A good deal from Best Buy?/ Or Not??

I was told that BB never, ever, carries the 1530 -- just the 1330. I was told that my a sales person about 3 days ago.

Well, here is the link to the 1530

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8989124&type=product&id=1218006773367

 

yea they havent sold 1530s in the past this seems to be new, cause last month i was shopping for a laptop and i wanted one of them and best buy never had any, only the 1330 even on the website. Thats good they are finally carrying it. It actually seems to be a decent deal, usually best buy carries the dumbed down versions but this one has the higher video card and decent processor, for the price it isnt bad, but you would probably get something around that price with better specs from the dell website with all the sales going around on them lately, but if you wanna save the time and effort of ordering online that looks to be a good deal

 

Saving money is my highest priority these days -- and getting the most for every dollar spent.

 

if thats the case and u want that laptop i say dont buy it there then, look around for deals from dell and buy it off the website, u can get the same specs for cheaper. Thats what i did, they were offering a 2000 dollar config for only 1300 when i bought mine.

 

Not a bad price 1300 for a 2000 system.

 

no not at all, and im happy with it so far. but that best buy one really does seem nice, im surprised it even has a Blu ray drive in it. Id say search around online and if u cant find a substantially better deal just get that one, its definitely not a bad or dumbed down notebook. The thing i liked about my deal was it came with a 3 year warranty and after hearing about the nvidia cards i wanted that but so far mine is working just fine.

 

No deal...

Building the Best Buy config on Dell Member site (except the Dell deal includes 2 yr warranty) is $1174 by my calculation, less applicable add'l discounts (AAA, DPA). For BB's cost, I'd go Dell direct then up-spec the LED monitor, wireless card, etc and get a nicer lappy. Just my $.02

 

I think you are going to find a better deal at Dell....



Cin

 

Oops... I'm missed the blu ray content which adds $400 to the Dell online content and makes this a better deal. Since I have zero interest in watching movies on a laptop, I'd still pass and order to my specs with Dell online.

 

yea im the same as you, i wouldnt wanna watch a bluray movie on my laptop, ill use my ps3 for that, so i wouldnt be interested in that, but if you're someone who wants to do that this is a good deal

 

my roommate just came home with this laptop the other day...i told him he was crazy for buying from BB and that he could have got a much better deal at Dell. After i checked it out, and saw that it actually has pretty decent specs, and it even has the blu ray burner, i told him it was an awesome deal. We just got a new hdtv, and he needed a new computer anyway, so it worked out awesome to get the BD player and laptop at the same time for a pretty good price.

 

horrible deal, the 25% off coupons are back for dell.com

 

not a horrible deal at all, thats very harsh. It may not be significantly better than going from dell.com, but even with 25% ur not gonna get it THAT much cheaper from dell and for some people being able to get their laptop on day one rather than go through a possible 3 to 4 weeks could be worth a lot. It all depends on the person but its definitely not a horrible deal, its actually decent for what Best Buy usually offers.

 

M...before you do anything with the Deal at BB..check out this link:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3996059#post3996059

It could be of help...


Cin

 

Ya although to be honest if I had to pay a 100 dollar premium to get my laptop today rather than 4 weeks I would probably do it. I would rather buy something in a store that I can see and feel rather than online after looking at specs. That's the only reason I'm afraid of buying the Studio XPS on day one. I'm just a test subject then.

 

I would wait probably to save money... But then waiting 4 week's I dunno..

I could go either way, I guess! Ordering is easy...waiting on the lappy to arrive ~ that's the hardest part.

The Studio XPS...I think we will all be test subjects LOL



Cin

 

I realize that "subjective" reasoning is involved up to a point in my case. Although I don't have the Studio, I had several sessions checking it out at BB.
To me I just don't like the "feel" of it. Again I know some people will love it because it is so light weight, and for other reasons. On the other hand, I Love the "feel" of the XPS.

 

That's a great deal, actually. Blu-ray, 4gb RAM, 8600GT, processor is half-way decent. It stopped me when I was at work today because I noticed it was a 15" and not a 13". Read the specs and I was like "wow!" good deal.

 

If you are willing to wait for a custom order then I would suggest you go through Dell. They always have deals. I saved over $600 on my set up; paid around $1,500 for a $2,100 configuration. I suggest you call in your order and negotiate with the sales rep as they work on commision.

Also...The upgrade to an LED screen and a 7200 rpm hd is a must!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
---------------------------------------
Interl(R)Core(TM)2 Duo T8300 @ 2.4GHz
250G HD @ 7200 rpm
4GB, DDR2, 667MHz
WXGA+ TrueLife LED LCD (incredible screen. This upgrade is a must!!)
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

 

Is the 5400 real slow? I have been debating on whether or not to try some haggling. For example, if I call and say here are my specs but I want a couple changes and see if they are willing to cut me a "deal" or not.
Also, does the video card make a big difference -- I mean the one with 256mb vs. the 128 mb?

 

Honestly, the hd and video upgrade all depends on how you will use your system. I use mine for graphic design, so the faster 7200rpm hd allows for faster saves of large graphic file, rendering of graphics, faster start up, burning dvds, etc..

From what I undestand the 256mb video card uses dedicated memory compard to the 128mb which is shared memory. Shared memory will slow down your machine processing power.

Since you are thinking about purchasing an XPS system, I assume that you want to do more than just browse the web and write word documents. If you are playing video games or using memory intensive programs than you will regret not choosing the fater hd and 256mb dedicated memory video card.

