Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rocklee]

When a bad DC connector finally caused my old 1.4Ghz centrino notebook to stop working, I went shopping looking at a number of models from Apple to Samsung. I was very interested in some of the Dell models including the XPS, Vostro and more recently the Studio.

I really liked the Vostro 1400 which had a 14.1" 1440x900 screen (not too far off from my old 1680x1050 screen). Then I looked at the XPS 1330 which was smaller still with a lesser screen (only 1280x800). Both had the similar 8400 GS video card which was not quite good enough for Crysis.

The XPS M1530 was really nice and with a 1920x1200 screen and an 8600GT card, it had the right resolution for Full HD videos and playing Crysis. The problem was pricing and at over 1.6 million won I had to decide whether I should wait a little longer without a computer for prices to come down or buy it now.

None of the other brands came close to the Dell specs including the Apple Macpro 15.4" which was still running at a pathetic 1440x900 resolution (BIG GROAN). Nice design, shame about the specs

Now I had been without a computer for 3 weeks now and I was getting impatient. Anyway I got lucky. Combined with a couple of Dell coupons and some negotiation skills (the trick is to sound important over the phone), I managed a 2.0Ghz M1530 with 3GB of RAM, 256MB 8600GT video, 1920x1200 lcd screen, webcam, bluetooth, fingerprint reader, remote control, 9 cell battery and a 160GB SATA hard drive for...964,000 won

The old notebook costed me around 150,000 yen (1.4 million won), which worked out to be about 102 yen per day for 4 years. The Dell is going to cost me 70 yen per day for the next 4 years. Totally awesome.

So how is the M1530? Its the Hummer H5 of 15" notebooks. I didn't find it smaller or lighter than my old notebook and battery life is about the same (4-5 hours). Centrino excels in battery life but is no where near as powerful as core 2 duo. Build quality is very solid, no flexing of the keyboard or lcd screen.

My complaints are few. The touch based keys aren't as responsive as normal keys. It was also strange to find an eject key here than on the slot loading DVD drive itself (no pinhole to manually eject the CDs).

The screen is glossy, and I had plans to buy a matted screen cover to combat the reflection, however after a while it isn't too bad at all. I haven't yet tried it outside but I would imagine it to be even more reflective. The LCD is very bright, which makes reading the 96dpi fonts on a 1920x1200 screen very clear indeed.

The 2mp webcam is not very good at all, slow and blocky. I think this may be something to do with the firmware/driver itself.

Ethernet connection is "limited" to 100Mbit instead of 1000Mbit that most notebooks have today. Even my old notebook had Gigabit ethernet.

3 USB ports. This isn't a problem anymore because I'm using a bluetooth mouse, but Dell could have relocated the Kensington lock port elsewhere and add 2 more USB ports.

Thank goodness for the expresscard which would solve the giganet and external connectivity issues including a faster eSATA.

The M1530 came loaded with Vista Home Premium which combined with the remote is very satisfying as a media player.

But even better it came with Dell MediaDirect, which is like Media Center that runs without Windows (actually it is just another copy of Windows but cut down drastically to reduce loading time and non-vital operating resources).

This will play DVDs and media on the hard drive just like Media Center. I already got MC to play 1080p stuff, though the Dell MD will take a little bit more tweaking to do the same. The remote is very very very handy.

Vista is a lot better and easier to appreciate on this computer than a 1.4Ghz system, though I'll be playing with Ubuntu in the next couple of weeks simply because I need to keep my unix habits up to date.

The fingerprint reader is very cool, it lets you log on to your computer without typing a thing, and you can use different fingers to perform different functions.

I'm happy with the Dell, its cheaper only because you can customise the system and Dell doesn't have to worry about sales overheads like other companies do.

Feel free to ask any questions.

[Bigfeet]

Nice deal! That's the only regret I have about mine. It has an integrated graphics card (Intel X3100). Worse part is I can't upgrade it.

[rocklee]

You can upgrade most parts except for the video card, which is why most people go for low spec RAM and average CPU which can be upgraded later.

The video is only important if you want to play games or do a lot of 3d or video editing. The X3100 will have no problems playing 1080p and h264 as far as I know.

[Demophobe]

[Seon-bee]

Did you get it through Dell Korea or Dell USA and have it shipped here? Oddly, some M1530 systems come with a one-year warranty, while others come with a three-year. Which one did yours come with?

I splurged on an M1530 earlier this year but got it with a T9300 (2.5GHz) processor and 8600GT. It's fast enough and should be a workhorse for the next four + years.

My only complaint so far is that it does get much hotter than my old notebook.

[Thunndarr]

[rocklee]

[DCJames]

So you got a new computer. Big deal.

What do you want a cookie?

[rocklee]

Haha jealous

[Demophobe]

[SHANE02]

I don't understand your problem with Rocklee you guys. He is definitely not the first to talk about the specs of his new machine here, and we all know the proud feeling we have when we buy or build a new PC.

The tech forum is usually above this nonsense. if you have nothing nice to say......

[Demophobe]

[rocklee]

[OneWayTraffic]