Is now a good time to buy a Xps M1530?

I'm buying a laptop in the next week for my birthday and I have a budget of just under £650 to mainly do work but also play some med-intensive games in spare time.

I can get the xps m1530 with the 8600m gt, 2.1 c2d processor, 4gb of ram and i think a 320gb HDD for £625 with education discount + 10% coupon and a wireless mouse

I think this is a great deal as I think the gpu is better than those found in the studio 15 and xps studio 16.

I've heard things such as overheating graphics and that the m1530 is being phased out of production?

So is now still a good time to buy and if not, what alternatives do I have?

 

The XPS Studio 16 had ATI Mobility 3670, which is better than an 8600gt. Not sure about the other options across the pond, but look for something with an NVidia 9600gt, 9650gt, 130m from NVidia or ATI 4650/4670. The MSI EX625 is available from FrostyComputers, but I'm not sure if they ship internationally.

 

That's quite a long way out of my price range i think.

How does the 8600m gt compare to the ATI3650?

 

I would get a studio xps 16 over an m1530...the 1530 is getting kinda dated I think and costs a comparable amount.

 

hmmm the studio xps 16 is WAY out of my budget

What do you think of the pre-built config starting at £649? Looks good to me with a 2.4ghz processor and upgrading to the LED screen..

 

Isn't the baseline studio xps 16 just a little more expensive than what you're mentioning?

 

Aaah..your not in the US..I was going to post some good links to some deals on some 1530's right now. You can find some deals on both the 1330 and 1530s if you look Isn't there a Dell Outlet in the UK?

If you can't afford the SXPS 16, don't overextend yourself..find something that works for you w/in your budget.

Cin

 

I think I like the look of the Studio 17. The graphics card is a little bit better, the processor is 0.3ghz faster and I can have the choice of an LED screen. The only bad thing about it is that it's a 17 inch so idk how that will be when using it. And it's a little bit cheaper than than the xps so i think i'm just about sold to that one.


Also I can get a 6% discount from my sister as she's at uni so i'll get her to order + there's a 10% coupon code on this website... So things are looking good

 

http://www.dmxdimension.com/

The site which always has the latest codes for UK customers.

 

Check the Dell outlet, you can get some pretty sweet deals on there.

Also, check on EBay! There is a seller called e-computers, who buy refurbished machines in bulk from Dell, and they have some pretty good deals.

I got my red M1530 system from them just over a year ago, and it was in perfect condition.

I got a 2 GHz processor, 2 gigs of RAM, 250GB hard drive, 1440x900 screen, 8600M GT and the Intel wireless card all for £625 delivered, and that included a 3 year XPS warranty!

The transaction went smoothly and without any problems, and because of the Dell warranty if there are any problems with the computer it is Dell you deal with not the seller.

Good luck! Let us know how you get on

 

I think the 1530 still looks really sharp and the interior aluminum is better finished than the current line of studio and studio xps plastics. The 1530 is dated because some of us on the forums know how long the 1530 has been around for, but overall its a great system and if you can find a hot deal, i think its worth it.

 

That's so true... the -30 line of XPSs look so much better than current gen. But I'd have to say current gen laptops are a bit more polished (both figuratively and literally) on the features (omg the keyboard on the 1340 is fantastic).

 

Hmmmm I still don't really know so I will go into a shop tomorrow and check out the size of 15+17 inch laptops to see how they compare.

 

The xps 16 starts at £799 which is way too steep for you. I suggest you look at eh outlet or if you're interested in the m1530, go for it.