Dell XPS 15

[jsilva]

XPS 15
Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Intel® Core™ i5-480M (2.66GHz, 4Threads, turbo boost up to 2.93Ghz, 3M cache)
6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
Premium Backlit Keyboard
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 420M 1GB graphics with Optimus
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Silver Anodized Aluminum 15.6" HD (720p) WLED Display with 2.0 MP webcam
Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo
Card reader
JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
USB 3.0 ports, ESata port, HDMI 1.4, Display port
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 with Wireless Display Support
92 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 Year Basic Service Plan TT1O
DataSafe 2.0 Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

Is this a good system for $1000 shipped?

Tempted to get the 1080p screen but budget is tight

 

[Wenglish]

Get the 1080p screen. Save a few more pennies or cut something else (BD drive?).

Really, the screen is one of two things you're always going to be using when on your laptop. It doesn't matter what you're doing on the laptop--you'll be using the screen (aside from using it as a DTR with video out, but I'm assuming that's not your goal here). If you're going to cut a corner, don't have it be the thing looking you in the eyes each time you turn on the laptop.

 

[jsilva]

Get the 1080p screen. Save a few more pennies or cut something else (BD drive?).

Really, the screen is one of two things you're always going to be using when on your laptop. It doesn't matter what you're doing on the laptop--you'll be using the screen (aside from using it as a DTR with video out, but I'm assuming that's not your goal here). If you're going to cut a corner, don't have it be the thing looking you in the eyes each time you turn on the laptop.

I really dont care at all about the Blue Ray, but it comes standard. What other specs u think I can cut a little in favor of the screen? (excluding back-lit keyboard. thats a must for me)

hmm i guess it has to be any combination between the hd, ram, and cpu

 

[sed8em]

Get the 1080p screen, I have it and it is excellent.
Aren't all of those components for CPU, RAM, and HD the lowest you can get with the XPS 15 combo?
The screen really is one of the highlights of it, and won't be as awesome without it.

 

[jsilva]

Get the 1080p screen, I have it and it is excellent.
Aren't all of those components for CPU, RAM, and HD the lowest you can get with the XPS 15 combo?
The screen really is one of the highlights of it, and won't be as awesome without it.

thanks for replying. if i go for the better screen, paying $1000 to $1100 shipped its a good price? hopefully i can get some coupons online

You see, this is going to be my first laptop purchase ever, so im kind of hesitant about spending $1000+ on something not worth it. I know some of you guys are used to spending big bucks on laptops but this is new territory for me.

What about the warranty...damn thats gonna be more $$$...

 

[cam966251]

I also agree with getting the 1080p screen. I have the studio XPS 16, with that LCD, and it's amazing. The only reason I bought the XPS 16 over the 15 was because I just preferred the design of the 16. A friend of mine has that system, and it's great, especially for that price.

 

[jsilva]

thx for your comments guys. how about the warranty? whats the one to get?

 

[pwrusr]

If you need to keep the price below $1k go with less ram and the 1080 screen. 4GB is more then enough for most people on the go

Warranty wise, Go with the accidental coverage if you can swing it, other then that you're good.

 

[911jason]

Not sure why your config is requiring the Blu-Ray drive. I just checked and I am able to configure without it.

Use this link:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndogx1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&model_id=xps-15

I chose Win 7 Home Premium, i5-480, 4GB Ram, Nvidia 420M 1GB, 500GB 7200 RPM HDD, 1920x1080, 8X CD/DVD Burner, Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000, 92Whr Battery, Backlit Keyboard.

I took off the standard 1-year warranty and switched it to the basic parts/labor 1 year warranty to save $55. Total came to $959.99 + tax + shipping.

I got my XPS with similar specs earlier this week and love it. I upgraded the Wireless to the mid-grade option (not Wimax), but that's about the only difference. I ordered 2/9 and it gave me an estimated shipping date of 2/24, but it showed up at my house on 2/15. Dell's website still showed it was in production. Nice surprise... and I LOVE this computer.

 

[jsilva]

Not sure why your config is requiring the Blu-Ray drive. I just checked and I am able to configure without it.

Use this link:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndogx1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&model_id=xps-15

I chose Win 7 Home Premium, i5-480, 4GB Ram, Nvidia 420M 1GB, 500GB 7200 RPM HDD, 1920x1080, 8X CD/DVD Burner, Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000, 92Whr Battery, Backlit Keyboard.

I took off the standard 1-year warranty and switched it to the basic parts/labor 1 year warranty to save $55. Total came to $959.99 + tax + shipping.

