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She sounds like the perfect Apple customer.

I think Framework have potential but it's too early. Notice almost none of Linus's team use it, including himself. They mainly use Dell XPS, Macbooks and some LG Grams. I still think Dell are the best of a bad bunch at the minute, there is no 1 brand doing everything right, they're all cutting corners. After returning my 7780 and M3 Macbook Pro, I still haven't come close to finding something else. I'll probably not bother upgrading anymore and hope quality improves over time. 14th gen intel should be interesting for laptops. Edit: By Linus, I'm referring to Linus Tech Tips, the tech YouTuber who has an investment in Framework.

For info, I returned the Macbook Pro as well as the 7780, the Mac just wasn't worth 4-5k. The battery life was no better than Windows under load, the glossy screen is horrible to use unless you sit with a wall behind you. As an IT professional, I don't see any value in Macs, they've become an accessory to iPhones and the target market is non-technical users and "content creators." I can't fault the build quality on the Macbook but Dell need to stop cutting corners. I'm very close to ditching them completely. I have a house full of Dell equipment but that will change unless Dell recover. I'm typing this on an older Latitude 5520 that's built better than the M18/7780 combined. Very disappointed with Dell this year and I'm still on the market for a new laptop.

Yours looks ok but then again so does mine in most pictures, it's strangely only evident to the eye. Non-US keyboard layouts are an afterthought for Dell, they rarely offer the same, so it's possible mine is lower quality. I've unfortunately decided to return my 7780. Between 2x Alienware M18's and a 7780 with 2x service repairs, I'm just disappointed with what Dell offers at those pricepoints. Instead I bought a 16" Macbook Pro M3 Max/48gb RAM/40core GPU. I know this will be an unpopular choice, I usually avoid Apple like the plague but I can't fault the qualiy of their laptops. I'd have considered myself a Dell fanboy until this experience.

It's just more visible at an angle, rather than it being a problem only viewable at certain angles. It's noticeable, more so at night. For comparison I have a Latitude 5510 + 5520, and a G15 5521 (pictured) - all do not have this issue. The main reason I ask, is so I can be sure if this is expected on all 7780s or if there's some fault with mine, I have a feeling they're all built like this (Dell's build quality has been going downhill for some time.) I'm currently waiting on a reply from "Level 3 support."

Does anyone else with a 7780, notice issues with their keyboard backlight? It's more noticeable at an angle rather than head-on. I've had the keyboard replaced twice, same issue.

I prefer the 7780 over the M18 by a mile! I know the 7780 is capped at 240w vs 330w on the M18 but I'm not a massive gamer, I'd rather have the 4k screen and portability. I can use the 7780 on my lap for work/leisure etc but the M18 was a no go both due to weight and design (fixed lip on underside sticks into legs - deff designed for use on a table.) I'll be happier with the electric bill too 😆

I guess not enough people complain about it! The HDD/SSD password isn't native to Dell, it will appear in other BIOS's (not all) but be careful as the password is not transferable between different manufacturer's BIOS's. I'm not even 100% confident it works between different Dell machines. Unlike Bitlocker where you can plug your drive into any Windows machine and gain access using the recovery key. Basically only do it if you're comfortable losing the data or have it backed up. Personally I use cloud and backups, I'm only concerned about my laptop being lost/stolen and is the only reason I encrypt.

The M18's both had terrible display bleeding from the factory, this refurb 7780 has barely any bleed compared. The weight was ridiculous too (just over 4KG.) All in, it didn't feel like it was worth the money. The PMW/7780 is a great device but it's also too expensive to fairly compare to the M18, not a lot of 7780 refurbs appear with this spec. PMW is deff aimed at companies buying it for their employee's I think. I use SSD/NVME passwords via Dell BIOS - this works with self-encrypting drives (SEDs) - the drives included with my 7780 and M18 were all SED's. I find this better than being tied down to BitLocker (which usually fails to use hardware encryption anyway, even with the relevant policies in place.) It essentially gives me encryption on the drives without the overhead (that comes with software based encryption such as BitLocker.) To enable it, boot into BIOS and goto the "Passwords" section - you'll see the ability to set passwords for each compatible drive.

Thanks! After 2x disappointing/returned AW M18's, I opted for a refurb 7780 (£3.3k): i9/64GB CAMM/2TB/4090/4k I think you're spot on with the wifi, I'm so used to them being routed up through the screen, I didn't even register that the wires went straight to those L's. I forgot to ask something else, is there a way to enable numlock on boot? It doesn't seem to be in BIOS (v1.7.0), I use SSD passwords instead of Bitlocker, so I'm entering a pin every boot, this is the first Dell I haven't been able to enable numlock on boot.

Hi, I've just got a 7780 this week and had a couple of questions: 1. Is anyone's trackpad slightly uneven? Mine's off to the right slightly and slightly sunken left side. I've fixed this before (on Dell laptops) by taking the bottom off, battery out and replacing, but this didn't make a difference on the 7780. All screws seemed to be tight. 2. What are the grey L-shaped things on the left and right sides? (left of 1, right of 11.) When I had it taken apart, they sort of looked like LEDs, but I can't find any reference to them online.