The M1530’s sterling build quality is equally impressive. Its sheer solidity makes it feel heavier than it is, but at 2.62kg it’s far from overweight. Even under extreme pressure its base failed to exhibit any flex. The 15.4in display is more pliant, but we had to prod and poke with excessive force before we noticed any distortion on the displayed image.

The resilient build pays dividends in terms of usability, too. The wide chassis gives the keyboard room to breathe, and apart from the slightly compressed Shift keys the layout is sensible. In use, each of the full-sized keys gives a crisp, positive action.

The trackpad is equally good, despite being small, and its responsiveness is complemented by the light action of the accompanying buttons.
It’s testament to the M1530’s ergonomic excellence that it’s easy to forget about the components beavering away underneath it all. The model Dell sent us came with an array of sensibly chosen parts: an Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 and 2GB of memory partnered with a fast 7200rpm 200GB hard disk. Together these earned the Dell a fine score of 1.04 in our application-based benchmarks.

And thanks to the accompanying Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics, there’s even a modicum of gaming ability. Only when we ran Crysis at 1280 x 1024 in Medium detail did frame rates drop to a jerky 15fps.

Few serious criticisms can be levelled at the Dell. The glossy 15.4in display doesn’t offer acres of desktop space, but the image quality more than makes up for it. The panel is bright and, thanks to good contrast, images are reproduced with incredible vibrancy.

The Dell XPS M1530 is a simply fantastic laptop at a great price. If portability is high on your agenda then its more petite stablemate, the XPS M1330, is a better choice, but with its fine combination of ergonomics, power and design the M1530 is the finest 15.4in laptop we’ve ever encountered.

Price Check: Check out the latest prices for the Dell XPS M1530 at www.dell.com.au.