This thing is basically an inspiron 1500 with better build quality, sturdier case and they try and get you to buy the 3 year warranty with it. It's marketed as a "small business" laptop but for whatever reason they've stuck the 8600M GT gaming graphics chip in it, and it's great for HL2:Ep2 and the like. Don't overlook the Vostro, unlike the seeming flippancy with which the XPS are built, the Vostro is put together with care.