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Why I chose the Dell XPS 1530 over MacBook Pro

charlie73

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charlie73
charlie73
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Ok, before all you Maclites start attacking, let me explain my point.

 

I have been saving up for a year to buy a Mac, the MacBook pro in particular; due to all the good press I have been getting about Leopard as well as the beautiful design and weight.

 

Once I had payed all my bills and settled debts, I was ready to start shopping for my Mac like a 4 year old kid with 20bucks at toysrus.

 

But when I setup my configuration on Apple store, I almost had a heart attack looking at the price :blink:

 

Here was my ideal config and pricing on apple store:

MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.2GHz

MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display

2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English

SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

4GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB

 

Drum roll .. .. ... $3,601.30 :blink:

 

WT :P

R U Kidding me?!!! Ok I know it is sexy PC and the configuration is top of the line.

I also know I could stick with 4GB model, and buy replacement RAM for much less than Apple offers.

 

But during my research I learnt of the woes of making HDD and RAM changes to the MacBook pro, which invariably (for someone like me with big clumsy fingers and a past history of nuking MBDs), I knew I would have to rely on devine intervention for small hardware changes thanks to my local Apple store.

 

So taking all this into consideration, I decided that I would have to stick with the typical PC notebook and Vista for the short time. Dont get me wrong, I am not bashing Vista. Infact, I think most people havent given Vista a chance to run properly on a machine designed for Vista. But I do know that Leopard is more sophisticated and stable environment, and I was really looking forward to a Leopard/Vista dual boot.

 

So I started surfing the web, looking for a worthy imitation of the MacBook Pro.

 

I have an HP pavillion dv6000 which works well, but is heavy and overheats terribly, so HPs where out of the question.

 

Sony was of obvious interest due to portability, but the Sony was out of stock on Core 2 Duo processes, and they had no 7200RPM HDD option (which is crucial for performance), so I had to chuck them out of contention.

 

Then I went to the Dell website and I was immediately impresed by 2 notebooks of the XPS line.

 

The XPS 1330 is a beauty. Very light, sturdy and well featured options, at a reasonable price.

And the XPS 1530 which is also well designed and light for its size, also at a reasonable price.

 

I thought long and hard about the XPS 1330 and I started learning towards it, that is until I tried it out myself at the local Dell outlet store near me.

 

The 1330 is light, but the keyboard is not made for men with big hands, and that 13.3 screen is only good on an airplane. I love screen space and I wouldnt be satisfied with the small screen (even using virtual windows).

 

So I decided to focus on the XPS 1530, trying the same HDD configuration as the Macbook Pro above:

 

My System Details Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache),Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition,Alpine White,High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1440x900) & 2MP Camera,4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms),Speed: 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive Free Fall Sensor,Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write),256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT,Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card,Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition,My Accessories 6-cell Primary Battery and 9 -cell additional Lithium Ion Battery,My Software Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD,Free Microsoft Office Live Small Business,No Security Subscription (Norton 90-day),My Services & Warranties 3 yr Limited Hardware Warranty with Next Business Day On-Site Service,1 Year LoJack Theft Protection for Laptops (CD Shipped Separately),

 

Coming to a total of (drum roll) .........:$2770 (including Tax, shipping and handling)

 

Now I was really confused. How could 2 Notebooks, both known for their great design and ergonomy (with an obvious advantage to the MacBook which is gorgeous), with the exact same basic hardware components, cost almost $1000 for Apple compared to Dell???? Leopard might be better than Vista, but there is no way in hell that I am paying $1000 dollars extra for the pleasure of running using. Where is the ROI in that?

 

Now before I made up my mind and pushed the "Buy" button, once again, I decided to check tons of forums (including this one) for different opinions from Mac Users and XPS Users.

 

Both groups seemed very happy with their notebooks, heralded as the best in their category.

 

So finally my decision came to prize and once again, Apple will have to wait 1-2 years before I will consider spending money on their notebooks.

 

It is a shame however that a journey that started 1year ago in anticipation of becoming a proud Mac owner, has ended in a completely different direction than I orginally anticipated; For Apple that is ;)

 

I for one have received my XPS 1530 and it absolutely Rocks!!! Vista runs like a crazy and I am going to install Ubuntu and maybe try OSx86 on a 3pl boot! Who knows, maybe VMWare is next??

 

Finally, I am about to head out on a holiday to Miami, with my girl, and my dell, thanks to Mr. Dell for saving me $1000 on a great notebook. Maybe see u in a year or 2 Mr. Jobs, when you start offering more realistic pricing options for mainstream users like me!

