Why XPS? XPS vs. Inspiron?

Okay, I was relatively happy with my XPS 1530 for the week I owned it; they lowered the price of the HD upgrade from $100 (got the 7200 200G SATA upgrade) to $25. Therefore, I simply wanted a credit...but the monkeys said to return it and order another, which is bad policy given the additional shipping expense incurred, having to sell it in the outlet for less (or blow it out and unethically sell it as new again), etc, etc, etc.

Nonetheless, UPS will be here tomorrow and back she goes.

I am currently typing on a 9300, which I love. The speakers sound 10x better than the XPS (understandably, the slimmer build of the XPS can't accommodate the same sound); I love the 17" monitor, though the battery life kills me on a 2 hour commute, never making it to work; there is nothing I don't like about it.

I went with the XPS for 1.) smaller, more mobile unit 2.) 4 hour battery life! 3.) lighter weight was a plus 4.) being able to open the lid to an acceptable viewing angle when sitting on a train, rather than the 30 degrees I got when opening the beast.


In shopping for a replacement (and Dell might lose me to another brand), I am wondering why I paid so much in the first place! What is the major differences in XPS vs Inspiron? The build quality?

What I liked about the 1530: smaller, lighter, great battery length, the polished metal frame around the keyboard, the brightness of the (LG) screen.

What I didn't like: touchpad was erratic at times, DVDs didn't look all that great to me, much more washed out that then 17" 9300, the sound sucked (but didn't expect the sound of my Bose 901s). That's about it...liked it enough to keep it otherwise.

As I configured an Inspiron to have similar horsepower, the price started to get close, so perhaps this is the reason? When you start throwing in 2.2G+, 200G 7200 HDs, 256M graphic cards, perhaps the price is nearly the same either way, so people lean toward the XPS? Is the overall look why such a premium? Just trying to decide which route to go again...

I would love to get another 17", as these laptops are desktop replacements, but I did like the 15" size, weight and battery life for the mobile laptop and would use the 17" (well, giving it to my wife) at home.

Thoughts? XPS or Inspiron?

 

What do you want out of your laptop?

If you want a 17" screen great for watching movies and want good sound as well as a solid alla round multimedia experience and don't mind the shorter battery life or weight then the xps isn't really for you. I'd almost recommend the toshiba satellites with the harmon kardon speaker system. There are more expensive ones that are gaming oriented but I think toshiba has multimedia optioned ones with more focus on the sound and less on the graphical muscle. You might even be able to snag an HD-DVD player on one for a decent price too.

Now if you want a good movie watching laptop but also really like the lighter weight and battery life as well as the very clean and good looks of the xps...well then I guess the xps is the choice to have. But if you use headphones a lot then the speakers onboard don't really matter too much then do they? If that's the case then the xps is definitely what you should get.

 

Bad policy or not, it's the way Dell works.

 

I almost bought an xps until I saw the $400 off coupon for the inspiron, so I ended up getting a lot more for just under 1k(2ghz,256mb,etc),the looks of the xps are great, but money talks

 

Yea, that's what made me question reordering the XPS....

I do like the look of the XPS, but still not sure the difference between an equally configed, more of less, Inspiron 1525 vs the XPS 1530. There is clearly a premium on the latter, so I guess I am trying to decide on the former.

I am going to let go of the 17" dream, since this purchase is to be more mobile...like lighter, slimer, and longer battery life, so 15" it is. And as themanwithsauce mentioned, I don't really need the great sound (though those HK speakers piqued my interest) out of the speakers, as I'll be on a train everyday with hy headphones in and the sound was nice.

I guess I'll have to configure the two to specs and look at the bottom line, if there is not much difference aside from a few cosmetic build features...liked the brushed metal and the like, but if I can save $400-$500 clams on an inspiron, I think that might drive the train.

 

The looks and weight of an Inspiron are not really on par with the XPS, even at a $400 discount. The power brick that came with my 9100 really hurt me every time I mistakenly knocked on it lying on the floor. The newer ones, yeah they are lighter but they are still ugly.. you take them to the airport and you'll see a 100 other people with the exact same laptop... The XPS is all about portability, style, battery life etc.

You will never make a style statement with an Inspiron.

XPS does have a few additional features such as HDMI port, LED displays (on the smaller 13 inch version), and it's just sexier.

Is that worth $400 to you... it's a personal choice.

