[Review] Dell XPS M1530

Dartz

Y'always hear from the complainers, and never from the satisfied customers.. so here goes.

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Anyway, My old Toshiba L10 Satellite started to die, and it needed to be replaced. I'd basically been using this thing daily for three years, lugging it to college and back in my backpack, spilling stuff on it, and generally using and abusing it. And the grand old thing took everything in it's stride..

But it was showing it's age...

So basically, I needed a laptop that was robust enough to be daily portable. Powerful enough to last for at least three years and still be relevant. I wasn't too bothered with style, or anything like that. I also wanted something that was more than capable of doing anything I needed it to... from work presentations, to DvD's to a spot of Gaming. I also had a budget of €1500 or thereabouts.

I wanted the best of all worlds.

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What I bought:
Basic Specs
Dell XPS M1530
Intel T9300 2.5GHz, 6mb L2 cache @ 800MHz
4Gb of RAM @ 667MHz
320GB HDD @ 5400 RPM
Nvidia Geforce Go-8600M GT 256MB GDDR3
Windows Vista Home Premium
8x DvDrw drive

Features:
15 inch 1440x900 screen
Fingerprint reader
Remote Control
2MP Webcam
Bluetooth
Intel Wireless (Draft spec... I can't find)
McAfee internet security preinstalled

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So, I hate ordering things off the web, but Dells own website made it pretty painless. They acknowledged the order and processed it within 2 hours. The laptop was built on the next working day and shipped. After Three working days, it was on my doorstep and in one piece. That really impressed me.

Some might say that if you drop 1440 Euro on a laptop, you're going to kid yourself into being impressed with it anyway, but...
The XPS itself feels like a premium product. In the box, there's a number of reinstall disks, not just a recovery partition on the HDD like some other manufacturers. Everything from the OS, to drivers to utilities. The laptop itself is well buttoned together. Nothing feels loose or plasticky, and there's little or no flex in the chassis or keyboard, it's clearly built on top of a sturdy metal chassis.

The brushed aluminium palmrest is nice, and media buttons above the keyboard are a nice touch. The plastic-suede like finish on the lid is interesting without being gaudy, It's very grown up. The lid doesn't flex too much, nothing rattles inside, and in two months of use nothing has dropped off.

Style wise, it looks classy. It's not as obvious about trying stylish and arty as a Mac... it just looks nice. Its understated enough that you can open it anywere, and it doesn't look out of place. Not the plasticky bargain basement Dells of old. It's a bit like a Ford Mondeo Zetec, or a Volkswagen Phaeton.

Performance. It's got grunt. What else can be said? It runs Vista quite happily. With XPS, you get what you pay for alright, and if you spec it up you can get som serious power. This laptop is more powerful than the year old desktop we have at home. I use simulation software in the job, and it runs it nearly twice as fast as the P4 Optiplexes we have, even though the software is single thread based and only uses the one core.

Gaming wise... it'll play most things modern at decent settings. DDR3 memory in the Geforce gives it some poke. Good God it runs hot as hell though. It actually runs hot enough to warp pieces of the trim if you're loading the graphics card, especially in the area directly above the fan. It's not cooked itself, and seems to be normal for the model, but it is noticeable. It doesn't help that the fan is pretty loud.

Sound. It's okay. Clear and crisp, if a bit tinny. Touch sensitive volume buttons are effective, if a little slow. It can output 5.1 sound from the 2 headphones and 1 microphone Jack, but this needs to be configured in software.

Screen. A higher resolution than my LCD TV, but goddamn that glossy finish is annoying sometimes. If there's a light behind you, it reflects of the screen, and you really have to use the highest brightness setting, even indoors. It marks easily, and the marks are made even more obvious by the gloss. It streaks when you try wipe it. It's just irritating.

Connections:
HDMI
VGA
3xUSB2.0
i394
S-video
Ethernet

A good selection, even if two of the USB ports are stacked close enough to interfere with each other with certain hardware. The XPS has no modem connection or serial port, which was annoying, as some equipment in the job needs it. It's an entertainment laptop, not a work machine.