 

 

MacBook Pro System Details

 

MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.2GHz

MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display

2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English

SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

4GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB

 

$3,601.30 (Including Tax, Shipping and handling)

 

 

Dell XPS 1530 System Details

 

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache),Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition,High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1440x900) & 2MP Camera,4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms),Speed: 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive Free Fall Sensor,Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write),256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT,Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card,Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition,My Accessories 6-cell Primary Battery and 9 -cell additional Lithium Ion Battery,

My Services & Warranties 3 yr Limited Hardware Warranty with Next Business Day On-Site Service,1 Year LoJack Theft Protection for Laptops (CD Shipped Separately),

 

$2770 (including Tax, shipping and handling)

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Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia
Posted
Posted

That's cool. It's a great Laptop. Personally I would have still gotten the Macbook Pro, and upgraded the Ram and HDD myself. It would probably come to less than $2770. This is because Apple charge obscene prices for RAM. Dell does too, just not as bad as Apple.

 

Macbook Pro : $1999

4gb RAM : $110 at newegg

200gb hdd: $180 at newegg.

 

But whatever...you can now run Linux, Vista and Leopard on your new laptop, and have right click to boot! ;)

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Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia
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Yeah, they're great choices now that we have working 8-series drivers for Mac OS X. I don't think you should get the Dell Ram though. Here's why:

Coming to a total of (drum roll) .........:$2770 (including Tax, shipping and handling)

I think the baseline XPS 1530 model with an 8600m is just $1599. Then you can upgrade to 4gb and a larger hdd for much less than $2770.

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Korrupted
Korrupted
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The XPS 1530 with a glossy 1680x1050 screen, 2.4Ghz, and the 8600M GT is $1499(default ram, default hd). 4GB RAM from newegg is like $80, and a 200GB 7200 RPM drive is like $179. Total price: $1758

 

A MBP with the same specs(17 inches, though) is: 2.4Ghz, 8600M GT, $2799. 4GB RAM from newegg is like $80, and a 200GB 7200 RPM drive is like $179. Total price: $3058. Ouch.

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M Y Awan
M Y Awan
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Posted

did anyone mention blue ray disk too?

 

in UK the dell XPS 1530 is available around £999 with exact (or exceeding) MBP sepcifications + additional Blue Ray Disk & 1680x1050 screen, The MBP cost around £1600. this price is insane & difference is insane to so sanely i have gone for XPS 1530! I think S.Jobs is so crazy he should keep the prices down

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Dermatea
Dermatea
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The Dell XPS 1530's specs are not that impressive considering the price. I prefer the Asus G1S-B1 notebook:

http://www.excaliberpc.com/ASUS_G1S-B1_Int...-id-582677.html

 

All of the specs are pretty much the same or better than the XPS 1530 except instead of 4GB of memory it "only" has 3GB, but it makes up for it by including 1GB of Intel Turbo Memory (which also saves you the trouble of upgrading to a 64bit OS in order to use 4 or more GBs of RAM. All that and it's only around $1650 (not including tax/shipping).

Note: The 3rd gigabyte of RAM can be bundled for free with your order.

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charlie73
charlie73
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The Dell XPS 1530's specs are not that impressive considering the price. I prefer the Asus G1S-B1 notebook:

http://www.excaliberpc.com/ASUS_G1S-B1_Int...-id-582677.html

 

All of the specs are pretty much the same or better than the XPS 1530 except instead of 4GB of memory it "only" has 3GB, but it makes up for it by including 1GB of Intel Turbo Memory (which also saves you the trouble of upgrading to a 64bit OS in order to use 4 or more GBs of RAM. All that and it's only around $1650 (not including tax/shipping).

Note: The 3rd gigabyte of RAM can be bundled for free with your order.

 

True, its a good configuration for the price. Even better is the HP dv6700, which is more powerful and cheaper than the ASUS.

 

But both are not as well designed and light for compared to the 1530. That is why I gravitated towards the mac in particular, before deciding on the dell.

