The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    XPS M1530 vs Inspiron 1520. Please help.

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by brucie97, Dec 26, 2007.

  1. brucie97

    brucie97 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    So my old gateway M275 tablet has run into some charger port problems and won't charge anymore. It is getting up there in age so I figured now was the time to get a new one. I'm looking at getting a Dell, and would like it to have some power under the hood but I don't want to break the bank account. I've customized a couple and am looking for some opinions.


    Inspiron 1520

    Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
    Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
    Jet Black
    1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz (I plan on upgrading the memory from newegg or something, what is the most memory available to this computer? Also would it be most cost effective to go with 1gb and buy all the rest of the upgrades or how should I go about this?)
    High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch display (1680x1050) (is this too much for the GeForce/T7500 processor?)
    256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
    Speed: 120GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) Free Fall Sensor
    Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
    CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
    High Definition Audio 2.0 (I'm not an audiophile, but I do run my music through a surround sound system. Is the upgraded chip worth it? Does the upgraded chip stick out of the computer or is it flush with the side? Is the $25 software upgrade worth it?)
    Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
    Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
    85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
    Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)

    Totals @: $1,459.00
    - $300 coupon (Found on the internet)
    = $1,159.00 before taxes/shipping.

    Is this a good/decent deal? Is there anything that should be upgraded/downgraded? I looked @ the XPS with a similar setup and it seemed like it was always around $800-$900 more with very similar setups and I'm not sure why. This definitely pushes me towards the 1520. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
     
    brucie97, Dec 26, 2007
    #1
  2. outkastland

    outkastland Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    34
    Messages:
    461
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    outkastland, Dec 26, 2007
    #2
  3. scythie

    scythie I died for your sins.

    Reputations:
    79
    Messages:
    959
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Yup. I'd take that XPS with $669 off anyday over that. Better deal :D
     
    scythie, Dec 26, 2007
    #3
  4. deathpenalty

    deathpenalty Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    deathpenalty, Dec 26, 2007
    #4
  5. JohnnyBiz

    JohnnyBiz Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I'm sure as someone else said you can make the XPS happen if you want it.

    I got the 1530 with the T7500, 8600GT, 3 gigs memory, 9 cell battery, 4 year in home warranty, etc for 1370 shipped AND 270 or something in giftcards coming my way. I'm sure they'll offer a similar deal and if you drop the warranty down you'll be golden.
     
    JohnnyBiz, Dec 26, 2007
    #5