Windows Vista: It's Windows Vista... but throw enough memory at it and it behaves. It runs fine. Dell will give you a rebate if you uninstall, as you are entitled to legally.

Linux:
Dell do provide Linux support, but don't offer Linux in Ireland. The drivers for everything exist, and nearly everything worked first time. Except for the touchpad. Being an Alps touchpad, the Synaptics driver just caused it to go haywire. Eventually I found a fix, but it was annoying as hell. but it's prett y common hardware otherwise, and gives me no problems,


The DvD drive. It's a slot loading drive, with no manual release. If something gets stuck in it, there's no way to manually open it. Also, it can't take the small form CD's and DvD's that some manufacturers love to send their drivers on. It's not even replaceable. There is a blu-ray option, but it's so expensive it's not worth it.

The pwer cord is annoyingly short, and just has a tendancy to stretch tight and try drag the laptop off the table when anybody or anything trips over it... which is pretty much guaranteed. For such a pricy laptop, the least they can do is give us a decent power cord.

What I really hate though... and it's such a minor thing, it's stupid that it's even frustrating.... What I really hate is how goddamned difficult this thing is to keep clean. The screen, the palmrest, the lid, the trim.. even the speaker grills and touchbuttons show the slightest dirt and fingerprints. It marks so easily and is such a pain to keep clean.

My old IBM is battered and manky, but looks fine... the XPS looks like **** with just fingerprints on it.

And finally, it's a Dell. For some people that will be the killer. There's a lot of Dell haters out there.. and I've been asked 'Why didn't you buy an Alienware/HP/Mac/Lenovo for that money? (Actually, why didn't I buy a Lenovo?) The fact is, the XPS is a bit like the Volkswagon Phaeton... A good top-spec luxury car... but still just a Volkswagen.

But, am I happy?
Do I think I got something good for my 1500 Euro?

On the whole, Yes.

Would I recommend one?
If it's what you're looking for, definitely. It's a good laptop. For me, it strikes just the right balance between power, price, useability and portability. And it's 800 quid cheaper than a similar Mac

Some pictures:
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m57/Dartz_IRL/15072008.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m57/Dartz_IRL/15072008005.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m57/Dartz_IRL/15072008004.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m57/Dartz_IRL/15072008003.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m57/Dartz_IRL/15072008002.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m57/Dartz_IRL/15072008001.jpg

BostonB

You won't like this....
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/09/nvidia-g84-g86-bad

Dartz

BostonB wrote: »

You won't like this....
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/09/nvidia-g84-g86-bad

I've seen stuff like that...

It does run hot under load, but seems otherwise fine. I've heard about it being a chipset related thing. The fan is pretty big,a does run a lot, it dumps it's heat well, so long as you don't block the vent.

It is not really worse than the L10 was when you really gave the processor some welly, or the IBM I'm typing on... It's just noticeable.

Voodu Child

Yeah, they are a great laptop indeed, and they've sold very well apparently. I havent had any problems with mine thus far.

BostonB

I think its meant to fail over time. The more its used he quicker it will fail. Only heard about it recently. I was surprised it wasn't a bigger news story tbh.

Dartz

I gathered that... Might be a shorter mean time before failure... or more defective units dying in the early phase of life. The fact that it's not so big of a news story makes me think it's just a load of smoke..

8600/8400 chips are one of the most common laptop chips around at this time...I think... so there's bound to be more of them failing, if there's more of them in the market.

The dissatisfied customers are usually the ones that are the loudest. The satisfied ones are usually quietly sitting there getting on with using it. That said, the failures do seem to mention the 1330 version a lot more than the 1530... Which is to be expected, given the smaller size of the 1330.

If anything, the 1530's HDD is what usually goes. There's a hotspot on the chassis right beside it, especially if it's doing a lot of read/write stuff. After a 4hour defrag, the hottest part of it is the chassis around the HDD.

