Dell Inspiron 1545 Vs Dell XPS M1530 ?

I am looking to buy a new 15" laptop. A top of the range inspiron 1545 costs £629 and the top XPS M1530 costs £849.

However, looking at the spec - the Inspiron seems to have:

> A better processor (Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz) vs Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache))

> Faster memory (4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048] Vs 4096MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048])

> A better display (15.6" Widescreen WXGA WLED (1366 x 768) TFT Display with TrueLife™ Vs 15.4" Widescreen™ WXGA (1280x800) TFT Display (220nits) with TrueLife™)

and the Inspiron seems generally equal or better in most other departments too, though has a smaller hard drive (320gb vs 500 gb) and lower-res webcam (1.3 mp vs 2.0 mp)

My question, then, is why does the XPS cost more, and what advantages does the XPS have over the top-of-the-range Inspiron? (excluding aesthetics) Is it a no-brainer to go for the Inspiron?

 

To answer your question, the XPS line has premium support over the Inspiron users. They claim that the XPS support usually is step up from the regular support agents and you get your calls answered more quickly. They say that the XPS line uses better, premium, and faster components, but I think that they use the same parts anyway.

I guess this might be a disadvantage of the XPS M1530 that, when I found out, was a real dealbreaker for me. The XPS M1530 has an NVIDIA GPU (8600M GT/8400M GS) that is known to fail within a few months to a few years depending on your usage patterns (All 8xxx series GPUs are bound to fail, except for the 8800s). This failure has something to do with the weakening of the binding materials in the GPU over time and eventually it will break due to the thermal cycling. NVIDIA has claimed to fix this problem, but the next day they said that we should stop complaining and buy their new GPUs. lol. Like that's ever going to happen. All Dell machines that have these defective GPUs apparently comes with an extra year of warranty tacked on for free, but I would not get it anyway since there is a huge selection of laptops now, I see no reason to get the XPS M1530. Once you're out of warranty with the Dell XPS M1530, you might as well throw the laptop away, because it isn't going to get repaired.

If you are planning to keep a laptop for any length of time, I would definitely choose the Inspiron. Just the GPU problem would steer me clear of choosing the M1530.

 

Just to clarify the additional dell warranty only covers the GPU failure, nothing else.
I agree with idq, avoid the M1530 absolutely.

 

ok. funnily enough i already have an xps m1530 - paid far too much for it in dec 2007. Haven't had too many probs with it so far. But I need an extra machine now - and both have a special offer on 4 yr warranty. So if I can get similar/better performance from an inspiron, why go for the xps? (better telephone support is not enough to justify the price difference ...)

 

The XPS has "slower" memory and FSB speed because it uses the Intel PM965 chipset, and the Inspiron uses the PM45. Realistically, you would never notice the difference.

Also, the XPS has far better support from what I've heard, and better dedicated graphics.

And as for the 15.6" 1366x768 being better, I think that's a load of crap. That display is 16:9, and that's something I am very opposed to when it comes to computer displays. "Widescreen" computer displays have always been 16:10 aspect ratio. Only HDTV uses 16:9, and now computer manufacturers are cutting off vertical viewing space to fit the aspect ratio, calling it "HD friendly" and in some cases, charging more money for it.

I would much rather have the 1280x800 regular WXGA, even if it means a few less pixels overall.

If you're just looking for an extra computer, you might as well get the Inspiron, though. It's a cheaper machine, but you already have the XPS.