My current compared to today's

cormie

Have been toying with the idea of a new laptop recently. It's not something I badly need but seeing my current laptop struggle with a few things lately is making me consider it.

My current laptop is:

V1500 CORE 2 DUO T5470 1.60GHz,800,2M 1
Vostro 1500 15.4 WXGA+ True Life 1
Vostro 1500 Black cover Camera 1
Free Memory upgrade from 1024GB to 2048GB 667MHZ 1
Save Euro 110 Ex Vat 1
English Documentation Vostro 1500 1
1500 Ship Accessories UK 1
Vostro Resource DVD - (Diagnostics & Drivers) 1
2048 MB 667 MHz Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x 1024 MB) 1
Hard Drive 160GB Serial ATA (5400RPM) 1
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive 1
90W AC Adapter - 2 wire 1
Primary 6-cell 56WHr Li-Ion Battery 1
Not Included Carry Case 1
256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 1
Irish/Spanish Modem Cable and Adapter Internal V.92 Data, Fax, Voice Functions 1
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCI Card EUR 1
UK/Irish - (QWERTY) - Internal Keyboard 1
Software Drivers Vostro 1500

It's absolutely fine for my every day tasks, but just wondering, out of curiosity sake, how much better are today's laptops? I don't need an absolute power machine, as I said, the above is absolutely fine for 99% of what I do on my laptop, but I may consider something if it's a lot better than the above at a reasonable price. Definitely want to keep it at 15.4 screen, even 15.6 is too big I think and anything smaller is too small. 15.4 has been perfect.

Would love if there was an illuminated keyboard and even better would be a keyboard that crumbs and stuff can't get under

Would be looking for minimum 500gb hard drive and nothing to be worse or omitted from the above either.

Budget is limited but in that I'm not prepared to spend a ridiculous amount just to get the best, but willing to spend a decent amount to get a really good deal that's much better than what I already have and will last me another 5 or so years with advances in technology (I've had my current one for about 4/5 years now and only noticing it's age the last few months).

Jaafa

You can get one these days for say 400, that would be at least 20% faster based on your usage. If you game or anything like that you can get significantly faster performance (+ 50% ) for only a little more.

All in all I think with those specs an upgrade is due, within the next 6 months tops.

partyatmygaff

Your best bet would be something like a Vostro 3350, 3450, 3550 or 3555. Great value for money.


Take for example a Vostro 3550. For €569 ex VAT you can get the following spec...

i5-2430M CPU
4GB RAM
500GB 7200RPM HDD
ATI 6630M 1GB Graphics
Mostly aluminium chassis
Pretty good battery life if you get a 9 cell
Spill-resistant backlit keyboard

The i5-2430M will see you through for quite a few years before becoming obsolete and the inclusion of a dedicated 6630M means that you can play fairly modern games at medium-high if you were ever so inclined.



There's a €50 off voucher too. The code is: C35RZZNMDCXC2X

cormie

Thanks for the replies folks

I'd actually be willing to spend a little more if it will do me for another few years. Just as long as I'd be getting technology that won't be obsolete in 6 years or so. Just thinking about it a bit more, I reckon my own laptop at the moment is still good for another year at least. The problem with me getting something new, is I customise it so much, little tweaks here and there, custom settings on programs, all done in an OCD type way, that it takes me days to set it up properly so the thought of migrating to a new system is quite daunting.

There doesn't seem to be any 15.4 Vostro's anymore? Or latitudes even by the looks of things! I think 15.4 is just right for me. The keyboard looks nice on that vostro, wonder how spill friendly it really is though. Would crumbs and liquids mess it up? Would ideally like a silicone type keyboard that's all one piece, no nooks and crannies.

Finger print scanner, I heard they can be easily tampered with and not worth their salt.

I'm also keen on just using basic functions, I wouldn't be going near any dell software of "features" on the laptop itself.

cormie

Been considering this a little bit more..

Just another point to add to it,

I'd like the new laptop to be somewhat lightweight but at the same time be a desktop replacement in terms of not falling apart. It would need to have a good ventilation system and not overheat and components fry after 5/6 years. I want this to last!

In terms of games, I don't play them often, only every few weeks but I'd like them to run nice for when I do play them, also the only games I play would be Pro Evo, Fifa and Street Fighter.

I'd want the new laptop to be capable of running the next 5 years or so of these games, the football ones are updated every year so would be great to be able to run Pro Evo 2017 on it

So what I'm after:

• 15.4 screen (WXGA+ True Life on my Vostro is perfect, don't want to downgrade)
• crumb/spill free keyboard illuminated if possible
• decent touchpad, I don't use a mouse, the one on the Vostro 1500 I have is perfect
• No need for fingeprint scanner, or any other gimmicky stuff.
• Would like Volume, play, pause etc buttons, again like Vostro 1500 had on the laptop itself
• VGA output
• 3.5 in, 3.5 out jacks (regular headphone size)
• DVD RW I guess
• decent battery (but not one that will add extra bulk)
• 2 power adaptors
• Enough power to run Pro Evo/Fifa/Street fighter for the next 5/6 years
• Minimum 500gb hard drive (500 is fine if bigger will mean bulkier laptop)

Quality essential. I'm thinking dell because I'd probably take care of their next day on site service.

I don't want to have to send my laptop off for repair, ever, but especially overseas where it will be gone a few days. This is why Dell's on site repair is a really strong point

Any further help really appreciated

Again, budget isn't really an issue if I'm getting something that will last 5/6 years, but I don't want to waste money on excess crap I never use, this includes going crazy on gaming set ups that the games I play will never utilize. The Vostro 1500 package I had above has been perfect for the past 5 years. It's been slowing a bit recently and I've definitely got my moneys worth from it so I'm due an upgrade I guess.

Fluffy88

I get the feeling nobody could pick a laptop for you

Take a look through this list, you might find something you like
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/products/keywords/core+i5/cat/laptops/ex/clerance,dummy,tradepack,dummy-warranty

It will be a very hard task to find a 15.4" laptop that meets the rest of your requirements, maybe you should think about getting a 15.6" one. I hardly think you will notice much of a difference in 0.2 of an inch

To be sure you will be able to play games in 6 years time I would recommend a dedicated graphics card.
And just so your aware, no matter how much you pay your hardware will be out of date in 3 months time, if you get good hardware it will last that long.

partyatmygaff

If budget really is no issue and you want something that will last a long, long time get a Dell Precision M4600 with the IPS RGB screen.

It meets all your needs and then some. Check out http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Precision-M4600-Notebook.62946.0.html for a review of the top spec. You can get a certified refurbished one (Which is pretty much new) with decent spec for in and around €1200. Check Ebay and look for one with 3 year warranty. It's one of the few laptops that I think could feasibly last around 4 years if not longer without being completely obsolete.

