Wait for Ivy Bridge or buy current Dell XPS 15?

There are some features of Ivy Bridge that might be worth the wait/cost.  Prime among them is integrated USB 3.0 support (the current XPS uses an add-on chip, which means you can't boot from a USB 3.0 device in USB 3.0 mode).

That said, if you're going to need the system in the near future, note that new launches come with delays - though Intel will release IB within two weeks, widespread availability may be some weeks or months off.  Witness what happened with the Intel Cougar Point chipsets for Sandy Bridge, for instance.

Yeah,i remember that debacle

Wait for the new model and see if it fits your needs. It will be improved in many ways.

The CPU, intel Ivy Bridge, is cooler and draws less power than Sandy Bridge. That alone is a huge advantage for a notebook/ ultrabook in addition to the native USB 3.0 support. The GPU will most likely be from the new nVIDIA GeForce mobile series, as  the XPS tradition goes. The nVIDIA GeForce GT 630, GT 640 and GT 650 are the most likely GPUs to be featured in a new DELL XPS 15. The GT 640 is featured in the Acer M3 and is a very nice GPU:
www.engadget.com/.../acer-aspire-timeline-ultra-m3-review
With DELL quality screen, build and finish, this might turn out to be a really nice laptop!
I am waiting for it to be shown, because I have saved up money for a new laptop and I want a nice and sturdy machine.

I currently have an XPS 15 L502X with an i7-2620M (Sandy Bridge) & an Nvidia GeForce GT-540M.. 

First, do you know off hand if is it possible to upgrade my current pc to the Ivy Bridge cpu & the 6xx series GeForce gpu?

Second, do you feel that it's at all necessary or worth the money & trouble? I ask being I have a tendency to lean toward overkill.

I tried googling but all I discovered were conflicting suggestions etc.

Thanks either way,

Sean 

I figured as much. Thank you so much for the help and insight, much appreciated!

Sean

It is not possible to use the new Ivy Bridge CPUs, nor is it possible to upgrade the system.  If you want the newer technology you'll need a new notebook.