I got my XPS with similar specs earlier this week and love it. I upgraded the Wireless to the mid-grade option (not Wimax), but that's about the only difference. I ordered 2/9 and it gave me an estimated shipping date of 2/24, but it showed up at my house on 2/15. Dell's website still showed it was in production. Nice surprise... and I LOVE this computer.

what happened was that during the presidential day sale they had an extra $189 off discount. so I guess they just locked some of the configurations. motherf....

but thanks for the help

 

[sed8em]

911jason's config is a good deal.
The nvidia chip in the entire range of the XPS series is the same, 420m, 425m, 435m, just different clocks, and they can OC like a motha. Guys with the 420m are getting like 200mhz boosts on them, I can get mine over 150mhz higher (its a 435m so its already clocked pretty high). Just make sure you have adequate cooling.
I think the CompleteCare warranty is worth it, I take mine with me to campus everyday, something could happen one of these days, and I'll get a brand new system out of it.

 

[jonneymendoza]

Get the 1080p screen, I have it and it is excellent.
Aren't all of those components for CPU, RAM, and HD the lowest you can get with the XPS 15 combo?
The screen really is one of the highlights of it, and won't be as awesome without it.

1080p res on a 15inch screen? i would highly not recommend you go down this route. especially if you want to game on it

 

[jsilva]

1080p res on a 15inch screen? i would highly not recommend you go down this route. especially if you want to game on it

Man I just got back from best buy. Wasn't there to buy of course (unless they had a crazy deal) but just to get the actual feel of the laptops features

they had like 500 laptops on display (lol) and only 1 with a 15".6/1080p screen and I have to admit its not for me. Everything its so small....I KNOW that I can adjust the dpi and all that but still. Plus im not a gamer and I definitely don't care about blu-ray

So if I buy it then the 720p screen it is. Also was checking out the 17" laptops.

Im glad I went there cause now I know for sure how all these "consumer priced" laptops feel and look. I was there like for almost 2 hours checking EVERYTHING...screen, mouse pad, keyboard, ports, audio, weight, internal specs....etc. The best Buy reps where just looking at me like I was an alien.

I guess they are used to all the douchebags that just buy a computer because it has "4GB of ram and a 500GB hard drive" hahahahaha

Out of all of the "consumer laptops" the ones I liked to most were the HP Pavilion dv6 and dv7. They had the "BEATS" audio and I was very dissappoint (lol). Volume was very low and crappy. They had another similar model without the beats audio and it was much better.

But all the rest were total junk, I know it sounds harsh, but i would NEVER spend my hard earned money on those laptops. and some of them were like $600 to $800, and that's without tax and warranty.

WTf???

 

[jonneymendoza]

u see i told ya. 1080p on a 15inch LOL. that will mess up your eyes big time.

 

[jsilva]

u see i told ya. 1080p on a 15inch LOL. that will mess up your eyes big time.

yeah bro. no offense to anybody but it was too much. plus im 40 years young and I already use glasses, so my vision its already messed up...so no thank you.

but what really amazed me about best buy is how many of those crappy laptops they sell. I mean people were just plain crazy buying laptops left and right, specially people from Brazil. I live in Orlando FL and I have never seen other people that buy as much electronics than them. Its the same thing at Walmart. They buy EVERYTHING and then some. either everybody there is rich, or they come to buy stuff for the whole neighborhood. cot damn!!!

I also noticed that only a few of the customer service people actually knew a thing or two about computers. the first guy I asked about a 15.6" with 1080p told me "they all have it, they all are high def ready for blu-ray" swear to god I wanted to tell him "F*** blu-ray and what the heck its wrong with u" hahahaha

 

[jonneymendoza]

my current laptop is a 15.4inch and the screen is only a 1680x1050 and believe you me it sucks big time and wished it was a 720p res. anything higher then 720p on a 15inch is useless.

1080p? lol. cant believe people recommending 1080p on such a small res. 1080p res should be done on a 24inch screen minimum.

im off to currys/pc world which is the equivalent of best buy over here in the uk to look and see what they got as i really need a new laptop by the end ofnext week. how long does it take to make an order and delivery from dell?

 

[jsilva]

it varies man. many people get the things early others are not so lucky. it also depends if you do custom configuration. aprox ill say from 1 to 3 weeks i guess.

 

[jsilva]

another best buy rep: "mom, you cant buy that laptop without a good antivirus, we have Norton, the best in the business. also u need a good backup software to back up all your data in case of an emergency"

Lady said "that makes sense" = chi-ching!!!!


a guy asked a female best buy rep: "would you buy this laptop if you were me?"

lady rep said: "I only buy Asus laptops sir. and we dont sell them here, at least the ones I buy" HAHAHAHAHHA

i got many more just from today...LOL

 

[911jason]

1080p may not be for everyone, but it's most definitely NOT useless! If you do any kind of graphics work, screen real estate is priceless. I lived with my HP DV6 running at 1280x800 for the past 3 1/2 years and I couldn't wait to get my XPS with 1920x1080. It definitely takes some adjustment, but it's a beautiful display. The text can be adjusted up/down as needed, and if you really don't like it, you can always change the resolution to something easier on your eyes. You can't go the other way around if you buy the 720p display though.

a guy asked a female best buy rep: "would you buy this laptop if you were me?"

lady rep said: "I only buy Asus laptops sir. and we dont sell them here, at least the ones I buy" HAHAHAHAHHA

Awesome! At least one of them was honest!

