Gotta give it to Dell

[nwafan20]

So, my POS laptop that hasn't lived up to my abuse is about to go, so I am looking for a new laptop.

I have pretty much selected the Dell XPS 1530 gaming notebook. Fits my needs very well for gaming and productivity as well as general use (a gaming laptop with 5.5 hrs battery life (9-cell upgrade) is just awesome! I will hopefully be making an order next month once tax returns come in.

I had a few questions about the upgraded screen res of 1680x1050 so I just dialed on to Dell's online IM based XPS support, very helpful guy answered all my questions and added a personal touch to the conversation, you actually felt you were talking to a friend helping you out instead of a worker. I was really impressed, better than anything else I have seen!

Here is a small excerpt from the conversation:

Matt Thaler: Hi, I am interested in the Dell XPS M1530 Notebook, but some people I have talked to say that the 1680x1050 upgraded screen is too big for a 15.4 inch monitor, is there any way I can possibly see a comparason, or are they available to view in the Dell physical stores?
XPS_RR_Rep_John: I don't think it is for gaming or graphics processes and you can always lower it if it's too much. the Kiosk's will probably have it but I don't know if they will have the better screen. if you tell me where you live I can get your a phone# so you can call your local store and see.
Matt Thaler: Ok, I live at ZIP of 48169
XPS_RR_Rep_John: also best-buy now carries the lower screen systems.
XPS_RR_Rep_John: give me just a minute.
Matt Thaler: Yeah, I game and also do a lot of photo editing, so would the upgrade be a good choice? (after your done looking up the store)
XPS_RR_Rep_John: yes it would, with more pixels you can see more (dots) or detail
XPS_RR_Rep_John: I use to repair old pictures and would sometimes zoom to such a point that you couldn't really tell what I was working on.
Matt Thaler: Nice
XPS_RR_Rep_John: the screen will give you the detail you need for that type of work.
Matt Thaler Alright, that sounds good then, did you get that number?
Matt Thaler: There should be one at Twelve Oaks Mall (I think...)
XPS_RR_Rep_John sorry I was talking to much lol give me just a minute.
Matt Thaler: Lol, no prob
XPS_RR_Rep_John: 27500 Novi Road Novi, MI 48377 248-347-2875
XPS_RR_Rep_John: Lakeside Mall 14000 Lakeside Circle Sterling Heights, MI 48313 586-566-2549 Lower level, near Sears at the base of the escalator
Matt Thaler: That should do me for now, thanks a lot for the help, you were great, probably the best salesperson I have talked to for a while
XPS_RR_Rep_John thank you!

He then proceeded to give me his contact information including number, email, etc and said that if I had any more questions I could contact him directly, I thought that was a nice touch so instead of having to talk to 20 different sales persons, you only have to talk to one, and they can get to know your order.

So far, from what I can tell, they treat their XPS customers VERY well, with a standard (minimum) 3 year warranty, and dedicated sales and support staff, I think I am making the right choice.

[moose135]

Good luck with it. Whenever I had to get computers for the office, I would always go with Dell when I could, and was always satisfied with them.

[Matt Molnar]

Sounds like a nice machine. I've had some great Dell equipment, but nearly every sales and support interaction I've had with Dell has been a disaster...but I also know people who have had nothing but good experiences. Good luck no matter what though. I'll probably be picking up a new machine, most likely an iMac :shock: , in the next week or two.

[NIKV69]

I tell you I have had a couple of experiences with DELL Tech support and they are awesome. I love my notebook and desktop and wouldn't buy anything else.

[T-Bird76]

Nothing compares to the support, quality, and performance of Aleinware. I've had mine now for three years and would never think of buying anything else. You put an Aleinware next to a Dell and open the case....you can't compare the two..Aleinware is a far better build then Dell all around.

[NIKV69]

Alienware is owned by Dell.

[T-Bird76]

Alienware is owned by Dell.

Nick it's a wholly owned subsidiary and run as a separate company. Dell bought Aleinware because they needed a high end division and failed to compete with Aleinware in that arena when they tried. The fact still stands that an Alienware chassis beats Dell's hands down. Plus they are much cooler looking!

[heeshung]

Personally, I think Alienware's are ugly, but that's my opinion.

I think XPS owners get special treatment when calling for tech support, and don't get the standard clueless guy from India.

[cancidas]

dude all your info is there...


while i've yet to play with an XPS i personally hate dell laptops. we've got 3 of thier inspirons here at home. the keyboards are stretched out to an uncomfortable width, the screen size is small (and widescreen on top of that) and they weigh as much as a brick. from now on, thikpad is the way i'm going!!

[NIKV69]

The fact still stands that an Alienware chassis beats Dell's hands down

Chassis? A friend of mine just got a loaded XPS from Dell and it's pretty solid you guys can drag race down the road and see who wins :mrgreen:

[mirrodie]

Pretty soon, I'll have to consder a laptop as well. Our son, (now ONE!!) bangs on the keyboard and truth be told, I haven't uploaded/ edited a whole lot lately b/c I enjoy these moments with him and my wife.

So I am thinking of a laptop that at least I can use around the house and not be locked up on the office away from my family.

When I first got my desktop in ... 2004, it was a Dell,
I think its a 2.8 or 2.8 processor, 2 Gb Ram and 120 hard drive, 128ATI graphics card. Its done its job well.

We have a computer tech who supports our office and he is a Dell auth. distributor. He sayss he can get me a Dell laptop (I'd prefer a nice 17 screen) with at least the specs noted above, for less than $1800, which I thought was suspect but not having been on the market a while, I really have no idea. But the nice thing I am thinking is that if I have a problem, I can just hand it to him to fix.

I've also thought about a toughbook, but I think only the name piques my interest since it assumes the thing can take a beating. Also thought of MAC, but my concern is bringing over all my old stuff on onto the new computer.

Any other thoughts on Dell laptops?

[hiss srq]

I have always used Dell. My parents are perferred customers because all of my dad's companies are equipped by Dell including our home computers sans my laptop which is a Compaq Presario. I have never had anything bu good experinces with Dell machines though I will agree that Ailenware products are pretty sweet.

[adam613]

The last three companies I've worked for have all been Dell shops, and in all except the current job, I've had to deal with tech support. I've never had anything but good experiences with them, and their laptops are reasonably well-built.

On the other hand, if I were buying a laptop for personal use, I'd buy a MacBook, reformat the hard drive, and install Windows :) Apple makes the best laptops in the business, but I'm not a particular fan of OS X, and I own some rather expensive Windows software.

[MarkLawrence]

I'm with Adam on this - we are a huge Dell shop as well - and have had no problems at all. My personal laptop is a Dell and I've just upgraded the memory on it to 2Gb for under $60. If I had a choice though - I'd get a MacBook on put XP on it - apart from some expensive Windows software, out development language doesn't run on Mac.

[eric8669]

I prefer mac. Have a Mac Book Pro at home even though my day job consist of supporting PC users(HP Desktop and Laptops). If I do need to use a windows app I have a Windows partition setup on my mac. I do have a PC but I mostly use it as a photo storage device.