Hey, first post. Probably not the most positive post around, but I'm a cynic - so whatever.
So, I ordered an XPS M1530 with the following specs:
1 223-5874 XPS M1530, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9500 (2.6GHz/800MHzFSB, 6M L2 Cache) $1593.28
1 313-6441 Midnight Blue Casing With Microsatin Finish XPS M1530 $0.00
1 311-7823 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm, for XPS M1530 $0.00
1 320-6693 15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ TrueLife LED LCD with Camera for XPS M1530 $0.00
1 320-6082 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT $0.00
1 341-5632 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive for XPS M1530
Total after taxes and 25% discount: $1,731.72
I don't know if for what I'm paying I got a good deal, so I'm hoping some of you can provide your input so I can either cancel and resubmit an order. But because the 25% deal ended today/tomorrow, I figured I would go ahead with my order anyway, just in case.
In reality, the specs I opted for well exceed what I intend to use the laptop for, but I would rather have it do everything I want it to do now and more in the future should I ever have anymore CPU or graphic intensive things I want to do. I'll pretty much be doing my word processing, watching movies, playing games, and a decent amount of work in Photoshop. My primary concern is, for what I'm buying, am I paying a fair price or have others of you gotten better deals? Was opting for the T9500 a bad choice, as I see a lot of people opted for the T9300. (Perhaps because of the significant differences in price from the T9300 and the T9500.
This probably seems really long winded and confusing, but basically, is what I'm getting good enough to do everything I want to do and more should I ever want/need to? Is the price I paid worth it (including the 25% discount)? Can I expect to have my system delivered by the estimated delivery date? Has anyone else experienced problems with similar builds to mine?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long winded post.
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hi,
my specs are in my sig, and I have paid 1250USD total, shipping for free, tax included. Compare for yourself if you are paying too much. The thing with modern hitech it technology is that it is obviously pricy. It is very probable, that you will by no means be able to recognize the difference between not only T9500 and T9300, but even between T9300 and T8300 CPU. so there is really no point in putting all that money to a greaet CPU. mine is running so fast I have never imaginedits true that I use my laptop as music/video player, but I play games a lot too, and I can run everything there is to play nowadays. Besides Crysis, I can play everything (even assassins creed) on hig res. so no problem with the performace whatsoever.
4GB Ram is a good thing and I would go with less (of course it requires 64bit OS to use it fully). There is no major performace difference between 3GB and 4GB RAM, but it is noticable.
dont rush it. it took me a good 6 weeks to wait for and get a good deal. There is a lot of coupons and sales going on all the time, just wait for the one you will like. but 25% isnt anything special. See slickdeal forums, you can see about the sales for yourself.
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rep the people that help you...thanks -
T9500 is a bit much, but you might as well if you ever think you'll need it. Buying 4GB from Dell was . . . well, see the RAM Deals thread and you'll notice that you got ripped off there. Screen is a bit low for the price too, but its your preference that matters and not mine (I prefer WSXGA+ on a 15.4" machine).
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The T9500 seems to be overkill for your needs. You should probably go with a T8300.
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this is what i would do...
SYSTEM COLOR Tuxedo Black
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB, 6MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
LCD AND CAMERA High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1440x900) & 2MP Camera
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
HARD DRIVE Size: 250GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
VIDEO CARD 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
WIRELESS CARDS Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
BLUETOOTH AND WIRELESS USB Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0+Enhanced Data Rate)
BATTERY OPTIONS 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
FINGERPRINT SCANNER Finger Print Reader XPS M1530
total (after taxes and 25% discount): $1,334.02 -
Thanks for all the input so far. So I'm now opting to cancel the order and get a T9300, that being said, my other concern has to do with the screen. I'm more of a matte person myself over gloss, but the LED option is really something I love, however my concerns are based on the resolution, 1440x900... many people prefer the LED even with that resolution, whereas others prefer something that provides them with a bit more work space. Any thoughts? I do intend to do a lot of word processing, image editing/graphic design, watch plenty of movies etc. so which would be the better option for me?
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i have a 21'' monitor that goes up to 1440x???? (i forget the other dimension, it's widescreen though) that i would be hooking my laptop up to if im at my desk. i personally would get a 1440x900 res monitor because i do not think i would want anything higher. everything would be too small in my opinion, especially on a laptop. as for the LED option, you can add $100 into the spec i posted above and it will still be cheaper than what you already purchased
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to be honest I got WXGA+, 1440x900. I was hesitating between this and WSXGA. But when I got my computer for the first time, and started it, I was shocked how small the font was. My eyes are perfect, I have the best eyesight among my friends and family, but this was a shock. it was far from anything that could be called "pleasant workspace". The space itself is great, you can move windows around a lot....that is really good even with my resolution. obviously would be better with higher. but I am more than happy. all of the games I have met so far have 1440x900 option so there is no problem with this too..... plus I had to increase my DPI to 115% to have a comfortable and readable size of fonts on the screen.
however, this is my opinion and my experience!! the best way for you to find out would be to go to some store and see some 15,4 screens in different resolutions for yourself. Resolution of a screen is really a matter of preference, and since there is no right or wrong in general, noone on any forum will be able to tell you more....i guess -
I paid just over $1700 for my XPS M1530 - only major differences being T8300 and the 1920x1200 WUXGA for me.
I didn't feel like the difference in T9300/9500 compared to the T8300 would be enough for me to notice. That said, I would've got it if it kept it under $1800...
Ordered a M1530 - Now Having Concerns
Discussion in 'Dell' started by nushi, May 27, 2008.