Dell XPS 1530- Dell Calls out Apple

[EvryDayImShufln]

I also see the upgraded video ram to 256.

Anyhow even if it costs less than the MBP, don't forget that it has an 8400, not an 8600 and lower screen res. I guess I wish apple would less us customize things to the point of being like dell: for example, putting whatever processor we want instead of only high ends ones, or changing videoram. I could live with a 2,2 with 256 MB videoram

 

[JAT]

Me neither. And when I did that yesterday it came out to $1844, 1744 with the matching 160GB drive. Maybe you added software or something?

 

[Brandonnn]

to SiliconAddict

I don't mean to get off topic on this thread. I wanted to ask you since you work with dell products..In your opinion is there a huge difference between a 20inch apple cinema and that of the dells ultrasharp widescreen? I love the apple but the price is almost double, unfortunately iam on a budget. Is the extra money worth the apple cinema? Or would the average layman not noticed. I was wanting to hook up to mac mini possibly. Thanks

 

[Roba]

zakatov i just configured one with the 2.2 processor 250GB HD and the 256 video card with Vista Ultimate and it came to $1,794. All the extra software you added is not needed. Vista Ultimate comes with media software and it also comes in built with Easy Transfer and Backup also. Also these notebooks ship with Dell Media Direct also and probably Cyberlink or Roxio dvd software. I know with my XPS M1330 it came with Roxio DVD software as standard.

There is also stuff that you get with this notebook that you don't get with the MBP. You don't get any PVR software with the MBP and for another example you also don't get a free paint program either. I could list more examples but there is no need the differences kind of balance themselves out at the end of the day.

 

[/"\/oo\/"\]

I'd rather crash a mid-80's town car into a brick wall than own a dell computer. That's just me though.

 

[Digital Skunk]

zakatov i just configured one with the 2.2 processor 250GB HD and the 256 video card with Vista Ultimate and it came to $1,794. All the extra software you added is not needed. Vista Ultimate comes with media software and it also comes in built with Easy Transfer and Backup also. Also these notebooks ship with Dell Media Direct also and probably Cyberlink or Roxio dvd software. I know with my XPS M1330 it came with Roxio DVD software as standard.

There is also stuff that you get with this notebook that you don't get with the MBP. You don't get any PVR software with the MBP and for another example you also don't get a free paint program either. I could list more examples but there is no need the differences kind of balance themselves out at the end of the day.

Paint is over rated. iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD are more than enough to justify not even getting a Windows machine.

I don't mean to get off topic on this thread. I wanted to ask you since you work with dell products..In your opinion is there a huge difference between a 20inch apple cinema and that of the dells ultrasharp widescreen? I love the apple but the price is almost double, unfortunately iam on a budget. Is the extra money worth the apple cinema? Or would the average layman not noticed. I was wanting to hook up to mac mini possibly. Thanks

If I were on a budget I'd go for the Dell or any other manufacturer. The Apples are nice and a must have in my opinion, but way over priced for their specs. The Dells creak and feel good awful to the touch, but the display is actually a comparable panel, just that Dell went el cheapo with the case materials.

If I needed a 24" display yesterday, and I didn't have a $1000 bill sitting in my pocket, I'd buy the Dell or an HP. If I just blew $5000 on that new Mac Pro and needed dual displays, the same thing would apply. But if I had the cash, and didn't need $2000 to go anywhere else but into a good, sturdy monitor with FW400 ports, then it'd be Apple all the way.

 

[Sesshi]

The Inspirons may creak, and perhaps this range is all you have experience of.

Latitudes, XPS's and Precisions don't - unless they're defective - creak. Quite a few in those ranges are also better built - although of course somewhat visually lacking - than any notebook from Apple. At the moment I have three M1330's, one M1730 and two M1710s - and I'm generally happy with the build quality. The M1330 machines are certainly more robust than the Macbook Pro, and the similar case design bodes well for the M1530's durability as well. The puzzlingly inadequate screen choice is about the only thing putting me off trying one at the moment.

 

[Digital Skunk]

The Inspirons may creak, and perhaps this range is all you have experience of.

Latitudes, XPS's and Precisions don't - unless they're defective - creak. Quite a few in those ranges are also better built - although of course somewhat visually lacking - than any notebook from Apple. At the moment I have three M1330's, one M1730 and two M1710s - and I'm generally happy with the build quality. The M1330 machines are certainly more robust than the Macbook Pro, and the similar case design bodes well for the M1530's durability as well. The puzzlingly inadequate screen choice is about the only thing putting me off trying one at the moment.

