Dell XPS M1530 First Look and Video

The new Dell XPS M1530 15.4" screen notebook was announced just last week and our much anticipated review model made it in the door today. Following is a first look and video comparison with the smaller brother XPS M1330.

Dell XPS M1530 (view large image)

XPS M1530 Overview and Differences from XPS M1330

The Dell XPS M1330 has received high praise for its design and feature set in a 13.3" portable form factor, but the real sweet spot for selling laptops is the 15.4" screen size. Dell, being in the business of selling more laptops and making customers happy, figured it would be wise to offer something that's larger and appeals to more people. And that's exactly what the M1530 is -- a larger version of the M1330. It's as if Dell put the M1330 on steroids and the M1530 is the end result -- the laptop size increased proportionally and it's also more powerful in its new form (baseball player Barry Bonds could explain this phenomenon to you well). The design and look is precisely the same, the keyboard feels the same, the touch sensitive controls are replicated and for the most part the ports are the same (though you do get an extra USB 2.0 port on the M1530).

Below is a video comparing the XPS M1530 and smaller XPS M1330

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There are some notable differences other than size between the M1530 and M1330 however. The M1530 can be configured with a more powerful Nvidia 8600M GT graphics card for boosted gaming performance over the XPS M1330 that only offers up to the Nvidia 8400M GS. The M1530 also offers up to a 2.80GHz Intel T7800 processor, whereas the XPS M1330 tops out at an Intel T7500 2.0GHz processor. Obviously if you're all about the performance metrics and don't carry a laptop around much, the XPS M1530 is a better fit for you.

Another difference that should be mentioned is that currently the M1530 is offered with only a standard 15.4&quot; widescreen XGA (1280 x 800) display, while the XPS M1330 has the option for a thinner and more power efficient LED backlit display. Dell says the XPS M1530 should be available next year with different display resolution screens. Even though some will be a little put out by the lack of LED backlighting being offered on the M1530 initially, the standard CCFL display is still gorgeously bright and flawless. Plus you get a higher 2.0MP web cam with the standard thicker CCFL screen, whereas with a thinner LED screen only a VGA resolution cam can be fitted.

Dell XPS M1530 15.4&quot; versus Dell Inspiron 1520 15.4&quot;

Some people might wonder if they should go for the Dell Inspiron 1520 15.4&quot; notebook or the Dell XPS M1530 15.4&quot;. After all, they're both consumer notebooks from the same company that can be configured similarly, so what's the point? For one, the XPS M1530 is way more eye catching in terms of design than the Inspiron 1520. The barrel hinge, dropdown screen and sloping look of the M1530 is just cool. Second, the XPS M1530 weighs just 5.9 lbs with a standard 6-cell battery while the Inspiron 1520 weighs in at just over 7lbs with its 6-cell battery. Other benefits of the XPS M1530 notebook include a sleeker slot loading optical drive, touch sensitive light-up buttons, dedicated XPS tech support, media remote control and thinner profile.

Above view of Dell XPS M1530 (view large image)

Are there things better about the Inspiron 1520? Well, it has four USB 2.0 ports (one more than the M1530), it's cheaper and it can come in up to eight different lid colors instead of the three offered with the M1530 (which are: crimson red, tuxedo black, pearl white). Clearly though, the XPS M1530 is the higher end of the two notebooks. The crimson red we have on our review unit is particularly sporty looking might I add.

Included remote with XPS M1530 (view large image)

Tour around the XPS M1530

Here's a video tour around the Dell XPS M1530:

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And let's do that again, but with still images for closer and more clear viewing:

Front profile view of XPS M1530 (view large image)

Left side view of XPS M1530 (view large image)

Right side view of XPS M1530 (view large image)

Back profile view of the XPS M1530 (view large image)

The built-in HDMI is a very nice thing to have for those that want digital video output, S-Video is also there for the more old-fashioned approach to that. With FireWire, three USB ports, a media card reader, two headphone jacks, microphone jack, ExpressCard slot and Ethernet port you're well equipped ports wise. I'm a huge fan of the slot loading optical drive. Yes, the slot loading action is a bit loud like the M1330 is, but that doesn't bother me so much.

