Dell XPS M1530

[Nabobalis]

So, I need a laptop and I decided to go for a Dell XPS M1530.

I configureed this system on their website for about ?683

Base      Intel? Core? 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.10 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache)
Microsoft Operating System     Genuine Windows Vista? Home Premium SP1- English
Memory     4096MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
Keyboard     Uk/Irish Internal Keyboard (QWERTY)
Video Card     NVIDIA? GeForce? Go 8600M GT with 256MB dedicated graphic memory
Hard Drive     320GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Modem     No Modem
Optical Devices     Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load drive, including SW
Wireless Networking     Intel? Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-Card - Europe - Core 2 Duo Processors
Shipping Documents     English Documentation with English/Irish Power Cord - 3 PIN
Gedis Bundle Reference     N01X5303
Microsoft Application Software     Microsoft? Works 9.0 / English - (Does not include Microsoft? Word)
Standard Warranty     1Yr XPS Premium Warranty Support - Priority Call In and Onsite Support
Enhanced Service Packs     1Yr XPS Premium Warranty Support - Priority Call In and Onsite Support
Protect your new PC     No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English
Power Supply     AC Adapter 90W - 3 Pin
Mobile Broadband ? High-speed wireless connectivity wherever you are     No Mobile Broadband Selected
Bluetooth     Dell? Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate - Eur
Order Information     Inspiron Order - UK
Primary Battery     Primary 9-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (85 WHr)
Carrying Cases     No Carry Case
Biometric Identification     Biometric Fingerprint Reader with BLACK accent
Dell System Media Kit     Resource DVD - (Diagnostics & Drivers)
Colour Choice     2.0 mega pixel Camera & Midnight Blue for CCFL Display
Accidental Damage Support     No Accidental Damage Support
Online Backup     DataSafe Online Backup 2GB
TV Tuner and Remote Control     Dell? Travel Remote Control
Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs     Dell Internet Order
LCD     15.4" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife?

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Bakurei]

For gaming? Editing? Or just browsing?

My friend has a laptop pretty much like yours, except his processor is a bit worse. He could run WoW:BC with most of the settings low/medium with 10-50fps. From what I have learned when buying a laptop for gaming, the performance will be shit... Before my friend bought that laptop we did some research and came to the conclusion that the laptop should run Bioshock with everything maxed and wow too, oh boy wasn't that a huge pile of crap. Seems like people with laptops never really measure the real fps, they just say some random number and since they've gotten used to the shitty frame rates they'll up it by 5000% :E

 

[kazsymonds]

I have a similar spec and i get 103930329023fps on crysis!

Seriously though, i have an inspiron 1520 with exactly the same spec as that, appart from i have a T7250.

I wouldn't really recommend it for gaming, the 8600m gt isn't really up to it to be honest. It runs Bioshock on the lowest settings at 30-40 fps, but what kind of gaming is that?

Team fortress 2 @ 1024 x 768 and lowest settings on all graphics gives ~40fps constant.

Also bioshock crashed at the end of every level (looping sound crash) and team fortress 2 does that at random times, usually every 2 hours or so.

Bit of a rip off really, they sell the xps machines as gaming, but they aren't REALLY up to it.

Everything else with the laptop is cool, vista runs like a dream, no crashes, no compatability problems, no driver issues.

Let me know if you want to know anything else.

 

[Nabobalis]

The idea behind the laptop wasn't gaming as I have a PC for that, I just want a semi decent laptop that will last me a while and maybe play a few games.

But does anyone know if the processor is one of the Penryn CPUS/new 45 Express chipset?

Or if the screen upgrade from WXGA (1280x800) to WXGA+ (1440x900) is worth it?

Also if the Intel N wireless card is worth the extra money on it compared to the dell one?

 

[kazsymonds]

The idea behind the laptop wasn't gaming as I have a PC for that, I just want a semi decent laptop that will last me a while and maybe play a few games.

But does anyone know if the processor is one of the Penryn CPUS/new 45 Express chipset?

Or if the screen upgrade from WXGA (1280x800) to WXGA+ (1440x900) is worth it?

Also if the Intel N wireless card is worth the extra money on it compared to the dell one?

Then it will be fine mate, i just keep TF2 on mine if i want to game when i cant access the TV.

As far as i know penryn = 3mb cache, santa rosa = 4mb cache.

How much extra is the n-card? Do you have an N router? Personally i think you will be on a different laptop by the time 802.11g is obselete.

How much extra is the 1440x900? I think i'd like mine in a slightly higher resolution to be honest, so as long as it's not much i'd do it.

 

[Nabobalis]

Then it will be fine mate, i just keep TF2 on mine if i want to game when i cant access the TV.

As far as i know penryn = 3mb cache, santa rosa = 4mb cache.

How much extra is the n-card? Do you have an N router? Personally i think you will be on a different laptop by the time 802.11g is obselete.

How much extra is the 1440x900? I think i'd like mine in a slightly higher resolution to be honest, so as long as it's not much i'd do it.

Both cost about ?30.