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GrandGizmo
GrandGizmo
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Posted
Ok, before all you Maclites start attacking, let me explain my point.I have been saving up for a year to buy a Mac, the MacBook pro in particular; due to all the good press I have been getting about Leopard as well as the beautiful design and weight.Once I had payed all my bills and settled debts, I was ready to start shopping for my Mac like a 4 year old kid with 20bucks at toysrus.But when I setup my configuration on Apple store, I almost had a heart attack looking at the price :blink: Here was my ideal config and pricing on apple store:MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.2GHz MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display2.2GHz Intel Core 2 DuoBacklit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. EnglishSuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm4GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GBDrum roll .. .. ... $3,601.30 :blink: WT :censored2: R U Kidding me?!!! Ok I know it is sexy PC and the configuration is top of the line.I also know I could stick with 4GB model, and buy replacement RAM for much less than Apple offers.But during my research I learnt of the woes of making HDD and RAM changes to the MacBook pro, which invariably (for someone like me with big clumsy fingers and a past history of nuking MBDs), I knew I would have to rely on devine intervention for small hardware changes thanks to my local Apple store.So taking all this into consideration, I decided that I would have to stick with the typical PC notebook and Vista for the short time. Dont get me wrong, I am not bashing Vista. Infact, I think most people havent given Vista a chance to run properly on a machine designed for Vista. But I do know that Leopard is more sophisticated and stable environment, and I was really looking forward to a Leopard/Vista dual boot.So I started surfing the web, looking for a worthy imitation of the MacBook Pro.I have an HP pavillion dv6000 which works well, but is heavy and overheats terribly, so HPs where out of the question.Sony was of obvious interest due to portability, but the Sony was out of stock on Core 2 Duo processes, and they had no 7200RPM HDD option (which is crucial for performance), so I had to chuck them out of contention.Then I went to the Dell website and I was immediately impresed by 2 notebooks of the XPS line.The XPS 1330 is a beauty. Very light, sturdy and well featured options, at a reasonable price.And the XPS 1530 which is also well designed and light for its size, also at a reasonable price.I thought long and hard about the XPS 1330 and I started learning towards it, that is until I tried it out myself at the local Dell outlet store near me.The 1330 is light, but the keyboard is not made for men with big hands, and that 13.3 screen is only good on an airplane. I love screen space and I wouldnt be satisfied with the small screen (even using virtual windows).So I decided to focus on the XPS 1530, trying the same HDD configuration as the Macbook Pro above:My System Details Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache),Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition,Alpine White,High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1440x900) & 2MP Camera,4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms),Speed: 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive Free Fall Sensor,Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write),256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT,Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card,Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition,My Accessories 6-cell Primary Battery and 9 -cell additional Lithium Ion Battery,My Software Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD,Free Microsoft Office Live Small Business,No Security Subscription (Norton 90-day),My Services & Warranties 3 yr Limited Hardware Warranty with Next Business Day On-Site Service,1 Year LoJack Theft Protection for Laptops (CD Shipped Separately),Coming to a total of (drum roll) .........:$2770 (including Tax, shipping and handling)Now I was really confused. How could 2 Notebooks, both known for their great design and ergonomy (with an obvious advantage to the MacBook which is gorgeous), with the exact same basic hardware components, cost almost $1000 for Apple compared to Dell???? Leopard might be better than Vista, but there is no way in hell that I am paying $1000 dollars extra for the pleasure of running using. Where is the ROI in that?Now before I made up my mind and pushed the "Buy" button, once again, I decided to check tons of forums (including this one) for different opinions from Mac Users and XPS Users.Both groups seemed very happy with their notebooks, heralded as the best in their category.So finally my decision came to prize and once again, Apple will have to wait 1-2 years before I will consider spending money on their notebooks. It is a shame however that a journey that started 1year ago in anticipation of becoming a proud Mac owner, has ended in a completely different direction than I orginally anticipated; For Apple that is ;) I for one have received my XPS 1530 and it absolutely Rocks!!! Vista runs like a crazy and I am going to install Ubuntu and maybe try OSx86 on a 3pl boot! Who knows, maybe VMWare is next??Finally, I am about to head out on a holiday to Miami, with my girl, and my dell, thanks to Mr. Dell for saving me $1000 on a great notebook. Maybe see u in a year or 2 Mr. Jobs, when you start offering more realistic pricing options for mainstream users like me!MacBook Pro System DetailsMacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.2GHz MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display2.2GHz Intel Core 2 DuoBacklit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. EnglishSuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm4GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB$3,601.30 (Including Tax, Shipping and handling)Dell XPS 1530 System DetailsIntel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache),Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition,High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1440x900) & 2MP Camera,4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms),Speed: 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive Free Fall Sensor,Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write),256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT,Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card, Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition, My Accessories 6-cell Primary Battery and 9 -cell additional Lithium Ion Battery, My Services & Warranties 3 yr Limited Hardware Warranty with Next Business Day On-Site Service, 1 Year LoJack Theft Protection for Laptops (CD Shipped Separately),$2770 (including Tax, shipping and handling)
Are you kidding me? You make no sense! I got the 17" Macbook Pro for $20 less than you paid for that Dell. You should have called Apple, and dropped that 7200RPM hard drive down to a 5400RPM drive. It's just as good, and there's not all that much difference. Plus, you knock off a $100 on the price. I don't know how in the world you got that price. If I would have had my Macbook Pro fully decked out with 17" screen, I was only going to pay $3,000. That's with 2 gigs of RAM. Like I said, I don't know where you got that price, but I paid $20 less for my Macbook Pro than you paid for your Dell, and it's a better machine running a better operating system.Well, you get what you pay for. That's all there is to it. Macbook Pro is the best laptop on the earth. Dell is junk!
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jake123
jake123
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Posted

DELL IS JUNK!