Initial Performance Look

Of course we couldn't resist running a couple of benchmarks on the XPS M1530 out of the box. Without any tweaks to drivers or removal of software, the machine performed very well -- the 2.40GHz Core 2 Duo processor and Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB card will satisfy most gamers with exception to those more hard core, and will certainly please the average PC user:

3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance:

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	4,310 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	2,905 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU)	1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB)	2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB	2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66GHz Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB)	2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB)	1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)	1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks

PCMark05 measures overall notebook performance:

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	5,412 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	4,616 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	4,591 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB)	4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	4,234 PCMarks
Fujitsu N6410 (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)	3,487 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)	5,597 PCMarks
Sony Vaio SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400, Nvidia Go 7400)	3,646 PCMarks

Stay tuned for more

The Dell XPS M1530 has only been with us for a few hours at the time of this writng, so we'll be testing it for a few more days before forming a full opinion and review. Stay tuned though, as that will be upcoming, and if you have specific questions on this notebook that you'd like covered in the review then ask us now!

 

Hmm, the M1330 design, when stretched up to a 15" notebook, starts to look kinda bland, especially on the interior.

The lack of an LED screen: what were they smoking? I realize that higher res screens are coming later on, but no LED? C'mon, thats pathetic. At least now there is a PC alternative to the MBP, though the MBP is still better.

 

That is a very nice 3D mark score...

 

Notebook 3DMark06 Score
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7700, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 4,310 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 2,905 3DMarks

Er... is that right? Also, isnt the T7700 2.4ghz(T7500 being 2.2ghz)

If there really is a ~33% jump in performance, then maybe they are using DDR3 8600GT's for this laptop.

 

GDDR3 GDDR3 GDDR3!

*sums up everyones reaction*

 

Yea, based on that score, it does seem like they are using GDDR3. However, the test must have been done at 1280x800, and we don't know whether the i1520 was done at 1280x800 or 1280x1024.

 

hmm hmm me thinks so too GDDR3

 

Yeah I was wondering the same....DDR2 or DDR3?

The lack of LED backlighting.. is probably due to high demand, higher price and ongoing problems.

That notebook looks rather chunky...I'm pretty suprised they didn't try and slim it down at all to compete with the MBP.

 

So, what do ppl think? Is it gddr2 and the test was done at 1200x800, or gddr3 and the test was done at normal?

 

I think its GDDR3 done at 1280x800 a stock GDDR3 @ 1280x1024 should get around 3600+

 

Can't wait for the full review! I hope it really is GDDR3 (most likely)!

 

Can I just point out that the T7700 is 2.4GHz not 2.2GHz? The 2.2GHz is the T7500.

 

of course its GDDR3 no other GDDR2 can get close to that score

 

Tomorrow I will confirm the GDDR2/GDDR3 status on the video memory.

 

*crosses fingers for GDDR3*

Looks good so far, I'm interested to see how the battery does and how the keyboard performs.

 

why tomorrow?

takes 10 min to install rivatuner and check the memory frequencies

 

Specs in manual says DDR3. But we know what happened last time...

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsM1530/en/OM/specs.htm#wp1102222

 

Definitely GDDR3 in that baby. Odd considering Dell's whole business model is based on "cheap components across the board" meaning that they would span the DDR2 8600 GT across their different classes of computer, leaving only the aesthetics to be the main selling factor.

 

yaa !!

-Jabriiiz

 

Correct. I just customized a decently specced 1530 and it came out to 1800 bucks, so there's no way it could be DDR2.

As long as Dell fixed the whine, the screen issues, and the static in the headphone jack, this is a mighty fine laptop. It looks like they finally pulled it off

 

Andrew,

Thanks for the preliminary review and videos.

Would love to see some pics with the 9 cell battery in.

 

Anyone know if the 8400m GS in the m1330 is GDDR3?

 

If I remember right, only the 8600m GT has a DDR2 version. The other cards were GDDR3.

 

Yea, I got that too. Can we get clarification on the processor used in the benchmark? The information is conflicting. 'cause the T7700 is certainly not a 2.2ghz processor.

 

+1 to see the 9 cell battery

I cant wait for the rest of the review.

 

DDR3 GFX card i guess cause regular DDR2 can't get over 4000+

 

What about the 8400m GS in the XPS m1330 though? GDDR2 or GDDR3?

