m15x... worth the extra $ verses the Dell XPS M1530

The only main difference in the m15x and the 1530 would be getting a 8800 card in the m15x.. that is the real reason to pay the extra cost but pound for pound the 1530 would be good for your activities... alienware is more of a gaming boquet hince the higher video cards in it... but its a matter of a opinion on what you want to do...if it was me I would go for the Dell if you are on a budget and money is tight but I like alienware to much for me to go for a dell and will pay more for higher end cards etc for gaming purposes...

You guys pretty much hit both ends....

AW is SEXY, but high end grfx is lost on a lighter computer gamer.

Dell has smaller and tighter form factor, and price.

Ive been eye-balling both of these since release.
Couple of items Ive picked up on not mentioned:

Dell has better:
webcam
form factor/size
weight
led lcd screen
slot load bd/dvd
price

AW has better:
high end grfx
high res screen
Lighted KB (and other lights)
Smartbay - double hard drive / battery life w/ xtra battery

I might a missed sumtin but everything else pretty much same, well cept upgrade to 4gig ram Dell = 100$ AW = 350$ (Newegg = 75$)

being that ur not getting this for uber gaming, dells price would seem to be a deciding factor, and with internal 320 gb hdd's (And super small external: WDassport 320's)I dont know how much bigger u could want to go w/ dual hdd's.

That said I build very similar configs from the two also, minus some AW only accessories like extra battery and hdd smart bay.... I can usually spe out the two the same w/ AW typically being 2-300 more.

The sensible side says "save the money", but the devil in me doesnt have to make a very hard arguement to spend the extra 300 just on looks alone.

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Be wary though as Dell will prolly have a Monte refresh in the next couple months, while it will take AW considerably longer due to MXM inclusion/certification.

On top of that, have you seen the yet to be released Inspiron 1535?
It looks like a more refined, much more sexy xps 1530, and should be Monte ready in a month. Which is odd cuz inspiron is usually the stripped down model, but from the pics and specs looks to have every features the xps 1530 has, with stronger processing, in an even sexier frame.

if you are getting the 8600 card in it ... then it will handle to heat easy since its a lower end card compared to the 8800 card... if you got the 8800 card then it would produce more heat and the chassis can handle it...

I own the m15x with the 8800 card and the chassis stays amazingly cool. On idle, my GPU temps are in the lower 60C's. In stealth mode, when idle, it's in the lower 50's since the video card is downclocked purposely.
I leave it on for hours during the day, and it doesn't get hot.

How big of a deal is VMWare? one of my responsibilities at work is VMWare, i administrator over 150 VM’s in dev and production.

Anyway, if it is a big deal, i would not recommend either system... (and i'm very biased to AW, but for gaming only)

I mean they will run a VM, maybe two, but if you’re looking to do some serious virtualization on your notebook you may want to check out Sager’s NP9262

I just configured a system with:
Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz
Quadro FX 1600M GPU
2GB DDR2 1 DIMM (buy the other elsewhere)
RAID-5 disk array 3x 160GB drives.
$2574.00

Minus the total disk space, that notebook will be up to par with some of my lower end business class VM servers

But, you’ll be stuck with a huge laptop that may be as heavy as much as some desktops…

The desktop processors in the Sager definitely burn the mobile processors in AW's lappies.
But, the 8800 burns the FX1600.

It all depends on what you are going to do mostly on your computer.

I'm on the same page as you delphigreg with portability. I gave up my m9700 (17" SLI) for the m5550 (15"), but there were other factors.

still 17" just plain not working for me, i feel better off lugging around my desktop lol. hence the impulse buy of the m15x

PS: you can configure that sager with 2x 8800m GTX, for a price of course. but honestly i dont look much further then AW when it comes to gaming notebooks. they've done me good for 3 systems now, 4th otw =)

Before considering the Sager, you need to keep in mind the last major desktop processor equipped laptop from Clevo (the base platform manufacturer for the Sager). It's the D900 line, and it's proven to be problematic. They just aren't cooling them well enough. Heat would cause motherboard failures, component failures, capacitor and voltage regulator issues... I wouldn't touch another Clevo laptop until it's proven to handle thermal issues...

I've always preferred Alienware laptops due to their build and component quality over other laptops I've looked into. I have yet to see a screen in a notebook that looks as good as my m9700 screen. I've also known what hardware was installed in my m9700 as most all of the components are retail parts that can be investigated online.

Dell has their own hardware built to their specs and price points a lot of the time, so I've always had issues with Dell desktops and laptops. It's unfortunate that Dell has in the past put decent hardware into a limited mobo that limits outright perfromance... They also tend to skimp on components like memory quality and spec, perhaps cutting corners where they shouldn't. While Dell can offer good pricing on some products, I'd rather get a good deal while also knowing my hardware isn't compromised to hit a price point. I've used Dells at work, but never owned one, so take that into consideration while reading my input.

I've owned two Alienware notebooks, an older m5500(766) and my current notebook, an m9700. Both these laptops have been very sturdy, well built platforms that don't creak like other laptops I've seen and used. I go to costco weekly, and always check out the systems they have there, and they're all cheap and plasticy next to my m9700. Keyboards flex, lids creak, hinges squeak, etc...