 

I think you should ask advice over in the "What notebook should I buy" forum. You said your M1530 had a washed out screen. You might have better luck with a screen from another brand, and maybe better speakers too.

 

XPS = Corvette

Inspiron = Impala

 

Dell's marketing team = 1
Consumers = 0



I've had 1 XPS1330 and 2 XPS 1530s in the last month. I sent them all back. There is a major design flaw with the battery/rear foot and the dell tech on the phone said the same which really amazed me. I see lots of people having screen problems, but I must say that the screens that i received were the best I've seen. They were all LG screens BTW.

XPS1330 - arrived with a cracked battery (right at the weak point)
XPS1530 #1 - arrived with a cracked battery (again, at the weak point)
XPS1530 #2 - arrived with a warped keyboard and lots of play in the battery. (same side as the weak point)

The battery will flex and you"ll hear it move when adjusting the angle of the laptop when it is not on a super smooth surface.

 

I returned the so-called "corvette" and got the Impala with much more under the hood for the same price...

XPS M1530 had the 2.2G w/ 4M cache and 3G ram, etc

Inspiron 1720 is coming with a 2.5G w/ 6M cache (can you even get this chip in a "corvette?" and more bells and whistles for $100 less than the XPS; glad I "downgraded" to the pinto.

 

Couldn't agree more; the sound was garbage, the touchpad was junk, the fingerprint reader goes without saying, the camera, etc, etc, all fell short of impressing me.

After a dozen "flexes" of the battery, I said, "this damn thing is going to break."

I think my much faster 1720 17" for less money will serve me better. I'll sure miss the XPS logo, though.

 

A few hundred extra for better styling and a lighter weight are well worth it to me. I use my laptop all the time so I will have no problem paying more for an XPS.

The internals don't really matter anymore. Any Core 2 Duo + 2 GB of RAM is enough for anything unless you're a hardcore gamer, in which case you should be looking at desktops or getting a bulky laptop with an 8800 in it.

And I just checked my student discount pricing through Dell Premiere... the XPS m1530 would actually be cheaper for me than a similarly configured Inspiron 1525 or 1720 so it's a no brainer in my case.

 

I'd personally go with the XPS.

I love my Inspiron 6400, but it isn't any different then what I see around campus all the time.

 

I think either the XPS and Inspiron is a viable solution. For me, I went with the portability of the M1330. I had considered the 1420, but its large for a 14.1 laptop. As for issues, the only issue I had was with the uneven/wobble base and my brand new replacement resolved this and i was lucky enough to get another Toshiba screen.

 

It's just a personal preference. The XPS is not a "waste" of money, you're paying for a nice system. It's lighter than an Inspiron as well. The XPS is the portability solution with style. If you care more about guts and value, the XPS is not for you.

 

While I agree with the first part of your statement. I disagree with the last.
The XPS innards are pretty top quality. Take the m1530s 3Dmark06 scores, they're amazing! And value? I think they're about as good as anything on the market, especially here in Australia. This will be my first time dealing with Dell on a personal side, so I'm hoping all goes well...

 

Absolutely agreed. Bang for the buck, wins at the end of the day

 

Impala?!? What is my latitude then??? I am tempted by the sleek look of the XPS and its lightness but the inspiron/latitude lines seem more reliable IMHO...I will get an XPS in another year or so when all of the "quirks" have been hammered out.

 

I love how people are talking about style and that Inspirons look like everyone else's notebook. If you are worried about style, just get a MacBook Air, an Ipod and sit in a Starbucks all day like all the other yuppies. If an Inspiron is right for you, then get one.

 

I agree; style and $1.95 will get you a Frappachino at Starbucks. "Guts and value" do trump batteries sticking out the back and a cool hinge. As far as weight is concerned, the extra 4lbs? - 5lbs? does a body good. I've been lugging this 9300 I am typing on around for 2 years...

I am not bashing the XPS, but having owned one for a week and having owned the 9300 for a couple years, getting more horsepower for the same or less price was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I just found the "Corvette" comment to be funny...a cool hinge and a logo might screen zoom zoom to metrosexuals, but I want something built for speed, irrespective of the remote control and hissing earbuds.

Nonethless, play nice, kids. I was just pointing out that I now see what the difference is and it's twofold: price and "style."

 

...which begs the question, then; why put yours in your signature and not simply "HP?"

 

You sent a laptop back which you were perfectly happy with over $75?

The amount of time wasted!

