Insp VS XPS

I ordered a 15.4 INSP a couple weeks ago and am waiting for it to be shipped.

Basically what I want to know is if there is a major difference in the two.

I noticed the XPS only has 2 screen choices in contrast to the 4 that the INSP offers. Also I noticed the 8400 128MB is only offered with the XPS and not the 256MB.

It will be used for light gaming, but bascially it will be for music and to be connected with everyone while I am at work or out of town.

I paid roughly 2 grand for my INSP with all my settings and would be only paying an extra $200 to order the XPS.

What do you think would be best for me?


I don't play many FPS but I am looking forward to playing WOW on the road and maybe Oblivion and waiting for SC2.

 

The xps will be more portable, how important is that to you?

 

XPS service is also much better.

 

Well it will always be with me. I know that it is a great portable machine.

I am not to worried about the weight or anything.

Just want to know about the performance.

INSP has a 256 nVidea card compared to XPS with only 128.
Always curious on the two different style screens for the XPS. Noone was able to help me at Dell in terms of comparing the different styles.

Any feedback comparing the two machines would be appreciated.


*EDIT*
Really looking for a review on the gaming capabilities. Or experience with gaming on the XPS. Will be searching the forums in the mean time. Thanks for all the help!

 

look in the forums for a video about someone playing FEAR on the m1330. ive never played FEAR but someone posted a link to a youtube video of it.

 

Lirette.....

XPS comparisons to any system lie in two major areas, build and support. As far as build goes, they are a much tighter machine, capable of bumps and dings that most are not. Those who have XPS laptops can confirm, theres a feel of comfort to them because they feel solid.

Yes, granted...you cant fit the 256 card in here (M1210 Im using and M1330 Im getting)...but, overall I think wou will find there are more options available. You need to move to the M1710XPS for that. Simply, there is only so much room in a laptop that you can get under 4 lbs.

Now for support, XPS support is untouchable. You have a problem, they send you a part or repair guy the next day and its fixed. There is no argument over the phone or worry that it wont be covered because it is.

I dont think, in fact I know, there is not a company out there with superior CS than XPS...thats a fact.

Then there all the throw ins...complete manuals which detail how to do upgrades yourself, XPS bags, complete disk sets and disk cases, headphones and so on.

Simply when you buy an XPS its like Christmas morning when you open the box.

The XPS experience is great....I dont miss the frustration of having to explain something and have it believed at all.

 

flamenko do you work for Dell?

 

No....its my experience...and I sit hear wit a M1210XPS that has been through 3 motherboards, 3 hard drives, 2 dvds and 2 batteries...that still squeals.

I understand the base of the problem and give them all the credit in the world for the extent they went to to fix it.

 

Wow thats quite alot of work on for 1 laptop, how long have you had it?

 

And if I worked for Dell...Ide have my M1330s below!!!!! Arghhhh!!!

 

Thanks so much for that Flamenko.

being a Canadian, the deals aren't as great on the INSP either.

Maybe it would be best to cancel and go for the XPS, I mean it will only be an extra couple hundred bucks and it could possibly ship faster!

Will the INSP perform any better in any categories?

BTW, I love Christmas morning!

 

Would I absolutely HAVE to upgrade the video card on my own?
Is the 128MB card offered sufficient for MMO's or RTS games? Current and Future?

 

You can't upgrade Video cards by yourself, with the exception of one Asus that I've heard of.

And here are some benchmark tests comparing the XPSM1330 and the Inspiron 1520. As you can see, they are very evenly mathced, with the 1520's 8600mGT giving it a slight advantage in some areas. My guess is that the XPS card will handle MMO and RTS games (current and future) just fine. However, if i were you, I'd stick with the Inspiron 1520. I have mine, and I couldn't ask for a better machine.

Super Pi comparison results:

Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300) 0m 59s
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300) 0m 58s

PCMark05 comparison results:

Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 4,616 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 4,591 PCMarks

3DMark05 comparison results:

Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 5,348 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 3,116 3DMarks

3DMark06 comparison results:

Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 2,905 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,408 3DMarks

 

Yah you're right. They do look very similiar.

That's what I figured, the INSP had a slight advantage but nothing major.

Just seems that the XPS is marketed as a power machine but it isn't really that much more poerful then the INSP.

Just easier on your back!

 

Just remember this:

With that said, I still think you'd be hard pressed to find a huge difference between the machines. I'd still go with the 1520.

 

The 8600M GT in the 1520 is quite a bit better than the 8400M GS in the XPS. With that being said the 8400M GS can do casual gaming just fine.

 

For MMO and RTS games like he's talking about, the difference is unimportant, right?

 

Why wouldn't it be important? He'll get better performance in any type of game with the 8600gt.

 

Well, I realized my mistake in saying that. What I meant is, once you break 60FPS on max settings for a game, the difference in performance (if both cards can reach this point) is unimportant. Stupid me, I see MMO and RTS and I immediately think Blizzard.

I was trying to say that generally its the FPS and RPG games that put more strain on notebook systems.

However, before I finished putting that in, I remembered games like C&C and the soon to be released Age of Conan. At this moment, I'm eating my own words.

 

Comparing a 13.3" flagship model to a 15" standard mainstream consumer model is far from an apples to apples comparison, they cater to different audiences, small form factor/thin and light notebooks will generally fetch a price premium, bottom line, if portability is a priority, look towards thew 1330, if power/gaming is higher on the list, go with the 1520.

 

I don't think that's completely fair. The XPS M1330 is marketed as a gaming notebook to a fair extent.

Right now, we're comparing whether the portability of the M1330 is worth the drop off in gaming performance as compared to the 1520, as it seems both of them will meet Lirette's needs.

 

The 1330 is being marketed as the most powerful thinnest 13.3" laptop on the market, from what I've seen its a fairly capable gaming machine (though its gaming lifespan will most likely be very short lived), but it is limited by its size, and its audience target is not the gaming crowd, its more of the flashy new bling bling look at what I've got and you dont crowd. Someone looking for a machine primarily for gaming really wouldnt want anything less than an 8500.

Thus far the best overall deal I've seen is the V1400, I posted a link to it in this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=152746 , thats a lot of machine for the money, shame it expires tonight.

 

Thanks so much for all your responses. I am extremly grateful that you have taken some time to answer my question.

You got it right theTORCH. That's exactly what I am wondering. The XPS is certainly marketed in a portable gaming power-on-the-go notebook. Especially in Canada, the brochures hype it like no other.

Judging by what you guys have said about the two, I am pretty convinced to stay with the INSP. The video card is a little better and as Iceman has said the XPS may not last as long.