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Dell xps m1530 review - excellent features

Our pre-production XPS M1530 is equipped with the following specs:

 

 

 

* 15.4-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) CCFL glossy screen

* "Crimson" red paint (also available in "Tuxedo" black or "Alpine" white)

* 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500 processor, Santa Rosa chipset (up to 2.4GHz available)

* 2GB DDR2-667 SDRAM (up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM available)

* 160GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD (32GB SSD drive available)

* Slot-loading dual-layer DVD±RW drive

* NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3

* WWAN option for Verizon

* Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n (Intel 4965), Bluetooth option

* Integrated 2.0 megapixel webcam

* HDMI, VGA, S-Video, Firewire/1394, three USB 2.0 ports, integrated media reader (MS, SD, xD), fingerprint reader

* Media Center remote located in ExpressCard slot

* Windows Vista Home Premium

* Dimensions (with 6-cell battery): 14.06″ x 10.34″ x 0.93″ – 1.38″

* Weight starts at 5.9 pounds with 6-cell battery (6.29 pounds with 9-cell)

Build and Design

 

The Dell XPS M1330 has received high praise for its design and feature set in a 13.3″ portable form factor, but the most popular selling laptops are in the 15.4″ screen size. Dell, being in the business of selling more laptops and making customers happy, figured it would be wise to offer something that's larger and appeals to more people. And that's exactly what the M1530 is — a larger version of the M1330.

Screen

 

Another difference that should be mentioned is that currently the M1530 is offered with only a standard 15.4″ widescreen XGA (1280 x 800) display, while the XPS M1330 has the option for a thinner and more power efficient LED backlit display. Dell says the XPS M1530 should be available next year with different resolution screens … including LED backlight options.

Keyboard, Touchpad and Media Controls

 

The keyboard on the XPS M1530 is fairly similar to the XPS M1330, with obvious reasons. The keyboard is firm with virtually no flex and the keys have excellent travel and cushion. The XPS M1530 is really quite a pleasure to type on. The only complaint I have for the keyboard is that if your fingernails are slightly long they might get caught under the keys, this shouldn't be a problem for most males though.

Conclusion

 

Overall, the Dell XPS M1530 is a solid addition to the Dell notebook lineup. We praised the smaller XPS M1330 for having "a design that is second to none in its price range" but we didn't feel quite as strong about the design of the larger M1530. While this is certainly the hottest 15.4″ notebook available from Dell, it's hard to shake the feeling that we're looking at a "fat" M1330 with a larger screen.

 

While issues like a noisy slot-loading drive, noisy hard drive, and limited screen options will make some demanding buyers look elsewhere, the M1530 is an excellent alternative to HP's popular dv6500t notebook in the same price range.

 

Pros

 

* Thin and light … for a 15.4″ Dell notebook

* Nvidia 8600M GT card option uses high-performance GDDR3 memory

* Reasonable battery life

* Nice keyboard, touchpad and media buttons

 

Cons

 

* Only three USB ports

* Slot-loading drive is loud during loading and ejecting

* Hard drive noise is magnified by the case/mount design

* Limited screen options at the time of this writing

 

 

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