OH!

You are talking about the laptops. I was talking to another poster about the Cinema Displays. In that case yeah... I don't have much experience with the laptops other than the Dell Kiosks, and the XPS line isn't bad at all. The desktops are much more robust than Dell in 2004.

In regards to the Dell displays and other displays from other companies, the ACD feels a lot better to hold and touch and move due to the aluminum (and expensive I am sure) casing. The panels in the competition are much better, but the casing is pretty much the only thing keeping people desiring an ACD, that and the FW400 hub. Other than that I'd tell anyone to look somewhere other than Apple until they update their lineup.

p.s. sorry about the misunderstanding.

p.p.s How is the 1730 anyway? Is it as huge as the pictures online make it out to be?

 

[Sesshi]

p.s. sorry about the misunderstanding.

p.p.s How is the 1730 anyway? Is it as huge as the pictures online make it out to be?

Well yes - since we're discussing notebooks, I guess I am referring to notebooks

If anything, it's bigger than you think it is, and as with the older M1710 the power brick is actually bigger than a real brick. Not a fan of the styling to say the least, but the machine runs stable/quiet for all purposes at 3Ghz with the X7900. 3.2 gets quite noisy but surprisingly is gaming-stable, 3.4 is unstable. Some SLI issues remain to be solved but it's definitely a powerhouse DTR. Solid build despite the plastic, no on-delivery issues. It's pretty much what I expected - one of the most powerful practically luggable DTR's I could buy. It may end up being a good work tool for me, although I'm waiting for the similar Alienware machine with the dual 8800M's to come out - and then I'll make a decision on which machine should replace the M1710's as my regular DTR. It's a solid machine which does what I want it to do but I can't say I love it - I think they messed up on the styling: The stippled grey effect is pretty ugly, but perhaps not as comedy as the M1710. The visual element of the M1730 was however a real disappointment after the decent work they did on the M1330.

And I think the Dell monitors are fine in normal use - I use 2407WFP/HC's and 3007WFP/HCs pretty interchangeably with the 23" and 30" ACD's. The 'hold and feel' difference with the Dells is that I don't have to use anything else to prop up the Dells. There's good visual design, and good design engineering. Apple's current crew have the former down pat, but definitely needs some lessons in the latter.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Well yes - since we're discussing notebooks, I guess I am referring to notebooks

If anything, it's bigger than you think it is, and as with the older M1710 the power brick is actually bigger than a real brick. Not a fan of the styling to say the least, but the machine runs stable/quiet for all purposes at 3Ghz with the X7900. 3.2 gets quite noisy but surprisingly is gaming-stable, 3.4 is unstable. Some SLI issues remain to be solved but it's definitely a powerhouse DTR. Solid build despite the plastic, no on-delivery issues. It's pretty much what I expected - one of the most powerful practically luggable DTR's I could buy. It may end up being a good work tool for me, although I'm waiting for the similar Alienware machine with the dual 8800M's to come out - and then I'll make a decision on which machine should replace the M1710's as my regular DTR. It's a solid machine which does what I want it to do but I can't say I love it - I think they messed up on the styling: The stippled grey effect is pretty ugly, but perhaps not as comedy as the M1710. The visual element of the M1730 was however a real disappointment after the decent work they did on the M1330.

And I think the Dell monitors are fine in normal use - I use 2407WFP/HC's and 3007WFP/HCs pretty interchangeably with the 23" and 30" ACD's. The 'hold and feel' difference with the Dells is that I don't have to use anything else to prop up the Dells. There's good visual design, and good design engineering. Apple's current crew have the former down pat, but definitely needs some lessons in the latter.

I have been eye-ing that Alienware for some time now. I don't think I have it in me to give up Aperture, Final Cut Pro Studio, and iWork though. I don't mind giving up a 1" thin case for SLI, dual internal drives, and extra cooling for super fast, over clocked processors though. No one in the video editing industry seriously considers the 17" MBP a DTR and many have opted for the Adobe Master collection with Premier Pro and a computer like the 1730.

There used to be a time when cutting on a laptop would cause problems, but now that they have comparable speeds to the mid range towers and HDDs have gotten so cheap many editors are choosing to go mobile.

I never knew the M1730 could get up to 3, 3.2, and 3.4 GHz I thought it carried the 2.8 GHz chip that is in the iMac and I pray gets into the MBP. I am no where near switching to Windows just yet, since many of my daily apps in my personal side jobs and my main job require Mac OS X, but I would kill for some lap burning performance in my laptop ever now and then. Something to really call a mobile workstation.