Tinie

partyatmygaff wrote: »

If budget really is no issue and you want something that will last a long, long time get a Dell Precision M4600 with the IPS RGB screen.

It meets all your needs and then some. Check out http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Precision-M4600-Notebook.62946.0.html for a review of the top spec. You can get a certified refurbished one (Which is pretty much new) with decent spec for in and around €1200. Check Ebay and look for one with 3 year warranty. It's one of the few laptops that I think could feasibly last around 4 years if not longer without being completely obsolete.

If hes going down that route, id recommend a high range Thinkpad to be honest. Worth every penny imo. Incredibly well built, very high quality parts and last years.

Theres 15% off the thinkpad store on lenovo.ie until midnight btw OP.

partyatmygaff

A Dell Precision isn't your bog standard Inspiron laptop. It's a whole different class of laptop.

For an idea of the service Dell give their Precision customers...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-latitude-vostro-precision/595496-m4600-ips-screen-corner-tint.html

The Thinkpad W520 is a good competitor but when it comes to screen quality and customer support the Precision has the upper hand.

cormie

Thanks a lot for the replies everyone

Actually, on second thoughts, I guess I do have a budget, I didn't know I could end up paying €3,600 for a laptop :eek: that's wayyyy over budget!

If we take the Vostro 1500 I have as a leading example as that has been so perfectly suitable for my needs over the last 5 years and I'd be very happy with today's offering of the same.

It appears we've witnessed the death of the 15.4" screen, I don't know why, it's a perfectly good size! Maybe I could get used to the 15.6", I guess it's not too much of a difference!

I've forgotten how important the likes of the dell onsite warranty is, I wouldn't want to deal with repair returns which I've had to deal with the likes of my acer before and would probably have to deal with using a thinkpad etc aswell. Dells next day on site warranty deal would be very valuable and a definite buying point, for this reason alone, I'd like to narrow the choice down to dell, unless other brands offer similar?

I've been very happy with my 1500 vostro, I still believe at a push, it could last me another good while, I don't even need to upgrade, just kind of feel I deserve the luxury. My basic uses are firefox, thunderbird, digsby (IM chat), these are running 99% of the time I use the laptop, then most processor hungry places I visit would be youtube, google street view, you laugh, you lose :P

Then in terms of other programs I'd use daily would be open office, cabbage desktop texter, rainlendar desktop calendar, mapsource map program, winamp and media player classic to watch video on, which itself would be the most resource hungry regular thing I do.

From time to time then I'd use the likes of photoshop etc, so the system I have now is more than capable of doing 99% of what I need with 100% ability, then every few weeks or so comes the resource hungry stuff like wanting to have a game of fifa/pro evo/street fighter when a mate pops around, again the vostro I have has been fine for this up until the latest installments.

Another reason for the upgrade is the laptop seems to have developed a stuttery problem with audio and I listen to music A LOT with the laptop so this is a big enough issue and reason to upgrade.

Just checked back, it was actually Nov 2007 I got the Vostro 1500, so 4 years almost exactly. It cost me €1028.

I'd be willing to spend similar for another laptop that will last me with my basic usage plus next 4 or so installments of the games I mentioned.

partyatmygaff

An XPS 15 with the RGB screen and 3 years warranty fits your budget and requirements.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/B-N-3Year-Warranty-Dell-XPS-15-i7-2630QM-750GB-1080P-Backlit-BT-2GB-Nvidia-L502X-/110759299973?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item19c9c4cb85

Something like that would serve you well.

cormie

Thanks for the suggestion, just out of curiosity sake can I ask, why did you go for the XPS over the Vostro and also, why did you link to Ebay instead of the dell site itself?

Had a look at the XPS page on the dell site and I like the look of the XPS 15z, it's nice and portable looking, but if style and portability are going to cost me money and on performance, I'd rather not.

partyatmygaff

Ebay is cheaper so you can get better spec for the same money. It makes no difference to warranty either and there's the added benefit of not having to wait for Dell to take their time building your laptop.


The reason why I'd go for the XPS over the Vostro is simply that it's a better laptop. From specs to build quality. The biggest selling point of the XPS 15 imo is the B+RG screen. The interface between you and the computer is equally as important as the computer itself. There's no point having great internal components if you have bad inputs and low quality outputs.

Fluffy88

I just spec'd up this from http://www.dell.com/ie/p/xps-l502x-proc-mod/pd?oc=n00x5m05&model_id=xps-l502x-proc-mod

Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM
6GB 1333MHz DDR3 [1x4096 + 1x2048]
Internal Backlit UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M
500GB (7,200rpm) Hard Drive
Primary Battery 9-cell 90Whr Lithium Ion battery
LCD 15.6"(40 cm) FHD B+RGLED TL (1920x1080) 1080p with 2.0 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera
€1,039.56

That includes upgraded screen, battery, GPU, keyboard from the base model
and using the 15% off discount code N?$GMKNDSKRN4$ from http://promotionalcodes.ie/dell-promotional-codes/

That processor will last you a long time, pretty much the best you can get within a normal budget.
The dedicated GPU should tide you over playing football type games for the next few years.
And it's a nice laptop

cormie

Thanks again, very helpful

What exactly is a B+RG screen and how would it differ from the screen of my current Vostro 1500?

Good to know the XPS is a better overall laptop from the Vostro, what about the 15z? How much extra would I be paying for the slimmed down version of the regular XPS I wonder?

I have a few contacts in Dell, I may have worked there before myself and may be able to get a sweeter deal so may not need to resort to Ebay but great to know the warranty still applies, but I would need to go for the next day on site one so I'm not sure how many would come with that.

cormie

Just watched this review of the 15z: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wNA1af6lXE

Doesn't give me a lot of confidence, he's been using it 2 weeks and GTA has already made the laptop switch off by itself 3 times due to overheating, this would be a big problem for me, I can't have the laptop overheating and turning off, especially if I'm doing work on it. It's never happened with my Vostro. I also see the 15z doesn't have a VGA output, which I kind of need to connect to a projector.

I wonder does the regular XPS address these issues? Just had a google there, it seems the XPS doesn't have VGA output either, but that you can get an adaptor that will work?

U_Fig

cormie wrote: »

Just watched this review of the 15z: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wNA1af6lXE

Doesn't give me a lot of confidence, he's been using it 2 weeks and GTA has already made the laptop switch off by itself 3 times due to overheating, this would be a big problem for me, I can't have the laptop overheating and turning off, especially if I'm doing work on it. It's never happened with my Vostro. I also see the 15z doesn't have a VGA output, which I kind of need to connect to a projector.

I wonder does the regular XPS address these issues? Just had a google there, it seems the XPS doesn't have VGA output either, but that you can get an adaptor that will work?

I have the XPS 15 (first gen i5 560m and 420m Nvidia 4gb ram) so far it's been brilliant for me anything a threw at it from 1080p 3D content to running VMware alongside photoshop cs5 flash and dreamweaver CS5 and iTunes with chrome ad not a sutter.. If you listen to music the audio is amazing on this laptop ( in terms of Laptops in general) also the 1080p screen is great. I recently installed a SSD and performance doubled or more..

Some problems the graphics card did overhead on me it's my fault I had it on a duvet and the vent was blocked I opted for dells collect and return and had it back in 5 days with no data loss. It gets a lil hot at times when the dedicated graphics card is being used but keep the fan clear and it's grand also Nvidia Optimus is great for extending the battery switching to integrated graphics (you can set up which applications use the integrated and which ones use the dedicated to save battery or give a lil extra boost) also it has HDMI 1.4 so you can stream 3D content to compatible devices (prob doesnt interest you but mentioned it anyway) and a lot of newer projectors are using HDMI over VGA as it's better.. Of you need to you could get an adapter..since I've reinstalled windows recently i've had a few little issues regarding vetting lights buttons not working but I rushed thriught installing drivers do prob the cause there also the trackpad is a little irresponsible ATM but again down to sloppy work on my part. Out of the box everything worked perfect.. Although I did have to do a little decluttering of all the ****e dell installed
Also the USB 3.0 ports on it are a good way of future proofing although the eSATA has given my higher speeds so far.. And the new models have a SATA 6GB/s compatible motherboard so if speed is something you like slap a SSD in there and you'll be looking at speeds of Like 500mb/s or more.. Overall built quality seems grand it's a little heavy but nothing that a can of spinach can't sort out..

Since I've got apart from the fail of having it wrapped up in duvet nearly while watching 1080p movie it hasn't failed or or crashed once on me and it's almost at its first birthday.

I'm not just trying to sell you this or anything just giving a review from a happy customer

cormie

Thanks for that reply, I'm not sure based on the spec you mentioned how old your XPS would be? Do you think if I bought one today, it would be as good, or even better?

With regards the sound, do you mean the actual overall sound is brilliant, or just the laptop speakers? I constantly have my laptop connected to a nice 2.1 speaker and sub set so the actual laptop speakers aren't really a concern for me, might use them the odd time, but I'd be more pleased to hear the soundcard is excellent, rather than the internal speakers?

one other important thing to note which you brought up; as I do with every computer I've had, the first thing I do is a clean install of the OS. I've had a retail copy of XP Pro for the past 10 years or so and even use this copy today on my laptop. Any new system I've bought, I've put this on straight away. This new laptop will see my upgrading to Windows 7 for the first time and I'm a bit apprehensive about it, but this thread I started here: http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=cormie%20windows%20xp%207&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boards.ie%2Fvbulletin%2Fshowthread.php%3Fp%3D74722294&ei=FKXUTvD2AseBhQfbmtHkAQ&usg=AFQjCNFkIANPpfcDTDpymwzJlpEHOWdHOA&cad=rja is pretty convincing to move to 7. I like minimalist everything and despise bloatware so I'd like to have the same kind of retail copy of Win 7 that I can also use on my next laptop if nothing better has come out in the next 5 or so years. What windows 7 package should I go for in this case I wonder? Anything similar to XP pro will suit me down to the ground and if there is one I'll probably be using the windows classic theme as I prefer the simplistic design, nothing fancy etc, just functional. I wouldn't like for the copy of W7 to be full of dell crap on a reformat and hopefully all drivers etc will be easily available and on hand?

So you reckon the best thing to do with regards the lack of a VGA, is to just get an adaptor? I definitely don't want to upgrade my projector, it serves me just fine this is the projector I use so I'm not sure what kind of adaptor I'd need, but I currently connect to my laptop with VGA: http://www.aboutprojectors.com/InFocus-X6-projector.html

I'm not even sure what SSD is? And is Esata just another type of transfer cable like usb? Usb would be much more popular though, right? Just basing that on me not knowing what esata is

Even the fact that the laptop overheated enough that you had to send it for repair, just because it was sitting on a duvet while watching a movie worries me a little, I've had my own vents blocked on the vostro plenty of times with a duvet without noticing the heat and it's never posed a problem, just took it off and let it cool and after 4 years everything still seems to be in good working order... the laptop is on all the time, has probably been used more than 10,000 hours?

Fluffy88

If you bought the XPS that I posted above it would kill U_fig's laptop. Both the i7-2670QM and the GT-540M are much more powerful than the spec he posted.

You won't need to buy a new licence for Windows 7, you will be getting an OEM licence with the laptop. You can just download an .iso of the same version of Windows 7 that is on your laptop burn it to a disc and do a clean install from that. Buying a seconds copy is just a waste of money. It's legal to do this btw.

An SSD is a new form of hard drive. They are made from flash memory, the same stuff RAM is made from which makes them incredibly fast compared to a normal HDD. Only thing is they are very expensive, around €80 for a 64GB one and €150 for a 128GB one. But worth the price.

Your right about e-sata, it's a different type of cable. USB is way more popular.
On the XPS it has a port that is both USB and e-sata and I believe U_Fig was referring to this port being faster than the USB3.0 ports.

I just became a proud owner of an XPS 17 very similar in spec to the one I posted above for you and it does heat up a little when the dedicated GPU kicks in, but I see no reason to use the GPU when watching HD movies, the integrated sandybridge GPU will handle HD movies without issue.
So when watching movies, just make sure you have nVidia Optimus set so it uses the integrated graphics and your good to go.

cormie

Thanks again for that. So The laptop actually would have two graphic cards? Is that normal? does my current laptop have 2 aswell?

I don't think I need the HD to be that fast, would be nice, but maybe leave that for the next one in another 5 years and for now I'll go for a 500/750gb HD

So if I'm playing Pro evo 2016 in a few years time, am I likely to have problems with overheating I wonder?

Thanks for the OEM/Install tip, would an OEM copy be just as good as a retail copy, or can it only be used with the one laptop, could this still be used with it I wonder: http://www.nliteos.com/nlite.html ?

U_Fig

cormie wrote: »

Thanks for that reply, I'm not sure based on the spec you mentioned how old your XPS would be? Do you think if I bought one today, it would be as good, or even better?

With regards the sound, do you mean the actual overall sound is brilliant, or just the laptop speakers? I constantly have my laptop connected to a nice 2.1 speaker and sub set so the actual laptop speakers aren't really a concern for me, might use them the odd time, but I'd be more pleased to hear the soundcard is excellent, rather than the internal speakers?

one other important thing to note which you brought up; as I do with every computer I've had, the first thing I do is a clean install of the OS. I've had a retail copy of XP Pro for the past 10 years or so and even use this copy today on my laptop. Any new system I've bought, I've put this on straight away. This new laptop will see my upgrading to Windows 7 for the first time and I'm a bit apprehensive about it, but this thread I started here: http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=cormie%20windows%20xp%207&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boards.ie%2Fvbulletin%2Fshowthread.php%3Fp%3D74722294&ei=FKXUTvD2AseBhQfbmtHkAQ&usg=AFQjCNFkIANPpfcDTDpymwzJlpEHOWdHOA&cad=rja is pretty convincing to move to 7. I like minimalist everything and despise bloatware so I'd like to have the same kind of retail copy of Win 7 that I can also use on my next laptop if nothing better has come out in the next 5 or so years. What windows 7 package should I go for in this case I wonder? Anything similar to XP pro will suit me down to the ground and if there is one I'll probably be using the windows classic theme as I prefer the simplistic design, nothing fancy etc, just functional. I wouldn't like for the copy of W7 to be full of dell crap on a reformat and hopefully all drivers etc will be easily available and on hand?

So you reckon the best thing to do with regards the lack of a VGA, is to just get an adaptor? I definitely don't want to upgrade my projector, it serves me just fine this is the projector I use so I'm not sure what kind of adaptor I'd need, but I currently connect to my laptop with VGA: http://www.aboutprojectors.com/InFocus-X6-projector.html

I'm not even sure what SSD is? And is Esata just another type of transfer cable like usb? Usb would be much more popular though, right? Just basing that on me not knowing what esata is

Even the fact that the laptop overheated enough that you had to send it for repair, just because it was sitting on a duvet while watching a movie worries me a little, I've had my own vents blocked on the vostro plenty of times with a duvet without noticing the heat and it's never posed a problem, just took it off and let it cool and after 4 years everything still seems to be in good working order... the laptop is on all the time, has probably been used more than 10,000 hours?

my laptop is about 1 year old now..tho i've made a few small upgrades not casue it needed them but for performance like took out the DVD drive and put a second Hard Drive and a SSD (Solid state drive [ basically a hard drive but with no moving parts and much much higher trandfer and read speeds])

as far as sound is concerned it's a JBL audio system both sound card and speakers are good it's 2.1 with a small sub on the base of the laptop speakers are excellent but even audio out into my 100W speakers is much higher quality than any other laptop i've tried.

As far as operating system i've been using windows 7 since the beta stages and it's great it does anything that I've ever needed using Home premium but you can upgrade to professional or even ultimate if needed.. i've used ultimate and it's not much of a step up on performance but you can customize it a little more. TBH i'm not the best person to talk to as far as OS is concerned home premium works fine for me.. tho also you can get the revovery discs off dell for a small price.. to be honest some of the pre-installed software is handy like the audio mixer and other things and dell quick set i'd recommend just removing the stuff you don't need rather than going about a complete reinstall and see how that goes

as far as a projector is concerned it has a mini display port ( i just realised my laptop had this after a year lol ) you can get an adapter for about €20 or a bit more. I think you will be hard pushed to find a new laptop with VGA (it's a somewhat outdated technology)

also eSATA (external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) basically it's an external version of how a hard drive is attached to a motherboard. the one in the laptop is a USB 2.0/eSATA combo port also know as eSATAp (eSATA powered) but basically you don't need to know this it's on some external drivers and is faster than USB 2.0 and in reality it's as fast as USB 3.0 also. it has more features but i'll stop there

The only fan is located on the left side of the laptop and I was watching a movie a and the duvet was not allowing the heat to be released and it fried.. but in saying this is a problem of almost any laptop with a dedicated graphics card.. the fact that your vostro could handle this is down to the specific graphics card and cooling system (ie the location of the card and fan/s). you could just turn off the dedicated for 90% of tasks and just use the intel HD integrated it can handle most things well enough the only thing you'd really need the dedicated for is bluray or 3D or gaming

Fluffy88

It kinda does have two GPU's it has a dedicated graphics card which is the nVidia GT-540M or whatever.
And the CPU has an integrated GPU.
Most cheaper laptops won't have a dedicated card so they will use the CPU's GPU. With the XPS you will have a dedicated card. Since these use a lot of power and get quite hot nVidia came up with a technology called Optimus that will turn off the dedicated graphics card completely when you don't need it, in these cases you will be using the integrated solution.
So for the majority of the time you won't be using the dedicated card therefore the laptop won't get that hot. When you do use the dedicated card the laptop will get a little hotter, but once you keep the fan vent open you won't fry anything. Getting hot is just something graphics cards like to do and there isn't many laptops around that will keep it much cooler.
Basically if your playing games, do so on a desk or place it on your knees in a way that leaves the left side of the laptop open. I don't have a dedicated gpu in my current laptop and I do this anyway.

There isn't such thing as on OEM copy of Windows and a retail copy. The "retail" and "OEM" are talking about the licence for your copy of Windows. So they are no different, you can use that program and you can do anything else you normally do with an OEM licence as well as a retail one.
The difference is, the OEM licence is tied to your motherboard so you can't bring that OEM licence to a difference PC in five years time. But in five years time you will get another OEM licence for which ever OS is out then.

cormie

Thanks again I think I'd keep the DVD drive myself, even though I rarely rarely use any kind of disc, I don't think the SSD speeds or extra hard drive are needed for myself

That's great about the quality of the sound, definitely a selling point as my laptop is also my music system and the built in speaker and sub may be nice to have aswell.

I'm a bit OCD with the install of XP, I like to have everything as minimal as possible and even the thought of uninstalling isn't anywhere as appealing as the idea of starting on a clean palette and only installing programs I know I'll use so in all likelihood, I'll be formatting and reinstalling the day I get it.

I have tweaked xp pro a good bit, what are the major differences between home and ultimate do you know?

That sounds fine about the VGA, Esata and fan but I do feel I'll be very disappointed if it ever switches itself off due to overheating when I have it placed on a flat surface considering my vostro never did that.

Thanks for the explanation on the OEM situation too. I'd definitely be happier with a retail version that I could just pop on any system I buy, but if the general install will be all the same, other than the license, then I guess this is fine.

Fluffy88

I share your view on reinstalling the OS on a new system. Although I would actually boot into the OS before I do a reinstall and have a look at the software that is provided since sometimes some of it is very useful.
Again I would give Dell points for how simple it is to get all the software that is provided with your computer after a reinstall. Just logon to their website goto "Drivers & Downloads" enter your service tag and a list of all drivers and things like Quickset and webcam software will all be there.

Personally I don't see the point in buying a retail licence when you have an OEM one, since when you do get another computer in 5/6 years time Windows 7 will be old and sluggish and you will want a licence for Ubuntu(oh wait I forgot, it's free :P). I doubt you would get any use out of a retail licence.
The main difference in Ultimate I think is the ability to switch languages, imo it's not worth paying extra for.

If you play fifa12 for 8 hours and have the laptop on a flat surface the laptop won't crash. If it did then there is something wrong with your laptop and Dell would have to either fix or repair it. But it won't happen once it's ventilated properly i.e. fan in not blocked my a blanket. As I said earlier graphics cards get hot, these laptops are made to take it.

cormie

That's great, thanks a lot

Hmmm, so I might consider getting the XPS over the vostro in case of music and if it's generally a better laptop that would be great too

Fluffy, is the one you specced up with the 9cell battery, is the battery going to stick out at the back? I know the 9cell in the Vostro, the battery stuck out while the 6 cell was flush with the casing of the laptop itself. I'd prefer the 6 if this was the same with the XPS.

Has anyone managed to get their hands on a silicone protective cover for the keyboard like this for the XPS 15? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silicone-keyboard-cover-skin-protector-f-DELL-XPS-M1730-/320708318032?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aabb49350

I've lost a key or two on the vostro and have had to clean under the keys a lot of times due to crumbs and everything getting caught. Not eating at the computer isn't an option

Tinie

cormie wrote: »

That's great, thanks a lot

Hmmm, so I might consider getting the XPS over the vostro in case of music and if it's generally a better laptop that would be great too

Fluffy, is the one you specced up with the 9cell battery, is the battery going to stick out at the back? I know the 9cell in the Vostro, the battery stuck out while the 6 cell was flush with the casing of the laptop itself. I'd prefer the 6 if this was the same with the XPS.

Has anyone managed to get their hands on a silicone protective cover for the keyboard like this for the XPS 15? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silicone-keyboard-cover-skin-protector-f-DELL-XPS-M1730-/320708318032?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aabb49350

I've lost a key or two on the vostro and have had to clean under the keys a lot of times due to crumbs and everything getting caught. Not eating at the computer isn't an option

Yes the 9cell battery for the XPS 15 sticks out the back and causes the laptop to sit at an angle.

cormie

Thanks for that, would definitely go for the 6c over that so, I'm at a power source 99% of the time

Fluffy88

A picture says one thousand words


The battery would actually help ventilation when on a flat surface, something to consider

cormie

Thanks for that, hmm, that would help alright, especially when on a duvet or something too I'd say.

I was onto Dell chat there and had the following conversation: http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/6605/80655359.jpg

Seems like he's suggesting the Latitude over the XPS, any reason why you guys are suggesting the XPS over latitude, is it just for the usage I've explained? Didn't explain the usage to him really..

cormie

Just another question, if I was to add an extra €100 say to the purchase, what would be the best "upgrade" to get from the config fluffy put together? Just wondering how much an extra hundred euro would improve the laptop altogether?

Tinie

cormie wrote: »

Just another question, if I was to add an extra €100 say to the purchase, what would be the best "upgrade" to get from the config fluffy put together? Just wondering how much an extra hundred euro would improve the laptop altogether?

Personally, id go for the blu ray drive add on for €99, since the monitor is 1080p, and the speakers on the XPS are quite good.

Other option is to spend the €180 on the the 3 year premium in home warranty. Cant stress enough how important that is, as just say the monitor on the laptop went tits up after 2 years? Thats the guts of €150 to replace, and thats just the monitor. Going by my last dell laptop (studio 1737), I was glad I had bought the 3 year warranty, as over the course of the 3 years, if I remember correctly, the hard drive went twice, the blu ray drive went once, the mouse pad stopped working correctly and the speakers went wonky. All were replaced promptly by a technician in my home. That would have cost me about €300 to replace id imagine if I had not had the extra warranty, but of course I could have been a one off with the amount of problems I had.

But its well worth getting the extra warranty for the peace of mind in the end.

cormie

I'll definitely be going for the 3 year next day on site repair and maybe the accidental damage too. I have a few contacts in Dell, I used to work there myself, so would be hoping to get these thrown in since they aren't actual "products" so to speak, I'm not sure I'd have much use for the blu ray player. Especially considering my projector wouldn't show these in any higher quality than a DVD.

What about Ram etc? Is the set up fluffy linked to pretty powerful as it is with no need to go for more for my usage and I should just spend the €100 on something else? :P

Tinie

cormie wrote: »

I'll definitely be going for the 3 year next day on site repair and maybe the accidental damage too. I have a few contacts in Dell, I used to work there myself, so would be hoping to get these thrown in since they aren't actual "products" so to speak, I'm not sure I'd have much use for the blu ray player. Especially considering my projector wouldn't show these in any higher quality than a DVD.

What about Ram etc? Is the set up fluffy linked to pretty powerful as it is with no need to go for more for my usage and I should just spend the €100 on something else? :P

To be honest mate, you can get ram here for a fraction of the price and just install it yourself: http://www.crucial.com/eu/store/listparts.aspx?model=XPS%2015&Cat=RAM

Used that site before and their fine.

I wouldn't pay for dells over inflated RAM price.

4GB should be sufficient really, but since its 6gb ram being thrown in, id just stick with 6gb ram, unless you will be doing massive amounts of HD video editing or something.

cormie

Thanks for that, I thought so alright as my current set up is sufficient for pretty much everything, but it was the future proofing I wanted.

If you take a look at System requirements for Pro Evo 2008 (the installment which was out at the time of buying my Vostro above):

Minimum System Requirements for -

* OS: Windows XP/Vista
* CPU: Intel Pentium IV 1.4GHz or equivalent
* RAM: 512 MB RAM or more
* HDD: 6.5GB free disk space
* Graphics: 64MB Pixel Shader 1.1 (NVIDIA GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 video card)
* DirectX: Version 9.0c

Recommended System Requirements for -

* OS: Windows XP/Vista
* CPU: Pentium 4 3.0GHz /AMD Athlon 64 or better
* RAM: 1GB RAM
* HDD: 6.5GB free disk space
* Graphics: 256MB Pixel Shader 3.0 (ATI x1600 / NVidia 6800 GT/GS or better)
* DirectX: Version 9.0c

and compare to requirments of the latest addition:

PES 2012 Minimum system requirements

OS: Windows XP SP3, Vista SP2, 7

CPU: Intel Pentium IV processor 2.4GHz or equivalent

RAM: 1GB

GFX: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon x1300

GFX RAM: 128MB of RAM, Pixel shader 3.0, DirectX 9.0c compatible video card



PES 2012 Recomended System requirements

CPU: Processor Intel Core2 Duo 2.0GHz or equivalent

RAM: 2GB

GFX: NVidia GeForce 7900 / AMD ATI Radeon HD2600

GXF RAM: 512MB of RAM, Pixel shader 3.0, DirectX 9.0c compatible video card

The RAM seems to have double when the game itself has pretty much stayed the same. If it goes the same way and requires 4gb in another 4 years, then I should be good with 6 I guess

What about the CPU in the config above? Does that make much of a difference?

Fluffy88

Have a look here http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html
the i7 2670QM is one of the best processors you will find.
You could get a 2720QM as an upgrade which is around €100 more but you won't notice a difference in normal usage.

cormie

Cool, I'm sure that would be fine so

Just rechecked your link above and it seems the config isn't there anymore, I was going through it myself and have a few questions.

Would the extra €24 be worth it here:

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 (EUR) [Included in Price]
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030 (1x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 14.94 or €1/month-1]
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 (2x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 24.90 or €2/month-1]

What about the built in TV tuner? I don't have a TV, I never watch tv and I don't want to need a tv license either, but would it have any other uses?


I also added 3year next day on site repair and 3year accidental damage and with the coupon code you mentioned, the total is now €1,206.91

for this:

Module Description Show Details
Base 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz
Microsoft Operating System English Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)
Memory 6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x4096 + 1x2048]
Keyboard Internal Backlit UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Video Card 2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M Graphics Card
Hard Drive 500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Optical Devices 8x DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
Wireless Networking Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 (EUR)
Cables UK 250V Power Cord
Shipping Documents English Documentation
Bundle N11X5M05
Standard Warranty Standard Service - 1 year of Collect & Return 10 day coverage included with your PC
Enhanced Service Packs 3 Years Next Day In-Home Service with Premium Phone Support
Integrated Mobile Broadband Mobile Broadband Not Included
Order Information XPS L502x Order - Ireland
Primary Battery 6-cell 56Whr Lithium Ion battery
Carrying Cases No Carrying Case
Dell System Media Kit XPS L502x Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Color Choice Metalloid Aluminum Cover
Accidental Damage Support 3 years Accidental Damage Protection
Online Backup DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year licence
TV Tuner TvTuner Not Included
LCD 15.6"(40 cm) FHD B+RGLED TL (1920x1080) 1080p with 2.0 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera
DataSafe Datasafe Local 2.3 Basic
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
Protect your new PC McAfee® SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription
Power Supply 130W AC Adaptor
Operating System Recovery Options OS Windows® Recovery Media Not included
TOTAL :€ 1,206.91

Total excl. VAT VAT Rate Total incl. VAT
€ 997.45 21.00 % € 1,206.91
Total Delivery Charge € 24.79 21.00 % € 30.00
Total Price € 1,022.24 € 1,236.91

U_Fig

cormie wrote: »

Cool, I'm sure that would be fine so

Just rechecked your link above and it seems the config isn't there anymore, I was going through it myself and have a few questions.

Would the extra €24 be worth it here:

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 (EUR) [Included in Price]
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030 (1x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 14.94 or €1/month-1]
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 (2x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 24.90 or €2/month-1]

What about the built in TV tuner? I don't have a TV, I never watch tv and I don't want to need a tv license either, but would it have any other uses?


I also added 3year next day on site repair and 3year accidental damage and with the coupon code you mentioned, the total is now €1,206.91

for this:

Module Description Show Details
Base 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz
Microsoft Operating System English Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)
Memory 6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x4096 + 1x2048]
Keyboard Internal Backlit UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Video Card 2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M Graphics Card
Hard Drive 500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Optical Devices 8x DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
Wireless Networking Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 (EUR)
Cables UK 250V Power Cord
Shipping Documents English Documentation
Bundle N11X5M05
Standard Warranty Standard Service - 1 year of Collect & Return 10 day coverage included with your PC
Enhanced Service Packs 3 Years Next Day In-Home Service with Premium Phone Support
Integrated Mobile Broadband Mobile Broadband Not Included
Order Information XPS L502x Order - Ireland
Primary Battery 6-cell 56Whr Lithium Ion battery
Carrying Cases No Carrying Case
Dell System Media Kit XPS L502x Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Color Choice Metalloid Aluminum Cover
Accidental Damage Support 3 years Accidental Damage Protection
Online Backup DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year licence
TV Tuner TvTuner Not Included
LCD 15.6"(40 cm) FHD B+RGLED TL (1920x1080) 1080p with 2.0 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera
DataSafe Datasafe Local 2.3 Basic
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
Protect your new PC McAfee® SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription
Power Supply 130W AC Adaptor
Operating System Recovery Options OS Windows® Recovery Media Not included
TOTAL :€ 1,206.91

Total excl. VAT VAT Rate Total incl. VAT
€ 997.45 21.00 % € 1,206.91
Total Delivery Charge € 24.79 21.00 % € 30.00
Total Price € 1,022.24 € 1,236.91

Looks like a pretty good laptop there deffo last a good few year..you were asking what upgrade for €100 you could get that would most improve performacne. A solid share drive (SSD) would give the most performance boost for €100 you could get a 120GB drive. doubled the performance on mine only running at a bottlenecked half capacity on my SATA 2 controller..

cormie

In what way does the speed of the HD make a difference? Would programs run faster and things like that or what way would it change things?

I don't like to have any more than one drive on a computer, I don't like to have partitions or anything even, this is more of my OCD kicking in but I like to keep things simple and all in the one place, just arranged well.

the €100 extra question was more a curiosity thing rather than me actually having €100 extra to spend, just to see what way €100 could improve the system

Also an important question, is the XPS definitely the one to go for over an inspiron? The Dell chat guy seemed to be suggesting to go for the inspiron?

partyatmygaff

cormie wrote: »

In what way does the speed of the HD make a difference? Would programs run faster and things like that or what way would it change things?

I don't like to have any more than one drive on a computer, I don't like to have partitions or anything even, this is more of my OCD kicking in but I like to keep things simple and all in the one place, just arranged well.

the €100 extra question was more a curiosity thing rather than me actually having €100 extra to spend, just to see what way €100 could improve the system

Also an important question, is the XPS definitely the one to go for over an inspiron? The Dell chat guy seemed to be suggesting to go for the inspiron?

If you had extra money to spend I'd sooner go with an SSD than anything else. It makes a huge difference to responsiveness and boot times etc.

cormie

Thanks for the advice, do you think I'd be best off just spending it now and getting it included and can do the system install on that and have all my programs on that HD and then for example, have my media on the 500gb drive? Do they show up as two separate drives in my computer?

partyatmygaff

Well I don't think you can have both a HDD and an SSD on the XPS 15. If you'd like both you'll have to sacrifice the DVD drive and buy a caddy to install a second disk drive.

cormie

Damn, in that case I think I'll just stick with the HDD! Can't have less than 500GB and don't want to sacrifice a disc drive just yet. Maybe SSD in another 4 years

Unless it's possible with the likes of the inspiron etc?

partyatmygaff

Generally speaking when it comes to consumer grade laptops you won't find support for more than one disk drive in anything less than 17" laptops. Space for two HDD/SSDs AND an optical disc drive on 15" laptops is generally reserved for workstations like the M4600.

cormie

Thanks for the info again ok, so I think I'm pretty much decided spec wise and I'll leave SSD for another few years, maybe by which time 500GB ones will be cheap enough? I guess the question now is is the XPS the one to go for, or would inspiron be better for me?

