I9300 cost vs XPS

I configured a I9300 today thinking i was going to buy it but then something made me wait... It came out to about 1472 after the big rebate. Thats with 2ghz proc. 1gig of ram, 6800 256 vide card. I started asking myself why is this so much cheaper then an XPS configured with almost the same hardware? Can you guys/ gals tell me if there is a big difference in the XPS vs 9300. like build quality etc. and is the 7800 gtx 256 vide card a lot better then the 6800?

I would like to purchase a new laptop for gaming (CIV4, WOW, FEAR), web design, photo editing and i wondered if the 9300 would be adequate enough.

I have also looked at the Sager 5720 which is nice but a lot more expensive then the 9300.

Thanks

 

I don't own a 9300 yet but I've read about 6 professional reviews. 10 owner reviews, and about 100 owner comments. Based on all that I've concluded that it will be an excellent game machine, equal to very good to excellent desktop machines. Don't know about the XPS as it's above my price point.

 

Well, the I9300 is probably cheaper because:

1. It doesn't have the XPS dedicated support line.
2. Doesn't have all the XPS "Lights"
3. No 7800 GTX (I believe you can upgrade the I9300s GPU to this - however its a DIY)
4. Slightly better components in the XPS - I've heard of better build quality overall, but not by much. I've also heard that the newer XPS' use Sony screens (this in unconfirmed although)

I think it's a waste of money to buy the XPS - Its basically just looks. The only things the XPS has on the I9300 are a dedicated support line and its lights. You can upgrade the GPU card in the I9300 to match the XPS' once it hits Dell's spare parts Depot.

 

Take number 4 off of xAMD's list and add these instead:
4. It doesn't have gigabit ethernet.
5. Can only be configured up to the 2.13GHz P-M(M170 can go up to the 2.26GHz).

The I9300 uses the same motherboard as the XPS as well as the same basic chasis, just lacks the lights. You could buy the XPS lights and case mod direct from Dell if you wanted and mod your I9300 to have the same case as the XPS, but I personally think the lights are tacky. A much nicer case mod would be something like this:
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=112813

I did the mod that xAMD mentions in #3. My computer now has a 3DMark05 score of 7328. It cost me $1700 total. This pricetag got me a 2.13GHz P-M, 2gigs RAM(from Newegg.com), and the go7800GTX.

If you're interested in the mod check this out:
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=113866

Oh, as a note. I would assume you would be able to put the 2.26GHz P-M into the I9300. You would just have to buy it from a third party source and install the M170 BIOS.

edit:
Just wanted to comment on two of the games you mentioned: Civ4 and WoW.

Civ4: Graphics is never gonna be an issue in terms of game slowdown. The graphics in Civ4 are pretty primitive. Any slowdown you'll see in game will be when you're playing a large map with a lot of civilizations and a lot of units. This slowdown will be CPU related and RAM related.

WoW: Slowdown in this game will be GPU related for the most part. Also, you'll get lag, but that's not really something caused by your computer, but your internet connection. With the go7800GTX in my I9300 I have every single setting in WoW turned on and maxed out. I also run it at 1920X1200 resolution. I get framerates in the mid 50's. The only time my FPS drops below that is if I go into ironforge between the mailbox and the AH. Then I get framerates in the 30's.

edit: Just wanted to note, I believe the I9300 and the M170 use the same lcd's. I bet though that they make sure that the lcd's being put into the XPS's have no light leakage or other defects whereas in the I9300 they could care less and just make sure the thing turns on. This is pure speculation though.

 

yeah, build quality is the same on both models. you can even make your 9300 look just like the xps!

 

Thanks all for replying....
kingjimmi, why did you do the upgrades? Is it you just wanted to or was the system lagging? etc.

Are the upgrades needed for the games i want to play. I can tell you this about civ4
I tried loading it on my Ibm T42 integrated graphics and it would lock up, etc... a ton.
wow on my t42 played just fine. I think it helped that i had 1.5gigs of memorry in it. I never really got lags... This is a dumb question but do you think that not having a gig nic would make it lag more? And would the I9300 play fear with out the upgrades.

 

I bought the I9300 with the intention of doing the upgrade. Actually, my go7800GTX came before my I9300 did. I installed the GPU immediately after turning on my I9300 and making sure it worked. So, I can't really tell you if the I9300 w/ the X300 lagged at all because I didn't use it at all. I planned on the upgrade because I wanted the best mobile GPU there was, but didn't want to pay the price of a Sager or M170. I specced out a Sager w/ the same configuration as my laptop and it ended up being ~$700 more. The M170 was almost double what I payed for my rig.

