Laptop!?!?!

[01001010]

for instance i have a dell inspiron and i know someone with the XPS and the build qualities are the same only difference is that his has higher specs than mine

I can tell you right now off the bat, that build quality is not the same. You're comparing Dell's budget line to their premium line.

 

[muz]

I can tell you right now off the bat, that build quality is not the same. You're comparing Dell's budget line to their premium line.

we have compared them side by side they are both of the same build quality

only difference is the specs and cost
mine cost
£400 Dell inspiron 1525 Intel core 2 duo T5550 1.83ghz 2MB L2 cache-2GB DDR2 667-160GB seagate-15.4" screen-Vista home premium
His cost
£620 Core 2 duo 2ghz 3gb ram 250gb hdd 8600M Gt 256mb 15.4" screen , fingerprint reader and slot loading dvd drive , his came witha remote bag and headphones as well

 

[01001010]

we have compared them side by side they are both of the same build quality

You're comparing metal to plastic here.

It's simply not a competition. I'm not bashing the Inspiron notebook line, since it holds its place perfectly within that market, but like I said earlier, you're comparing a premium notebook with a budget notebook.

 

[kjman87]

She could even get by with a netbook if she wanted too...

Word processing, and such dont require an insane computer...

my old dell Inspiron 5150 from 5 years ago could take care of Windows office 2007... hahaha

 

[01001010]

A netbook is supposed to be a companion computer. It's not suited for daily office work, unless you have freakishly small fingers.

 

[muz]

Well im not denying there are differences between the notebooks its obvious as you said one is premium line one is budget line

for instance as you poinsted out metal and plastic , and the fact that you get premium xps support with the xps whereas you are stuck with standard dell support with an inspiron

also the fact that you have a bigger range of customisability with the xps than the inspiron , for instance the inspiron motherboard can only handle intel x1300 integrated gpu whereas with the xps you can pick froma range of dedicated vid cards
also IMO you pay for the more stylish look and smoother feel with the xps

however i still remain that the quality of build of what is there (albeit might be different materials styles etc ) both feel perfectly solid notebooks and aside from materials and style we found no major build qualioty differences on the exterior to the laptop , there may be internal differences that mean his lasts longer or w/e however we werent about to go taking our laptops apart where we

IMO what you pay for is; the better style , more customisability and better support not a difference in build quality

She could even get by with a netbook if she wanted too...

Word processing, and such dont require an insane computer...

my old dell Inspiron 5150 from 5 years ago could take care of Windows office 2007... hahaha

netbooks IMO arent really for everyday use especially if lots of typing is to be done the keyboards just get too cramped

 

[01001010]

I don't understand which point you're trying to get across.

You say...

ever i still remain that the quality of build of what is there (albeit might be different materials styles etc ) both feel perfectly solid notebooks and aside from materials and style we found no major build qualioty differences on the exterior to the laptop , there may be internal differences that mean his lasts longer or w/e however we werent about to go taking our laptops apart where we

...but then you go concluding

IMO what you pay for is; the better style , more customisability and better support not a difference in build quality

When you compared notebooks, didn't you notice the hinge? That alone sums the difference between the two. I'm sorry to say, but you are also paying for better build quality when you purchase an XPS notebook.

 

[muz]

the point im trying to get across is that the exterior build qualities where the same barring obvious differences in material what was actually built was of the same standard both felt just as solid as the other

when i said
"there may be internal differences that mean his lasts longer or w/e "
i basically mean there may be differences in internal build quality however we couldnt see these without taking our laptops apart piece by piece we where judging based soley on exterior

the difference in hinges are more styled focused than anything else though because if dell wanted to they could install barell hinges on the inspiron line at not much extra cost

 

[01001010]

the point im trying to get across is that the exterior build qualities where the same barring obvious differences in material what was actually built was of the same standard both felt just as solid as the other

Yeah, I'm sure Dell holds the same quality assurance throughout every line they offer. However, materials such as metal and plastic do make a difference in build quality. It's just not there for show. Go to any Dell forum, and the common assumption would be that the XPS has better build quality than the Inspiron.

A perfect example was the previous generation MacBook and MacBook Pro. Both had good build quality, but the MacBook Pro was considered the best built out of the two. The same goes for the Dell XPS, Studio, and Inspiron lines. Each are targeted towards different audiences. The XPS line is targeted towards gamers and consumers looking for a premium notebook with premium features and premium build quality. On the other hand, the Studio line is targeted towards consumers who want the same design as the XPS with some premium features thrown in. Then you have the Inspiron line, which is targeted towards mainstream users who want decent build quality with good features without any features that aren't essential for computing. Just to prove my point, here are a few quotes I've encountered.

The XPS line has better build quality than the Inspirons.

The build quality of my 1720 is pretty good. I have used xps 1330 as well and the main difference I saw was the use of more polished material/ better styling (depends on your tastes).

Personally, I will have to say the XPS. I was looking at both the XPS and the Inspiron line before purchase. I started with the Inspiron 1520, went to the 1420...then saw both the XPS 1330 / 1530.....and I was done with the Inspiron line.

For me, at that time everthing with the XPS line was newer, sleek, lightweight, etc!