Which of these XPS M1530 make the better deal ?

I am interested in a XPS M1530.

With the latest Discount code and the in-built upgrades, plus FREE delivery, which of the two specs makes best sense - value wise.

I was only looking to spend about £500 or $1000.

Spec 1:
Intel? Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5550 (1.83 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
2.0 mega pixel Camera & Tuxedo Black for CCFL Display
15.4" Widescreen™ WXGA (1280x800) TFT Display (220nits) with TrueLife™
Biometric Fingerprint Reader with BLACK accent
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 8400M GS with 128MB dedicated graphic memory
Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load drive, including SW
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate - Eur

Spec 2:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7250 (2.00 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
2.0 mega pixel Camera & Tuxedo Black for CCFL Display
15.4" Widescreen™ WXGA (1280x800) TFT Display (220nits) with TrueLife™
Biometric Fingerprint Reader with BLACK accent
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 8400M GS with 128MB dedicated graphic memory
Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load drive, including SW
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate - Eur

Spec 3:
Intel? Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5550 (1.83 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
2.0 mega pixel Camera & Tuxedo Black for CCFL Display
15.4" Widescreen™ WXGA (1280x800) TFT Display (220nits) with TrueLife™
Biometric Fingerprint Reader with BLACK accent
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 8600M GT with 256MB dedicated graphic memory
Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load drive, including SW
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate - Eur

Spec 1 = £589-Discounts = £494
Spec 2 = £629-Discounts = £530
Spec 3 = £629-Discounts = £530

As you can see, the specs only vary with GPU and CPU.
Is it worth my while changing from Spec 1 as it will be used for Internet, School, Music and light Gaming ( by a 11yr old).

Also is it worth calling up Dell to try to get a better deal or is this one pretty good ?

Thanks in advance.

 

If "light gaming" doesn't include FPS games, then you can sacrifice on the graphics card and go with a processor. Then again, if you're basically just using the laptop for music and internet, you don't even need a souped-up processor. What games are being played?

 

What I mean by that is that, if you don't care about "the cool look" of the M1530 and are just doing basic computing, you could get a much cheaper Inspiron and be just fine. The base models start out at like $500.

 

Games wise, probably girl games inc Sims.

I have found a decent spec Vostro 1700 for less....Spec to follow

 

Yeah, the Sims is not heavy on processing or graphics. You can definitely save money by toning down on the graphics card and the processor. I mean, honestly, you could get an integrated graphics card and run the Sims successfully. You need separate cache when you have high frame rates. If you want to save money and you don't care about "looks," you can get the Vostro or Inspiron line for much less. (If you do care about "looks," the Inspiron line also has some girly covers that you can get for $25.)

 

Vostro 1700 Spec i found.


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5670 (1.8 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium - English
1Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day Included - No Upgrade Selected
17" Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Display with TrueLife™
Matte Jet Black with 2.0 mega pixel camera
2048MB (2x1024) 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data Rate
Total = £480 (inc free delivery).

Thoughts ?

 

Seems appropriate for the Sims and music/Internet. Just keep in mind that it's not as sleek looking as the XPS series, if that's a problem.

 

Personally I don't prefer the T7250 processor much. There was a comparison between T7250(2.0Ghz) and T5450(1.66Ghz) which showed not much performance difference. I would opt for a better Graphics card since I wouldn't know when I might like a good game that needs some powerful GPU

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php
But I couldn't find any rating about T5550

 

Right, but she's playing the Sims, which doesn't need a powerful GPU.

 

the Comparison between the 2.0ghz and the 1.83ghz is very little.
Hardly worth the cost !

 

Exactly.. If you check some of the forums you could see in the signatures of few members the 3dmarks2006 with processor T5450 and T7250. There again there is not much difference

Let me check to find it.....Ah here I had already posted it
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3063971&postcount=15
Please note that the first one is overclocked...(Am bit ignorant about the OC stuff )

 

Sure, but you're getting a 17" screen vs a 15" one.

 

Isn't the 17" substantionally heavier than the 15" ??
Although it will mainly stay at home, no doubt my daughter will want to take it out to friends or relatives at times and i don't want her struggling ?

The Vostro seems better value, just like some views really !

 

The weights are listed on the specs on Dell's website. 17" laptops are not made for routine carrying around, but that doesn't mean they're immovable. If you think she's going to be carrying it every day, then you may want to opt for a 15" laptop instead.

 

Final question.

I think the two best specs are Spec 3 and the Vostro.
Which do you prefer ?

And is it worth calling Dell to try to improve the deal/Reduce price on them both
or
Are they probably as good as they'll get ?

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Looks like the main differences are that the Vostro will give you a larger screen (also a higher resolution, which means a larger desktop but with smaller icons unless you reset the screen resolution), but a smaller hard drive. That's what it comes down to, other than the fact that the XPS systems are sleeker and, of course, the inherent weight difference between any 17" and 15" laptop.

Again, the main question is: what will I use this computer for? A computer being used for Internet, word processing, and music, as well as low-end gaming is what you seem to need. On that basis, either computer would suit you fine. Just figure out if you want a larger screen at the price of being heavier. If you're not sure, go to a random Best Buy or something and just look at 17" screeens and 15" screens.

Actually, the best way to do this is to go to the "which computer is best for me" part of the forum and just give all the details on the form and lots of members will give you recommendations. (Keep in mind that if you don't limit yourself to "Dell" you'll get many other different brand recs, too.) You may be surprised at what you find.