 

[chesbak]

Get the 1080p screen, I have it and it is excellent.
Aren't all of those components for CPU, RAM, and HD the lowest you can get with the XPS 15 combo?
The screen really is one of the highlights of it, and won't be as awesome without it.

have to get the screen... saw a demo... screen really stood out...

 

[sed8em]

my current laptop is a 15.4inch and the screen is only a 1680x1050 and believe you me it sucks big time and wished it was a 720p res. anything higher then 720p on a 15inch is useless.

1080p? lol. cant believe people recommending 1080p on such a small res. 1080p res should be done on a 24inch screen minimum.

im off to currys/pc world which is the equivalent of best buy over here in the uk to look and see what they got as i really need a new laptop by the end ofnext week. how long does it take to make an order and delivery from dell?

Wow, kinda one sided arrogant opinion. Ever do homework in the library on a single screen, powerpoint anchored to the left, word anchored to the right? On 1080p that is bliss, can't imagine doing that with a crappy low res screen. Having PS CS5 up with images and some palettes up is much better on 1080p as well.
720p on a laptop? lol, how useless. Unless you're a geriatric.

1080p is useless for you, but it is not useless for everyone.
I have it, love it. Would never buy any computer with 768vert res screen, seen them and just can't do it.

 

[FlipBack]

The thing is, with the 720p screen, that's the highest you can go. Maybe it will be enough for your personal needs, maybe not.

If you get the 1080p screen, you have more options. You can always run 1920x1080. If things are too small, you can run 1600x900, 1360x768, or even 1280x720. Maybe you will even change your resolution depending on what you're doing.

Not to mention, the B+RGLED panel displays a better picture than the WLED panel.

 

[jsilva]

1080p may not be for everyone, but it's most definitely NOT useless! If you do any kind of graphics work, screen real estate is priceless. I lived with my HP DV6 running at 1280x800 for the past 3 1/2 years and I couldn't wait to get my XPS with 1920x1080. It definitely takes some adjustment, but it's a beautiful display. The text can be adjusted up/down as needed, and if you really don't like it, you can always change the resolution to something easier on your eyes. You can't go the other way around if you buy the 720p display though.



Awesome! At least one of them was honest!

Never said it was useless, just not for me. Besides isn't running a screen in a resolution other than the native one its going to give you issues (even if minor) at some point?

 

[jsilva]

The thing is, with the 720p screen, that's the highest you can go. Maybe it will be enough for your personal needs, maybe not.

If you get the 1080p screen, you have more options. You can always run 1920x1080. If things are too small, you can run 1600x900, 1360x768, or even 1280x720. Maybe you will even change your resolution depending on what you're doing.

Not to mention, the B+RGLED panel displays a better picture than the WLED panel.

hmmm...(thinking)

 

[sed8em]

Not to mention, the B+RGLED panel displays a better picture than the WLED panel.

This is important with the XPS 15, some people who bought the low res screen at NBR effing hated the regular screen's colors when gaming and watching movies.
I haven't seen it so I can't comment, but I'm happy with the colors on the B+RG screen.

 

[FlipBack]

Besides isn't running a screen in a resolution other than the native one its going to give you issues (even if minor) at some point?

It depends. As long as you don't change too much and keep the same aspect ratio, you normally don't notice any degradation of image quality (other than the fact that you're reducing the resolution, obviously). I've heard it can cause minor problems but I've never experienced it. I have the Dell XPS 15 with the 1080p B+RGLED panel and I run it at 1600x900 and I don't have any problems.

 

[jonneymendoza]

cool thanks. quick question: i see there are two xps 17 in the dell site. http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/xpsnb?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

whats the difference between the two.

http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/home/Dell-Laptops/xps-17/pd.aspx?refid=xps-17&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1

http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/home/Dell-Laptops/xps-l702x/pd.aspx?refid=xps-l702x&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1

 

[jonneymendoza]

Wow, kinda one sided arrogant opinion. Ever do homework in the library on a single screen, powerpoint anchored to the left, word anchored to the right? On 1080p that is bliss, can't imagine doing that with a crappy low res screen. Having PS CS5 up with images and some palettes up is much better on 1080p as well.
720p on a laptop? lol, how useless. Unless you're a geriatric.