I've used it daily... and then some... for the last two months and it's holding up pretty good. I tend to be quite hard on equipment, and it's lasting fine. It's probably past, or close to being past the initial 'youth' period of failure.

DracusWolf

Hi All,

I got a HP Pavillion dv2799ea(i love it ) there about 4 months back. Uses the 8400M chip. Cant say i have had the heat problem, i thought it actually ran quite cool. The HD was the only hot spot. The article mentioned HP was one of the main companies to have got the hit, but mabe i'm lucky. Granted i have not played many games on it or for a long periods(Use my desktop for that).

The battery on it sucks by the way.

Hopefully it'll either die under warrenty or run for the next 2 years fine. Here's hopin.

I considered the Dell 1530, they do look very nice but saw the Hp one and fell in love straight away:) .

Has anybody got the HP laptop?? If so what did you think?

fifth

I just ordered pretty much the same laptop.. cept with 2.4ghz processor.. Looking forward to it..

LolaDub

Dartz really nice to hear you're happy with your xps, i have a m1330 and pretty much everything is broken on it. So many people recommended an xps to me and i have never heard someone as happy as you are with it. I was wondering if it was recommended to me as a joke. Its 4/5 months old the screen, the motherboard and the charging unit have had to be replaced, now the dvd drive, mousepad and webcam are broken and the computer is extremely hot. I have no problem being vocal about this as i have given dell more than enough opportunities to sort it out and their customer service has been abismal. Hopefully i will get a glimpse soon into what everyone actually likes about this laptop and will be able to chalk it down to bad luck.

Dartz

funkyflea wrote: »

I just ordered pretty much the same laptop.. cept with 2.4ghz processor.. Looking forward to it..

1530 does seem to last a bit better alright. Just don't block the fan with your knee when you're using it on your lap. I wonder if this isn't the reason so many XPS are cooking off...

CPU temp's average 50 degrees or so idling on mine.

Anyway, I really amn't bothered by this. If it goes, it goes.

Burago

Sorry for bumping such an old thread but this is probably the best XPS M1530 one going. I'm in the market to buy one of these myself but am really concerned about the screen. I was under the impression that you could specify an LCD display but this isn't the case.

I work in Photoshop a lot so idealy I need a bright high-res matt display. They have an 1920x1200 option, is this too high for use on a 15'4 inch screen? It's not very clear if this is a matte or gloss screen either.

Dartz

They're all gloss screens.... and the one I have isnt too bright either... so it can be a pain to read in low light. It's actually pretty good for viewing videos, and colours really do look good on it...

But I really dont like the gloss myself. It marks too easily...

LolaDub

Would agree with you there dartz, it marks too easily and its such a dust catcher. The cloth you get with it is good enough at cleaning it though. My main peeve on the new one is the speakers aren't very loud

Oafley Jones

Burago wrote: »

Sorry for bumping such an old thread but this is probably the best XPS M1530 one going. I'm in the market to buy one of these myself but am really concerned about the screen. I was under the impression that you could specify an LCD display but this isn't the case.

I work in Photoshop a lot so idealy I need a bright high-res matt display. They have an 1920x1200 option, is this too high for use on a 15'4 inch screen? It's not very clear if this is a matte or gloss screen either.

The 1530 replacement, the XPS 16, is due next month and might be worth waiting for. As the name suggests it's a 16inch panel, but there's meant to be a load of options (e.g. RGB LED panel, non glossy etc) for the screen.

Burago

You're probably right, I intend to buy a laptop before Christmas so could hold out. According to that link they XPS 16 is part of the studio range which will come in under the XPS line.

An Fear Aniar

Dell actually ship Ubuntu Linux pre-loaded, but not in Ireland just yet.

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

BostonB

Burago wrote: »

....I work in Photoshop a lot so idealy I need a bright high-res matt display. They have an 1920x1200 option, is this too high for use on a 15'4 inch screen? It's not very clear if this is a matte or gloss screen either.

I like the screen area you get on 1 17" 1920x1200 for graphics/photoshop work

BostonB

I'm wondering what they'll do about the Nvida problem.