Haha, to be fair I only buy Dell's and Mac's.

I have ~3 Dell laptops that are under a year old.. they all have broken from hardware related issues.... not to mention the aful operating system... Windows.... Anyways, I have a MBP and an iMac in my house, both of those machines have been flawless... the MBP is 2-3 years old, and the only thing wrong with it is the battery. Mac's are amazing machines...

In the long run I think that Windows is aful, making me reinstall every single week... I used it for 7 years.... and it finally got to the point where I couldnt handle it...

 

And that sounds completely bias... but w/e, I'm a mac guy :)

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apowerr
apowerr
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Posted
You should have called Apple, and dropped that 7200RPM hard drive down to a 5400RPM drive. It's just as good, and there's not all that much difference.

Theres actually a significant difference in read and write speeds.

If I would have had my Macbook Pro fully decked out with 17" screen, I was only going to pay $3,000. That's with 2 gigs of RAM.

He wanted 4 gigs of RAM though.

I don't know how in the world you got that price.......... Like I said, I don't know where you got that price,

The specs are right there?

Macbook Pro is the best laptop on the earth.

Unfortunately it also may be the most overpriced (its identical competitors are hundreds of dollars cheaper), it's in desperate need of an update from Apple. Back in June 2007 the prices were competitive, but not now by any means.

Dell is junk!

Dell is not 'junk', they make decent enough machines. They're definitely not as good as Apple computers however (build quality wise).

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Numberzz
Numberzz
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Posted
Theres actually a significant difference in read and write speeds.

 

He wanted 4 gigs of RAM though.

 

The specs are right there?

 

Unfortunately it also may be the most overpriced (its identical competitors are hundreds of dollars cheaper), it's in desperate need of an update from Apple. Back in June 2007 the prices were competitive, but not now by any means.

 

Dell is not 'junk', they make decent enough machines. They're definitely not as good as Apple computers however (build quality wise).

Dell did do one thing right.

20080208-ga6uj66x969e1xa48gqy7sujgx.jpg

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  • 2 months later...
DiGiCiD@L
DiGiCiD@L
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Posted
DELL IS JUNK!

Haha, to be fair I only buy Dell's and Mac's.

I have ~3 Dell laptops that are under a year old.. they all have broken from hardware related issues.... not to mention the aful operating system... Windows.... Anyways, I have a MBP and an iMac in my house, both of those machines have been flawless... the MBP is 2-3 years old, and the only thing wrong with it is the battery. Mac's are amazing machines...

In the long run I think that Windows is aful, making me reinstall every single week... I used it for 7 years.... and it finally got to the point where I couldnt handle it...

 

And that sounds completely bias... but w/e, I'm a mac guy :)

 

Wow... that's very odd...

 

I too have had 3 Dell laptops... they are all running flawlessly... I've had to replace the screens on two because:

1) A user dropped it... after 3 years of serving me well - I hand it off and they drop it on concrete in 6 days... GRRRR!

2) I decided that I wanted the 17" 1920X1200 glossy hi-brite on my 9200.

I've never had to replace anything other than a hard drive or CD - and only once because of failure - the rest of the time it was just for capacity or speed.

 

I've also had a MBP - granted not one of the latest ones, but still an Apple product of somewhat recent vintage... it has NOT been so sweet... hinge problems, screen problems (dead pixels), HD crashed, etc...

 

The one thing I will give Apple is their support is pretty good... but then again I haven't had any of the problems other claim to have with Dell - maybe it's because I'm a corporate account - dunno.

 

In any case - although I have a couple of Mac's now - I will not be purchasing another MBP ever again.

 

And although I do love Leopard (and use it all the time when I can) - when you make your living working with Windows (programming, DBA, network admin... etc) - it's not an option. Also with the exception of Vista... the difference between a stable, secure Windows and the one you're complaining about - is almost always because of a stupid user... you can't blame MS for that... at some point the fact that you clicked that popup window that installed the trojan on your system is YOUR fault. :D

 

As of the current time, I have an NT4 server that's been installed once, and shows an uptime of just over 6.5 years (of course, that's also because of good hardware). I've never had to reinstall a Windows OS just because something didn't work - it's called the registry - and you edit it... not so different from installing different kexts or packages to MacOS or RPM... are you telling me that you've never installed a piece of software into OSX that caused instability?? If so you must run nothing but Apple software too.

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