---------------------------------------
Interl(R)Core(TM)2 Duo T8300 @ 2.4GHz
250G HD @ 7200 rpm
4GB, DDR2, 667MHz
WXGA+ TrueLife LED LCD (incredible screen. This upgrade is a must!!)
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

 

yea ive had both the studio 15 and xps 1530 and the xps is a bit lighter and feels much better imo. The video card i totally agree, but its a nice sized HDD so even at 5400 it will be pretty fast

 

No, shared memory does not slow down the processing power of the computer. Integrated graphics, or dedicated graphics that borrow system memory, are not going to be using much of it at all during notebook use.

Unless you play games, there is very little reason to upgrade a GPU.

Also, a higher capacity 5400RPM drive will actually outperform 7200RPM drives in many cases. Go with the biggest 5400RPM you can find, it will use a little less battery power but will be quite fast.

 

I see what you mean. I didn't realize the 128mb was integrated graphics. Definitely I want the dedicated one. A lot of digital image processing, and some other apps. I will try a reconfig and see how the price looks. Sounds like it is definitely worth it.

 

No reason to share memory with the rest of the system; defenitely want to go with dedicated 256mb. As far as the 5400 vs 7200 hd, Greg may be right and at the end of the day the hd may not be such an important decision/upgrade as the one you make for the GPU.

 

would dell do a price match?

 

Update. After looking at ordering direct, with the right discounts, Dell is giving more for the money than Best Buy in this case.

 

M~
I'm sure you will end up making the best decision..you might want to print out the config. sheet from Dell and Best Buy..and do a *side by side* comparison of each..to see what is going to be the best for yah!


Cin

 

Great advice Cin' BTW: I am still not sure how to tell if the 1530 comes with the Centrino chipset.

 

Yes, it does help...I did that when I was configuring different options that I was perusing!


Cin

 

if you mean the new centrino 2 chipset then it doesnt sadly

 

Im learning the language - what does this mean? does this mean to upgrade from a LCD display to a LED display? |

What is the Dell term for LED (let me guess - LED lol)

For example, is the WUXGA display a LED?

 

This wouldn't be considered a Centrino because to qualify to be a Centrino system, it would have to have a Intel CPU, Intel Chipset, and Intel Wifi Card. In BestBuy's M1530, it comes with the Dell Wifi card, so it's not a Centrino system.

 

I also wonder, if you were to buy this from BestBuy, would it come with the sleeve and other accessories that a lot of us didn't get who got it shipped to us?

 

Thank you. That was what I was trying to find out.

 

If you go to Dell and customize your order you can choose LED. I don't think Best Buy has the LED though.

 

Update, i just checked the Best Buy website and the xps 1530 there is on sale, its marked 150.00 off so now that same deal is only 1149.99, not too shabby id say givin everything. Probably wont pull everyone over to buy it, but a few people who were on the line may want to take a closer look at it now. I recently got one from Dell and its a great laptop.

 

one nice thing i would say about getting it at a retail is if there is any noticeable cosmetic problem with it you can easily take it back and exchange it rather than wait for a new replacement one from dell, just a thought.

 

I couldn't tell for sure from the ad on their site. I think theirs is a 500rpm HD with standard LCD screen. Can you tell us what HD and screen yours has.
This is a great price at Best Buy.

 

M~

Any new updates regardng Dell for you?? Curious, as I know you really want to order!!!!

And, here is another Deal...if you wanted something extra..like the Inspiron Mini 9 (I9)... For free with order of the 1530!!! A nice portable Netbook!


http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=4010209#post4010209

You may need to tweak the config.. a bit ~ etc...

Cin

 

Thanks Cin' I will check this out.

No order placed yet. Ran into a couple temporary snags.

 

Great, glad your checking it out..and I hope those *snags* clear up for you!

 

Just checked on this. With a couple tweeks -- upgrade to 7200 RPM HD, upgrade to 8100 CPU. and a couple of minor things, with the standard LCD, and not the LED screen, it would out !,402.00 + shipping.
Is the LED screen quite imporant to image quality?

 

I bought the Best Buy one. Don't do it!!!

It has the grainy screen, its unbearable. I'm going to return it today.
How ever it has a Bluray Burner...

And it came with the sleeve and media remote. Nothing else.

 

The LED is a very nice screen... I personally don't have it..but when I order again I will have it (by then it will be standard w/Dell's)

I have the regular LCD..and I enjoy it very much! I'm sure you will hear from others to their viewpoints on the LED.vs.LCD etc

It's a matter of personal choice!

Is this with the deal with the free Mini I9??

Cin!

 

Thanks very much for the warning! I'm sorry to hear you went through that.
Which screen is the grainy one? Is that the regular LCD screen or the LED screen?

 

Ci'n I think this is just the laptop only, with no Mini. It is the one Dell has on sale probably just for this week. Now I am confused about which screen to avoid. Speaking of screens, the various deal or a variety of configs with Dell right now have got the LED screen costing anywhere from about 50.00 up to close to 200.00 extra. I may but this on the back burner a little while longer.

 

Sorry: Got the apostrophe in the wrong place and mispelled your name.

 

the deal from best buy on the website shows a 320 GB 5400 rpm HDD and regular 1280 x 800 LCD screen

 

the one i bought from dell has the 320 GB 5400 rpm HDD too but i got the 1440 x 900 LED screen