Having said that, the new m15x, and m17x are proprietary builds, meaning Alienware is now at the point where they're no longer offering modified altered platforms like the m7700, and even the m9700/m9750 which are made by Arima and sold under other names in other countries. The people I know at Alienware were very excited about this step up, as it gave them a lot more power for input in the design stages and manufacture of the new laptops. These new builds are new territory, and of course they're now owned by Dell, but if AW is still the same company I've dealth with since 1999, they won't compromise performance or quality for price...

And now having said that, I haven't used an m15x personally, nor have I seen the Dell you're interested in. They'll likely perform similarly with the hardware you chose, unless the Dell mobo is a stinker. So the question I'd consider at this point is whether the extra money is worth it for you for the RAID capability, which will help with your uses, and the finish quality of the case, it's aesthetics, and screen are worth it for you personally.

For me, I'm very comfortable with Alienware product quality and performance, so I'd go with the Alienware, but then again I'd get the 8800gtx as I only buy a laptop on occasion, and I always configure them to last as long as possible from a performance perspective. Gaming is a high priority for me though...

If you change laptops more than I do, you should also consider the resale value of the laptop. Judging by eBay prices, used Alienware systems tend to do very well.

I think either computer the OP mentioned will work for the tasks mentioned. However, the m15x would provide the ability to upgrade graphics cards and add hard drives, whereas the doesn't. I upgrade the video card in my 7700, and was glad I had the ability to do so. Just another point to keep in mind.

While on the subject of Clevo, I owned an Aurora m7700 and had problems. Not the hardware problem HH mentioned but (3D) performance.
Ever since then, I haven’t seen any improvement by Clevo.

The mALX (Clevo) is the perfect example. This model was released by AW at the same time as the m9700 (uniwill).

The mALX came with 2x 7900GTX where the m9700 only had 2x 7900 GT’s. but both these models preformed the same, wth?

This review of the mALX had a 3dmark05 score of 10209.
Where the m9700 reviews typically showed the same score (10111)

Even some of their latest models don’t seem up to par with performance… the 17” Sager NP5793 (Clevo) with an 8800m GTX is scoring 9363 in reviews .
I’ve seen lower in other forums but the point is the 15” AW m15x is scoring higher in reviews(9363)

Sager plans to release a new Clevo 15” notebook with the 8800M GTX, but if history has proven anything the m15x will outperform it.

My wife is completely satisfied with her XPS m1530. I got it for her as a X-Mas present and so far she has loved it. It is well made and suits her needs perfectly. I am a little bit jealous now, as I am still using my m5500 (single core Pentium M) while she has the Penryn C2D.

While I like the XPS m1530 I however have different needs than MbWife, so I am really wanting the m15x. In the end, it is all a matter of preference. I was very weary of Alienware before I bought due to the number of 'supposed complaints' that have sprouted up all over the internet. After reading a bit further into these claims, I noticed that a lot of them sound like they were written by kids who have nothing better to do than to bash people and organizations and who can't afford an AW or who never had owned one. I still went ahead and bought the AW m5500 and have not regretted it as it is a solid laptop and is working harder today than after I purchased it over 2 years ago. The customer service at Alienware has been exceptional for me. Right after I got the laptop, I received a call asking if everything is alright with my order, and to give them a call should I require anything further. This was a nice added touch to an extremely good overall experience. This is why I would buy the AW m15x over the XPS m1530.

I also have a Dell desktop and it is still running, but has had it's share of problems and the Dell Customer Service is completely lacking. I will never buy a Dell desktop again after my Customer Service experience. Why then did I buy the XPS? Well, the XPS line is better built than the Inspiron line (that I have worked on in my IT jobs) and at the time it was one of the first to have the new Penryn chips which are rather nice by the way.

To sum up my ramblings it really does come down to personal preference, and I hope that you are happy with the XPS m1530. I know that MbWife loves hers, so you should too. Congrats.

Agree! But I also have another theory.
It’s common human nature to complain when you have a bad experience, and rightfully so. If you pay an organization for a product or service, they are required (by law) to provide it as advertised.

However, it’s not common human nature to praise a company for simply providing the product or service they promised with no issues… Even here at NBF, what do we do when we get a new notebook and everything is fine? Write a review, but a lot of !!!!! in there, and that’s the last thread we start on the subject. No one typically comes back 3 months later with a new thread stating !!!! systems is still great !!!!

On the other hand, when things do go wrong that individual is likely to start multiple threads in multiple forums complaining about it.

I’d also really like to see some metrics on all these complaints. What, 50 random internet posts in a year? Apposed to the 1000’s (10’s of thousands?) of happy customers. I’m willing to bet the %age of dissatisfied customers is very low.
I’ve been through 3 AW’s now and you wouldn’t believe the technical scrutiny I’ve given their systems. I’ve had nothing but great service for all my concerns.

PS: good call on the 20 day in home trial! smart IMO.

I am one of the few who will post updates on my system at certain times like the anniversary date of purchase, etc. I have had this AW for over two years and I am impressed! It may be a bit outdated both in processor and GPU, but it can still take what I throw at it on a daily basis and rise to the challenge.

upgrade to the geforce 7600

Once my warranty is up in April, I might consider it, however I am going to be getting a m15x probably at the end of the year, so I might keep it as is.