About to pull the trigger on an XPS M1530, any thoughts would be appreciated

Trying to take advantage of the Memorial Day deal plus some other discounts they have going on.

Specs:

T9300 Processor
High-res LED LCD 1440x900
4GB memory
250 GB hard drive
256MB NVidia GeForce 8600M GT
Intel Next-Gen wireless card
Dell Wireless 355 bluetooth internal
6-cell battery
3 year in home service and the protection package for 3 years too (free)

Total is about $1550. I like the price...my budget was <2000, so this looks good.

The one thing I know NOTHING about is wireless cards. I picked the most expensive one (Intel), but is there really a noticeable difference?

Thanks for any opinions.


NOTES: for college, basically my graduation gift. Indiana has a great Apple discount, Dell discount which I couldn't apply to this, and a 10% Sony discount. I put together an Apple with comparable parts for about $2100. A ton of my friends are getting Apples, but they're more into pictures/music/media interface of the computer. I've been told it'll be easier to run computer games on this (Civ4 maybe, StarCraft 2, Warcraft 3), and I'm very familiar with Vista as it is. I'm fine with what Vista offers as far as music/videos/pictures are concerned.

I use the computer for Internet browsing for the majority, and writing papers. I play a few games, run music, tinker with Java and Python a bit, Macromedia Fireworks, but that's about it. This is probably too fancy for me, but I figure this will more than satisfy anything I want to do with the computer.

 

Is your HDD 7200RPM? If so, I ordered the same system, except the screens. The Intel card supports the n wireless. It is faster and has longer distances.

Did the cheaper options support N?

 

Many people seem to be having range and functionality issues with the cheaper dell wireless-n from what I heard/ So yes, it was worth it to get the intel wireless chipset as it can really perform almost as well as an Expresscard or PCMCIA wireless card (my friend uses an xps1530 in wireless n and hes able to get it up to speed).

 

5400RPM for the HDD, it's the basic one. I can go smaller capacity for more money, would that be a better idea? I went with the LED LCD screen because a friend of mine has a Dell laptop with the basic screen and it doesn't look the greatest, and it's horrendous outside. I'm not expecting this to look wonderful outside by any means, but hopefully a little better.

Starting price is about $2300, so I'm saving about 750ish as of now.

 

not sure, but if u ordered thru dell epp, u might want to spring for the 4-yr warranty for an extra $80, but u get a $70 gift card, its worth it...

and spend more than $1600, u get 12% off

[EDIT: and spending $80 plus 12% discount only means spending $70.4 plus tax minus gift card..... super )

 

Yeah, I got the 12% which was a nice surprise. mattocs, I was just reading on HDDs and it basically said with 5400 RPM it won't heat up as much, but obviously better performance with the 7200. I might bump it up...not sure.

 

If you plan on installing the 64-bit version of windows or Ubuntu, etc... then I'd say go ahead and get the 4gb of RAM, otherwise i'd just get the 3gb option and then spring for the 7200rpm drive. OR, do what I did and go with the larger 320gb drive at 5400rpm.

Warranty is up to you, but I do agree with the Spend $80 to get $70 back deal.

 

My 802.11 n card would stop responding if the signal was too low. It would no longer detect ANY wifi signals and I had to reboot.

I see how a lot of people get 4 gbs of ram. Unless you're running vista ultimate, I don't really get it. When I was running vista business with 2 gbs, the "ram meter" hardly ever went over 50%. Isn't 4 gb more than what vista 32 can use?

 

4 GB ram was the only option, at least for mine.

 

sometimes the 'deal' that dell gives u only allows 4GB as an option for RAM...

anyways, i see on some systems, u spend $50 to upgrade 3GB to 4GB..... okay thing....

32-bit system only uses up to 3.7GB(depending on ur video memory, may be lower)... but i think u can use ur 32-bit key to register a 64-bit OS, not sure though

 

Its not about which "version" of Vista you're running, its what you are using the system for (how many apps at once, etc...). 32-bit versions of windows are limited to ~ 3gb of RAM. Which why if you are not planning on using a 64-bit OS, the 4gb option isn't really worth it.

 

my only remaining concern is HDD. 5400RPM 250 gb or the 7200RPM. I'd rather not pinch my parents anymore and stick with the 5400...unless the performance really is that much better.

 

Whats the price difference between the 5400 and 7200? if you are getting a % discount, take that into account as well.

 

I purchased an m1330 last August, however recently switched to a MacBook and have been extremely pleased with it! If you can get a good deal on a Mac, I would suggest it over the m1530.

