XPS M1530 - Keep or Sell? Help!

Ok so I got my M1530 in April 2008 so it's 20 months old. The specs are in my signature. It was a fantastic laptop when I first got it and it still is. It's worked perfectly for me during its time. I did have the heatsink replaced a few times as well as the motherboard due to overheating and not knowing exactly what the problem was, so it was more just a precautionary measure. Eventually I found out that it was just due to the thermal paste needing replacement to lower the temps. So actually I haven't had any hardware problems at all.

Recently though I was tempted to buy the Asus G51VX-RX05 due to its cheap price tag and its slick look and ended up buying one. The hardware improvements that affect performance include:

• 256MB 8600M GT --> 1GB GTX 260M (#84 --> #19 on notebookcheck)
• 4GB DDR2 667MHz --> 4GB DDR2 800MHz (minor but yeah)

Apart from these, the only other improvements or pros are aesthetic such as the backlit chiclet style keyboard and the white lid design with lights. This white lid model is being phased out since the newer i7 quad core models have a blue lid which I personally don't like so this is my only chance really. I like the look of the G51vx a lot but I also still like the look of the M1530. They both look awesome but in different ways!

However, there are actually a lot of features that are taking a step down compared to the M1530.

• T8300 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo @ 800MHz FSB --> P7350 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo @ 1066MHz FSB (maybe higher FSB compensates lower clock?)
• 1440x900 LCD --> 1366x768 LED (better for gaming, but not so much for general use)
• Slot load DVD drive --> standard DVD drive (slot load drives are quick and convenient....something I know I'll miss)
• 2.74kg weight --> 3.27kg (not much of an issue as I don't move it/take it out frequently)
• No fingerprint reader (never used it though)

Also, regarding the build quality...while I'm sure the G51vx won't be cheapily made, I'm pretty sure the M1530 will still be better. When it came out, the M1530 was a premium laptop and the build quality reflects this with its aluminium/steel chassis that still holds up today.

Now, you're probably asking 'so why exactly do you want to upgrade to a new laptop?' Well, it's mainly because of the graphics card but the aesthetic differences are also factors. The GTX 260M is better than the 8600M GT and the 8600M GT does lag behind a bit in newer games but I'm not sure if the difference would be THAT significant considering I can overclock the 8600M to 8700M speeds when I need to. But then again, I can overclock the GTX 260M as well. I play games often but I don't want a desktop due to the space and size of them involved. I also like having the option of moving my computer when I want to.

Regarding price, the upgrade will cost me about $100-$150 once I sell the M1530 so it's not that huge of a factor.

Now, I know the M1530s are a part of the batch of laptops that used the 8400M/8600M 'defective' GPUs and while many have had problems, I haven't. While the laptop is 20 months old, the motherboard was replaced exactly 1 year ago (as explained earlier), so you could say it's more so a year old. I've kept the laptop in perfect condition and I can't imagine anyone taking care of it any better than I did. It still looks the same as when I bought it and the CPU has been undervolted and a laptop cooler has been used. AS5 has been applied and I always monitor temperatures to be safe. Even though my M1530 runs perfectly and feels perfect, I suppose there's always that possibility that the GPU could die at any moment. Maybe in a month? Maybe in 6 months? Maybe in a year? Is it bound to die eventually? So I guess this could be one of the reasons why it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace it with the G51vx.

So, as you can see from this ridiculously long post, I'm stuck in the middle when it comes to deciding whether to keep or sell the M1530. The G51vx is on the way but I can always return it if I change my mind. In my eyes, they both have pros and cons which makes deciding so hard. I'm either going to sell the M1530 and then start to miss it, or return the G51vx and wish I hadn't and continue wasting time reading up on it and looking at pictures of it (lol..).

Can people tell me what they think. I just want people's opinions. Thanks

 

It sounds to me that in your heart of hearts you want to have both of them. No problem, I still have my last 4 laptops in addition to my beloved M1330.

 

Right on. As much as I'd love to keep both, that's not going to happen. That'd be a lot of money that would not be going to much use. It's annoying because Asus make laptops that are a good bang for the buck but Dell makes ones that are of premium build quality and design although for a much higher price.

Anyone else? lol

 

I just replaced my old t61p with xps 16. I wouldn't call dell xps a premium build. It's completely plastic from top to bottom.

The defective gpu will die randomly, it just happened twice on my t61p within a month. So I think you should sell M1530 if it is already out of warranty.

 

Well I don't know about the XPS 16 but the M1530 has an aluminium/steel chassis which is very solid.

 

I think you will miss your M1530
M1530 mag-alloy + alumiunium chassis is great.
I don’t like current laptops in the market that have glossy finish (finger print nightmare!!)