 

Takes 3 minutes to remove the screws and look at the exact part number of the chip

 

Riva Tuner thinks everything is GDDR3 It thinks my V1S and my last Inspiron with the 8600GT were GDDR3 and they wernt.

 

... I just told you.

 

Well, you also questioned your memory...so, I was looking for further confirmation.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

RivaTuner is horribly inaccurate with the 8600GT VRAM. Like matt said, all of them show up as GDDR3, including the Acer 5920, Dell Vostro 1500, etc.

And based on scores, thats almost definitely GDDR3. The F8Sv (256MB DDR2 8600GT) gets roughly 3600 3DMark06 points, a full 700 lower than this. (Overclocked though, that can go well over 4600....though I imagine that the M1530 would be able to break 5000)

 

ya kevin lets get aconfirmation on that GDDR3 ASAP...i'll paypal u a dollar

 

Sure, we'll do that for the full review, or maybe post some in this thread tomorrow. If you look at that video with the XPS M1330 and XPS M1730 next to each other they both have the 9-cell installed, which explains the pretty large slope you see.

Also, in the second video the 6-cell is installed but I hold up the 9-cell

That was a typo, it's a 2.20GHz T7500 processor, not T7700. Just fixed it.

The M1530 is locked up for the night in the office, Kevin will checkout the GDDR3 status tomorrow. I'll threaten to beat him again with the 9-cell battery if he doesn't follow through on that.

 

You beat me to it by a couple of days, Andrew! Great first look, BTW. I actually think the system looks rather slick a little bit bigger - especially seeing that the 8600 put up decent numbers!

Guess I don't need to do a review now, right?

 

You do realize you were replying to me

 

we like lotsa opinions here...its called a marketplace of ideas lol

 

Hi ... i just bought my XPS 1530 over the net ... due to my place having a PC hair i got it at a very affordable price, but i was just wondering if the low resolution is such a bad thing?

cause i think i would at least need to wait a month or 2 before they come out with higher resolutions choices ...

 

hey chris wanna hook me up with a "good deal"...like gimme the coupon code lol...

 

I really dont think WXGA on a 15.4" screen is all that bad, unless you are a pixel junkie and can't live without squinting

 

PC hair?

The resolution's a matter of personal preference. And you probably would have to wait that long.

 

chris...hook me up...

 

Yeah, my 1330 is starting to grow a beard. I have the PC hair too!

 

The WXGA screen is fine, in a pinch, but it does look grainy on the 15.4" screen if you are used to a screen with a higher pixel density, such as a smaller WXGA screen or a higher res 15.4". I have found that WXGA+ is ideal on a 15.4" screen, giving a good compromise between readability and screen real estate, but its completely personal opinion. Many of my friends prefer a higher WSXGA+ resolution.

 

which is why i said look at the MEMORY FREQUENCIES and not what rivatuner tells me blindly

 

I find the WXGA screen on my 15.4" notebook to be just fine. Anything else is just too much, IMHO.

 

I love the WUXGA on my M1710, but it is a gaming notebook and I can use the extra pixels.

I am not going to be gaming that much on the 1530 so I think the WXGA will be just fine (I have been told it looks excellent).

 

It's Malaysian PC Fair this weekend and i got mine under that pormotion ... i got T7500 2.2 GHz, 2GB Ram, 250GB HDD, 256MB 8600 Graphics Card, i got free upgrade to 3 years warranty, Mini N card included, Intel 1GB Turbo boost memory, and a free bluetooth mouse and free delivery for RM 3899 (USD 1146). originally the price would be around RM 5200 (USD 1530), it's not much if u count it in USD but i safe around RM 1.2k with freebies.

 

oh so it aint valid in USA...thats sux

 

That's why i was just wondering ... mine is definitely with the standard resolution so i'm asking is it such a bad thing? cause i see many ppl complaining that they want higher resolution and all ...

keeping in mind dell has many different models it would be really 'dumb' of them to give us resolution choices ... because if we get choices ... most ppl would just skip the inspiron / vostro choices u know cause then the M1530 would be too good a deal to turn down, i suspect it's a marketing and pricing thing for them i guess.