Tinie

cormie wrote: »

Thanks for the info again ok, so I think I'm pretty much decided spec wise and I'll leave SSD for another few years, maybe by which time 500GB ones will be cheap enough? I guess the question now is is the XPS the one to go for, or would inspiron be better for me?

We cant make that decision for you mate, its up to you. You should have enough info from us by now to make your mind up.

Off the top of my head...

XPS pros:

2.1 Speakers
Alluminium lid and palm rest
Backlit Keyboard


Inspiron pros:

Cheaper
Lighter (id imagine)
Numpad on keyboard

cormie

Sorry, it was XPS vs Latitude I mean, not Inspiron, doing a little research it appears that the Latitude is going to have better build quality and could put up with more abuse. This is after googling for 3 minutes:

Latitude has better build and support than XPS, but both have much better build and support than Inspiron.

XPS usually a bit more flashy, E-series Latitude a bit less, but more practical and longer-lasting.

Speakers on the E-series are dramatically improved over the E-series on the 14" laptops.

Every time I've compared the Dell consumer vs. business (Latitude) laptops, the business ones consistently come up as being a better value. I don't think you'll regret coming to the same conclusion as I

I might be wring, but I'd expect the business lines haveing a better build quality than the consumer stuff.
Additionally, spare parts are often available for longer periods than for the consumer class devices.

>Latitude = Business line = everything you need for a business machine and
>usually built a little better

Inspiron = Built for Home user, with all bells and whistles and eye candy,
different colour lid options, media player not quite as sturdy etc

Vostro = lies between Latitude and Inspiron = Best of Both

XPS,= Top of the Range specifically aimed at Gamers with uprated Graphics
cards on a PCI xpress bus either 128, 256, or 512 mb graphics processors

The Latitude E6520 represents a very attractive alternative to the Dell XPS 15z for those who are looking for more oomph and more features even if it comes at a price (added weight and thickness).

There are several features that suggest the Latitude E6520 is a better deal for corporate and business users rather than the XPS 15z, especially when faced with the choice of opting for the Apple MacBook Pro.

For a start, the E6520 comes by default with Windows 7 Professional and three years onsite warranty with next business day collection included. Other features that come with the base unit are: built in assisted GPS, a powder coated antimicrobial treatment, spill resistant keyboard, reinforced steel hinges, VGA & ExpressCard slots, eSATA & Firewire ports, a magnesium alloy internal frame and zinc alloy latch plus a 360-degree bumper for added screen protection.

It also includes the option of an Intel Quad Core i7 Processor, up to 8GB RAM, up to 256GB SSD, a full HD screen, a primary nine cell 97Whr battery, a fingerprint reader and contactless smartcard reader and a full HD camera with microphone.

When opting for all these added value features listed above, the total cost of the E6520 reaches £1360 excluding delivery, which is halfway between the cost of the XPS 15z and the MacBook Pro. Granted you lose a bit on portability (the 9-cell battery model weighs around 3Kg and is 35mm thick) but you definitely gain on specifications and features.

Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2011/05/25/latitude-e6520-better-buy-dell-xps-15z/#ixzz1fFh6X5sA

However it still seems the XPS is higher rated in terms of sound and picture quality, but as I said, I'm very happy with the WXGA+ True Life display of my current vostro (1440x 900 res).

I'll have a look at speccing up a Latitude and XPSz with the same spec processor/ram etc we picked above and see how it compares. I'm not even sure I'll be able to choose similar stuff?




EDIT:
Not sure where I've gone wrong, but can this be right? Seems the same spec with next day on site and 3year accidental damage is costing about €1774 after adding VAT and taking 15% off (as the XPS deal and price had 15% off so comparing liek for like)... does that seem right on this? Also, some components I couldn't make the same:

Components
English Genuine Windows® 7 Professional (64Bit)
One Intel Core i7-2760QM (2.40GHz, 6MB cache, Quad Core)
Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (No full-featured Microsoft® Office software included)
Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security 3.5 (15 Month) Software MUI
39.6cm (15.6") UltraSharp FHD (1920x1080) Wide View LED-backlit with Premium Panel Guarantee
NVIDIA NVS 4200M 512MB (45W) Discrete Graphics
6GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory (1x2GB + 1x4GB)
500GB Serial ATA (7200RPM)
DVD +/-RW Drive
Bluetooth : Not Included
Primary 6 cell 60WHR Battery
Integrated Full HD Camera with Microphone
EMEA Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (802.11 a/b/g/n) Half Mini Card
Modem : Not Included
Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Backlit Dual pointing Keyboard (number pad, antimicrobial)
UK/Irish 90W AC Adapter with UK/IRE Power Cord
Latitude E6520 : Standard Base
No Fingerprint Reader and No Contactless Smartcard Reader
Dell Backup and Recovery Manager for Windows® 7 SP1
LCD Back Cover HD+ LCD Panel
Accessories
3Yr ProSupport and Next Business Day On-Site Service
No Carry Case
Include details on the Millenniata Online M-Disc Service on my order confirmation
Services & Software
3Yr Accidental Damage Protection
No Asset Label Required
No Out-of-Band Systems Management
Also Includes
MUI Windows® 7 Professional SP1 (64Bit) Resource DVD
Latitude Order - Ireland
L1165205
Roxio Starter DVD Software
PowerDVD Software WIN7 Home Premium,Professional and Ultimate
Windows Live
3Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day
Intel Core Label I72
English,Danish,Dutch,Finish,French,Norwegian,Swedish shipping Docs

Now doing up XPS 15 spec similar I get this for €1,244:

Components
COLOUR CHOICE Metalloid Aluminum Cover edit
PROCESSOR 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz edit
OPERATING SYSTEM English Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT) edit
SYSTEM RECOVERY OS Windows® Recovery Media Not included edit
SERVICES AND SUPPORT 3 Years Next Day In-Home Service with Premium Phone Support edit
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE PROTECTION 3 years Accidental Damage Protection edit
DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year licence edit
OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE McAfee® SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription edit
TV TUNER TvTuner Not Included edit
LCD 15.6"(40 cm) FHD B+RGLED TL (1920x1080) 1080p with 2.0 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera edit
MEMORY 6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x4096 + 1x2048] edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8x DVD+/-RW Optical Drive edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive edit
PRIMARY BATTERY 6-cell 56Whr Lithium Ion battery edit
GRAPHICS CARD 2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M Graphics Card edit
Accessories
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 (EUR) edit
Also included with your system
Order Information XPS L502x Order - Ireland
Keyboard Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
DataSafe Datasafe Local 2.3 Basic
Shipping Documents English Documentation
Bundle N11X5M06
Standard Warranty Standard Service - 1 year of Collect & Return 10 day coverage included with your PC
Dell System Media Kit XPS L502x Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Power Supply 130W AC Adaptor
Cables UK 250V Power Cord
MOBILE BROADBAND Mobile Broadband Not Included
CARRYING CASES No Carrying Case

