Longetivity of Dell XPS M1530 notebooks

Hello all,

I'm searching advice on the longetivity of Dell notebooks in general, and specifically XPS notebooks. I understand that the line I'm planning to purchase (for the moment) is relatively new, and so any replies will presumably be based on earlier XPS notebooks.

My student budget and non-resource-intensive computing needs mean that I feel I can reasonably expect my well cared-for notebook to last AT LEAST 4-5 years.

What do you think my prospects are? How does Dell (specifically Dell XPS) build quality and longetivity tend to compare to its competitors' solutions?


Thanks in advance!

 

You have to definitely buy an extra 4 years Service Garantie for yor XPS. It's the only way to be certain you'll be using it in 4 or 5 years.

Notebooks usually have problems after a couple of years. It doesn't matter where they are made. They're not built to last indefinitely...

 

Its like asking how long will my car last before something goes bad. How can anyone know? Thats what warranties are for.

in my opinion instead of spending 1400 and making it last 4 years, spend 700 twice once now and once in 2 years.

 

I think expecting any notebook to last 4-5 years and still keep up with things is pretty generous thinking but for general usability I'm sure it should last if you take care of it. I've just replaced a 4 year old (purchased October 2003) Dell 600m notebook for my wife with the 1530m which she loves by the way. The Dell 600m was still going strong with the original 40GB hard drive, 2 GB of RAM (that I upgraded) and the original 1.4Ghz Pentium M processor. It still is fine for surfing the web and also for daily office tasks and if this is all you do then any notebook you buy should be fine for quite some time. I don't know what you do for school (or plan to do) but unless you really need to play high end games or do a lot of video work I'm sure you'll be pleased with the 1530m for years to come.

As for the durability of the old Dell 600m....it is still working without any problems at all and the only upgrade was to the RAM. Of course the ATI 9000 graphics card with 64 MB of memory just doesn't cut it for any games it still is a fine system. The 1530m build quality is superior to it though and I like the keyboard a lot more.

Just enjoy the notebook and don't stress about it too much.

 

buy the notebook and then add the 3 or 4 years Home Service a couple of weeks afterward.
It usually works out cheaper since dell like to sell after sales service and they'll make you a better offer afterwards.... maybe a $75 difference

 

The longevity of an M1530 you ask? I think it can vary based on how much you use your notebook and how you use it. Personally I take my notebook everywhere. I use it alot at home. It goes with me from room to room etc.. So i find a year and a half before I notice things degrading. For example the battery. LCD is now loose etc.... I am currently using a 640M. Now I find the build quality of the inspirons rather lacking which is why I purchased an M1330.

I expect this 640M to last a couple more years at least though. Just ongoing maintenance may be required aka tightening screws and replacing batteries.

Also formatting every once in a while and keeping it clean will help.

For these XPS systems I am hoping for at least 2 years before I see degrading. But I expect to see some after a year and some mainly due to the batteries.

The 4 yr warranty is what I got and it's a good peace of mind to have. I suggest that as well.

 

I think you should be considering the Latitude line if you're looking for better longevity.

While the new XPS's are cute, they still use a lot more plastic, and soft aluminum, compared to the materials used in the Latitude laptops. Plus commonality means that spare parts will be much easier to come by such as batteries.

And something just tells me that slot-loading DVD drives are a recipe for disaster... I have no evidence, but just a hunch...

 

Thanks to all for this advice.

Just to clarify, I will likely use the notebook quite heavily but almost exclusively on tasks such as web browsing, word processing and so on, and don't see myself playing any resource-intensive games or doing video editing work.

The 4-year plan sounds like it could definitely be a worthwhile investment, although all I can find on my local Dell web site for the moment is a 3-year option. The idea of waiting a few weeks to opt in sounds interesting. I probably should clarify beforehand however how I would go about doing this - will I be able to extend warranties on the Dell web site after I've made a purchase?

Thanks again to everyone. Any further advice on XPS longetivity is welcome.

 

if your not using it for anything heavy like top gaming and just general web and desktop use etc, maybe get a less expensive machine or something thats really robust with less higher spec ? i dont know if you can still get those bomb proof titanium ones etc ? all depends on what your needs and use are

in my expirience and ive always had laptops, they all last me a good 3 years, then i sell them while they are still worth a bit and recoup some towards a new machine, rather than run in to the ground completly, if you properly look after a well made laptop it can last you 4 or 5 years easily,and be a great machine when you `st get it , then end up 4 years down the line as just a gfood basic windows with web browsing etc like the fella above, if it gets batterd about a bit and hammered to death then that would decrese a bit like people mention, ive always found dells to be great machines and im loving my new dell !!

 

I don't see the point of investing a $300 warranty into a $1000 - 1500 machine. Unless missing your laptop for a week is worth $300 to ya, I don't see it as a good investment. To me, the $300 dollars is better spent elsewhere in my life if I'm a student. Like books and food.

+1. Touche.

 

where are you from?

 

Australia - I suspect Dell's guarantees and warranties are slightly more comprehensive in the U.S., somehow.