OMG a HAPPY new XPS M1530 owner..despite some niggles

The purpose of this post is to attempt to correct the imbalance of perspective that forums such as these create, leading to people having sleepness nights wondering whether or not they will get the perfect m1530 or not.

My Specs are:
T9300
4 Gigs Ram
200Gb 7200rpm FFS
8600
1440x900
6 cell
Intel ProWireless 3945
um.. think thats about all that matters.

To begin with, let my preface my summary with the fact that I am a photographer implying that screen quality is of the utmost importance to me, so naturally i was undergoing heavy stress with regards to the possibility of recieving a grainy screen.

Upon receiving my notebook, I noted a couple of build defects - scratches along the black strip (media buttons) in front of the screen - note these scratches were outside of the area which is covered by the protective plastic.
This same black strip doesn't match up to the silver part on the left hand side.
Other than that, it is perfect.

Now, I could choose to get upset about some scratches and a panel which sits 1.2mm too high, but it really doesn't bother me, as this notebook is still the same awesome, sexy, thin and light pc that we all know and love. Happy.

Next, the screen. The first thing i did after boot up was go the the device manager to check the manufacturer. Now before i got to this point i was instantly scrutinizing the screen - it looked similar to my collleague's LG on his m1530, and viewing angles were good. I checked the device manager - AUO... OH SHOCK SHOCK HORROR, the world has ended, i DIDNT get an LG. Now, to be objective, yes the LG is mildy better, slightly brighter, and viewing angles are better. However, If i had never set foot on these forums, I would NEVER know. Because in comparison to all other screens that i have seen, this AU is great. it is BRIGHT, and viewing angles are good. Again, i am actually HAPPY, becuase there is no REAL reason not to be.

Next, the Hard Drive is helluva noisy. I have the Hitachi HTS7220. Its not a life threatening fact.. its fast and works. However, i admit, i did phone dell tech support which, in South Africa, I have not had good experience with.
Wow, is all i can say. With th Enhanced Service Pack i mentioned a syllable about HD noise and they were like, "no sir, we must replace that immediately for you", and i was like.. ok sure whatever. I even got to check which manufacturer i was getting - im getting a seagate tomorrow, and as far as i have read, those are nice and quiet. I must emphasize, the reason why i persued the HD issue was 1) to test my local tech support and 2) becuase my colleague's M1530 HD is incredibly silent - as in th ONLY way u can tell that it is workign is by looking at the HD light. Mine however, keeps me awake at night.

Next thing, yes the CD Drive is the noisy Optiarc, but to be honest, unless you're in a library or a vacuum, its not an issue. it works. im happy.

Otherwise, this is a GREAT laptop. It is the second one i have used, and it is fantastic. I am busy trying to council a friend who has just ordered into NOT worrying about half of these issues.

thts it for now.

 

First...Congrat's on your new 1530 purchase!!!

Second...It's nice to know that despite a few issues with your 1530..you still remain positive about it all!!!!

Keep us updated on how the HD work's for you when you receive it

 

congrats as well. i am glad you posted a positive experience because it seems like a majority of ppl on these forums just nit-pick at these issues that are so minor.

 

did you get the led backlit display?

 

I thought i should provide an Update, at the time of the original post, I had not actually placed my m1530 next to my colleague's m1530 to compare the screens, i had just based my comparison from walking out of my office and into his.. well we put them side by side just now and to my amazement, the difference is actually incredible. hehehe

The LG is NO Brighter, if anything the AU is brighter (my a miniscule amount) and viewing angles are much the same, so it is safe to say tht i have NOT GOT an inferior display. Its fantastic. The AU Optics panel is great. There is no visible grain on the panel either. The only difference i could really pick up is that the color temperature is slightly warmer on the LG, but this is completely software dependant anyway.

So sleep well those of you who get an AU panel. I'll provide an update on the HD when i get it tomorrow.

 

Glad to hear that you got a great panel. When I first got my m1530, I had the Samsung panel and it was terrible. I eventually got it replaced with an LG panel. The complaints on these forums are justified. The difference is night and day. People usually visit this forum to complain or educate themselves on issues with the products they buy. It is not the voice of the majority. Most people are satisfied with the computers they buy and don't frequent these forums.

 

What you say is true. I have seen pictures comparing the LG and Samsung and agree 100% that there IS an issue with the samsung Panels. i just wanted to put it out there that one CAN get a good panel and have it NOT be an LG.

The result of these forums however is that the people who come here to educate themselves get an out of balance perspective of the prevalence of many of the issues, leading to people enduring Waaaay more stress during the buying process than they need to. And yes, as i was just explaining to a friend, the people who frequent these forums represent a miniscule percentage of the consumer base, and further the satisfied consumer base.