Surely, waiting for them to pick the laptop up, refund you, ordering again, build time, waiting for delivery, moving your data across, tweaking it, running the risk of receiving one that you are not happy with, etc etc over $75???

 

Yea, principal. Did I say I was perfectly happy? If I did, my mistake.

I didn't move anything over...was playing with it trying to decide whether to keep it or not; LG screen or not, DVDs looked like garbage (see a previous "washed out" post I posted here the day I got it), the sound blew, the fingerprint reader was junk, the touchpad was weak, the earbuds hissed, etc. The $75 was what I needed to send it back...was on the fence, but arguing with Dell CSR about the credit was too much to handle.

I see your point, though...if I didn't have a PC and 2 other laptops sitting around the house, like the one I am using to respond to your post.

If all worked out in the end, though...got a faster unit coming and saved some money.

 

xps=corvette
inspiron= impala
vostro= black impala
lattitude= camaro concept

 

Inspiron's now are just throw around everyday computers. The XPS is more the creme of the crop and very nice looking. I don't personally like the bulk and look of the current Inspiron line.

 

I see you edited your post and removed "stylish" and replaced it with "very nice looking." Nice touch.

 

Terp, why did you make this thread if you're only going to mock people who would choose the XPS? The simple answer to your question is that some people prefer the look and feel of the XPS to the Inspiron.

 

Ya, I realized how bad and homophobic that sounded. I don't care about syle at all, I just want something that looks good to ME.

 

I created this thread BEFORE I knew the difference, sir. I had no idea why the premium on the XPS and, in fact, I bought one. Before the purchase, I had hoped to understand the difference, which is why I started this thread.

Start reading it from the beginning...didn't "mock" anyone until the whole car anology came up, which I found laughable, given what's under the proverbial hood.

 

Nice I only noticed, as I saw the word "stylish," looked at your user name, and smiled...not a word that came up much when I used to go to 'league night.'

 

Haha.

Well, in any case, if an XPS sparks your interests, then so be it. Same for the Inspiron line.

Either is a very good choice to go with; save the problems each line has.

The XPS is considered a "premium" line of laptops, where as the Inspiron is dubbed the "budget" line.

 

if you are concerned with performance .. and not looks:
look at all the benchmarks for the system you are considering. I did .. and i found the XPS to BLOW AWAY everything else. including high-end laptops from other manufacturers for a similar price. Unless you get a massive desktop-replacement gaming laptop ...... from CPU benchmarks to graphics benchmarks to every other number .. the XPS is WELL worth it IMHO.. and all that in a portable attractive package!!

I considered a tablet ... but no tablet on the planet can even hold a candle to XPS performance.

AND GRAPHICS... admittedly I could possibly be wrong here.. but I am PRETTY SURE that you cant get an impala or any other low to mid-class laptop with a dedicated graphics card, let alone one as powerful as the 8600M GT 256 that is the upgrade option for the xps. This makes all the difference in the world for gaming and vista, in my opinion. and with 3-4gb of ram, who cares if it shares? I want the power with portability, and I got it with this laptop..

if you have no use for all the graphics and processing power .. surely you can go with a mid-range laptop and get along perfectly fine!!

if you are going for looks ... who cares about anything else then photos? there is no need for us to discuss that. I am happy with the looks of my red XPS but it was certainly not the deciding factor.....

 

You are, all of the Inspiron line has a dedicated graphics card as an option now.

The 8600 is an option in the 15" models, for instance.

Personally, I chose the Inspiron over the XPS based solely on specs, of which you have more options with the Inspirons than the XPS line.

I think a more fitting car comparison is:
Inspiron: Nissan Altima
XPS: Infiniti G35

Either way, they're still Nissans, and neither are too shabby.

 

Well said. i drive a lincoln so you can guess what my ford comparison might be... (ill spare everyone)

staying in tune with cars ... consider this: With the Altima you have more options to choose from, which could easily make the Altima cost more than a base g35. Who is to say one is "better" vs. the other? In the end that is in the eye of the beholder, along with "value".

COST no the other hand .. I think no one can argue dollar$. So how much did you pay and what specs did you get?


2.2ghz core 2 duo
4gig ram
8600M gt 256
200gb 7200
(1) each 9 + 6 cell batteries
15.4" Wiforgettheletters+ 1680x1050
Vista home prem.
Crimson Red XPS m1530
hdmi
media remote
1 year at home warranty
-- $1470 shipped (brand new on ebay)

I'm interested to see where I would be with similar or identical specs in Other laptops (admittedly I probably should have researched that before I pulled the trigger *bracing for buyers remorse*)

 

If you think about it, the XPS does use "premium" components...

