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    XPS 1530 & Vista 64 = much better

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by Gschmidt1, Jan 4, 2009.

  1. Gschmidt1

    Gschmidt1 Newbie

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    Guys,

    I read through some of the writeups I found in various threads, and reformatted my XPS with Vista 64. This was after I previously wiped the laptop, and installed a fresh 32bit copy, and ran it for about a year. A few things I've noticed:

    - Performance is MUCH snappier. I also upgraded RAM (2-4gb) at the same time, so this may have something to do with it, but it's a definite increase in speed navigating through windows!
    - The fingerprint scanner actually works well now. Before, I would have issues getting it to register about 1/2 the time, even in "convenient" mode. Now, its 8/9 or better, and much faster? Sweet.
    - Computer brightness no longer auto-dims randomly.
    - Dock movement (Rocketdock) seems significantly smoother, with the same driver # (although, 64 bit)
    - Startup/shutdown process is significantly faster. I have a feeling this is due to the format wiping out a lot of registry entries/issues, but the waiting time between I hit enter to login, and seeing my desktop is probably twice as fast. Same with shutdown.

    Only one issue so far:

    I CANT find a Cisco VPN client for x64? Does anyone have a good alternative?

    So, has everyone else seen the same performance changes with x64? Or am I just really lucky...? I feel like this is the way this laptop was meant to be run, it just felt sluggish before...
     
  2. PhoenixFx

    PhoenixFx Notebook Virtuoso

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    If you are comparing your factory installed 32bit copy vs a freshly installed 64bit then it is quite normal. Because DELL send their computers bloated with unnecessary trial and adware programs. A clean installation is a must for all consumer level DELL notebooks for anyone who is least bit concerned about performance; you'll notice a big difference. Other than that, your RAM upgrade might have also helped things a bit. I haven’t read many recent articles on 64bit performance comparisons, 64 bit should be better, but I don’t know if it is significantly better.
     
  3. Gschmidt1

    Gschmidt1 Newbie

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    Yeah, i had wiped it previously as well. Just though I would see how everyone elses experience with vista 64 has been...
     
  4. Signal2Noise

    Signal2Noise Über-geek.

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    Again, only 4GB???
     
  5. hanime

    hanime Notebook Evangelist

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    You do not want to use Dell's original installed operating system. End of story. It's just like buying a computer from Best Buy with all the junk. I "upgraded" to Windows XP x64 from Vista x64 and I'm much happier. :p
     
  6. Gschmidt1

    Gschmidt1 Newbie

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    Yeah...at the time i bought it, I wasn't aware the mobo was capable of any more. Its honestly way more than I need, because my desktop does all the heavy lifting/I don't game on it. The only thing I do on the laptop is music/internet + occasional CS4 work.

    How is 8GB workin for ya? How much does vista use with 8gb?
     
  7. kanehi

    kanehi Notebook Deity

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    The XPS 1530 didn't come with that much 'bloat' compared to HP laptops. The unwanted programs can be easily uninstalled.
     
  8. psygn

    psygn Notebook Evangelist

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    Yeah, 4GB is way too little for most consumers uses :rolleyes: