XPS M1330 vs. XPS M1530

I'm having difficulty distinguishing the two laptops and their features.

Screen:
Is 13.3" too small for college essay writing, and casual gaming?

Weight:
I'd like to carry the laptop around with me occasionally, does 2 lbs. make that much of a difference?

Price/Use:
I'd like to outfit one for under $1500. Would use for word processing, occasional gaming, video encoding (rarely).

Reliability:
Need to last 4 years, does smaller equal more problems?

When to buy:
Are the 25% off XPS coupons worthy of buying now, or will better deals come along.

 

In my opinion, get the M1530. M1330 is small, M1730 is big...M1530 is just perfect. Wow you missed out on a really good deal on the M1530 on April 22, 2008. I got mine for roughly $1100.

 

Those are some seriously large ear-rings.

 

Yeah, huge... but look nice. Probably a pic of hanime's girlfriend? Anyways,
I'd go for the M1530. M1330 is nice, but if you want to do any gaming on it... the M1530 is the way to go for the option of the 8600GT. Plus the resolution is smaller than that of the M1530, and also does not have a design defect regarding heat.

 

Haha!

In addition, the M1530 is slightly the same weight as the HP Pavilion, if you ever held one of those before. Gaming is awesome on the graphics card (8600M GT) and I've video encode with mine all the time. Just regret I didn't get the 7200rpm hard drive that's all.

 

Define "casual gaming".

 

"Casual gaming" = "I don't bring the laptop into the bathroom when I take a dump."

 

The M1330 isn't that small, but I'd pick the M1530.

 

I use my m1530 for exactly what you want to use it for.. the occasional gaming, dicking around in class, taking notes and whatnot.. it is absolutely perfect. Not too heavy, even with the 9 cell, and it has a good three or four years to go before I'll upgrade.

 

I would go with the M1530. Its really not that heavy and I carry it around all the time. There's plenty of power under the hood for casual gaming and you can configure one for under $1500 after tax and shipping.

 

I was torn between the 1330 or the 1530, I ended up with the 1530 and it's been the perfect choice for me

I'm with the other's go with the 1530!!!

 

If you want to see a size comparison, take a look at my thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=227811

 

Actually the 1330 is a hell of a lot smaller than the 1530, when I carry the 1530 around I feel like im holding a brick, when i carry the 1330 around its like holding a heavy duty notebook.
If you want to travel around with your comp and not have to buy a separate specialty laptop backpack with enough room just to carry it + whatever you usually bring, if you want use your laptop on the bus without budging the guy next to you in the leg, if you want an effecient way to use and enjoy your laptop, Id go with the 1330. Its has nearly the same specs anyways, Do you care that much about playing COD4 on high quality?

 

thanks for the advice, i think the m1530 is the right fit. should i buy now with the 25% off coupons or wait if better deals are on the way.

And I guess I would define "casual gaming" as playing cod 4 or starcraft 2 (in the fall) during study breaks or on weekends. Nothing too heavy like crysis or anything like that.

 

Buy now, the deals are the best they are going to get. When montevina comes out, you can bet there will be no such 20-25% off deals. Sure Montevina will be a great improvement, but the best deals come right before something new comes out.

In my opinion casual gaming = the laptop is supposed to be for work, which you do most often, but when you want to relax a bit, instead of pulling up minesweeper, you can pull up Assasins Creed, or Gears of War.

 

Did someone say MINESWEEPER?!!?!?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHY8NKj3RKs

 

M1330 = Great portability, not too small, full sized keyboard.

M1530 = Portability is not great but manageable. I find don't find it much smaller than my xps m1710. Decent power to it.

If your laptops going to be sitting on your desk most of the time by all means get the xps m1530. If your going to take it to class and take notes with it, get the xps m1330.

PERSONALLY I find the xps m1530 too big to bring to class/ lug everywhere. It can be done sure, I've lugged my xps m1710 to class but its a burden and not so comfortable. It's not something you can just put in a sleeve and stick it in your school pack while the xps m1330 is.

Can you tell us what games u play so we can tell you if the xps m1330 can handle it?

 

M1530 FTW! Man i was going to buy a 1330 after carrying around some of my friends 15" laptops which weigh so much. Like the vostro and the inspiron even the HP one was pretty heavy, but the XPS is very light compared to the others, and since it has better specs than all of the other 15" laptops and weighs a considerable amount less why settle with the tiny 1330 when the 1530 is the perfect size and weight in my opionon

 

i've looked at bestbuy's m1330 and m1530 together(bestbuy seems to be clearing out of m1330s, they're on clearance in one store, and missing in two stores i've visited)

i think m1330 is more of the portable option, while m1530 is heavier.... i have carried a 7pound laptop around, really heavy ...... think i'll prefer a lighter laptop vs heavier load... besides, theres an extra 1 inch on both sides of the keyboard for m1530.... much larger

i'll probably wait for the possible montevina upgrade, as i'm planming for this to last 4 years(M1330 now with Dell EPP 8-12% off from warranty gives me $1450 w/o tax on a loaded m1330[LED+graphics+3GB] with 4 yr waranty+accidental damage, not that bad, but i can wait til august)

just 2 questions:
1) M1330 owners, any regret not going for a larger screen?
2) M1530 owners, any regret carrying around a larger laptop?

EDIT http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s7001748eh5.jpg
this pic probably fully convined me to get the m1330

 

My vote goes for the 1330. After all, a laptop should be portable and decent enough for most tasks, incl casual gaming, and I think the 1330 with 8400GS is just that.

1530 is big and heavy to carry around daily.

 

Too bad there isn't a XPS m1440 as I find the m1330 "too small" and the m1530 whilst thin still "too big/wide" .

