• Home
• About Me
• Contact
• My Lifestream
• Shopping Partners

Thoughts on my new Dell XPS 1530 Laptop

This summer was the summer of lounging by the pool and spending money.  One thing I spent some money on was a new Dell XPS M1530 laptop computer.  I spent just over $1000 for a 15.4" WXGA screen, 250gb hard drive, 3gb ram, built-in 2 megapixel webcam, a DVD/CD read/write drive, fingerprint reader and Windows Vista Home Premium.  Oh, and I also got it in pink, my favorite color. 

The computer is beautiful.  It has a glossy screen and metallic-looking keyboard.  I love the keyboard feel, nice and sturdy with typing being a breeze.  The mouse pad is nice and smooth.  My main complaint though is that it only has one tap area rather than like my IBM Thinkpad that had tapping areas in the corners which I used as front and back browser buttons.

The computer came loaded with some software but not tons of bloatware. There are additional Windows programs including Photo Gallery and Live Mail.  Dell also has a couple of programs, Dell Dock which is an application launcher and Dell Media Direct which is a poor replacement for Windows Media Center which comes with Vista Home Premium.  My complaint here is there is a button on the keyboard to launch Media Direct and you have to edit the registry in order to change it’s function like to open up Windows Media Center (check out How to change your Dell MediaDirect button’s functionality if interested).

The fingerprint reader was tricky to set up.  The tutorial really wasn’t showing well how to swipe your finger.  I had to search Dell support forums to find that I really had to press down hard while sliding my finger.  It would have been nicer to have a fingerprint reader where all you had to do was press your finger, not slide it over the unit.  Now though I am use to the reader and use it to protect my computer on startup and from sleep.  You can also use it for program access and websites.

Google Desktop is also on the machine replacing Windows Sidebar.  I kept Google Desktop because of the ease of adding gadgets.  Google search is also installed to search both on the computer and internet.

Speed is not an issue at this point, not until I start adding more and more programs which I tend to do.  The computer starts quickly and responds well once started.  I’m glad I have 3gb of ram and the 250gb hard drive.  When it comes to ram the more the better.  Same with hard drive space.

Sound is awesome when listening through headphones. The regular laptop speakers are fine but don’t do the high definition audio justice.  The WXGA screen is nice, takes a little bit of getting use to a glossy screen rather than a matted screen.  I have a 128mb NVIDIA graphics card which suits me fine for video and I’m not a big gamer whose demands may require a better card.  Having a built in webcam is wonderful and the microphone works great.

The XPS laptop has a bit of weight to it especially with the 15.4" screen.  I can live with the weight since I don’t carry it around day in and day out.  If you are looking for a traveling laptop there is  a 13" screen version which is priced pretty reasonably.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase sans the touchpad and fingerprint reader issues.  For the price the Dell XPS laptop came well equipped and gave me everything I wanted.  I’m hoping this laptop lasts as long as my IBM Thinkpad — a record 4 years!  I suppose I could have bought an Inspiron for less or an HP or Acer but I really like the look and feel of the XPS.  It doesn’t feel flimsy in the least bit.  It’s an impressive laptop.

Have you made a computer purchase recently that you are happy with?  I would love to hear all about it.

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.