I rather like the Dell 30" monitor to be honest. When I do get that updated Mac Pro and grab an internal FW card for it, and kill the need for the extra ports, I may put a 24" or 30" Dell or HP on my desk. Unless, Apple does kick up the specs, and bring down the prices a tad on their display lineup, another thing I am crossing my fingers for at Mac World.

 

[Brandonnn]

budget common sanity would steer me to dell bah!

Paint is over rated. iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD are more than enough to justify not even getting a Windows machine.



If I were on a budget I'd go for the Dell or any other manufacturer. The Apples are nice and a must have in my opinion, but way over priced for their specs. The Dells creak and feel good awful to the touch, but the display is actually a comparable panel, just that Dell went el cheapo with the case materials.

Sigh..as much as I love the apple cinema displays, the price factor is an issue right now. It's so insane, after seeing the displays at an apple store yesterday, I have trouble liking the dell. I guess thats "kudos" to apple's design team. That comparable specs or better in dells at half the price..and still lured to apple

Do you forsee apple reducing the prices on their cinemas in future?
ps: thanks for the reply.

 

[Eidorian]

I never knew the M1730 could get up to 3, 3.2, and 3.4 GHz I thought it carried the 2.8 GHz chip that is in the iMac and I pray gets into the MBP. I am no where near switching to Windows just yet, since many of my daily apps in my personal side jobs and my main job require Mac OS X, but I would kill for some lap burning performance in my laptop ever now and then. Something to really call a mobile workstation.

It is the same processor.

Overclocking it in the iMac is another story.

The M1730 is nice but even the SLI 8700M GT needs to be bumped up to something with a 256-bit interface.

 

[Sesshi]

but I would kill for some lap burning performance in my laptop ever now and then.

Hey, you already have lap burning performance in the MBP. The moment you begin to scratch the surface of what the components are capable of it turns into a furnace

The same of course for the X7900 iMac - It's hot enough already when I'm hammering it just a little, running the X7900 at the speeds it could be run at will likely burn down the house. And of course, for that reason is why you will not find an X7900 in an MBP - but likely a future iteration of it which runs cooler, by which the DTR's would be onto something bigger.

 

[zirkle2007]

Paint is over rated. iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD are more than enough to justify not even getting a Windows machine.



If I were on a budget I'd go for the Dell or any other manufacturer. The Apples are nice and a must have in my opinion, but way over priced for their specs. The Dells creak and feel good awful to the touch, but the display is actually a comparable panel, just that Dell went el cheapo with the case materials.

Sigh..as much as I love the apple cinema displays, the price factor is an issue right now. It's so insane, after seeing the displays at an apple store yesterday, I have trouble liking the dell. I guess thats "kudos" to apple's design team. That comparable specs or better in dells at half the price..and still lured to apple

Do you forsee apple reducing the prices on their cinemas in future?
ps: thanks for the reply.

Macs really aren't over priced at all. In most cases you actually get a better deal in the long run. While they can't throw you a sub $1000 notebook, theirs do beat most in the price range they are in. Now the displays on the other hand, while very nice looking, seem overpriced to me.

 

[Sesshi]

Depends on if all you want is something that's reasonably well specified on paper and pretty I suppose. The design premium is - as you say - not high these days.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Sigh..as much as I love the apple cinema displays, the price factor is an issue right now. It's so insane, after seeing the displays at an apple store yesterday, I have trouble liking the dell. I guess thats "kudos" to apple's design team. That comparable specs or better in dells at half the price..and still lured to apple

Do you forsee apple reducing the prices on their cinemas in future?
ps: thanks for the reply.

I do see Apple introducing a new Cinema Display or some kind of HD display with HDMI and/or DVI. The current line up is wonderful but I would love to see what they could come out with next, or at least reduce the prices yet a fourth time since the monitor's inception.

Right now we are all waiting for MacWorld and the usual hype is starting to grow. The only thing I am hoping for is a serious revamp of the Mac Pro and the ACDs. Maybe a MacBook Pro update (silent even) and possibly an Xserve revamp. Many on the consumer side are hoping for a MacBook update (mainly the case) and a new Mac Tablet thing that for some reason everyone wants to look like a fat iPhone.

I am just crossing my fingers for a Mac Pro and display update.

Depends on if all you want is something that's reasonably well specified on paper and pretty I suppose. The design premium is - as you say - not high these days.

