Precision 3800 vs 4800 - durabilty and Linux?

While I'm a little shy of Dells because of some bad experiences with low-end models, I've been hearing good things about the Precisions, and both of these models are in my spec and price range - this build for the 3800 and this for the 4800

Pros for the 4800 - trackpoint, 3-year warranty already included in the price
Pros for the 3800 - 2lb lighter, nicer looking?

the 3800 doesn't have the trackpoint but does have a touchscreen instead which would be a pro if I was running Windows, but I use Linux Mint, and while I think KDE has some stuff geared for touchscreens, Linux in general is a little iffy on that front, and I haven't managed to dig up anything on Linux + this particular touch screen.

I've also never seen any of the precision models up close and personal, so I'd love some thoughts on durability/build-quality. I had (and still have) one of the early Lenovo Thinkpads (the T60), and while I had a few very specific weird issues with it (it burnt out batteries really quickly for some reason), that's sort of where I'd like a new laptop to hit for case/component durability.

 

I've had my M4800 since October or November, and the only real wear I've seen is on the center of the touchpad. The chassis isn't rock solid, but only seems wanting in one or two areas (front left palm rest and bottom right side) where I've noticed some flex. It's stood up well to traveling to and from work daily, as well as several flights.

Anything in particular you're curious about?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Well, in a nutshell the M4800 is built like a tank, and is a refinement of a design that has been very successful for many years. In my own experience, durability and build quality of those Precisions (M4x00 and M6x00) is second to none. The M3800, on the other hand, is a brand-new model, and they currently have massive quality control issues, to the point where it seems one cannot recommend ordering one of these right now. Maybe in a couple of months, but even if those QC issues are resolved, that machine will never be as sturdy as its heavier brethren.

By the way, I thought I saw that Ubuntu fully supports the XPS 15 and M3800, including touchscreen support, so this should work in any other Linux distro as well.

 

Yeah, I saw some of the posts about problems with the 3800. There's definitely an 'oooo shiny' factor to having a touchscreen, but I have a decent Android phone and the initial savings (mostly because of the warranty price difference) + whatever I save in longevity could go towards a real tablet....

And yeah, Mint is an Ubuntu derivative, so if the drivers are there in Ubuntu it's probably at supported to a basic level - I suspect some of the nicer features may be app to app.