you have external SSDs or similar).

    Theo


    Google found the same machine for £200 less, and with 16GB RAM. Too good
    to be true?

    https://esupply.co.uk/dell-xps-13-9315-i5-1230u-16gb-512ssd-13-2-in-1-
    touch-sky-no-kb-w11h64-1yr-pro/

    That looks nothing like my XPS 13!

    No KB? As in keyboard?

    I would suggest that this is a dodgy listing through ignorance or
    something worse.

    Cheers



    Dave R


    --
    AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 10 x64

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  • From Theo@21:1/5 to David on Mon Nov 4 13:22:27 2024
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    Looking at it again this seems to be a 2 in 1 (that is, a tablet which can attach to a keyboard to make it a "laptop")

    No keyboard I assume means that this is only the tablet part.

    No longer available from Dell.

    There are a lot of machines called the 'XPS 13' so normally it's the number that distinguishes them. But it appears there's an 'XPS 13 9315 laptop': https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-uk/product-support/product/xps-13-9315-laptop/docs
    and an
    'XPS 13 9315 2-in-1 laptop': https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-laptops/new-xps-13-2-in-1-laptop/spd/xps-13-9315-2-in-1-laptop

    which appear to be different. Quite braindead on Dell's part.

    Theo

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  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to David on Mon Nov 4 13:52:19 2024
    David wrote:

    That looks nothing like my XPS 13!

    As well as the XPS13 laptop, there is an XPS13 2-in-1, which is more of
    a tablet with a keyboard like a MS Surface.

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  • From GB@21:1/5 to David on Tue Nov 5 10:03:02 2024
    On 04/11/2024 12:35, David wrote:
    On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:28:44 +0000, David wrote:

    On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:01:10 +0000, GB wrote:

    On 03/11/2024 17:39, Theo wrote:
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    <https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6G46WYQ?th=1>
    I linked through from the "Retailers" part of the Which? review.

    So far I haven't spotted the hidden flaw.

    CPU is 'ok', lower end and two generations old but it could be worse.
    At this price bracket you can't be too choosy.

    LPDDR5 RAM so very likely to non-upgradeable. That means you're stuck >>>> with 8GB.

    Seems like the SSD is soldered too:
    https://dl.dell.com/content/manual46406456-xps-13-9315-xps-9315-
    service-
    manual.pdf

    Reviews say the webcam is poor too.

    Low specification for an XPS, but looks a good price.

    Depends if the out of the box spec is acceptable, as you won't be able >>>> to improve it (unless you have external SSDs or similar).

    Theo


    Google found the same machine for £200 less, and with 16GB RAM. Too
    good to be true?

    https://esupply.co.uk/dell-xps-13-9315-i5-1230u-16gb-512ssd-13-2-in-1-
    touch-sky-no-kb-w11h64-1yr-pro/

    That looks nothing like my XPS 13!

    No KB? As in keyboard?

    I would suggest that this is a dodgy listing through ignorance or
    something worse.

    Looking at it again this seems to be a 2 in 1 (that is, a tablet which can attach to a keyboard to make it a "laptop")

    No keyboard I assume means that this is only the tablet part.

    No longer available from Dell.

    Cheers



    Dave R




    I've been taking a very old laptop with me when I travel, so I've bought
    the 2-in-1.

    The one I linked to doesn't have a keyboard, but they can supply that
    for an extra £24. I had to ring them up to get that, as I couldn't find
    it on the website.

    Hopefully, it will last for a few years.

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  • From GB@21:1/5 to David on Tue Nov 5 09:40:47 2024
    On 04/11/2024 12:35, David wrote:
    On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:28:44 +0000, David wrote:

    On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:01:10 +0000, GB wrote:

    On 03/11/2024 17:39, Theo wrote:
    David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
    <https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6G46WYQ?th=1>
    I linked through from the "Retailers" part of the Which? review.

    So far I haven't spotted the hidden flaw.

    CPU is 'ok', lower end and two generations old but it could be worse.
    At this price bracket you can't be too choosy.

    LPDDR5 RAM so very likely to non-upgradeable. That means you're stuck >>>> with 8GB.

    Seems like the SSD is soldered too:
    https://dl.dell.com/content/manual46406456-xps-13-9315-xps-9315-
    service-
    manual.pdf

    Reviews say the webcam is poor too.

    Low specification for an XPS, but looks a good price.

    Depends if the out of the box spec is acceptable, as you won't be able >>>> to improve it (unless you have external SSDs or similar).

    Theo


    Google found the same machine for £200 less, and with 16GB RAM. Too
    good to be true?

    https://esupply.co.uk/dell-xps-13-9315-i5-1230u-16gb-512ssd-13-2-in-1-
    touch-sky-no-kb-w11h64-1yr-pro/

    That looks nothing like my XPS 13!

    No KB? As in keyboard?

    I would suggest that this is a dodgy listing through ignorance or
    something worse.

    Looking at it again this seems to be a 2 in 1 (that is, a tablet which can attach to a keyboard to make it a "laptop")

    No keyboard I assume means that this is only the tablet part.

    All very true. On the other hand, it's the same processor as yours, and
    16GB of RAM. I really don't think it's a good idea to buy an 8GB
    machine, where you can't upgrade the RAM.

    You can presumably add any bluetooth or USB keyboard of your choice, and
    it looks like it might be pretty capable.



    No longer available from Dell.

    Cheers



    Dave R




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