<p>Which is better versus the XPS and the Inspiron?</p>
<p>I had a really bad experience with the Alienware brand, so I’m not 100% sure what’s going on now.</p>
<p>Don’t get Windows 7, just get XP and be done with it.</p>
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<p>The XPS is much much better.</p>
<p>ya XPS is the way to go. if you’re on a budget, the Latitude line tops Inspiron too. I’m not really sure what the deal is with Alienware. Their reliability used to be much worse than it is now (now that Dell bought them out) but their laptops are still pretty hefty (in both size and price…) since they’re meant to be gaming rigs. Dell has a new aluminum notebook too, which looks really nice although I’d never be able to convince myself to pay that much for it…</p>
<p>@Ankur - It’s starting to be harder to get XP with a new computer, and down the road compatibility is gonna eventually be a problem. If you’ve gotta buy a new OS anyway, you’re on the shorter route to being “done with it” if you go with Windows 7 instead of XP, imo.</p>
<p>snow leopard</p>
<p>Lenovo Thinkpads are going for pretty cheap these days. and i heard they’re even better than the dell latitudes.
fyi, HP and Lenovo are offering free upgrades to windows 7 if u buy them before the release date.</p>
<p>I meant the quality of Inspiron versus the XPS, not the power.</p>
<p>Otherwise, what’s a good affordable Dell laptop then, if the Inspiron is so bad?</p>
<p>I built my own desktop and never bought any company’s before, but I don’t think I can handle building another one, especially a laptop.</p>
<p>yeah that’s what I meant - as far as quality goes, XPS is much better than Inspiron. Dell uses separate parts, and has an entirely separate customer service department for the XPS line. The 13" XPS laptop isn’t too pricey, really, but you can save some cash by going with the Latitude line (it’s in the business section, I think). And yeah, building a laptop is more than I’d care to take on, too ;)</p>
<p>Lenovo’s got some stuff that’s a lot like Dell’s latitudes (pretty business-oriented), too (like soulkamikaze said), and although the quality on HP isn’t quite up there with Dell and Lenovo last I checked, HP does have some nice, affordable laptops, which are really cool looking, with the artist-designed cover, for whatever that’s worth.</p>
<p>was that an attempt to start something, 88888888? lol, yeah i’ll probably end up getting both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard, eventually (i use VM Fusion…), depending on the upgrade costs.</p>
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<p>Alienware is actually owned by Dell, so if you had a bad experience with that brand, then I’m guessing you won’t be too impressed with the rest of Dell’s stuff.</p>
<p>Personally, I find Dell laptops quite durable. I’ve had an E1505 for 4 years now and it’s never crapped on me before. While the battery life has waned, it still performs like a champ.</p>
<p>^ Alienware was only bought up by Dell in the last couple years, actually. In any case, I would no more take Alienware as an indication of “what Dells are like” than Inspirons as a warning against the other lines. Do a little research, read some reviews, and you’ll probably do alright whatever brand/line/laptop you pick.</p>
<p>If you’re going for Dell, do yourself a (huge) favor and get an XPS. Their customer support is terrific, and their products are very very decent.</p>
<p>I second inconnu’s idea on the XPS systems. In my use of them, they’ve turned out to be really great laptops. Also, since a few of you were talking about Windows 7 pricing and upgrades, I thought I’d share this (really long) link: [Announcing</a> the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program & Windows 7 Pricing ? Bring on GA! - Windows 7 Team Blog - The Windows Blog](<a href=“Home | Windows Blog”>Home | Windows Blog) </p>
<p>It’s got some pretty comprehensive information about Win 7 pricing, and it’s the official word from Microsoft about how you can get cheaper (and in some cases, free) upgrades to Windows 7. I hope it’s helpful, let me know if you’ve got any questions.</p>
<p>Thanks,
Cody
Windows Outreach Team</p>
<p>Meh, Dell doesn’t offer the Windows 7 bonus to the XPS brand of laptops.</p>
<p>Hopefully the Windows Team will.</p>