xps15 i5-2520M GT540M 2GB

Hey guys, I put in an order for the xps 15 with the 720p screen as I doubt 1080p would be worth it for me. My last laptop was the vostro 1500 deal with the 8400gs. I really liked the vostro, but the vchip had issues and failed. The magnesium alloy chassis was probably my favorite feature.

This laptop is setting me back 1200 bucks, 2 year warranty, 500gig 7200, 4gigs ram.

Im really excited about it, but Ive read that the 2gig vs 1 vram will produce absolutely 0 performance boost. Is this true, not even 1% improvement?

I still have till the 17th before they estimate that it will be done, I have the money to upgrade to the xps17 same processor, but go with the gt555. I dont know, Im kind of torn. I have never had a 17" laptop. Mobility is not really and issue with me. Im definitely going to be gaming with this rig, think Ill be happy as is or should I upscale?

Also, think the 4 gigs of ram will be enough? Or should I buy some and upgrade it.

 

Actually the particular 720p screen in the Dell XPS 15 is one of the worst quality 15 inch displays currently available.

You may get lucky and get the LG LCD which is decent (but of course still low-res), but most people have been getting the AUO LCD. I think Dell only used the LG screen during the time when the 1080p upgrade was unavailable, so you're probably out of luck as for getting a decent quality screen if you continue with your current order.

$1200 is awfully steep for an XPS 15 with the bad screen, you really should really have prioritized that upgrade first IMO.

Pictures of the 720p screen

And you probably already know this, but the upgrade isn't just about quality, it's about getting more screen space too. 1366x768 is a very low resolution for a 15.6" laptop since it's the same resolution used in 11.6" laptops.

There's a $100-off coupon code: 932N$0ZCCHWZB9 , so in case you do decide to re-order, you can use that code to make the screen upgrade only cost $50 instead of $150.

.

Regarding the 2GB VRAM, nothing will see a performance benefit since nothing will even be able to utilize a full 1GB on a midrange GPU. The 540M chip itself is about 6-12% faster than the 525M but that's the only difference.

The XPS 15 is not a gaming laptop. It's a multimedia notebook that happens to have moderate gaming capability. A notebook that leans less towards multimedia and more towards (mid-range) gaming would be the HP DV6t Quad Edition. Using coupon codes, you can get the 1GB 6770M graphics card (30% better than the 540M), an i7-2630QM processor, and a 1920x1080 matte display for around $975.

 

Ok. Well I am cancelling my xps 15 order. which was $1087 before tax and shipping

Instead I now have an XPS17 For $1239 before shipping and tax(Used 160$ off coupon)
i5-2520M
17.3in FHD WLED AG (1920x1080) (This is the upgraded screen)Better viewing contrast and color gamut
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (much better than the 540m
Also upgraded the wireless card to have bluetooth.


So for $160 more I got screen, vidcard, and bluetooth upgrades.

Do you think this is a better deal?

I appreciate your input edit, I had been leaning towards the gt555 anyway, and now Ive bit the bullet. Also it looks like there is some OCing potential in that its been downclocked compared to the 550 and below. Undervoltage is something Im not used to, Ill experiment when I get it.

At this price point is it still a bad deal?

 

Just a thought, to you and many others doing the same thing: maybe it would be a better idea to do your research before you place an order.

Ordering, cancelling, ordering again and considering cancelling again is a waste of resources and serves only to drive prices up.

 

What do you work for dell? What do you care?

 

make sure you use these codes, you can get a beefier system for the xps 17


8GHR80Q1PLLCF7

$350 off XPS 17 Laptop $1600 and above with coupon code
Expires Wednesday, June 15, 2011


932N$0ZCCHWZB9

Save $100 on Dell XPS 15 and XPS 17 laptops
Expires Thursday, June 30, 2011


HLSKSR06S9ZG0F

Free 7 day Shipping on Dell Laptops and Desktops with coupon code
Expires Thursday, June 30, 2011

 

Driving up prices for Dell in turn drives prices up for us as consumers is what I think toronto is trying to say.

 

I don't think it really has that much of a price impact.

I don't know how much I agree with the special deals and incentives that are available to a select few with a code or a fraudulent cancellation.

They denied my a 100$ off coupon code because my work gave me a 2% discount... 25$ vs 100$ hmm, what would you do?

Im still excited for this laptop, are all xps 17s 3d capable by default? My build sheet doesn't mention it, but the help me choose did...

 

you need to select one of the XPS 17 3D base-configs to get 3D capability.

 

It's still 3D capable if you connect it to an external 3D capable display

 

Or if you use the hack which lets you use it on non 120Hz screens. You're only gonna max out at 30FPS but with this system I doubt you'd get much better on recent games with 3D enabled.