Build quality of the MacBooks completely blow away Dell. My m1330 would always creak and groan from opening the lid to even just carrying it around. My MacBook is a silent tank!!

Mac OS feels so much more elegant and thought out compared to Windows. Spaces and Expose actually let a person work smarter, Finder works great to search for anything on your Mac, and the Dock and Stacks make launching programs/documents extremely easy.

Then there's the obvious advantage that you can run Windows on a Mac anyway. There are still 1 or 2 programs that I need to run and haven't been able to find a Mac equivalent so I have XP installed via Boot Camp which I can access through Parallels as well.

Any future machines that I buy, will come from Apple.

 

i get the same 12% discount either way. it's 200$.

 

save ur money and go for the 320gb 5400rpm one, its about as fast as the 7200rpm and has more storage.

 

so, either way it'll be ~ $200 more for 7200rpm. screw that. Stick with the 5400rpm. I've got the 320gb 5400 rpm drive and I think its plenty fast. I wanted more space than speed so that was my decision maker.

 

I have both an M1530 and an M1330 and the build quality is awesome. Seriously, I don't know what Khris is talking about. My XPS systems don't creak and they look cool. Plus, you're not overpaying for no reason. I'm not even talking "Mac v. PC." I'm talking, they don't look as cool as XPS systems PERIOD. Except for the M1730, which looks like someone threw up a laptop. But that's a whole another issue. Macs suck.

 

I didn't have the 320 GB option. I stuck with the 5400 RPM, figured why worry about overheating.

Thanks for all the responses everyone! The only other thing I added was the AC/air travel adapter, seeing as how I'll be taking a lot of flights over the next 4 years.

 

Have fun. Waiting, I mean. I just got off with a Dell rep saying that they are having "unexpected manufacturing delays". You'll be waiting until mid- to late June to get one, so if you're itching for one right now, you better wait or get a 9-cell battery because those are shipping faster.

 

It says shipping June 13th, so I figure I should get it by the end of June. =] That's fine though. I've been doing the research for over a month now, and I kept waiting til school was closer to get the best deal, but I just figured this was pretty solid. Total price was like 1600ish, with the Memorial Day and IU discount. Not bad for starting price of 2400.

 

Yanno, one good thing about the AC/Air travel adapter (I got one) is that it has an extension cable that comes with it that adds another couple (maybe 3) feet to the length of the power adapter. The 3-prong plug from the wall to the adapter is short as heck, and the cable from the adapter to the notebook is good, but it doesn't make up for the shortness of the 3-prong cable. the extension piece makes the cable that goes to the notebook that much longer. I'm sooo glad i got the AC/air adapter, for no reason so far other than the fact that I can use the extension cable on my regular power adapter.

Something to think about...

 

my only concern with the AC/air adapter is on my order form it says for XPS 1330? I'm hoping they just use the same one or something...there was definitely only one option to check off when I did it.

 

They're the same thing. The one thing I wish was different was that when running off the AC/air adapter, the notebook runs at a slower speed. Its not a full-power AC adapter, its 65W I think instead of 90W or whatever the regular one is. Its SOOOO much thinner than the other one that I would really like to just carry the AC/air adapter with me, since it can be plugged into the wall aswell. Oh well, can't win 'em all!

 

I'm speaking from my own personal experience. Build quality between Apple and Dell isn't a contest......Apple wins hands down. I'd rather have a well built machine that does what I want it to.....rather than one that just "looks cool". Yes the m1330/m1530 is a good looking machine, however looks will only get you so far. Everyone I've shown my MacBook to has commented on how solid it feels. No one made that comment when I showed them my m1330.

Your last little keyboard seizure "Macs suck" proves your mentality. Unless you can come up with some justifiable reasons, any comments from you should be taken with a large grain of salt.

 

Well that's a relief that at least it'll run on the 1530. I figured it was a good investment. And now I know not to get confused when it starts to run a little sluggish on planes =].

Khris I was really considering a MacBook Pro, especially because the IU discount cuts its price to the point where I don't feel like it's a total overpay. I just went with the XPS because I already know how to use Vista, and I'm more comfortable running games and torrents(which I only use for legal things, of course =/) off of Vista. Plus, the Dell discounts were so good that I feel like I got a better system than I would've gotten at the same price with Apple. Apple was certainly enticing, though...

 

It all boils down to whether or not you can justify the price difference. In hindsight now, after using my MacBook for a couple weeks, I can certainly justify it more so than I could have before.

I installed OSX on my m1330 to see what it was all about and 2 days later I knew I was going to be switching. Within the week I bought my MacBook.

