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.

    Considering a Dell XPS M1530 or XPS Studio 16

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by makken, Mar 24, 2009.

  1. makken

    makken Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    281
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Hi guys, Im in the market for a new laptop and recently the Dell 15" options, namely the M1530 and the Studio XPS 16 caught my eye. They're a bit out of my budget (configured the way I want, they're at 1200 and 1350 respectively), so I'm trying to see if i can catch them on sale or through the dell outlet.

    Here is my post on the help me choose forum: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=365515

    Spec wise, they're near perfect, though I'm disappointed that neither offers a screen with a 16x10 resolution. The M1530 keyboard feels a bit awkward to me, I think it's something to do with the spacing between the keys, but I think I can get used to it. I have no issues with the Studio XPS 16 keyboard. I do wish they came with a number pad, as I do quite a bit of data entry, and it would've been immensely helpful.

    Reading through this forum, it seems like there's an unusually high amount of lemons with dells, especially the 13.3" which gave me pause; I haven't had the best quality experience with Dell's Inspiron line several years ago, so reading through those posts, red flags started to fly up in my mind. I also read that there were thermal issues with the GPU having an inadequate thermal spacer (feels like the old Inspiron 8500 + ATI Radon 9600 turbo days) and was wondering if that problem still persists or if Dell has addressed it.

    Currently, my top choice is an MSI GX630, which I'm comparing every laptop to right now. The Dells specs are much better, but considering the screen resolution, I don't know if it's worth the added cost.

    Any input would be welcome.
    Thanks
     
    makken, Mar 24, 2009
    #1
  2. DELL_boy

    DELL_boy Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I would go for the Studio XPS 16 over the M1530 personally, it seems to have newer components compared to the M1530.

    I'm the same as you trying to decide between the Studio XPS's. :)
     
    DELL_boy, Mar 24, 2009
    #2
  3. FoxTrot1337

    FoxTrot1337 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    352
    Messages:
    1,042
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    The M1530 is 16x10.
     
    FoxTrot1337, Mar 24, 2009
    #3
  4. makken

    makken Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    281
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    hmm strange, the only screen options I see when I'm building it at the dell website is 1280x800 or 1440x900...
     
    makken, Mar 24, 2009
    #4
  5. de.1337

    de.1337 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    373
    Messages:
    491
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Actually, that is the 16:10 aspect ratio. 1280/800 = 1.6. 16/10 = 1.6. Same. ;)
     
    de.1337, Mar 24, 2009
    #5
  6. makken

    makken Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    281
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    oh, i meant 1600x1050 resolution, not 16:10 aspect ratio =P
     
    makken, Mar 24, 2009
    #6