Headshot

i have the exact spec as you have dartz but i got it for 800 euro

dell outlet

i play crysis and spore no bother on it

and never had the problem with it

Dartz

How do people stand those Widescreens though? 15 inch is really as wide as I want to get. Sure they're good for movies but it can be a pain to view some websites, having to track text across the screen when reading. The things actually give me headaches... I prefer a slightly taller screen to be able to read documents and webpages better.. not these oversized letterbox's.

15 inches is really the maximum I can see and use at a comfortable arms reach.... 16 and 17 inches are way to big for daily use...

Oafley Jones

Burago wrote: »

You're probably right, I intend to buy a laptop before Christmas so could hold out. According to that link they XPS 16 is part of the studio range which will come in under the XPS line.

Engadget seems to think that, but I've a feeling that these will be the top of the range systems. Can't see them putting a 16 inch panel into anything other than their best machines. The powerpoint slides from Dell don't suggest any other replacement for the 1530.

BostonB

Dartz wrote: »

How do people stand those Widescreens though? 15 inch is really as wide as I want to get. Sure they're good for movies but it can be a pain to view some websites, having to track text across the screen when reading. The things actually give me headaches... I prefer a slightly taller screen to be able to read documents and webpages better.. not these oversized letterbox's.

15 inches is really the maximum I can see and use at a comfortable arms reach.... 16 and 17 inches are way to big for daily use...

That makes no sense to me. A bigger screen with a higher resolution shows more of the website than a smaller one. With widescreen all it means is you get bigger empty margins on either side. If you don't like reading a long line of text, all you have to do is resize the application windows and narrow it, and/or increase the text size. You'll still see more than a smaller screen because the height of the screen and thus you see more of the length of the website.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aspect_Ratios_and_Resolutions.svg


Also you can see more of the website in context
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Widescreen_wikipedia.png

Dartz

Ah... I'm just being picky. I'm used to more square screens, and just happen to prefer them. Some people like marmite, others dont. Still though, the gloss is a pain in the hole if you want to actually get some work done. It looks good in the right circumstances... but can be almost unuseable in the wrong ones.

I wonder if anybody sells Matte stick-on screen covers?

BostonB

Fair enough.

I think it depends on the specific glossy screen. I've seen some that are bad for reflection, and some aren't. Some are bad outside in daylight but ok inside. A lot of offices are over bright which doesn't help either. My current laptops have glossy screens, and I haven't had any problems with reflections except outside on a bright day.

Dartz

Thing is, you need a bright backlight for it to work... and on anything but the brightest settings it can be hard to read a glossy screen.... especially on the Dell (topic nod)... in strong ambient light. It's the brightness of the backlight that determines that. The newer LED based screens tend to be better than the older style ones....

While it wouldnt outright put me off buying a laptop now... it certainly is something I would prefer not to have.

BostonB

I would say thats not a problem specific to Dell. After all the screens that are in Dells are not made by Dell, they are made by other companies who sell them to all the Laptop companies. You might get different makes of screen in the exact same model of laptop. Indeed on the notebookforums.com they seem to know all about the various screens, the specs and which ones are better than other. If they get a laptop with the wrong screen they return it until they luck out and get the specific one they want.

Personally I prefer a bright screen and bright colours. If I'm looking at them in a shop I'd generally whack them up to the brightest setting, or close to it just to see what they are like. Even then some aren't bright enough for me.

Quigs Snr

You can get good deals on these XPS 1530's on the outlet. I got this one earlier in the week for 857 euro (thats the total price including tax and delivery) on the outlet.

Specs:

All the usual stuff...

Core 2 Duo 2.5ghz
4GB RAM
8600GT
320GB HB
1280*800 screen
Vista Ultimate
Matt Black color.

Not bad, please enough with it although I am not enjoying windows vista, sure it's pretty but its annoying.

Plambey

i'm feelin this thread, hope to add to it in the coming weeks when my xps m1530 arrives!