Switching hasn't been hard at all. There are only 2 programs so far that I still use Windows for. One is MS Money and the other is Video Redo. Otherwise I've found everything I need for Mac OS to switch over without any problems.

Enjoy your new notebook!

 

are you going to game on it?

 

Dell's special offers and pricing are all just one big marketing ploy. I got a 1530 with all the goodies, with student discount (12% off i think) and $750 off + free shipping.
I just checked prices again, with the memorial day discount and such, and the price was exactly the same on a identical system. $2,104 with tax and free shipping.
So no matter what discounts or whatever there is, the end price is always the same.

 

Here's the thing about Macs:

1) First of all, you've said a number of times that you installed OSX on your Dell and then knew that you wanted a Mac. Now, to me, that says that your problem is with the OS, rather than the physical laptop itself. So that's number one. This guy doesn't seem to have a problem with Vista, so telling him to get a Mac from that perspective seems sort of lame. Not that you're not allowed to, but it seems lame.

2) Second of all, the reason I threw in the "Macs suck" line was because people who are into Macs say that everything else is basically like a cheap piece of crap. I mean, to say that the M1330 has poor build is about as cheap a shot as if I say that Macs suck. Have I handled EVERY M1330? No. OK, you win. No, I have not. But the ones I have -- and a lot of people would back me up -- are not shoddy pieces of crap. And to lead this guy on to say that Dells are just that in comparison is just as wrong as if I say, "Macs suck."

3) Take Dell out of the equation altogether. If you just look at Macs, people LOVE to talk about how great they look. To which I say, "what the hell are you talking about?" Macs look nice. But AWESOME? I've seen Macs, they're just laptops that are either all white or all black. Yes, they're shiny. So? Dells, in my opinion, look way better hands down. Someone has got to explain this "Macs look awesome" thing to me.

4) This pertains less to this guy, but the price is RIDICULOUS. I don't even have to go any further in explanation. It's RIDICULOUS. PERIOD. There's no defense, don't even try.

5) I find it interesting that as soon as someone buys a Mac, they basically turn into "I'm better than anyone else who owns a laptop." You don't see it anywhere else. Like, Dell people are not going, "hey, those Lenovo people ...really stupid, eh? HAR HAR HAR!" And so on. But as soon as someone gets a Mac, they're like, "wow, now I see the light!! How could I have been so blind and sheep-like?!?! Good thing I'm no longer ignorant!" Um, OK. People wonder why there's this huge "Mac v. PC" thing? That constitutes 60% of it. (Point 4 constitutes another 10%. The fact that Apple treats people like idiots constitutes the remaining 30%.)

I could go on and on.

EDIT: Wait, I will go on. This isn't restricted to the MBP or anything. Look at the iPhone. People who own it think they're "the bomb" for having it and getting the privilege to overpay for it. And yet it can't even do all of what cheaper phones do. But it "looks good!" And therefore owning it makes the owners "better." Nobody who owns an iPhone thinks they just own a phone. They think they own something that makes them royalty. And the rest of us think they own something that makes them extremely dense. Now, I feel more strongly anti-iPhone than anti-MBP, but that's pretty much the same thing.

 

Is there a major difference with the connection quality of the different wireless cards? My router would be on a different floor than many laptop but it would be nice to save some $$

 

Seems you have a bit of an inferiority complex and the only way to feel better is to pump yourself up for whatever platform/manufacturer you presently own, trying to convince yourself that you made the right buying choice.

No where have I fallen into the "I'm better because I bought a Mac" blubbering that you seem to keep BLUBBERING on about. The OP asked for different opinions about his 1530 purchase and I simply provided mine based upon my m1330 and MacBook purchase.

You seem to have taken personal offense that someone has decided to switch to a MacBook rather than use whatever it is you're presently flogging in your personal computer life. Frankly I don't care what it is you want to use as long as you're happy using it......but don't automatically put me into the "Apple Fanboy" class simply because I purchased a Mac and I'm very happy about that purchase.

Yes Apple Fanboys are annoying......but so are Windows Fanboys. I'm honestly not sure who is worse because they're both blindly lashing out with comments based purely on feeling and not on substantiated examples.

I don't care if my MacBook doesn't look as "pretty" as an m1330/m1530. I didn't buy it because it was pretty.....I bought it because it runs OS X which is exactly what I wanted and I was more than willing to pay the premium for that privilege. Whether or not you personally can justify the added expense, I don't care, but don't criticize those that have chosen to pay that extra price.

I used to be of the "Macs Suck" mentality as well....and I used to cite the same examples as you've done here. Then I honestly gave the OS a chance and realized how elegant and easy to use it is. Rather than having to spend time on making things work, I can spend time on getting stuff done because things already work.