To continue on the like for like, I specced up an XPSz with the same, to be honest, there wasn't much in terms of customisation I could do and the processor I couldn't change to the 2670 of the other two. This came in at €1,521 after taking 15% off:

Included in your system:
PROCESSOR 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2640M processor 2.80 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.50 GHz edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT) edit
SERVICES AND SUPPORT 3 Years Next Day In-Home Service with Premium Phone Support edit
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE PROTECTION 3 years Accidental Damage Protection edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE McAfee® SecurityCenter 3 Year Subscription edit
DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year licence edit
Accessories
Also included with your system
Base XPS L511z (NL, FCG18UKI) – i7-2640M (2.80Ghz, 4Threads, 4MB cache)
Hard Drive 750GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Keyboard Internal Backlit Keyboard
Dell System Media Kit XPS 15z Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Memory 8192MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x4096]
Wireless Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 (2x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) (Europe)
Video Card 2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M Graphics Card with Optimus
CD ROM/DVD ROM 8x DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
Cable 250V Power Cord
Primary Battery 8-Cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Documentation/Disks Documentation
Standard Warranty 1 year Collect & Return Hardware Support included with your PC
Power Supply 90W AC Adaptor
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
LCD 15.6" FHD WLED True-Life (1920x1080) with 1.3 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera
Bundle N1115Z07

It's a pity you can't FULLY customise everything, such as just getting a 500gb HD on the XPSz.

From the looks of the above, it seems the regular XPS is the best value in terms of spec? Would a Latitude be worth the extra €500 for build quality and inferior in some parts I guess, such as sound and screen?

Tinie

cormie wrote: »

From the looks of the above, it seems the regular XPS is the best value in terms of spec? Would a Latitude be worth the extra €500 for build quality and inferior in some parts I guess, such as sound and screen?

Yeah, they add on the VAT and shipping for the lattitude when you get to the checkout, which is a shock at first. Its because the majority that buy lattitudes, are buying for buisnesses, so dont pay the vat.

Not to derail this into a PC vs Mac thread, but if your considering paying an extra €500 for the lattitude, have you considiered a i7 macbook pro? As you know, macbook pro's are built like a tank. Id imagine theyre around the same price and spec overall. For €1800, you get this macbook pro:

• 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
• 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x2GB
• 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• 7 Hour battery life
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display (1,440x900-pixel)
• Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
• AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB GDDR5

Id go for the XPS 15 personally, and save the €500 quid. They are very well built anyway, and the lattitude isnt that much better built to pay €500 quid more. You could always buy a 500gb USB 3 external hard drive on amazon for about 80 quid if you wanted, which would be extremely fast at transferring data.

EDIT: The above macbook pro can be got for €1,691.58 if bought through the student discount store: http://store.apple.com/ie-edu?afid=p219|GOIE&cid=AOS-EMEA-KWG-IE_Education-IE

cormie

Thanks again for the reply. There's no way I'd go mac I'm afraid, I have everything just the way I want it on my current PC, including programs etc and I think the Mac is just too fancy for me!

I'll actually be buying this as a business pc so the VAT and everything will be claimed back, but at the end of the day, it's still €500 more for a latitude as I can claim the VAT back on the XPS anyway. Am I right in thinking that the Latitude and the XPS I configured above are similar spec?

partyatmygaff

cormie wrote: »

Thanks again for the reply. There's no way I'd go mac I'm afraid, I have everything just the way I want it on my current PC, including programs etc and I think the Mac is just too fancy for me!

I'll actually be buying this as a business pc so the VAT and everything will be claimed back, but at the end of the day, it's still €500 more for a latitude as I can claim the VAT back on the XPS anyway. Am I right in thinking that the Latitude and the XPS I configured above are similar spec?

More or less with the exception of the graphics card where the XPS 15 has the clear upper hand.

cormie

I think I've exhausted you all with all my questions

Only things I'm unsure about at the moment are:

1) whether the extra 24euro for better wifi card would make much difference (router I'm connected to is a fair bit away from where I usually sit with the laptop so if an extra 24eur greatly improved connectivity, I'd go for it). This would apply with being out and about and unable to get closer to a router, such as in a cafe, hotel etc.

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 (EUR) [Included in Price]
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030 (1x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 14.94 or €1/month-1]
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 (2x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 24.90 or €2/month-1]

2) Are the specs I matched up in the above 3 XPS/Latitude/XPSz as like for like as I'll get, or is it possible to get the exact same spec in a latitude as an XPS (such as the greater sound card), an XPSz as a Latitude and XPS and vice versa. Do dell have specific components they use in each series? Is the spec of the latitude so much more powerful than the XPS that it warrants approx 50% more on top?

3) should I be going for Windows 7 64 or 32 bit and what's the difference?

Almost able to put this to sleep

partyatmygaff

cormie wrote: »

I think I've exhausted you all with all my questions

Only things I'm unsure about at the moment are:

1) whether the extra 24euro for better wifi card would make much difference (router I'm connected to is a fair bit away from where I usually sit with the laptop so if an extra 24eur greatly improved connectivity, I'd go for it). This would apply with being out and about and unable to get closer to a router, such as in a cafe, hotel etc.

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 (EUR) [Included in Price]
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030 (1x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 14.94 or €1/month-1]
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 (2x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card) [add € 24.90 or €2/month-1]

2) Are the specs I matched up in the above 3 XPS/Latitude/XPSz as like for like as I'll get, or is it possible to get the exact same spec in a latitude as an XPS (such as the greater sound card), an XPSz as a Latitude and XPS and vice versa. Do dell have specific components they use in each series? Is the spec of the latitude so much more powerful than the XPS that it warrants approx 50% more on top?

3) should I be going for Windows 7 64 or 32 bit and what's the difference?

Almost able to put this to sleep

1: Definitely. Get the very last one with the 2x2 antenna for the best signal.

2: No. Each series has its own set of parts. The sound card and speakers e.t.c. are all built in to the motherboard which is a non-interchangeable part between different laptops. The Latitude isn't any more powerful than the XPS. The only reason it costs more is because it's a business class laptop designed to meet the specific requirements of large business. This means things like modular bays, rugged design & durability, long part availability, docking stations and systems management support (DASH).

3: Windows 7 x64 is a must on any system with more than 3GB of total RAM. 32 bit OSes can't address more than 3.25GB of RAM (Taking in to account both system and GPU RAM). Considering you've got far more than 3.25GB getting the 64 bit editions of Windows is a necessity, not an option.


Edit: Don't forget to pick a backlit keyboard. They're great and don't cost too much extra.