DELL XPS M1530

Matrix · 3 Mar 2008 at 17:29

jamesk13 said:
Excited as hell now Really want to play about with it. Will be doing a full wipe and XP SP2 install as soon as I get it. Do we have a current "best" place to get drivers from for XP?

Here you go :-

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11160198&postcount=207

Worked a treat for me

vorm · 4 Mar 2008 at 10:15

Well, just picked up this beauty from the Outlet

Code:

XPS M1530 CORE 2 DUO T7500 2.20GHz 
   Operating System:  English - Vista Home Premium  
     English - Vista Home Premium  
   Memory:  2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)  
   Hard Disk Drive:  200GB (7200RPM) SATA Hard Drive  
   Video:  ASSY, BASE 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT  
   NoteBook Screen:  15.4 UltraSharp Widescreen 
   WSXGA (1680x1050) TFT (TL) Wide Viewing Angle  
   CD Read-Write Drive:  8xDVD+/-RW Slim Slot-Load Drive, including SW  
   Software:  BT, AOL, Tiscali ISP Combination  
   English - Microsoft Works 8  
   MISC:  Power Cord  
     Image Restore - Vista  
     90W AC Adapter  
     CCFL backcover red & 2.0mp camera  
     Intel 4965WLAN Mini-Card EUR  
     Vista OnLine Getting Started Guide (WW  
     CCFL backcover red & 2.0mp camera  
     Roxio Vista - Creator / MYDVD 9.0  
     MS Vista Premium Logo Label NB (small  
     Internal Keyboard Uk/Irish (QWERTY)

£630 delivered.

And thanks for the above tip, was able to check the warranty - Jan 2011

Now all I have to do is decide whether or not to reformat as soon as it arrives. Is it really worth it or can you easily just uninstall stuff you dont need?

Balb0wa · 4 Mar 2008 at 10:22

vorm said:

Well, just picked up this beauty from the Outlet

Code:

XPS M1530 CORE 2 DUO T7500 2.20GHz 
   Operating System:  English - Vista Home Premium  
     English - Vista Home Premium  
   Memory:  2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)  
   Hard Disk Drive:  200GB (7200RPM) SATA Hard Drive  
   Video:  ASSY, BASE 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT  
   NoteBook Screen:  15.4 UltraSharp Widescreen 
   WSXGA (1680x1050) TFT (TL) Wide Viewing Angle  
   CD Read-Write Drive:  8xDVD+/-RW Slim Slot-Load Drive, including SW  
   Software:  BT, AOL, Tiscali ISP Combination  
   English - Microsoft Works 8  
   MISC:  Power Cord  
     Image Restore - Vista  
     90W AC Adapter  
     CCFL backcover red & 2.0mp camera  
     Intel 4965WLAN Mini-Card EUR  
     Vista OnLine Getting Started Guide (WW  
     CCFL backcover red & 2.0mp camera  
     Roxio Vista - Creator / MYDVD 9.0  
     MS Vista Premium Logo Label NB (small  
     Internal Keyboard Uk/Irish (QWERTY)

£630 delivered.

And thanks for the above tip, was able to check the warranty - Jan 2011

Now all I have to do is decide whether or not to reformat as soon as it arrives. Is it really worth it or can you easily just uninstall stuff you dont need?

Yes but you get 1 year warranty, not whats stated in the tag info, unless you pay extra :-)

they also remove 3g cards

MehulLakhani · 4 Mar 2008 at 10:28

vorm said:

Well, just picked up this beauty from the Outlet

Code:

XPS M1530 CORE 2 DUO T7500 2.20GHz 
   Operating System:  English - Vista Home Premium  
     English - Vista Home Premium  
   Memory:  2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)  
   Hard Disk Drive:  200GB (7200RPM) SATA Hard Drive  
   Video:  ASSY, BASE 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT  
   NoteBook Screen:  15.4 UltraSharp Widescreen 
   WSXGA (1680x1050) TFT (TL) Wide Viewing Angle  
   CD Read-Write Drive:  8xDVD+/-RW Slim Slot-Load Drive, including SW  
   Software:  BT, AOL, Tiscali ISP Combination  
   English - Microsoft Works 8  
   MISC:  Power Cord  
     Image Restore - Vista  
     90W AC Adapter  
     CCFL backcover red & 2.0mp camera  
     Intel 4965WLAN Mini-Card EUR  
     Vista OnLine Getting Started Guide (WW  
     CCFL backcover red & 2.0mp camera  
     Roxio Vista - Creator / MYDVD 9.0  
     MS Vista Premium Logo Label NB (small  
     Internal Keyboard Uk/Irish (QWERTY)

£630 delivered.

And thanks for the above tip, was able to check the warranty - Jan 2011

Now all I have to do is decide whether or not to reformat as soon as it arrives. Is it really worth it or can you easily just uninstall stuff you dont need?

I saw that this morning about 8am - its almost exactly the same spec that I got two weeks ago, for the same price. Now you just have to pray to the gods that you havent got a Samsung screen, which you most likely have on the 1680 x 1050 lcd's

vorm · 4 Mar 2008 at 10:29

Àpart from the screen, are you happy with it?

...and I suppose another question would be are there people out there with the sammy screens that are perfectly happy with them?

MehulLakhani · 4 Mar 2008 at 10:31

vorm said:
Àpart from the screen, are you happy with it?

To be honest, the screen is awful, and I think i will be returning it - unless I can convince Dell to replace it - but with just a few days left on my 21day period, it looks unlikely.

I have now realised why machines like mine and yours end up on the outlet

Mujja · 4 Mar 2008 at 10:39

While at work last night I kept refreshing the outlet page and just before 03:00 around 25 m1530s appeared

.

I wanted a 1680x1050 res and a good CPU. Didn't want anything less than the 2.33 C2D I had in the Vaio SZ I just sold.

There was only one with Blu-ray which I would have bought but it didn't have the res I wanted. Ended up buying the spec below,

2.4GHhz C2D T7700
4GB RAM
250 GB HDD (5,400)
15.4" WSXGA 1680x1050
Intel 4965 WLAN
Bluetooth
Black
Vista Home Premium

£627 +VAT + Free Del = £737.
I'll claim the VAT back so not too bad a deal. Wanted the Blu-ray even though I don't own a single HD movie

But the chance to get a 2.4GHz C2D with a 1680x1050 screen was too good to miss. I've been watching the outlet for 2 weeks.

Now to wait and see if I end up with a grainy screen how difficult it will be to get it replaced.

Will prob install Vista 64 to make full use of the 4GB RAM and upgrade the HDD to 7200rpm at a later date.

Draeger · 4 Mar 2008 at 13:08

I wish I had read properly through this thread and spotted the info on the Outlet deals.

I've just had my confirmation email for my order received for this machine:-

I purchased direct through the Dell Business site.

Came to £722 in VAT+Del.

I think by the looks of things, compared to the prices some of you folks have paid, I certainly paid over the odds for it.

Still, looking forward to getting my hands on it - My current laptop is an old P4 Dell and this will be the first half decent laptop I've owned. :cool:

vorm · 4 Mar 2008 at 14:23

I just cancelled my order and got another one - I really wanted a 9 Cell Battery on it and the one I ordered this morning didnt have one. So just picked this up;

Code:

XPS M1530 CORE 2 DUO T7250 2.00GHz 
English - Vista Home Premium  

System Price £484.86  
 
   Operating System:  English - Vista Home Premium  
     English - Vista Home Premium  
   Memory:  2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)  
   Hard Disk Drive:  Hard Drive 250GB Serial ATA (5400RPM)  
   Video:  ASSY, BASE 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT  
   NoteBook Screen:  15.4 WXGA (1280x800) with Truelife  
   CD Read-Write Drive:  8xDVD+/-RW Slim Slot-Load Drive, including SW  
   Software:  BT, AOL, Tiscali ISP Combination  
   MISC:  90W AC Adapter  
     Vista OnLine Getting Started Guide (WW  
     Intel 4965WLAN Mini-Card EUR  
     CCFL backcover black & 2.0mp camera  
     Internal Keyboard Uk/Irish (QWERTY)  
     Image Restore - Vista  
     Roxio Vista - Creator / MYDVD 9.0  
     Power Cord  
     MS Vista Premium Logo Label NB (small  
     CCFL backcover red & 2.0mp camera  
     Battery XPS Primary 9-cell 85WHr Li-Ion

Slightly slower CPU and a 5400 drive rather than the 7200 but those will certainly save on the battery life along with the 9 Cell.

All in all, chuffed with the deal albeit with a bit of messing around.

Draeger · 4 Mar 2008 at 14:49

@vorm....

Be very careful if you have cancelled an order and then immediately reordered another laptop with a change to its spec.

I ordered the one I posted above yesterday morning just after 09:30am.

After reading through the receipt I was emailed, I realised I had forgotten to increase the screen res to the 1440x900.

When I called them up I was told that once a build was configured and ordered it could not be changed.

The only thing the woman said she could do was cancel the order and then I would need to re-order with the changes I wanted.

I said that would be fine and she passed me onto the sales team. I re-ordered with the screen res change and I asked 3 times for assurance that the first laptop would be cancelled and not delivered or charged for.

I was told it would not be charged for nor delivered.

I checked my business bank account this morning to find I had been debited for two laptops at over £700 each. :eek:

Called them back today and challenged them about this. I was told that the first order was definately cancelled ( and logging into my account on the Dell business site it appears to have been cancelled indeed ) but for some reason my business account has been charged twice for the one I re-ordered as well as the one that was cancelled.

I'm waiting on them calling me back as the rep I spoke to took my details and said she would need to contact their finance department.

A bit of a mess really, as that business account has various other payments that will be coming off today and later this week and I'm £700 down because of this.

Sorry to rabbit on, just a "heads up" m8, keep your eye on your bank account.

I'll post back once the woman calls me back, hoping she wont take too much longer, its already been an hour.

vorm · 4 Mar 2008 at 14:51

Thanks for the heads up mate. Much appreciated.

I was reassured by the guy on the phone though who said that my order had not even gone through for payment yet and as soon as he cancelled the order (which he did whilst talking to me) then it would not even be on their system.

Nonetheless, I will keep an eye out.

Cheers
V.

p.s. - Was the Outlet too. Your message looks like it refers to an order through the main site. Afaik, you cant change the spec of machines ordered through the outlet,

Draeger · 4 Mar 2008 at 15:17

Yes m8, mine was ordered direct through Dell business on that site, not the Outlet.

Still waiting for a call back from them!!.

vorm · 4 Mar 2008 at 16:30

Can someone tell me what version Det drivers the 8600 is using on these 1530's?

And has anyone had any joy (increased performance) on updated drivers from latopvideo2go.com?

Conrad11 · 4 Mar 2008 at 19:39

Does anyone know why the dell drivers on they're website for the bluetooth is 44mb....do they have their own bluetooth stack or something?

EDIT: Its Widcomm stack - awsome - just what i was after!

Richard_16v · 4 Mar 2008 at 20:15

Just received 1530, a bit disappointed really! The 1680 screen is grainy but i could cope with this. The power connector is a bit wobbly and the laptop seems MEGA slow.

Oh and I don't know if it's a design feature but the keys on the keyboard don't seem evenly spaced, oh and the track pad isn't very good.

Just trying to decide if I am going to keep it, got it from the outlet but still i'd expect it to be good quality.

I may try and push for a discount as the screen is rubbish for an upgrade, then I may try and push for an extended warranty incase the power connector breaks after a year.

Then just hope that a re-install will sort the speed issue (I know that people don't like Vista but it isn't this slow on lesser specced machines i've used!)

Metalface Mark · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:24

Richard_16v said:
Just received 1530, a bit disappointed really! The 1680 screen is grainy but i could cope with this. The power connector is a bit wobbly and the laptop seems MEGA slow.

Oh and I don't know if it's a design feature but the keys on the keyboard don't seem evenly spaced, oh and the track pad isn't very good.

Just trying to decide if I am going to keep it, got it from the outlet but still i'd expect it to be good quality.

I may try and push for a discount as the screen is rubbish for an upgrade, then I may try and push for an extended warranty incase the power connector breaks after a year.

Then just hope that a re-install will sort the speed issue (I know that people don't like Vista but it isn't this slow on lesser specced machines i've used!)

If you dont like the screen mate, send it back, i tried to get on with mine for a few weeks, but the screen issue is never going to go away.

Richard_16v · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:41

I think I can get used to the screen, can't get over how slow it is at the moment though, if I keep it then a rebuild will be 1st thing I do.

Does anyone have any issues with the wireless on theirs? It seems awfull on this one and connects to my router so slow that it's painfull (websites just time out etc) but every other wireless i've ever used has been ok.

I've e-mailed Dell,if they will throw in a 3 year warranty I think i'll keep it, if not it's going back!

sharingan_sasuk · 5 Mar 2008 at 03:42

Is anyone able to close and put the M1530 to sleep mode under Windows XP, and continue after fine? I find that when I restart mine from sleep, the wireless has disabled itself. I've tried enabling it again under Network Connections but I just get tired of waiting after 30 secs and just restart the laptop. Maybe I'm just too impatient and should wait longer? I'm using Windows to manage my wireless connections rather than the Intel PROSet software, because I find their message that pops up everytime I boot up to Windows annoying.

But still, I don't understand why it disables itself. Maybe I need to download a new driver or software. Or maybe it's like this because I'm using Windows XP instead of Windows Vista...

Matrix · 5 Mar 2008 at 06:56

Richard_16v said:
I think I can get used to the screen, can't get over how slow it is at the moment though, if I keep it then a rebuild will be 1st thing I do.

Does anyone have any issues with the wireless on theirs? It seems awfull on this one and connects to my router so slow that it's painfull (websites just time out etc) but every other wireless i've ever used has been ok.

I've e-mailed Dell,if they will throw in a 3 year warranty I think i'll keep it, if not it's going back!

Whats the OS vista, Xp ?

I had problems at the start with my wireless card after trying loads of drivers ( xp) and messing around with it seems pretty good now. I do have the odd time that the web page don't appear though.

Richard_16v · 5 Mar 2008 at 08:07

Matrix said:
Whats the OS vista, Xp ?

I had problems at the start with my wireless card after trying loads of drivers ( xp) and messing around with it seems pretty good now. I do have the odd time that the web page don't appear though.

It's Vista. Can't remember off the top of my head if I have the N card or the G card. I have heard some people say that Vista has some issues with wireless that will be fixed with SP1.

I also got things to speed up by uninstalling Mcafee as it has some rubbish Proxy on there.

I'm sure if I keep it i'll get to know it's quirks and how to overcome them, but for a supposedly Premium laptop it isn't good out the box