1080p is useless for you, but it is not useless for everyone.
I have it, love it. Would never buy any computer with 768vert res screen, seen them and just can't do it.

who the hell does a powerpoint presentattion on a 15inch laptop? what rock you live in? powerpoint presentations are done in a projector of some sort.

i do a lot of PS on my 15inch screen and reading text is a nightmare.

 

[jsilva]

It depends. As long as you don't change too much and keep the same aspect ratio, you normally don't notice any degradation of image quality (other than the fact that you're reducing the resolution, obviously). I've heard it can cause minor problems but I've never experienced it. I have the Dell XPS 15 with the 1080p B+RGLED panel and I run it at 1600x900 and I don't have any problems.

now we are talking a total different language here. i wasn't really sure that you could downgrade the native resolution without running in to issues.

i mean, i thought if I did that i will surely have problems using other applications not related to the windows OS and desktop and that is a big issue for me

maybe I should go back to best buy and hope they have that 15.6/1080p still there and try to change the resolution and see whats up. foolish of me not to think of that although i think it still depends on the machine/graphics card itself so maybe that one will not handle it well

 

[sed8em]

who the hell does a powerpoint presentattion on a 15inch laptop? what rock you live in? powerpoint presentations are done in a projector of some sort.

i do a lot of PS on my 15inch screen and reading text is a nightmare.

who the hell doesnt read one while reviewing notes?
did I say I was presenting?

didn't realize people took others' usage of 1080p 15" laptops so personally...

 

[sed8em]

now we are talking a total different language here. i wasn't really sure that you could downgrade the native resolution without running in to issues.

i mean, i thought if I did that i will surely have problems using other applications not related to the windows OS and desktop and that is a big issue for me

maybe I should go back to best buy and hope they have that 15.6/1080p still there and try to change the resolution and see whats up. foolish of me not to think of that although i think it still depends on the machine/graphics card itself so maybe that one will not handle it well

NoSquint add-on for Firefox is helpful on websites that are hard to read as well. You can use multitouch to zoom in and out and it works great.

 

[jsilva]

just trying to do some homework here. just created an exact canvas of a 15.6" screen on publisher (dont mind the right side). then got some 1080p, 900p, and 720p screen captures from deviantart and put them next to each other.

really liking that 1600x900. much more easy to my eyes and more real state than the 720p. (don't mind the fuzziness of the pics, that's just from converting to jpeg from publisher)

 

[sed8em]

silva, my wife has a Studio 1555 w/ 900p, she likes it a lot but I haven't seen them offered on a 15" laptop as much as they used to.

 

[jsilva]

silva, my wife has a Studio 1555 w/ 900p, she likes it a lot but I haven't seen them offered on a 15" laptop as much as they used to.

i'll probably get the 1080p screen...if only I could be sure that I can run it at 1600x900 ALL THE TIME with no issues with other apps...

 

[StormClaw]

Is this a good system for $1000 shipped?

this is very cheap.

where did u find this deal?

 

[jsilva]

actually its cheaper now depending on the config you make. with the 720p, backlit keyboard, and 9 cell battery its $800+. with the 1080p its like $1000.

i just found out that I may even qualify to an extra discount through the company i work for. don't want to get my hopes up, just gonna check with my boss today.

 

[911jason]

Never said it was useless, just not for me. Besides isn't running a screen in a resolution other than the native one its going to give you issues (even if minor) at some point?

I was replying to this guy...

my current laptop is a 15.4inch and the screen is only a 1680x1050 and believe you me it sucks big time and wished it was a 720p res. anything higher then 720p on a 15inch is useless.

1080p? lol. cant believe people recommending 1080p on such a small res. 1080p res should be done on a 24inch screen minimum.

 

[jsilva]

I was replying to this guy...

no problem.

what about my question, since it has a great graphics card, would i be able to set the screen down to 1600x900 all the time with no issues and still look decent? what do you think?

 

[jonneymendoza]

I was replying to this guy...

its useless for some mate. that is my point. why dont u see 19inch monitors with 1080p res.?

say what you like but majority will agree that 1080p on a 15inch screen nevermind a 19inch is not good on the eyes

 

[911jason]

no problem.

what about my question, since it has a great graphics card, would i be able to set the screen down to 1600x900 all the time with no issues and still look decent? what do you think?

I just set mine to 1600x900 to give it a try, everything seems to look pretty good still. I can't tell you with any certainty that everything will be 100% fine like that, since I've never run my screens at anything other than the highest setting. I can tell you that at work, I have six monitors in front of me, 17-19", and I don't think any of them are running at their highest res. They're locked down by IT because of the specialized software we use. Haven't ever noticed any bad effects on those screens though and they're on and being used 24/7/365.