People get so locked into their comfort zone that they're unwilling to give other options an honest chance. At the first signs of difficulty or finding yourself unfamiliar with your surroundings, it's a knee-jerk reaction to flee back to what we're comfortable with........Windows! For those who return to Windows, do what you must......just as I have by switching to OS X.

"The fact that Apple treats people like idiots" - What a load of BS!! If anything, Apple has put a lot of thought into the design of OS X based upon actual usage by people. That's being dedicated to your customers.....not treating them like idiots.

As for the iPhone, I own one of those as well. I don't feel it makes me "royalty" or any other BS that you babbled on about in your rant. It sounds to me that you're just jealous you can't have one because you're trying hard to convince yourself and others that it's garbage. Is it the best smartphone on the market? Probably not. Does the UI make it am impressive device? Definitely! Is it all I'm personally looking for in a cell phone? Absolutely!

It's human nature to be proud of our purchases and to brag about them......just as you are indirectly doing about your Dell purchase. If you're truly happy with your purchase, you wouldn't have to continually shoot down others for the choices they've made (which differ from yours).

 

Khris and kamehame please watch what you are discussing. There are still perfectly sensible questions being asked in this thread regarding the Dell XPS M1530, so it is very inappropriate for you two to start discussing the pros and cons between a Macbook and a Dell XPS M1330.

 

Apologies to budding if this is considered "out of line," but this comment from Khris was pretty indicative of what I was talking about and that's all I'll say about the entire matter.

 

If you want a faster build and delivery ,I'd order the 9 cell battery.

 

Hey, I think I'm a little late, but i was gonna ask you if you really need the 3 year warranty, because if you dont, you could save some money.. If you look at my XPS M1530 that I just ordered, I have the exact same stuff as you and because I didn't get the 3 year warranty, I only need the 1 year that it comes with, my total came out to be only $1283.48, you also should have gotten only a 2GB and then buy 4 GB off of newegg for $50..

But if you needed the warranty then congrats on your new system, wait time is alittle too much, but I've waited and I should be getting mine before the end of this week, I can't wait!!

 

Im just going to say that if I get a MBP with the exact same stuff Ive got in my XPS, it would cost over $2000, now compare that to only $1300..

 

Its good to have. Notebooks have lots of issues. And the XPS seems to be problem prone. In my case, the longer the warranty I got, the larger the dis**** from the EPP. So, it pretty much cost me nothing for my warranty.

I probably wouldn't have bought a Dell without the warranty and complete care.

 

i have a xps 1530.. do it you wont be disappointed. it's a very nice machine and a made with very high quality materials

 

I must say, you got yourself a nice deal there with the warranty.. I would have paid that extra $100 for 3 years.. One thing tho, you didn't get the LED LCD, and it is $200, so thats why your total is $1379 and not $1579

 

With the battle involving Khris, I thought it was kinda silly to talk about how he didn't like his m1330 when the TS is thinking about an m1530...
I have an m1530 and LOVE it. Mine came with the noisy Optiarc drive... very noisy... but all I had to do was start a Dell chat session, let them know, and now I'll have a Dell tech at my house to replace it tomorrow or Tuesday, no problems.

 

Yeah the XPS M1530 is way better than the M1330 anyway..

 

Do it! Now!

 

I like them both, so I got one of each, lol. They're both pretty cool. The M1330 has a lower resolution screen, which is a little irritating, and doesn't come with a Blu-Ray option. But on the other hand, it's small and lightweight. And both are stylish.

 

The m1330 and m1530 are so close to one another, I was simply sharing my own experience.....and it's not that I didn't like my m1330. Although I've already sold it, I still think it's a nice notebook, however at this point I like the MacBook better.

 

Ewwwww Macbook.... *takes a bite out of a grannysmith apple*

 

Yeah the 3 year warranty was "free", I could've downgraded but wouldn't have saved any money. 4 GB was my only option too.

 

That's because you started out with a High-priced pre-built system with a $599 savings.. This way they only give you certain options that you can't modify..

But if you were to start out from the $999 model, which is what i did, then you can choose whatever you want..

 

I always assumed starting with the high priced pre-built one was the best way to save the most money. But someone on here actually mentioned starting at the lowest priced one yielded him the greatest discount. Surprising, to me at least.

EDIT: guess that was you.

 

That only depends on what you want to configure. If you want to get the highest configuration options, it is a fact that getting highest pre-built one will be cheaper. (To easily check this, just set up two windows where you configure the different systems up and you will see the price difference.) However, if you want a lower configuration, then the best bet may be to start with the configuration closest to it.