 

XPS 1330: Screen is *NOT* too small IMO, feels like a 14". Graphics card blows, I'll be honest. It runs desktop effects smoothly and plays your basic 3d games like WoW without a hitch, but anything that has came out recently can't be played at higher settings at all.

XPS 1530: best friend has one, feels ALOT heavier and thicker compared to the 1330, can't imagine carrying it around at college, especially with books and junk. Mouse-pad feels quirky.

 

I agree the 1330 is so much bigger than my m1210!
and the 1530 is large. If you want that in between
the 1330 is great!

 

Congrat's on your choice....

Everyone is going to give you their opinion on what they would choose...and in the end..ultimately, it end's up being your personal choice.

But it is wonderful hearing everyones opinions between the 2

This is an awesome forum

 

I picked the M1530, i thought about the M1330 but i didnt like how it is more expensive and the graphics card is really crappy compare it to the GDDR3 on a 1530.. Make sure you get at least a T9300 and get a good size hard drive, then you can buy a 4GB kit off newegg or something and upgrade it yourself and you are about 3 years proof lol...

The 256MB of 8600M GT in the M1530 is just right for COD4, and the 128MB of 8400M GS in a M1330 would have a hard time playing it..

I got mine with a 25% discount and i got it spec'ed as shown in my sig for $1283.48 shipped next day air

 

Starcraft 2 won't be out this year

 

before i decide to buy though, can someone explain what this montevina upgrade is coming out soon? is it worth waiting for, or should i just buy now with the 25% off coupon.

and, what is a good configuration for a m1530 laptop, should i go with:
-the t8300 or t9300 processor?
-3 gb ram or 4 gb ram (will standard vista home premium recognize 4 gb?)
-standard (1280 x 800), high definition (1440 x 900 and up), or led screen
-6 cell or 9 cell battery?
-high definition audio 2.0 or upgrade?
-1 yr. warranty or upgrade?

i don't mean to bombard everyone with questions, i'm just want to make sure i'm getting the right laptop. thanks for your help, this site is great.

*EBgames.com states Starcraft 2 pre-orders ship 12/3/08 (if it isn't delayed)*

 

Chances are late next year.

 

Montevina is suppose to be out pretty soon, like the beginning of June, but it's gonna be expensive compared to the Santa Rosa..

Here is a description of the Montevina from Wikipedia:

 

and let's hope that if dell comes up with a new xps with montevina, they don't screw up with the delivery dates and stuff like m1330 last june

think any processor would do fine if u are not planning to stress the system(extreme gaming/photoshop)
3 or 4gb ram won't make a difference[32-bit vista limits memory usage to 3.5GB].... if u can upgrade, its optional(i personally won't get it, unless if i'm running photoshop or using 64-bit)
unless u need a lot of battery power, 6 cell is fine.
HD audio is good enough
1 yr warranty... if u want it to last a few more years, choose 2-3 year....

what is ur budget? try choosing the "best" plan and compare... sometimes choosing a plan one level higher is cheaper than upgrading one component

EDIT: OP was for <$1500 and to last 4-yr.... i would probably opt for the 4 yr warranty and accidental damage if possible

u mentioned college.... its probably cheaper buying thru Dell EPP with your college ID...

http://ecomm.dell.com/dellstore/bas...ep&itemtype=CFG&cart_id=1005387347204&toEmail

 

i checked out dell university, which i thought was the only discount available for students, and the savings weren't much. but, the media configuration included everything i wanted, plus a 4 year warranty and accidental damage protection for 1558 including tax. configured with only the 25% off coupon it came out to 1780 including tax.

paper wastage, what is exactly is dell epp (the dell member purchase program?), and how do i sign up?

thanks for the config info too.

Edit: I figured out the dell member purchase program, in the checkout menu, i just add my school name, and id number, duh. I was also able to add another $25, to get 12% off discount (instead of 8%) w/ 4 year warranty . it now comes out to $1533 w/ tax. should i buy now, this seems like the best deal out there for a loaded m1530 with 4 year warranty and accidental damage protection.

 

4 years is alot but i got mine with 1 year for $1283.48

 

lefix, i see in your config you have the t9300, is there a significant performance increase from the t8300? i was also looking at the led display, but i don't know if its worth an additional $200. little by little, i'm pricing myself out of my budget, haha.

 

Lol, yeah thats what happens.. but lets break the T9300 and the T8300 down to give you a better idea of which one is better:

The T9300 has 800 FSB and 6MB of L2 cache
The T8300 has 800 FSB and 3MB of L2 cache

so it is .1Ghz slower and 3 less MB of L2 Cache, and maybe it doesnt sound like 3 is alot but its half the cache comparing to the T9300..

It is only $100 more to get the T9300 over the T8300 and if you use the 25% off coupon, it is more much more money to get it so i would get it..

The LED screen is brighter and saves a bit power, but i think if there is a 1680x1080 LED screen would be the best.. 1440x900 looks kinda big to me, but i been using a 1280x800 so it wouldnt be bigger than that..

 

I just graduated from college and I carried my m1530 to class everyday. I had it in the supplied sleeve, in a northface bookbag, and the weight wasn't noticable at all.

If you are used to carrying a 3 subject notebook to class to take notes, i promise you can handle the weight of the m1530, because it never once seemed like a burden to me.

Half the time I'd forget it was in the and almost toss my bag on the floor.

The only problem I had was that a couple of my lectures were in older halls, so it was slightly problematic trying to situate the computer on a tiny desk, but i just started bring the 9 cell battery and using it on my lap

Plus, if class is boring, you can always just pull up Crysis

I'd say go with the m1530, its been great for me.

 

thanks for the advice and help, i finally submitted my order. will be posting the configuration and price in a separate dell thread.