So I am off to college this fall and need to get a computer. I am between these 2.
1) Dell XPS M1530
My Components
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB, 3MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
LCD AND CAMERA High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LED LCD (1440×900) & 2.0 M
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
HARD DRIVE Size: 250GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drivw
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot Load DVD /-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
VIDEO CARD 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
WIRELESS CARDS Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
BATTERY OPTIONS 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
FINGERPRINT SCANNER Finger Print Reader XPS M1530
My Software & Accessories
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE McAfee SecurityCenter 15-months
PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE No Microsoft Office
PHOTO, VIDEO & BURN SOFTWARE Adobe Photoshop Premiere Elements
My Service
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3Yr Ltd HW WRTY, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis, 24×7 Phone Support
ACCIDENT AND THEFT PROTECTION Add Accidental Damage and LoJack Theft Protection to 3Yr Warr.
DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP Included 3 GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Yr
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
BLUETOOTH AND WIRELESS USB Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 Enhanced Data Rate)
Dell Printer Driver Windows Vista™ Premium
Software – Adobe Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1
Processor Branding Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor
Doms Camera and Color High Res, Black glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LED LCD (1440×900) & 2MP Camera
2) HP – Pavilion Model: dv5-1015nr
Product Features
Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor P7350 with 2 processing cores, 1066MHz frontside bus, 3MB L2 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed
4GB DDR2 memory for multitasking power, expandable to 8GB
Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with Blu-ray Disc support; records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible double-layer media; also supports DVD-RAM
From our expanded online assortment; not available in all Best Buy stores
15.4" WXGA high-definition widescreen display with BrightView Infinity technology and 1280 x 800 resolution
320GB SATA hard drive (5400 rpm); HP ProtectSmart hard drive protection
NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS NB9M-GE graphics with 256MB dedicated memory; up to 2047MB total graphics memory; HDMI output
QuickPlay touch-sensitive music and DVD controls; HP mobile remote and ear bud headphones included
Built-in HP webcam and integrated microphone make it easy to chat with family and friends
5-in-1 digital media reader supports Secure Digital, MutliMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card
IEEE 1394 port and 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports for fast digital video, audio and data transfer; 1 eSATA/USB combo port
Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/n); 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector; 56 Kbps high-speed modem
Weighs only 5.8 and measures 1.7" thin for easy portability; lithium-ion battery and AC adapter
HP Imprint 2 finish in onyx and chrome with a mesh imprint pattern
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled; software package included with Photosmart Essentials and more; 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office 2007 Student and Teacher edition included
I know there are pros and cons for both systems, but which do you think is the better one overall and why? The Dell is 99 and the HP is ,249.99.
Thanks!
November 26th, 2010 on 8:48 am
From the above two configurations DELL has the better graphics card (for gaming this will be far better than dv5t with a 9200M ) But you have not configured the dv5t wisely.
I came up with the following spec for $1098 directly from HP website :
* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)
* 2GB RAM (you can configure 4GB for extra $150, but not worth it, if you want 4Gb then buy with 2GB then upgrade it yourself later, you can buy a 4GB off new egg for around $80. Upgrading RAM is pretty easy and WILL NOT void the warranty = perfectly safe)
* 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (Much better than a 9200M and even better than 8600M GT of DELL XPS)
* 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive (I know this is a little less than your original configuration, but I think 250GB is more than enough, if yiou really want 320Gb you can upgrade for $100 more)
* Rest are same.
* Windows Vista Home Premium (64bit) with SP1
Microsoft office 2007 Office Home and Student (NOT Trial like your original config)
Link : (Start with the $898.99 base config and customize) http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=Versatile+performance&series_name=dv5t_series
November 26th, 2010 on 8:48 am
The Dell is a superior system by far. Its hard to go wrong with an XPS anything.
November 26th, 2010 on 8:48 am
Dell XPS M1530
November 26th, 2010 on 8:48 am
I Can Tell You That I Am On The XPS M1530 Now!
And Was Faced With The Same Choices. It Is A Real Performer, I Have It Loaded. And It Is Also The Best Looking Book I Have Seen! I Would Buy Another Anyday!
November 26th, 2010 on 8:48 am
i would rather tell you to buy a ThinkPad, theres one on sale for 1.5k, pretty godly.
my friend got one, it has everything including a HDD active protection (if you tilt ur laptop too much, HDD will stop to protect the Data)
but i would go with the Dell, doesnt matter the price, HP isnt a very reliable brand, they ARE cheaper, but quality sucks. (im using it right now)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2) 1
Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 1
Operating system Language: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium – English 1
Display type: 15.4 WSXGA+ TFT 1
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 128MB 1
Total memory: 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (1 DIMM) 1
Keyboard Language: US English Keyboard 1
Fingerprint : Integrated fingerprint reader 1
Pointing device: UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) 1
Hard drive: 250GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm 1
Optical device: CD-RW/DVD-ROM, Ultrabay Slim 1
System expansion slots: PC Card & Express Card Slots 1
Card Reader: 4 in 1 Media Card Reader 1
WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (US/CAN/LA/AP) 1
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth PAN 1
Wireless USB Adapter: None 1
Wireless WAN accessories: None 1
Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery 1
Power cord: 90W AC Adapter; NA, LA, (2pin) 1
Publication Language: English US Publication for Vista
this is 1.3k. 1.5k will get u a god
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/webca/LenovoPortal/en_CA/systemconfig.runtime.workflow:LoadRuntimeTree?sb=:00000025:000019A6:
November 26th, 2010 on 8:48 am
The Dell XPS. Hands down.
November 26th, 2010 on 8:48 am
The Dell is more of a casual-gamer laptop. It’s not as powerful, limited to the T9XXX series and 8600M as highest graphics card. The dv5t can be configured for some mean power at a price. It has the Montevina chip, but a weaker 9200M(given configuration). I’d prefer a 8600M GT, based on Nvidia’s numbering system.
I’d prefer the LED screen any day over a somewhat faster laptop. And 3 years of warranty to cover any mishaps. That XPS configuration can be brought down to around $1050 with a coupon.
Phoenix provided a cheaper alternative to the HP laptop, so it’s a personal choice then.