Right. I really think the other companies are starting to see that design means a lot to people these days. People are even starting to justify the VAIOs that were touted as the Apple of the Windows market.

The new Dells and the makeover that HP is making is going a long way. And if I wasn't tied to Apple software, it'd be either that Alienware or the 1530 all the way. I might have even looked at the HP 20" 'laptop' as a DTR.

 

[Sesshi]

The difference with the VAIO's (the upper-end models) and the similarly priced Apples however is the technology, engineering and build quality. The two are just poles apart. Apples are still visually more arresting - as I said, the design premium is not high - but they don't really have any other advantage (apart from the OS, which to me is debatable as an advantage). The difference in engineering and build quality to a lesser extent even goes to Dell/HP's business range (i.e. they're better than Apple). How much do you value style over everything else, is one of the questions that any prospective Switcher should ask themselves at this point.

At the moment I have various Sony's - current-model TZ's, G's and UX's - scattered over three locations. There have yet to be any issues with them. In all my years of owning VAIO's, I think my problems with them ranges in the single digits. I've never bought a lower-end, made-in-China VAIOs, favouring the highest-end ultraportables and power machines, but in comparison to Sony's reliability my experience with Apple has been absolutely farcial.

 

[Roba]

I actually think that iPhoto is overrated and i prefer Windows Photo Gallery to iPhoto.
Vista's dvd maker and movie maker software look ok these things do not really interest me so i cannot really pass fair comment on this but i will say that Vista's dvd and movie software look better than what it does on XP.

Of course Paint is not the most advanced piece of software out there but when i bought a Mac i did have to buy myself a paint software package. If Apple supplied something quite basic i would not have done so. The Corel software that i bought cost me 60 pounds. I did not like what was available on the net and also i am not keen on downloading software anyway.

Also, i had to buy myself iWorks for basically the same reason as above and that set me back 50 pounds as well. I don't actually need something to advanced so iWorks which i had to pay for or MS Works which you can get free works very well for me.

I like MacOSX if i could get a Mac laptop that suited my needs i most probably would buy one right now (and install Vista via bootcamp) even though i got a great deal on the XPS M1330 that i bought a few months back.

Paint is over rated. iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD are more than enough to justify not even getting a Windows machine.



If I were on a budget I'd go for the Dell or any other manufacturer. The Apples are nice and a must have in my opinion, but way over priced for their specs. The Dells creak and feel good awful to the touch, but the display is actually a comparable panel, just that Dell went el cheapo with the case materials.

If I needed a 24" display yesterday, and I didn't have a $1000 bill sitting in my pocket, I'd buy the Dell or an HP. If I just blew $5000 on that new Mac Pro and needed dual displays, the same thing would apply. But if I had the cash, and didn't need $2000 to go anywhere else but into a good, sturdy monitor with FW400 ports, then it'd be Apple all the way.

 

[DoFoT9]

im sorry, but the plain fact that it would have vista (or xp) is just the biggest turn off for me. ive had TOO many bad experiences with them, i just want to stay where i am comfortable, even if it means paying extra for something i love.

 

[G4DP]

We may not like them but?

Whilst the vast majority of us around here do not like dells and other PC's, the fact is they have now started shipping consumer level products with 2GB Ram or more. Workstation come with more. It is sad that given the rock bottom prices of Ram Apple does not deem it sensible to match or better this.

 

[Sesshi]

I actually think that iPhoto is overrated and i prefer Windows Photo Gallery to iPhoto.
Vista's dvd maker and movie maker software look ok these things do not really interest me so i cannot really pass fair comment on this but i will say that Vista's dvd and movie software look better than what it does on XP.

Of course Paint is not the most advanced piece of software out there but when i bought a Mac i did have to buy myself a paint software package. If Apple supplied something quite basic i would not have done so. The Corel software that i bought cost me 60 pounds. I did not like what was available on the net and also i am not keen on downloading software anyway.

Also, i had to buy myself iWorks for basically the same reason as above and that set me back 50 pounds as well. I don't actually need something to advanced so iWorks which i had to pay for or MS Works which you can get free works very well for me.

I like MacOSX if i could get a Mac laptop that suited my needs i most probably would buy one right now (and install Vista via bootcamp) even though i got a great deal on the XPS M1330 that i bought a few months back.

I think the 1530 is not a developed specification at the moment, and they've introduced the same warnings as the 1330 had for long lead times - the 1330 is definitely the better buy at this stage. Dell had a hole in their range for a premium-ish consumer 15" but I don't think it's been filled well by the 1530, at least so far.

