Vostro 3300 Redux, higher end configuration, good price ? what do you think?

Vostro 3300 with an i5-540 processor is available at a decent price now, and I would love to hear some opinions on whether this is a good deal. This config, shipped, would be ~$630 + applicable tax for my state.

i5-450M Processor 2.4GHz
Windows 7 Home Premium
Aberdeen Silver (for $40+, can change to Lucerne Red or Brisbane Bronze)
3GB DDR3 SDRAM,1066 MHz (for $62+, can change to 4GB)
320 GB HDD 7200 rpm w/ free fall sensor
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD
13.3 inch High Definition LED Display (1920 x 1080) with Anti-Glare
802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Gigabit Ethernet
Integrated Bluetooth
4-cell Li-on Battery
Fingerprint Reader
Backlit Keyboard + Gesture Touchpad
Network connector (RJ45)
USB 2.0 (2)
USB 2.0/eSATA combo (1)
Microphone jack
Headphone/speaker out
5-in-1 card reader
34 mm ExpressCard
15-pin VGA video connector
Full size, spill-resistant keyboard
8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+/-R write capability
Integrated 2.0MP Webcam
65 watt Slim AC Adapter
1 year warranty


I need a laptop for travel and occasional commuting. My ideal would be a 12” laptop with a Core i5 processor, but current models are out of my price range. This deal seems about the same price, maybe a little more, than what I’ve seen for 12” and 13” laptops with Core 2 Duo processors like the SU7300. The C2D processor laptops generally have lower screen resolution (usually 1366 x 768 or 1280 x 800), most have glossy screens which I dislike, and the ultralights don’t have DVD burners. I don’t need a built-in DVD drive, but I’m just saying, this model includes one and it still comes in at a good weight, acceptable size, and good price.

The advantages I can see are the up-to-date processor, decent RAM for starting out (I can add more RAM later), backlit keyboard is a nice bonus, high-resolution matte display. Size and weight are acceptable, although it is the very maximum of what I wanted in terms of portability. I didn't want to exceed 4 lbs, and this, according to Dell, weighs 4.1 lbs. I also didn't want to go above 12", but even though this has a 13" display, Dell says it is just under 13" in width, so it squeezes by my "standards."

The disadvantages I see and have read about are a weak battery with only ~2 ½ hours battery time, no HDMI output, and the sound is apparently unacceptable without external speakers or headphones. I am near a power outlet most of the time even while traveling, so the 4-cell battery is not a dealbreaker. And, I can also buy a spare for $54. As far as the other drawbacks I listed, I can live with them.

Are there any other minuses I need to know about? And if I can live with them, too, does this seem like a good deal in terms of what you get for the price?
And most important, of course, if I decide to pull the trigger, do I get staid and dignified silver, or spring for racy red? Is bronze a classy choice, or will my kids say it looks like dog poo? (Click on pic to see the colors up close and personal)

 

Its an interesting one, but I'm a bit sceptical about whether the 1920 x 1080 screen is for real or a type on their part. You'd think they'd have made more of splash if they had this screen to offer newly - and if so why on a laptop targeted at SMB instead of on the XPS series? Strange

 

I believe 1920x1080 screen is a typo. I believe it's the screen option for other (bigger screen) Vostro. After checking some review, they all got the unit w/ 1366x768 not 1920x1080. Also, checking w/ service manual will say this also.

 

Hey guys, thanks for reading my post! Hmmmm, interesting how this Vostro 3300 just seems to be flying under the radar.

I finally got unlazy and called Dell, and they assured me that the 1920 x 1080 screen resolution is not an error. I practically waterboarded the Dell rep, pointing out that this was highly unusual in a laptop in this class, that the resolution on the 3400 and the 3500 are detailed as “High Definition” (the 3300 says “HDF”) but are specified as only 1366 x 768, and that when the 3300 was launched, it also had a resolution of 1366 x 768. He kept saying that the description of 1920 x 1080 is correct.

The only other computers Dell has with that resolution are the Studio 17 (as a $150 option), the Latitude 6510 (where it’s called an “FHD” display, meaning “Full High Def”), and the Alienware M15x (as a $100 option).

So that’s the news. I don’t know how to parse it. It would be very nice indeed if it were true, but I’m skeptical even after hearing them verify it. It doesn’t make sense in the bigger picture.

I passed on last week’s offer, partly because I, too, was wondering about that display. If it’s for real, then I don’t understand why this laptop isn’t mentioned more often in the short list of similar thin-and-lights – the 13” Core i5’s. It has an i5-450 processor, 3GB RAM, aluminum-clad body, integrated DVD burner, backlit keyboard, Bluetooth, matte display, and all the other usual stuff, for ~$630 when there are coupons. Lousy battery life, but an extra battery costs only $54. Lousy audio, no HDMI. Still, it seems to have enough pros that I don’t understand why there’s almost no interest in it, not here on NBR or elsewhere online either.