Or at least one.

The graphics cards in the XPS line use a higher performing, more efficient GDDR3 memory, whereas the Inspiron uses DDR2 memory.

This is just one of example of the "premium" that comes with the XPS line.

 

I'm pretty sure everyone is choosing XPS' (m1530) over Inspirons is because...

XPS 8600m GT = GDDR3 memory

Inspiron 8600m GT = DDR2 memory

 

i think that holds true to some of the benchmarks I've seen. I could not find one beating the xps m1530.... aside from DTR 17" laptops that ARE mobile, but quite a workout .. and some of the IBM touchpads.. but both are EXPENSIVE when configured powerfully. For a casual and even part-time gamer.. m1530 will treat you well

I decided that I will upgrade when I see a Dell XPS with DDR3 RAM also , for a similar price that I just paid for this one. I figure I should be safe for at least a year, probably 2

Game suggestion for those with m1530's: PORTAL. Mind bending, amazing game and it looks great. I will be playing Myst next just to see all the details Ive been missing vs. my presario (RIP)

 

I think the GDDR3 memory on the 8600 GT is the big difference between the XPS and the Inspirion. For me, that was the deal breaker.

In reply to Terp's comments re the touchpad, fingerprint reader etc. I agree that the touchpad is a little weak. The touchpad on my old Asus A6J was much better.

I find the finger print reader to work very well and to be quite handy. I'm definitely a convert to the reader for logging into the notebook

Finally, the audio hiss. I've only noticed it with the bundled earbuds which I consider to be very poor quality. I suspect they are very low impedance in which case they'd react to anything! With decent Sony earbuds or my Sennheisers, there is no hiss and the onboard audio does quite well.

 

I'd have to agree with the previous few posts that the greatest difference and reason to get a m1530 over the inspirons is its 8600m GT with GDDR3 memory over the DDR2 version in the inspirons. Hell my overclocked m1530 and many others score ~5500 in 3dMarks06 at 1280 x 1024 reso (default) which is pretty much what a vanilla 8700m GT scores (which they should be since we've just overclocked to 8700m GT clocks)

The importance of CPU's these days, I think, is too exaggerated. Unless you do loads of audio or video encoding, or play Supreme Commander, you probably will not see one once of difference between a C2D 2Ghz vs a top of the line C2D penryn 2.6Ghz.

 

I don't know about over in the US or Canada, but here in Australia the reason why I chose a XPS 1530 over the 1720 was simple.

As everyone already pointed out, the 8600 GT is DDR3 instead of DDR2. So it should perform better all around.

Second, it also offered a faster Hard Drive option, namely a 200 GB 7200 RPM drive.

The design, and feature set was just a bonus.

I've tried to configure a similar Inspiron 1720 here, and to be honest? I got LESS performance, for a higher price. Albeit, a larger screen and a bigger (but slower) hard drive.

My XPS cost me $1980 Australian. That's a 2.4 GHZ, 2 Gigs of Ram, 7200 RPM drive, yaddi yaddi ya. It's pretty much maxed out, outside of the extras that are more of a pain then they are worth (higher res screen, buying RAM from dell, rather then yourself etc.)

A inspiron 1720 with a similar configuration, cost me $1895. I get a bigger screen, and two (slower) 160 GB hard drives vs. a faster Hard Drive, and a better Graphics card.

So I guess you have to weight it up, and whats your priority. I don't worry about screen size, because I have an external monitor to play on, and wouldn't want to lug a 17" inch laptop around. An extra 120 GB's of space, doesn't weigh up to a faster drive, and better graphics card. The rest of the XPS "features" are a bonus, and the overall package is worth the extra $85 dollars.

 

i would definitely pick the XPS 1530 over inspiron 1720...

1) 8600GT DDR3 256MB > 8600GT DDR2 512MB

2) the inspiron's processor can only be chosen up to a T7250 (2.0ghz), while the xps1530 can go up to a T7800(2.6ghz) (i duno about u guys , but in canada its like that)

3) It's way lighter and looks way better..

And for those of u thinking that the inspiron has a 17" inch screen and can beat the xps's 15"..... its ONLY a 2 inch difference...1-1.5" smaller in height and nearly the same width...