Posted on 03/16/2008 6:15:24 PM PDT by LouAvul
I'm looking at laptops and like Dell. I just bought an Optiplex desktop and like it fine.
The laptop I'm considering is the Dell XPS M1530 with the following features:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5450 (2MB cache/1.66GHz/667Mhz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch LCD (1280x800) & 2.0 MP Camera
Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
1GB1 Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
Size: 120GB2 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GS
High Definition Audio 2.0
Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini Card
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
I'm not into gaming or anything, but use it for business to transmit rather large graphics files, word processing, excel, etc.
I've heard the XPS is better than the Inspiron series, and that's why I'm considering it. Any suggestions (other than, "Buy a Mac!")?
Anything that runs XP.
The correct expression is "Get a Mac", not "Buy a Mac".
Don’t know, but I will say my next computer purchase will either be a Dell or a Gateway. HP/Compaq is crap and their customer service isn’t any better.
Notebooks are nearly disposable these days.
You could get a kickass Acer for under $500, maybe even $400.
Get Root !
Why wouldn’t you consider a MacBook or MacBook Pro?
Is it going to be used with work too>?
DELL is fine, but if you are buying it for a personal laptop, get a Mac, they’re very reliable and you won’t have to worry about Vista.
G
Is there really any difference? Unless you’re a gamer, computers these days are way more powerful than most people need. You might as well make your decision based on battery life alone. Well, unless you want to avoid vista.
Dells are great if you have a backup PC when it is broken.
I would go with Etch-a-Sketch or Fisher Price.
What I would really do is find a local independent that has a mortar & brick store and buy a clone from them. Get to know the owner and staff.
They will take it personally if your PC breaks and will fix it.
Dell - millions sold and hundreds satisfied.
If you view large graphic files allot I would consider a larger screen. I would also suggest finding a store that sells just laptops. They may not have the lowest price you can find but you have a much better chance of getting what you really need.
We got an HP after frustration w/ Dell, no problems so far ... after years of high end machines from Dell to run AutoCAD and a related business, their support staff made my departure inevitable.
I have an old IBM Thinkpad that does pretty good.
Ive had several Dell laptops, never really had a problem. I just pass them on to the kids and as far as I know they’ve never has a problem. I’d love to have an XPS though. You can still get XP with a Dell also. And, no, I don’t work for Dell.
I have a Dell Latitude D630 with Vista and it has been as smooth as silk for me. Just spend a few more bucks and load it up with plenty of memory and you’ll be fine.
I think XPS get you tech support in North America. Ask the rep. I have XPS Desktop and I have North American support. It is worth the extra cost for the computer to be able to understand the technician.
My Dell 2004-2006
1GB1 Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
Size: 120GB2 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GS
I would DEFINITELY go for:
2GB DDR2 SDRAM
a 7200rpm drive is nice and a 256MB video card is good...but both of those are not necessary if you will upgrade in the next 2-3 years.
The memory is key, however. Don't go less than 2GB!! I am serious! Especially if you do large spreadsheets!
I recently bought a Dell.
Inspiron 1520
Within 2 weeks, I needed to have the hard drive replaced. I was FURIOUS.
However, within 48 hours, they had shipped a new hard drive to the local service center and a nice man came to my office to replace the hard drive in my system.
While I was very angry - I was only inconvenienced for two days - plus the time it took me to reconfigure my machine - again.
Your mileage may vary.
If you are doing computationally intensive work such as mathematical modeling, then get the XPS. If you are just doing spreadsheets, emails, and docs, then the Inspirion will be suffcient. If you are going to splurge, get more ram and more HD drive space.
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