Anyway, I let it go for now, because I trust the hivemind, and since no one seemed enthusiastic at all, I figured there’s no rush. I’ll keep it in mind, I’m sure similar deals will come around again, and then we’ll see. I wish we could get confirmation about that screen resolution from someone who actually ordered it.

And meantime, now I’m looking at the Latitude 6410’s in the Dell Outlet.

 

mmm, i not seeing this price or even anything close for such spec on the dell USA site, are you sure on this cos thats definately a bargain ?

css_jay99

 

That price is with i3 or the i5 4xx not i5xxx

 

Gone for now.
It was the “Enhanced Productivity” model out of the current lineup of featured models, with an i5-450 processor. Last week, there was a Fatwallet coupon for $100 off certain Vostro laptops priced $799 and higher, which could be used together with the "Instant Savings" and brought the price of this unit down to ~$630. Coupon expired 6/24. But I’m sure there’ll be another deal coming round soon. If I see a discount or a coupon, I’ll update.

What’s interesting here is that the backlit keyboard doesn’t show up until you select the item and look in the System Details section. Usually they highlight that kind of feature, but here they buried it in the small print for some reason.

Also, I still don't know what to make of the display resolution listed as 1920 x 1080, even though I talked to the Dell rep myself when he verified it. I'm still skeptical. Well, there's still time to think about it until the next time a good price comes around.

 

Well I guess If you buy and its not a 1920 Display you can return it for no fault of yours, u still get to test drive it though.

Please can i have websites to get dell coupons for in the US, when i google for coupons it only shows me uk related sites since in the UK

cheers

css_jay99

 

I got the coupon at fatwallet.com, which is in the U.S., so I'm afraid that would probably not have worked for you anyway. I also signed up at Dell Home and at Dell Business to get promotional emails, and I follow Dell Outlet on Twitter so I can see Outlet coupons. And I put myself on the mailing list to get their monthly mailings, one of the very few that got my real name and real home address .

/threadjack, long, my apologies, but since I started the thread I hope I can take the liberty (mods please move if necessary)

There's a Dell Outlet UK on Twitter, they may have coupon alerts once in a while - DellOutlet UK on Twitter.

They send me a two-three page catalog every month or so with featured systems that have "e-coupon codes," emails with featured "sales and specials," and once in a great while, exclusive coupon codes. I put everything in "double quotes" because Dell have a funny habit of somehow managing to keep their prices fairly consistent even during their sales. They'll change the configuration of the system a bit so you have to add an option or two, or they raise the price just before the sale, and somehow the "savings" doesn't seem all too special by the time the system goes into your shopping cart, .

I think more important than having a coupon or code is to follow their prices, and market prices for similar systems, carefully, and keep track for a while, so you know what a system with the configuration you want *should* cost. Then you will know when a real deal comes along.

Then, I have a feeling you can do better with Dell if you call them and deal by phone rather than online. Keep them chatting, politely, for long enough so they will want to make the time worthwhile and close some kind of deal with you. Mention, ever so politely, the specific systems that are competing with the Dell you are considering.

My ploy was to stay within the Dell family, so the rep couldn't even get upset. I told him I was thinking either of a Latitude from the Outlet or the Vostro (which was, and is, actually true). He doesn't get commission from an Outlet sale, but of course it's still a Dell product, so he can't talk me out of it, either, or say anything negative about it. We ended the chat very cordially, with him giving me his number. I may end up getting the Vostro or maybe a new Latitude - I'm really still on the fence and not in any rush - so he may still get something out of me yet .

When I'm ready, if I don't buy from the Outlet, I'm definitely going to try to get the price I want by phone, in the simplest possible way. I'll research the lowest price they ever sold the system I want, even if it's not the price that exact day. And that's the price I will offer, ever so politely. I'd say something like "I missed the coupon, I missed the 30% discount, such a shame, but the people who bought it are so happy with their systems...." I'm pretty confident that if they sold it at a certain price once, as long as it was a legitimate price, they will be able to do so again even if the coupon or discount isn't currently published.

HTH.

/end threadjack

 

It's true that you can return it and get full refund(no restocking fee) when the fault is their. But it's no fun at all. I'm still in the process of returning my M11xR2 because the manual said to have gigabit ethernet, but it's not. And if your budget is tight, this mean that you have to wait for dell to refund your money first before you can buy the next laptop. The whole process of talking to rep, return the laptop, and getting refund will probably take atleast 2 weeks anyway. It may end up taking 3 or 4 weeks instead. It's not something I want everyone to have to experience with.