Product Summary
8.1
out of 10View score
The bad: No subwoofer; few USB ports; no modem.
The bottom line: Don't let the slim design and relatively light heft fool you. This XPS is one powerful gaming portable with an impressive feature set for work and play.
Read full review of the Dell XPS M1530 »
Average User Rating
from 18 users
9.1
out of 10CNET Asia Review
The XPS M1730 was a monster both in gaming performance and size, while the XPS M1330 was one of the more portable 13.3-inchers in the market. So what happens if one wants a powerful machine but yet is unwilling to dislocate a shoulder while moving it? Well, the new XPS M1530 may be the answer. Though its footprint is slightly larger than the iconic MacBook Pro, it is almost as slim and light as its Apple rival. The design is also a departure from the US maker's previous offerings and exudes class while presenting a clean look.
Barring a few quirks, the M1530 offers almost all the common features expected of midsized portables and has one of the most powerful graphics performances in its class.
Design
The XPS M1530 comes in a choice of two colors: Tuxedo black or Alpine white. However, the color scheme extends only to the front plastic bezel, with both models sporting silver borders. When we first opened the 2.62kg machine, we were surprised to see a brushed aluminum palm rest staring back at us. Though for some it may look a little rough around the edges, we like the feel of the metal which, surprisingly, did not heat up significantly even when the system was pushed to the limits. It is also quite a bit slimmer than we expected, with dimensions closely resembling those of the MacBook Pro.
Almost all the connectivity ports are located along the flanks, with only the audio jacks and memory card reader fronting the machine. Though this allows for easy access, those who have an external display and audio system setup may be a little unhappy seeing all the wires messing up the desk space. One feature we like that tends to turn up mainly on business portables is the battery indicator located on the cell. Using a series of LEDs it shows the charge level without having to start up the system.
Features
With its strong graphics performance and multimedia features, the XPS M1530 is clearly trying to straddle both roles as a gaming and entertainment device. Though we can say it succeeds very well in the former, there are still a few features which we would have liked to see in the latter. The XPS M1530 also offers a generous trio of connectivity options for external displays, which allow it to hook up to anything from an old CRT TV to the latest high-definition LCD panels.
We'll talk about gaming performance a little later in the review. But for now, know that the 15.4-inch transflective widescreen is powered by the high-end Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT coupled with 256MB of dedicated video memory, and is capable of 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution. The speaker bar above the keyboard produces acceptable audio quality. However, it did not have a subwoofer which would have added more bass. Suffice to say the sound is good enough if you are not picky and we suggest a good set of headphones if you want to enjoy movies and music on this XPS (which may also be the reason Dell put in dual earphone jacks for this machine).
Rate It Now
User Reviews
Amazing Machine
Feb 9, 2009Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)
Pros: Sleek and fast
Cons: Sub woofer
Opinion:
buy it
Using it and loving it...
Aug 18, 2008Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: Nice and sharp display
Cons: Quite heavy
Opinion:
Have been using it for more then 6 months now and really happy with the performance.
Simply Excellent
Aug 9, 2008Rating: 10 out of 10 (Perfect)
Pros: great display, excellent gaming experience, looks great and full on features
Cons: Battery is good but not the best, only 3 usb ports and no modem.
Opinion:
I have a 2.2 Ghz, 4GB RAM, 256 MB Nvidia Card and windows vista ultimate.
A great product from Dell and its an owner pride and peoples envy system.
ssometime u may feel that the usb ports are less but u can have a usb hub for it, they give u external modem with it so all the cons are gone with it.
A great machine indeed
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