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    2,000 XPS 15 setup

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by Cheex11, Jul 9, 2011.

  1. Cheex11

    Cheex11 Newbie

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    Just ordered my XPS 15 for 2,044. What do you guys think of the set up? Think I did the right thing to meet my photo editing and slight game playing needs?

    XPS 15
    i7-2720QM 2.2GHz turbo up to 3.3
    1080p 15.6 B+RGLED
    8GB DDR3 RAM
    GeForce GT540M 2GB w. Optimus
    750GB SATA HD

    Backlit Keyboard
    Facial Recognition
    Microsoft Student+Office
    Advanced Bluetooth and modem

    XBox
    BluRay Player
    NetGear wireless HD Adapter

    3 Years full coverage warranty


    I almost went with the 15z but I wanted to get the best color gamut from the screen and have the quad core (which the 15z didn't offer). Let me know what you guys think!
     
    Cheex11, Jul 9, 2011
    #1
  2. Bill Nye

    Bill Nye Know Nothing

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    Looks like you overpaid. By quite a bit.

    USD?
     
    Bill Nye, Jul 9, 2011
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  3. Cheex11

    Cheex11 Newbie

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    Yes, USD.

    Do you really think I over payed? It was through Dell...
     
    Cheex11, Jul 9, 2011
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  4. madmattd

    madmattd Notebook Deity

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    Well you got a lot of extras with that it looks like, like MS Office, the wireless TV adapter thingy (that $70-$80 right there IIRC). 3 Year everything warranty (like screen damage, spills, etc)? So hard to say. It's basically the best XPS 15 configuration though.
     
    madmattd, Jul 9, 2011
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  5. Falco152

    Falco152 Notebook Demon

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    Well, You might need to check with Dell if that Netgear Wireless TV is a PTV2000 or PTV1000. On the Dell site, it tells me PTV1000, which is older and doesn't perform as well as the PTV2000.
    Dell sells it higher than the PTV2000 elsewhere.
     
    Falco152, Jul 10, 2011
    #5
  6. Bill Nye

    Bill Nye Know Nothing

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    What coupons did you use?
     
    Bill Nye, Jul 10, 2011
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  7. DavinDaLilAzn

    DavinDaLilAzn Notebook Enthusiast

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    I got the same things that are in bold (is the Advanced Bluetooth the N6230 card? If so, i have that as well. Also, BluRay Player or BluRay drive/cd burner?), and only paid $1475 for mine...
     
    DavinDaLilAzn, Jul 10, 2011
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  8. Cheex11

    Cheex11 Newbie

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    Falco:
    Thanks for the comment on the PTV1000, I had actually called in and requested the 2000.

    2Hv:
    I used the student xbox discount but had to actually call a rep to get the max discount.


    Davin:
    It is in fact the N6230 card.

    Facial Recognition +20
    Student + Office +200
    Xbox +199/free w. discount
    NetGear Box +100
    3 Year full cov. + don't remember

    I bet it evens out pretty close. I'm also including tax/shipping costs in the 2,000.

    Thank you very much for all the replies!
     
    Cheex11, Jul 10, 2011
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  9. BobTheSniper

    BobTheSniper Notebook Consultant

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    Student Office at regular price is only $115 on Amazon. Often it can be had for free from schools, or are constantly on sale for sub $50.

    You overpaid by a ton. 2k should land you a top of the line computer with premium design.
     
    BobTheSniper, Jul 10, 2011
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  10. edit1754

    edit1754 Notebook Prophet

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    $2K would land you a well-specced this:
    Sager NP8150 (Built on Clevo P150HM) Custom Gaming Laptop

    Upgrade to the GTX 485M which is more than twice as powerful as the GT 540M, don't upgrade to the GTX 580M because it's only 10% better, don't upgrade to the i7-2720QM unless you need it, don't upgrade to 1600MHz memory, Get the 95% gamut display in order to get the exact same type of B+RGLED screen you'd get in the XPS 15, don't upgrade the RAM past 8GB, and upgrade the hard drive if you need it.

    The only downside to this Sager is battery life.


    Another laptop that is MUCH better suited if you are a photo editor with this kind of budget, and can be had with a similar price, is the Dell Precision M4600 with the IPS RGB LED display.
    Go here: http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-m4600/fs
    - Upgrade to 4GB of RAM, only more if you need it
    - Either upgrade to the i7-2720QM or stick with the i5-2520M
    - Don't upgrade the GPU if you don't need battery life. The FirePro is the best for games.
    - Upgrade to the IPS RGB LED display, and ignore any incompatibility warnings regarding the GPU - they're a marketing trick and aren't true.
     
    edit1754, Jul 10, 2011
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  11. Falco152

    Falco152 Notebook Demon

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    Falco152, Jul 10, 2011
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  12. parthg

    parthg Notebook Consultant

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    I second that.

    With that kind of budget you should go for precision. And you get 3 year warranty for free. Plus precision is a class above XPS.

    XPS suits the media lovers well. Its neither good for gaming nor for professional stuff.
     
    parthg, Jul 10, 2011
    #12
  13. edit1754

    edit1754 Notebook Prophet

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    It's okay for the professional stuff if you have a sub-$1500 budget, but once you can afford something better it's better to get something better than to add an absurd amount of upgrades to something that's not better.
     
    edit1754, Jul 10, 2011
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  14. Bill Nye

    Bill Nye Know Nothing

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    I'd say it suits the $1000-ers. $1500 puts you in another league in the PC notebook world.
     
    Bill Nye, Jul 11, 2011
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  15. mtneer

    mtneer Notebook Consultant

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    I bought the same configuration minus the XBox 2 weeks ago for roughly USD $1350 post taxes...
     
    mtneer, Jul 11, 2011
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  16. kingp1ng

    kingp1ng Notebook Evangelist

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    Why netgear wireless display thing? From the reviews I've read, they aren't always reliable. Why not just an HDMI cable which is ~$10?

    I dunno. From your top of the line specs, I think the price is fair.
     
    kingp1ng, Jul 11, 2011
    #16