I think you've more or less hit on a point that I've been experiencing myself with the iLife and Apple-specific applications in general. While they may do a certain job well, many of the tools offered are easy to grow out of - and the pro-level tools have analogues in the PC world which makes them just as suitable. For "prosumers", people inbetween the two, Windows seems to be actually the better option if you're prepared to do some research.

iPhoto does a great job in many ways, but there's a whole bunch of things that for example an ACDsee bundle would do a lot better than iPhoto + Pixelmator for $80. iTunes is also a nice tool, but if you want far more control and versatility in your listening and syncing experience with none of the Apple limitations then j.River Media Center does it for $40. Vegas Studio does a better job than iMovie and is more of a prosumer tool than the decidedly consumer iapps for <$100. And for HTPC duties Vista Media Center leaves front Row in the dust. It goes on. For Office-related duties, the only area where Apple shines is as usual in the superficials: Keynote is a better live presentation tool than Powerpoint - for when you have to lie with style. Spend more, and you're inthe realm of the pro-level Apple apps - where Windows has also for the most part reached parity, if not superiority.

To me, what a computer does in terms of productivity, entertainment, entertainment etc applications and how suitable the hardware is for those tasks is far more important than what the OS does. In terms of the hardware, I don't care if the last visual detail has been sweated out if the engineering details have yet to be looked at seriously. And while Apple-ites may argue that fewer quality choices are better, it's just not the case - Windows has in many cases multitudes more options of more flexible and more capable applications (which may be a tad less shiny in their presentation).

There are some exceptions: For example, I've not found a standalone TV watching app on Windows that's better than EyeTV. But these areas of superiority are few and far between - and it's why my personal Macs remain pretty pristine (when they don't crumple at the drop of a hat that is).

 

[Digital Skunk]

Whilst the vast majority of us around here do not like dells and other PC's, the fact is they have now started shipping consumer level products with 2GB Ram or more. Workstation come with more. It is sad that given the rock bottom prices of Ram Apple does not deem it sensible to match or better this.

I don't know of too many manufacturers offering 2GB of RAM standard, that is to say, on their base configurations and not their pre-made packages. Most times people compare the base Apple system with a pre configured PC package and not the base system.

To make a good comparison you should start with the base and work your way up. Specials come and go.

 

[Eidorian]

I don't know of too many manufacturers offering 2GB of RAM standard, that is to say, on their base configurations and not their pre-made packages. Most times people compare the base Apple system with a pre configured PC package and not the base system.

To make a good comparison you should start with the base and work your way up. Specials come and go.

I've seen quite a few ~$1,000 laptops with 2 GB of RAM.

3 GB for a desktop.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I've seen quite a few ~$1,000 laptops with 2 GB of RAM.

3 GB for a desktop.

Dell does offer 2GB standard configuration, but their machines start at $1000. Same thing with HP's models. I know their are probably some Acers out there that give 2GB but can I have a link for some of the systems that you see, just curious. And are any of those models toting a decent processor? All of the ones I found carry the slowest chips from AMD and INTEL..... I am talking about 1.5 and 1.6 GHz with 533MHz - 600 MHz FSB, many wouldn't call that a decent machine.

 

[G4DP]

Components
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz,800MHz,4MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
Tuxedo Black & 0.3 mega pixel Camera for White-LED Display
13.3" UltraSharp™ WXGA (1280x800) White-LED Display (300 nits) with TrueLife™
Biometric Fingerprint Reader
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
128MB nVidia® GeForce® 8400M GS
Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load Drive, including SW
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Accessories
No Carry Case
Dell™ TrueMobile 355 internal Bluetooth Module - European
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card - Europe
Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English
Services & Software
No Accidental Damage Support
No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English
Also Includes
N12X3303
Inspiron Order - UK
English Documentation with English/Irish Power Cord
Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
Dell Internet Order.
Internal Lightweight Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)
Resource DVD - (Diagnostics & Drivers)
65W AC Adapter
No Modem

Okay I know it's not an exact match but you get this for £919 (incl V.A.T)

And from Apple:

Summary
Price: £824.69
VAT: £144.32
Subtotal: £969.01
Specifications
2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
160GB Serial ATA drive (5400rpm)
Keyboard & Mac OS
2.2GHz Intel Core Duo
Double-layer SuperDrive
AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth
Power Adapter
Battery


Now I know there is a Apple premium, but you have to upgrade the RAM,on the Macbook, you don't get an LED display. Hopefully Apple will wake and come MWSF shick us all by updating everything, whether it be silent or through announcement.