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    XPS M1530 or Vostro 1500?

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by Trancer, Jan 25, 2008.

  1. Trancer

    Trancer Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi all,

    I'm abit stuck as to what to do. I'd like a fast laptop gaming laptop with a screen that is 1400x900. After reading that the M1530 has quite a performance boost because of the DDR3 RAM inside the 8600M GT.. it makes me interested!

    Heres what i've been looking at..

    With the Vostro 1500 I can afford:

    2Ghz
    2GB
    8600M GT
    1440x900

    With the XPS M1530 I can (just about) afford:

    1.6Ghz
    2GB
    8600M GT
    1400x900 panel

    I see that the M1530 combined with a 1.6Ghz C2D CPU the FSB is reduced to 667Mhz instead of 800Mhz of a 2Ghz C2D CPU.. is this purely because the FSB has been clocked down to reduce the CPU speed? Will there be a any system performance difference due to the FSB being slower compared to that of a 2Ghz M1530 running at 800FSB. I find it strange that the FSB is slower, can anyone please explain why this is?

    Is is worth going for the M1530 even if the clock speed is slower than the vostro 1500?

    Many thanks for any help.
     
    Trancer, Jan 25, 2008
    #1
  2. n640nec

    n640nec Notebook Consultant

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    Not worth XPS over the Vostro unless you just want the form factor. The fancy glittering s3xy style of the 1530.... If performance is more important than just looks, then can't go wrong with the Vostro.
     
    n640nec, Jan 25, 2008
    #2
  3. morphy

    morphy Notebook Deity

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    I'd go with the 1530 over the Vostro even with the T5450cpu simply because you can upgrade the cpu ( can you say Penryn?) later when you want (voids warranty) whereas with the gpu you're pretty much stuck with it.

    btw the cache size 2mb vs 4mb has more an impact on the system than 667vs800fsb.
     
    morphy, Jan 25, 2008
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  4. Gmeanie

    Gmeanie Notebook Guru

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    How do you know the Penryn is compatible with that board?
     
    Gmeanie, Jan 25, 2008
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  5. morphy

    morphy Notebook Deity

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    T5450 is socket P. Might need an eventual bios update tho.
     
    morphy, Jan 25, 2008
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  6. Trancer

    Trancer Notebook Enthusiast

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    Interesting thanks for that.. So the mobo inside the M1530 is the exact same in both the 1.6Ghz and 2Ghz options at dell? Therefore the FSB speed is being prompted by the CPU?

    Well another reason why the M1530 seems appealing is that the 7,200 RPM hard drive option is only £10 more.. with the vistro 1500 there is no 7,200 RPM option at dell.. so that would mean a £60 splash out on a 7,200 drive. But still open to suggestions and thoughts..
     
    Trancer, Jan 25, 2008
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  7. Trancer

    Trancer Notebook Enthusiast

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    So i'm better off with the M1530? Any other thoughts?
     
    Trancer, Jan 26, 2008
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  8. RyanCA

    RyanCA Notebook Geek

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    The m1530 graphics uses GDDR3 RAM. I'm prettttyy sure the vostro uses GDDR2, so that'll lead to a significant difference in graphics capabilities (20%~). And if not, well just go with whichever you like the look of.
     
    RyanCA, Jan 26, 2008
    #8