XPS 1530 & Vista 64 = much better

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...

 

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.

 

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

 

Again, only 4GB???

 

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.

 

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?

 

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

 

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