I'm fairly sure the I9300 w/ the go6800 would play F.E.A.R right out of the box. What I can tell you for a fact though is that the I9300 w/ the go7800GTX will play F.E.A.R a lot better than the stock one.

 

Well, the XPS is also expensive not only because it has superior build materials (mostly in the lid - the chassis and main casing is the same), but also because of the specialized support. The XPS' support is in America, and is superior to the regular Inspiron support, which is based in India. However, I think the Dell XPS M70 is overpriced compared to a Sager (The NP-5720 model) - Dell thinks they can charge more because of the flashy lights, service, etc. And, they can, because most consumers don't know about Sager, and Dell gets their word out there.

If you're looking at the XPS, you are better off with the Sager NP-5720 - however, you don't want to spend over $2k..

The Dell i9300 is also cheap, because Dell mass-produces them - 100's of thousands, so the cost per unit is very low. Hence, Dell is able to beat out competition. Sager's are more expensive - sometimes - and a lot of other notebooks like that because they aren't mass produced, and the cost per unit is higher. Also, labor is more expensive for Sagers, etc., because all the customization is done by hand, not a machine, and in the United States...not China, etc.

Here is the breakdown on GPU's:
The Go6800 256MB (Dell 9300) is about 32% faster than the X700 overall, and the Go7800GTX is about 50% faster than the Go6800. So, therefore, the Go7800GTX is 80% faster thant he MRX700.

The Dell 9300's quality is not bad - about average, maybe a little better. I would suggest going to Dell's website and search for a kiosk (Small dell store) in your area. That way, you can get hands on experience with the computer, which is always the best way to find if a notebook is right for you. And, if you can't find a kiosk, then see if you know anybody who has a Dell notebook - the i6000 would be an example of the Dell 9300's quality, since they share the same chassis and build material. Normally, there is one in a mall or shopping center.

The Dell 9300 is THE best gaming notebook you can get for your money - no question, and especially with the coupons. There are tons of users out there with the i9300 and very few complaints - tells me they have a good product on their hands.

If you are going for a smaller notebook, the HP dv4000 (or the Compaq V4000t -same thing) is one of your best options. Also, look into the MSI-1029 - RawPowerPC has it.

Cheers!
Chaz

 

Build quality? I'm gonna have to say Dell isn't really the best in the world. They use decent components, but the plastic cases they make are kinda cheap feeling. My I9300 came with a loose screw bouncing around the inside. This didn't really matter much as I took my laptop pretty much all the way apart when I did the GPU mod. I didn't find any screws missing, so I'm guessing whoever put my machine together dropped a screw into my machine. Then instead of fishing it out he/she decided to just leave it in there and use another screw. **** lazy techs.

 

Do you guys feel going from a 1.8 to a 2.13ghz processor is worth the money?

 

No - that's not worth the price. Once you go over 2.0GHz in a Pentium M, the price/performance ratio is greatly reduced. The best values in the Pentium M lineup are the 740 (1.73GHz) and the 750 (1.86GHz). There is approximately a 4.4% performance increase for every 130MHz jump in clockspeed - that is, overall system performance.

You are better off upgrading the RAM, and a 7200RPM hard drive will do more for your computers performance (except for math programs, etc.) than any other component, since the hard drive is 1000 times slower than the next-fastest component, which is RAM.

 

Depends on what you're doing. For me it's a big plus. I do a lot of work with mathematical modeling. Recreationally I use my computer for a lot of video encoding and compression and decompression stuff. These tasks peg my CPU load to 100%. This is pretty much the only time you'll see any noticeable difference in CPU speed. If you're doing tasks like web browsing mostly or other tasks that never completely utilize the CPU's power then you won't realize any benefits from a faster CPU.

In terms of gaming it depends on what GPU you finally decide on. If you do get the go7800GTX then I'd get the fastest CPU you can afford. This is because the go7800GTX is such a beast that the only time it'll slow down is when it is CPU limited. Otherwise, get the 1.8 CPU. Personally, I think the 2.0GHz processor is the sweet spot price/performance wise.

RAM is always a good place to put your cash into if you're not sure about which CPU you want.

 

Just referring to pricing, but the difference in price between the Pentium M CPU's is as follows, so you'll know if you are being overcharged (these are differences if you buy them bulk):
-740 to 750: $50
-740 to 760: $105

All the best,