M1530 Questions

Hello all,
I am currently an ASUS F3Ja user as my signature will demonstrate, however i am currently looking at buying a new notebook, for college which will start in September so, i am just looking around the market for something to replace this, for moderate/heavy gaming as well as good battery life giving it good mobility. I came across the Dell M1530, due to the fact it has the option of a powerful 8600M GT DDR3 and the fact it has an optional 9 cell battery as well.

However after reading the review on the forums i do have a few questions about the system.

The main question is about the build quality of the notebook, which the review neglected to mention. Is it sturdy and robust or does it feel as though a small fall would break it. Which does lead me onto the fact of who actually builds the notebook, i know that Dell does a lot of sub contracting for builds which will obviously contribute to a good or bad quality of build.

The newer ones have an option of a Penryn based CPU, and i wanted to know if the 45nm CPU does in fact use considerably less power than the 65nm SR ones or if it is barely noticable.

The writer in the review mentions how the hard disk which is the 250GB 5400rpm Hitachi one, does in fact make very load scratching noises all the time, or if it is an on and off sort of thing. Since the Seagate drive in mine does sometimes make sinister sounding noises every now and then, which obviously i live with fine.

Again on battery life. Do Dell have a different battery management program to the Vista one, or is it just the inbuilt one that is used, since i know that using Power4Gear on my ASUS i have been able to squeeze more life out of the battery. Then i would also like to know if anybody can confirm a definite time for a Balanced power management and carrying out standard tasks, that is on he 9 cell battery of course.

Obviously if i was to replace this ASUS F3 i would want the Dell M1530 to outperform it on both power, graphical performance as well as Battery life and even after a year i can still manage 3 to 3:30 hours from my 8 cell battery on a Balanced/High performance setting.

Any answers that M1530 owners can provide me with will be very helpful. Thank you.

 

Hello, I'm very happy with mine. Read my "personal hands on" review and it will answer a lot of your questions.
( I would't drop ANY notebook... not good for 'em. )

http://corvettec3.com/dellXPSm1530review.htm

Yes the Penryn is better as it is cooler and increased battery life. It wasn't out yet so I didn't have it in my review.

 

Thank you. Well i know falls and bumps aren't good for notebooks, or any electronics, but accidents do happen. And if they do, i want something that will take it not just fall to pieces. Hence why i want a really good build.

By the way, do all the XPS' even those in the UK come with the same packing as what is shown in your images, because that little carry case isn't listed on Euro Dell

 

You can get the Accidental Damage coverage from Dell. If it falls or you spill something, or anything they will fix it or replace it.

 

Are you talking CD case (binder) or notebook case?

The notebook case wasn't listed as part of the package on Dell Canada's site as well. I ended up ordering a Belkin slipcase because of that. I ended up with two cases when the laptop arrived. I prefer the Belkin anyway as the Dell case is on the large side.

 

Yes, but i'm guessing that will be a considerable amount more for the Warranty. At the end of the day i have had his for 14 months and nothing has happened excpet a fall when i was in the bag, which caused no damage. So i am careful with it, i just wanted to know it is sturdy incase something did happen.

The slipcase i mean is this one: http://corvettec3.com/6xps.jpg

 

If i didnt know better I'd swear you worked for dell lol.

I'm enjoying my 1530 so far also, just got it late last night.

 

NOPE, I just like Dell. I've owned at least 4-5 in the past.

Hey, why don't you make a separate post and tell us about your NEW m1530!
I always like hearing that.

BTW, I see your from NYC. I visited it last July:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/DuPontShow7-14-07g.htm

To answer Wraith of Vern question on the carrying case. I thought all m1530's came with them... maybe I'm wrong?

 

Nope, mine came with the case as well.

 

Hey,

I switched from an A6Ja to the 1530 and based on pictures I've found online, the chassis of the F3 series is very similar to the A6 chassis.

Based on that, you'll find the 1530 chassis to be sleeker, stronger, lighter and more rigid. I was underwhelmed with the build quality of the A6 series and impressed with the 1530.

For battery life info, you'll find details here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=224359&highlight=dell+battery+life+6+cell

 

Also is the version of Vista installed 64-bit if the CPU is also 64-bit or there another option? Because when selecting OS's all it states is Vista Home Premium or Ultimate, nowhere does it say whether its 64 or 32 bit

 

It will be 32-bit. I tried getting 64-bit but the CS said " NO!".

You could install 64-bit yourself, tho'.

 

By the way Signal, in your sig you have "1680x1050 Samsung" thats an external monitor isnt it? If so what res is your actual screen because all that is avaliable for me is the 1280x800 one, but some people seem to have more? Whats with that? Did Dell remove the higher resolution panels from the range?

 

It is *possible* that they've temporarily dropped the other screen res options due to supply problems.

Regarding the Vista version, it'll always be 32bit. Bear in mind that you can't install the 64bit with the discs included with the notebook. Your license is valid for both 32 and 64bit versions but the disc doesn't include the 64bit version. You'll need to borrow someones 64bit disc and reinstall with your key if you wanna go 64bit.

Btw: I would... 64bit seems a little smoother

And don't forget Service Pack 1.... it made a huge difference to Vista's file handling performance (fixed it in fact!).

 

Right so its worth acquiring a copy of 64-bit Vista if i were to get the notebook. So from that battery scheme it looks like with a 9 cell battery i can get up to like 4:10 hours then? Which looks great, considering the power it has performance wise. Now on the side of CPU performance what is the Clock for Clock different between Penryn and Santa Rosa? Are they the same or does Penryn outperform slightly?

 

Not sure off the top of my head. At most I would say 10% difference at same clock speed in *some* benchmarks. Have a search, it has been discussed.

The big advantage with Penryn is the lower voltage which translates into cooler running and better battery life. How much better the battery life is... I don't know, but early reports suggest they run noticably cooler.

 

Just to reopen and old thread now, what exactly is the M1530 like for gaming. I mean i have seen the review but it doesn't specify exactly what the settings are on.

Could people tell me what sort of Spec they can play games like Call of Duty 4, Battlefield 2142, Crysis.. i know quite a range but i want to get a feel for what it can handle and how futureproof the 8600M GT is Mid range gaming wise.

Any replies would be helpful

 

There is a thread on this forum where someone posted screenshots and benchmarks for a bunch of games. In my limited testing with Bioshock, Call of Juarez, and Company of Heroes, the performance is excellent as long as you don't try to max out at 1680x1050. The 256MB video card just doesn't have the frame buffer memory for hi rezes and detailed textures.

The 1680x1050 SWXGA+ screens are reserved for the higher-end configurations. You can't start with the Budget config and add up to it, but the Better and Best ones do have it as an option.

The build quality of my refurb unit was atrocious. The LCD bezel just snaps on and isn't screwed in place like all the other Dell laptops I've seen and owned. The palmrest and hard drive bezel didn't fit squarely and allowed the palm rest to cave in behind the HD bezel wall. Add in a broken fingerprint reader and crappy Samsuck screen and abysmal support from Dell and I ended up demanding an exchange after only a few days. On the up side, the hard drive was silent.

I've generally had good luck with Dell products, so this has been a huge disappointment to me. I probably just drew a lemon, but as the thread with over 1400+ posts about the lousy screen attests, Dell has a serious quality problem with the Samsung LCD panels.

 

The problems i have read are generally with the high res screens, where as the ones they sell in the UK at current are only the 1280x800 ones obviously due to quality issues.