Dell Precision 'Developer Edition' mobile workstations run Ubuntu Linux and are RHEL certified
While Dell is mostly known as a Windows PC manufacturer, the company is also a big proponent of Linux. Its "Developer Edition" models can be configured with Ubuntu, for instance. Of course, despite this branding, non-developers can buy them too. The XPS 13 "Developer Edition" in particular is a svelte machine that should make many home Linux users very happy.
In addition to home users, Dell manufactures solid business-class mobile workstations, and the company recently announced four such Linux-powered models. These Precision "Developer Edition" laptops run Ubuntu and are RHEL certified. One of these notebooks, the Precision 3530, is available today, while the other three will be available soon.
"Today I’m proud to announce the new the Linux-based Dell Precision Mobile workstation line: the 3530, 5530, 7530 and the 7730. These systems, which represent the fourth generation of the Precision developer editions, come preloaded with Ubuntu and have been RHEL certified. These new thinner, lighter, premium-built Precision mobile workstations feature the latest Intel Core and Xeon processors, blazing-fast memory and professional graphics," says Barton George, Dell.
ALSO READ: Ubuntu Linux 18.04 Bionic Beaver is here -- download it now!
George further says, "As mentioned above, all four developer editions will be certified for RHEL 7.5 and the needed drivers will be included in the distro. That being said, the AMD and NVIDIA drivers that come with 7.5 are inbox drivers. We will be posting drivers for both graphic cards that will include professional features not included in the inbox drivers."
Barton George shares significant features and specs of the four machines below.
Dell Precision 3530 Mobile Workstation, developer edition
15-inch fully customizable and high-performance mobile workstation at an entry-level price point
- 8th Gen Intel Core and next-generation Xeon processors
- Memory speeds up to 2666MHz up to 32GB
- PCIe storage capacity up to 2TB
- NVIDIA Quadro P600 professional graphics cards with 4GB of memory
- Support for 4K video to an external monitor at 60fps via HDMI 2.0
- Ports include HDMI 2.0, Thunderbolt and VGA
- Ubuntu 16.04 LTS preinstalled
- RHEL 7.5 certified
- Available worldwide
Dell Precision 5530 Mobile Workstation, developer edition
Dell's thinnest, lightest and smallest 15-inch mobile workstation with enhanced graphics, and a stunning design and display
- Available in Platinum Silver or Brushed Onyx, with a 15.6-inch display fit into a 14-inch chassis.
- Next-gen graphics up to NVIDIA Quadro P2000.
- 8th Gen Intel Core and next-generation Xeon processors
- Enhanced 2666MHz memory speeds up to 32GB
- Up to 4TB of SSD storage
- USB Type C with x4 PCIe, Thunderbolt and HDMI 2.0 ports
- Ubuntu 16.04 LTS preinstalled
- RHEL 7.5 certified
- Available worldwide
Dell Precision 7530 Mobile Workstation, developer edition
The world’s most powerful 15-inch mobile workstation, redesigned to be thinner, lighter
- 8th Gen Intel Core and Xeon processors
- AMD Radeon WX and NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics
- Largest & fastest memory on the market for mobile workstations up to 128GB of system memory & SuperSpeed memory of 3200MHz
- Largest PCIe SSD storage capacity available for a 15-inch mobile workstation: up to 6TB
- Single cable docking and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity
- Ubuntu 16.04 LTS preinstalled
- RHEL 7.5 certified
- Available worldwide
Dell Precision 7730 Mobile Workstation, developer edition
The world’s most powerful 17-inch mobile workstation, redesigned to be thinner, lighter
- 8th Gen Intel Core and Xeon processors
- AMD Radeon WX and NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics
- Largest & fastest memory on the market for mobile workstations up to 128GB of system memory & SuperSpeed memory of 3200MHz
- Largest storage capacity available for a mobile workstation (up to 8TB)
- Single cable docking and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity
- Ubuntu 16.04 LTS preinstalled
- RHEL 7.5 certified
- Available worldwide
ALSO READ: Ubuntu Linux 18.10 is called Cosmic Cuttlefish
As previously mentioned, only the 3530 Developer Edition model is available today -- availability for the other three is not yet known. If you want to buy your own, you can configure it here.
You may have noticed that the machines will come with Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and not the newer long term support version 18.04. While this might surprise some, it is likely because 16.04 is more proven -- very important for business users. They should, of course, run 18.04 LTS perfectly fine.