I wish I can upgrade my M1530 mobo to Cappella platform (Core i7 CPU) and 240M GT GPU.
I only can dreaming…

 

it's good to know that someone here is almost in the exact situation as me - selling the m1530 and getting another model to replace it, or keeping the m1530 and just pray nothing bad will happen to it. to me a situation like this is similar to a gamble, take a risk by keeping the m1530 and hoping it will last for another 5 more years before it becomes paperweight, or play safe by selling it off and use the money to purchase another model albeit a lower performance.

so basically this is what u will face if you decide to keep the laptop

1. worst case scenario - your laptop fails 1 day after the warranty ends.
2. best case scenario - your laptop will not fail and lives for an infinite number of years

i personally would advise against keeping the m1530, simply because there is no way to control the failure probability of the laptop, or the scenario u will face in future, if you decide to keep the laptop. in other words this also mean that your money is "at stake" if you decide to keep the laptop since the worst case scenario will result in your laptop becoming paperweight. however, if u decide to sell the m1530, u are guaranteed a portion of your money spent on the laptop back, thus "playing safe" since both scenarios will not be encountered.

and after looking at countless threads and sources about this GPU issue, chances of a worst case scenario occurring seems to be higher than that of a best case scenario. therefore to be realistic i would choose selling the laptop to avoid both scenarios and get some money back instead of losing all my money in the event of a worst case scenario.

but at the end of the day, it's your money and it's what u want to do with it. good luck with your decision and i hope my post has helped you!

 

Thanks brendon! My M1530 ran out of warranty in April this year but like I said the motherboard is only 1 year old and since I gathered that the longest amount of time the GPU has lasted for some is just over 2 years, it could potentially die anytime in 2010.

Here is another thread I made to gather this information:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5627916#post5627916

While I agree with you regarding the unpredictable nature of the GPU, what makes it hard is that there are bound to be many owners that don't have problems and so aren't found looking for help on these forums.

God I'm going to miss my M1530 but so far things are leaning towards the G51vx. It's a shame how it's been an amazing laptop to me yet I may have to sell it as a precautionary measure, rather than not wanting it anymore.

More comments appreciated!

 

The G51 has arrived and is right infront of me unopened. Which to keep is still such a dilemma..I just can't decide..

 

I'd defnitly keep your laptop as a backup, wether you buy a new one or not. Don't sell your old laptop. It's like with new cars, they look better, but they probably won't live as long as the older quality cars.

 

I wish I could but thats like $1000 just sitting there not being used. I know some people have lots of laptops but with me, I can't keep more than 1 since I'm only going to use one. It's like having a 2nd PSP. The value of both is going to decrease in time as well. Hmm

 

Sell.

It's hot here in Australia, the GPU will die.

 

I bought my M1530 in early 2008 and recently had both the motherboard and heat sink replaced due to a faulty 8600M GT. I was rather disappointed because I thought mine missed the defective batch after working perfectly for over a year. Even with the new heatsink (better fan) and normal temps I have decided to sell it. I really like the laptop but can't afford to gamble since my warranty is up in May. I'd say sell.

 

if you already have the asus then i dont know why you still have the m1520, sell it while its still possible to do so IMHO.
the m1530 might be well built and all, but its hardware is not that good in terms of quality, it fails a lot...

I dont know about the asus, but it looks like a sweet machine!

im getting my replacement studio xps 16 today ( if you saw me you could clearly see im REALLY just killing time waiting for it hahaha ) and i wont miss the m1530, the aluminum was nice and all, but it got scratched and dented with anything!! and the computer never sat on its 4 feet, it was always wobbling between 2 and 3 feet due to its bad assembly

dont get me wrong, i loved my m1530, but it was just too flawed, and its time to move on to a ( dear god i hope so ) "better" laptop

 

Yep, well I figured, I'd never decide unless I opened the Asus and at least tried the thing, so I did.

Initial impressions: The lower res screen isn't that much different so I'm cool with it. Also, the G51's LED backlight makes things much brighter which is a plus. However one thing I noticed when testing a couple games, is that the vertical viewing angles are pretty poor. My M1530's viewing angles are excellent, however with the G51, even if your head's in a fixed position, make things seem a bit washed out and not so clear (not sure if these are quite the correct words). I noticed Crysis doesn't look that great on high because of this problem as all the fine details are washed out (while it looks better on the M1530 but the M1530 can't run it on high..). This is the main gripe I have with it really. Some other things: The build quality isn't as good as it's plastic as opposed to the M1530's steel/aluminium/magnesium chassis, it's a bit bigger making it feel like a 17" when next to my M1530 and the absence of a slot load drive is a bit of a hit for me but ah well...the G51 has some nice things too like the backlit chiclet style keyboard.

I'm glad I opened it though as it gave me a hands on idea. I'll play with it a bit more and hopefully will then decide.

Here's some comparison pics.

http://img44.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=img0971j.jpg

Edit: Sorry, fixed link.

 

hehehe well its you call man! i have not seen the asus in person, but i bet the screen is better on the m1530, it was always a great plus on the m1530´s side