Coming from an old player in the laptop game, there are several things that a buyer can look forward to from the Dell XPS M1530.

For years, it has been the complaint of several buyers of Dell laptops that the units are quite thick as well as heavy. The Dell XPS M1530, however, is decidedly different from its older cousins. For the first time, Dell released a model in 2007 that is sleek, thin and light. When users complained that Dell laptops have very small screens, Dell then released the XPS M1530, which has a larger screen.

Specifications:

CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500

Memory: 2GB DDR2-667 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 160GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD

Display: 15.4-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) CCFL glossy screen

Optical Drive: Slot-loading dual-layer DVD±RW drive

Video Drive: NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3

Webcam: Integrated 2.0 megapixel webcam

Security Hardwaer: Fingerprint Reader

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Wireless: Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n

Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0

Battery: 6-cell or 9-cell

USB Ports: 3

Card Slot: 8-1 card reader; ExpressCard

The XPS M1530 features a soft-touch finish for its chassis. What’s wonderful is that it allows the buyer to choose from three different colors for its finish. Choices include Tuxedo Black, Alphine White or Crimson Red. Dell has decided to turn from the norm and not overload this machine with flashy designs and, as a result, it only has the soft-touch finish to boast of aesthetically.

Like mentioned earlier, Dell has made this notebook amazingly light: something it has not done with past models. The Dell XPS M1530 weighs an impressive 2.6 screen even if it has a sizable 15.4-inch LCD screen. This is ideal for businessmen and mobile computer users.

The Dell XPS M1530 is made up of strong and high quality materials which include steel, magnesium and aluminum. This would mean that the XPS M1530 is strong, durable and is able to resist the effects of wear and tear for a period of time.

The Dell XPS M1530 also comes with an impressive keyboard. All keys are full-sized, thus giving your fingers ample space and making usage comfortable for you. They are also soft and very responsive. The keyboard is complemented by an equally comfortable and sensitive touchpad.

One thing that can turn you off from the M1530, however, is its mediocre sound system. Placed on top of the keyboards, it is not supported by a subwoofer thus limiting the amount of bass that they can output. This will certainly ruin your audio experience.

While it certainly does have a good video card, it is far from being powerful. The NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M installed on its motherboard only has a video memory of 256 MB, certainly not enough for heavy gaming. Typical games that demand little in video memory and processing power would be enough, as it’s certainly up to the task. However, hardcore gaming is not a part of this machine’s forte. Games like Crysis and Need for Speed’s Pro Street are only rendered at very low frame rates, thereby greatly affecting the video and detail quality. So, if you’re a hardcore gamer, the M1530 is not the one for you.

All in all, aside from the sound issues and the low frame rates for the later games, the XPS M1530 is an excellent machine. In fact, people consider it as the next step after the M1330, an earlier model which did well on its own right. Despite the high price tag, the XPS M1530 is still a good buy with its powerful features, design and ergonomic features.

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Dell XPS M1530 FAQ:

Question: How do I get My Dell xps m1530 to play blu ray?
Can anyone tell me how to get my dell xps m1530 computer to play bluray. Everytime I put in the disc it says it needs an update. I tell it to update. Then it says that the update is successful. When I try it a second time it says it needs an update again.

Answer: Well what you are going to do if you live in Canada is phone 1-866-398-8977. If you don’t live in Canada ask them to transfer you to the US number. This should help but if it doesn’t have blu ray player it won’t play but I’m sure it does.

Question: Where can I find Dell XPS M1530 laptop with T9300 in London?
I searched the web to find Dell XPS M1530 but with the T9300 proccessor running at 2.5 GHZ. I found it on ebay but unfortunatelly it is out of stock. I will be in London for the next year so I need names of shops or sellers who sell this specific laptop.

Answer: Pcworld are starting to sell DELL computers, but you will need to see if they sell the specific model. If not the only place to buy them is directly from dell.co.uk.

Question: How good is the battery life of the dell xps m1530?
How good is the battery life of the dell xps m1530. Please talk about the 6 cell and 9 cell battery

Answer: The 6 cell battery lasts about 2 hours. It comes included in the laptop and fits well. I recommend this because if you get the 9 cell battery, with additional charge, it sticks out the back of the laptop so it can’t sit flat. However, it may be good because it can last up to 5 hours. So, depending on where and how long you use your laptop, both have their benefits.

Question: Is Dell Canada still shipping XPS m1530 laptops with defective nvidia graphics card?
I bought a Dell XPS m1530 laptop on 10th October 2008 here in Canada. I read the problems about the graphics card in Dell just today. Is my nvidia 8600GT card likely to be a defective one?

Answer: The issue has been fixed by NVIDIA in the 9000 series. Most likely you will have the issue to the extent that it is an issue. There is a very good chance it will never impact you.

Question: Is it possible to disassemble a DELL XPS M1530 (the speakers above the keyboard part)?
I have DELL XPS M1530, but a lot of DIRT got trapped into the speakers above the keyboard area. I personally beleive that this is the worst place to have the speakers as little particles of dirt get trapped into the little holes. I need my laptop speakers to look very clean again? I also need to clean between my keys. Any ideas on how these could be done? Can I disassemble this area of this laptop?

Answer: I know I have the exact same laptop and I hate the speaker location! Because they point up sound just goes into the air above the laptop rather than in front of it towards the user.

The way to clean them is to use a compressed air cleaner. You can buy this at a store like walmart, bestbuy, staples etc. Just get a can of compressed air for electronics cleaning and blow the dust out from the key board, speaker area, and display.

Question: How can I make my Dell XPS M1530 better?
I have the XPS M1530 with an intel core duo at 1.8ghz and a nVidia 8400 gs video card… my parents who purchased it for me were TOLD it was a good gaming laptop. HOWEVER Most of the games I play either need the resolution turned down to 800×600 or all the graphics settings turned all the way down. I cannot replace it now as we do not have the money, so is there any hope of improving it’s performance?

Answer: Nothing you can really do unfortunately.

Question: Does a dell xps m1530 have a backlit keyboard?
I’m looking to buy a laptop, and my choices are, studio 1537, or xps m1530. I would prefer the xps because i like nVidia over ATi. I would be absolutely fine with the Radeon, I just like GeForce better.

Answer: The XPS M1530 does not have a backlit keyboard.

Question: Will A Dell XPS M1530 Laptop Be Able To Play The Sims 3?
I pre-ordered The Sims 3 and have spent all weekend looking for the perfect laptop to play it on. I have FINALLY narrowed it down to the Dell XPS M1530! I was wondering if that laptop was good fro playing The Sims 3? I’ve been getting mixed opinions and I just want to know straight forward will it work or not?

BTW: Which color is the best? Which one has the white keyboard?

Answer: It will run on the XPS M1530. Only the one with the 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT graphics card would do it without lag. The 8400M GS will technically run it, but quite slow, nearly unplayable.

All colours have a whiteish silver keyboard. I think the Tuxedo Black looks the best, but that’s me.