Future of Studio XPS 16?

Hi,

I am planning on buying a laptop for college in late june/ early july. The notebook I've had my eye on is the dell studio xps 16 (specs below):

Now, will there be any developments or changes during the time between now and when I plan to buy the laptop? also, any thoughts on 500GB 7,200 RM vs. 256 GB SSD... I'll have the money for the SSD, but I'm not sure if the cost/benefit of getting it is worth it.

But mainly, I'd like to know some insight about the future of the system (ie. price-drops, upgraded parts, et cetera)

Thank You

 

They might upgrade the GPU to the 4xxx series

 

Well from my personal point of view, the XPS series stayed at a pretty constant price in Canada after a certain while up to today. They didn't even drop in price once the Studio XPS came along, so I'd say major price drops aren't to be expected unless it turns up at the outlet. There will probably be price drops after a while, but I wouldn't expect something HUGE unless the model got discontinued altogether.

As for the machine itself, chances are they'll hit a refresh once new technology comes along, notably the HD4xxx series GPU(probably an HD4650/4670), and maybe the new Intel platform. But those things arne't for tomorrow I'd say >.>

 

Windows 7

Also, get the 256SSD... its good.

 

You have the same config I do (I have the SSD). I love it. Absolutely love it. Best computer I've ever had.

Go with the SSD though. It stays cool (the laptop gets lukewarm at best), and holy crap, it's fast. Faster than I thought.

 

Thanks for the input so far

Is it reasonable to believe that these changes will be available around late july/ early august?

Thanks for the input regarding sata vs. SSD as well.

I am also considering getting the 2 yr In-home Service after remote diagnosis + Complete Care+LoJack warranty. What will this cover exactly? More Specifically, what is "Complete Care"? I understand the remote diagnosis, in home service and lojack (which is the main reason i'm getting this warranty).

Thanks for the help so far!

 

"Is it reasonable to believe that these changes will be available around late july/ early august?"


Yes, I think that's pretty reasonable.

 

if you can wait, its always better to do so as technology is always advancing while prices are falling. When I got my laptop in march, on the Dell website, my cofiguration cost about 1850 before tax, and now its at around 1700. While I wouldn't expect anything earthshattering from now until july/august, you should see the upgrade otions become cheaper (such as the ssd) you might see a slight bump in processor available, but most importantly you will be elegible to upgrade to windows 7 for free if it doesn't already come with your system.

 

Depends on the changes in question.

Windows 7 is rumored to be out sometime this summer, but some say it won't be out until later this year if not next year.

Intel's new platform is also set to be delayed until October at the earliest due to manufacturers wanting to liquidate their current Montevina stock.

The ATI HD4xxx GPUs are already out though so that change might happen in the nearer future compared to the other 2.

 

The rules on laptops are as follows:

-Newer more powerful stuff will always come out which will be more expensive

-Older less powerful stuff will always become obsolete and less expensive.


I think the best bet is to come up with a solid system you like, that does what you need it to...and then to replace it in a year or two if you really find it absolutely necessary. I've found that if you sell your old system and pick up the right new system, often you can get away with only shelling out a few hundred bucks in total overhead for a sizeable upgrade. It's just buying that first one that really sucks.

 

Thanks for the help.

So I'm definitely going to wait until august or so, but at that time I should be able to get a little bit more with my cash, right?

And can someone fill me in on what "Complete Care" from dell actually covers... ther sales people will probably just BS me.

 

Google is your friend...

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/...letecare_svc?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1

 

Thanks, I guess I wasn't 100% clear. I know basically what it covers, but I guess I wanted to hear if they actually follow through, if that makes sense?, I know that I can read their online page and talk to their reps, but hearing the quality of the service from a third party makes a difference to me.

 

Yeah, just get on Dell Chat, and tell them you dropped it, or whatever isn't working and they will take care of it quickly there. I've had a few cracked LCD screens replaced under CompleteCare, definately something good to have for that.

 

Just curious. Is there a limit to the number of times it can be used? I couldn't find anything on Dell's website indicating the presence (or lack of one) of any sort of limit on accidental claims. I don't plan on dropping my laptop on a daily basis but it still would be nice to know.