Purchasing Dell XPS M1530: A few questions

Hey NBR. I am in need of a laptop for the coming semester. Ever since I heard about the 1530, I have been interested in purchasing one. Now that the reviews and new pictures have come in, I am almost 100% sure. This is the build I have currently on Dell Canada's website.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache) edit
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
Crimson Red Casing With Microsatin Finish
Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch LCD & 2.0 MP Camera (1280x800)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8600M GT
8X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
High Definition Audio 2.0

With tax it comes to $1651.86

Now my only questions before purchasing are:

1) How much of a difference would it make if I waited for Penryn? I will be gaming and doing University work on this laptop...but nothing processor hungry.
2) My budget originally was 1500 dollars. Is there any way to cut down that price without too much sacrifice.

I originally was not going to purchase this laptop due to screen resolutions but I checked them out in the store and I am actually quite satisfied with 1280x800 so this of no concern to me.

Thanks

 

N148DK363R6WB0.

Use that coupon code to bring the price down 200 dollars.

Bam, under 1500.

 

I'm pretty sure the Dell coupon doesn't work on Dell Canada.

You could switch out the RAM to 1GB and upgrade on your own. That might save you some. Defaulting to black color would save a little too I guess.

Maybe you could switch out the 2GB ram on your vostro to the 1530 and leave it at 1GB. XP Pro's decent with 1GB ram and you'll probably be gaming on the 1530 once you get it.

 

Thanks for quick replies.

Unfortunately, the coupon code only works in the US. Also, changing the colour from red to black did not affect the pricing.

I am ok with going over my budget, I am just making sure I don't have any unnecessary features. For example, I opted for the Wireless N card. This cost me an extra 40 dollars to the standard Intel card. Is this worth the extra 40 dollars?

One other question: Is Dell still suffering with giving out bad screens? Would anyone that owns a 1530 be able to say the screen is acceptable?

Thanks again.

Edit: Sorry about that, I returned my Vostro so I don't own one...forgot to edit sig lol

 

I think the Wireless N is a gimick. The only time it would be useful is if you have a wireless N router at home and you like to transfer HUGE files OFTEN. for the next four years, I'd imagine you'll still see alot of Wireless A and G networks since they are more than sufficient for 99.9% of demands out there and is cheaper.

If you ARE transferring HUGE files OFTEN at home, spend 4 bucks on a network cable and BAM. 100Mbps.

I highly suggest this course of action. should save you $125

Here is how to do it.
It's just like the 1420s. Remove a panel and BAM. There it is.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsM1530/en/SM/memory.htm#wp1180190

 

Well, I tested my m1530 for about 20 minutes today, and I had no problems with the screen. I didn't see any grain and I liked the resolution. :]

 

Buy it now! They're giving $300 off all purchases over 1499 and you can stack the $200 coupon off the XPS 1530. I got it for under $1200 with a ton of bells and whistles.

 

My screen is perfect - no grain, dead pixels, etc.

I would def get RAM somwher else (ehem, NEWEGG) because it is a heckuva lot cheaper

 

Yeah, I got 2x1 GB 667 MHz RAM for $80 back when I got mine. Compared to the $125 for 2 GB from Dell.

Definitely check out Newegg.

 

Okay, so what about this questoin about the Penryn - should he wait? Anyone seen benchmarks of Santa Rosa vs. Penryn?

 

Thanks for the replies. And again, the coupons don't work for Dell Canada unfortunately.

As stated above, I am also curious about Penryn vs Santa Rosa and if it a better option to wait for Penryn.

 

Penryn will give a boost over current processors , if your talking about platforms though montevina will be a significant difference over santa rosa.

 

i just ordered a 2.4GHz (santa rosa) m1530. any dell folks know when the penryn will go into production on the XPS?

(im going to guess its not going to be available for another few months and will probably be way too expensive to afford)

 

Hey Arebus,

I ordered my m1530 on Tuesday with pretty much the same options as yours. One way to save a little is with the RAM. Dell Canada charges 100$ for an extra gig!! You can get a 2gb stick for 42$ at directcanada, with shipping and taxes your still saving close to 40$. I also agree that wireless N is probably not worth it!

 

Thanks Pruno.

I will go ahead and purchase tomorrow. It seems for the most part that the 1530 is doing really well and getting good reviews.

It seems the only reason people are holding out are for the higher resolution screens but this is of no concern to me at all.

Thanks again...I will keep you updated on how everything goes.

 

Well, I am about to purchase a 1530. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. My final question is a very minor one.

The notebook gives me three options of a free 15 month subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security, McAffee SecurityCenter, or Norton Internet Security 2007. Which one of these would you recommend.

 

Trend Micro would be the best out of all of those. Norton is crap, as is Mcaffee. Honestly, with Vista, I haven't had a use for an anti-virus at all. I hardly get tracking cookies.

 

Quick question for you, why are you getting a 9 cell only and not the 6 cell primary plus a 9 cell additional (since its the same price?)

 

CRAP! Well I just placed the order and didn't realize that the 6 cell plus the 9 cell worked out to the same price.

I talked to Dell chat to try and get it changed but they can't pull my order up:S

 

DOH! - Wish I told you sooner
I really hope they can change it for you... Let me know!

 

Im on hold right now trying to get it changed Hopefully it will work out. Considering its the same price it would be stupid not to get the extra battery

Edit: Wow, Dell chat gave me an extension and I got put right through. It took two minutes to change it...its all good now

 

Excellent!

 

Just an update to those who are interested. My 1530 shipped on December 23. It came extremely fast as it was ordered on December 16th.

I originally ordered a Vostro 1500 months ago and returned it due to its huge size, hard drive noise, and horrid screen.

With the XPS 1530 I can proudly say it is slim, quiet, and comes with a few cool perks that the Vostro didn't have such as the remote and the fingerprint reader.

The screen is alot better then my Vostro was. Is it great? Not as good as I had hoped. It has alot of light leakage. The hardware id starts with letters CPT. I thought Dell only made AUO, Samsung, and LG screens, what is CPT?

Anyways, other then the light leakage, I am extremely satisfied with this laptop and would recommend it to anyone looking for a high performance latop under $2000 CAD.

Thanks NBR for assisting me with this purchase.