I doubt they carry the new centrino 2? I heard no word that they do

Plus the 10% coupon ends tomorrow

 

[Laivasse]

A big mistake some people make when buying a gaming laptop is in assuming that a mobile GPU will perform anything like the desktop GPU it's named after. An 8600m GT, for example, is nothing like a standard 8600GT.

If you're looking to do much gaming on that system you might be disappointed. Fairly undemanding stuff might be no problem, eg. most Source games, as long as you don't go overboard on the settings. But more recent/demanding games would probably be a no go.

Nevertheless ?683 doesn't seem bad at all for what you're getting there (especially considering UK prices in general). Before you commit, you might want to check some Sager models. Unfortunately the only UK reseller I know of is Kobalt, who jack up the prices something monstrous in keeping with Great British tradition. If it is possible for you to buy from a US site, you could get direct from Sager or check the prices at XoticPC or PowerNotebooks.

You will be paying a lot more... That's the drawback. The plus is that if you do have the money to burn, and you are looking for a gaming laptop, you will get something that is actually fit for purpose as opposed to something which might fall significantly short. While I was in the US, I paid the equivalent of something like ?1500 for a Sager NP5796 with an intel C2DE [email protected] and 9800m GT (I could have paid a few hundred less if I hadn't gone for such overkill on the processor, but never mind...). It runs GTA4 at 30-ish FPS (according to the built-in benchmark) with medium textures and sliders set to 30's-50's, which is very respectable considering that I haven't seen anyone other than quadcore owners report over 45FPS on that game.

The more performance you ask from a laptop, the more you will compromise on battery life, size and weight. The high price therefore means that you need to consider if a gaming lappy really suits your needs; it suits mine because I'm in a situation where I essentially change residences every few months, but I don't travel much otherwise.

If you aren't bothered that much about gaming, I might suggest that you knock out the 8600m GT or get a whole different model altogether so you'd be paying even less than 680 quid.


EDIT: Damn, I had this page open for ages before I responded, looks like everyone beat me to the punch. Most of the stuff I said is kind of redundant now.
(T8100 is a Penryn AFAIK, but a lower end model. Higher end Penryns like the T9xxx have a 6Mb L2 cache)

 

[kazsymonds]

Both cost about ?30.

I doubt they carry the new centrino 2? I heard no word that they do

Plus the 10% coupon ends tomorrow

Your spec says 3mb cache, therefore penryn.

It's personal preference, i'd prefer as high a resolution as possible so i'd take the screen upgrade, but i wouldn't buy an N router when they are expensive and my G works fine even for streaming HD video over my lan.

 

[Nabobalis]

A big mistake some people make when buying a gaming laptop is in assuming that a mobile GPU will perform anything like the desktop GPU it's named after. An 8600m GT, for example, is nothing like a standard 8600GT.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but the fact that you have chucked in an 8600m GT tells me that you want to game on that laptop. If you're looking to do much gaming on that system you might be disappointed. Fairly undemanding stuff might be no problem, eg. most Source games, as long as you don't go overboard on the settings. But more recent/demanding games would probably be a no go.

Nevertheless ?683 doesn't seem bad at all for what you're getting there (especially considering UK prices in general). Before you commit, you might want to check some Sager models. Unfortunately the only UK reseller I know of is Kobalt, who jack up the prices something monstrous in keeping with Great British tradition. If it is possible for you to buy from a US site, you could get direct from Sager or check the prices at XoticPC or PowerNotebooks.

You will be paying a lot more... That's the drawback. The plus is that if you do have the money to burn, and you are looking for a gaming laptop, you will get something that is actually fit for purpose as opposed to something which might fall significantly short. While I was in the US, I paid the equivalent of something like ?1500 for a Sager NP5796 with an intel C2DE [email protected] and 9800m GT (I could have paid a few hundred less if I hadn't gone for such overkill on the processor, but never mind...). It runs GTA4 at 30-ish FPS (according to the built-in benchmark) with medium textures and sliders set to 30's-50's, which is very respectable considering that I haven't seen anyone other than quadcore owners report over 45FPS on that game.

The more performance you ask from a laptop, the more you will compromise on battery life, size and weight. The high price therefore means that you need to consider if a gaming lappy really suits your needs; it suits mine because I'm in a situation where I essentially change residences every few months, but I don't travel much otherwise.

If you aren't bothered that much about gaming, I might suggest that you knock out the 8600m GT or get a whole different model altogether so you'd be paying even less than 680 quid.

The 8600m GT came fixed when I was playing around with the website.
There was two models one for ?649 and one for ?699 and the one for ?50 more and one GB of ram more, a 320BG HDD instead of the 250GB HDD.

It seems that you cannot select a lesser GPU on the models that are premade at the bottom of the website.

But how about theSony VAIO VGN-FW11E for ?520 I think.

 

[Laivasse]

This thread might be useful to you then. I don't know enough about either to make a judgement myself, although I believe the Mobility HD3470 would be significantly less capable than the 8600m GT.

(Notebookreview is a good place in general to research your purchase if you haven't asked around there already)

EDIT: This thread and this thread too, about the FW11E.