A few pre-purchase Q's on the XPS 1340

Hi all,

I think I have decided to purchase a Dell Studio XPS 1340, as I require a new laptop before the end of June and I'm not sure anything better in this class will be available before then. I will be using it for a bit of everything, including work, portability, hooking it up for presentations, general surfing on the couch and some minor game playing. I have a few questions about purchasing it.

1. CPU. At the moment both the P9500 (2.53GHz) and the P9600 (2.66GHz) cost an extra $388.30. Shouldn't the P9600 cost more than the P9500? Am I missing something here?

2. Screen. I get a lot of glare on my current laptop at work. Does the XPS 1340 have a glossy or matte screen? Does choosing WLED or CCFL have any effect on this?

3. Deals. There is currently a $150 cash off deal which ends tomorrow (Thursday). This seems like a pretty good deal to me. Should I take this or is there a high likelihood a better deal will be available soon? I will also be using the EPP code as I'm a full-time student. Are there any other coupons I could use? In addition to being a full-time student, I am also a small business owner (strange combo I know), and have bought Dell desktops for employees in the past. Would I be able to get a better deal going through a small business sales channel?

In addition to the above questions, if anyone has any other comments they would also be greatly appreciated. Below is the system I'm intending to purchase.

Thanks very much.

Dell Studio XPS 1340
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P9600 (2.66GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 64 bit Edition (English)
1-year XPS Premier Service with 1-year CompleteCover
13.3 " Widescreen WXGA (1280x800) WLED Display with integrated 1.3MP webcam
4GB (2 X 2GB) Dual Channel 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM
320GB (7200 RPM) SATA Hard Drive
Slot Load 8X DVD + /-RW Drive with double layer write capability
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 9500M-GE with Hybrid SLI® Technology
Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster® X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution

 

1) It should... but Dell's pricing can be somewhat erratic and you aren't going to notice much difference between a P9500 and a P9600 in the first place.

2) It is a glossy screen. I do not believe there is an option for a matte screen, WLED or CCFL.

3) I do not believe you can use EPP along with the standard discounts. This may not be the case in all situations, but that was how it was for me and my E6400. As for the pricing between SMB and H&HO, you should seriously just play with the configurators and options; sometimes SMB has a better deal and sometimes H&HO has a better deal. Dell's pricing, as mentioned, is pretty erratic; you will probably eventually find a better deal in both cases, but it may be next week or it may be in a month.

If you ask me, your cheapest alternative is to buy from the Outlet, though I don't know if the SXPS 13 is available there yet.

 

1. It should but Dell is efficient in supply chain management. They must have an overstock on one part and either not planning to receive anymore or have a huge shipment on its way in.

2. Glossy screen is standard. The LED screen is beautiful, sharp, bright and should give you a few more minutes of battery life over the CCFL.

I say always get the cheapest processor offered. It will cost you less to upgrade in a year or two and you won't notice the performance increase now anyway. Save your money, I don't think the soundblaster audio solution is worth it but to each their own.

 

Unfortunately, Dell does not offer the SXPS models in the outlet yet...

As stated above, Dell has very unpredictable and erratic pricing. They have a deal on any given system almost always, except when they're new. So tha t$150 deal may turn into a $100 off deal or to a $200 off deal, but it's highly unlikely that it will go away. Even if it does, chances are it'll be back within a week.

In the end, Dell is always offering some sort of deal. You may end up saving $50, or paying $50 more than you would one week later, so you never know.

 

dell does offer the xps models in outlet but people keep scooping them up at an incrediable rate, the 1640 is the most common xps model in the outlet

 

Thanks very much for the responses.

I am thinking of getting the 1340. The only thing holding me back is the heating issue. If it was only caused by running games it wouldn't worry me too much, so long as I can use web/email, watch videos and run multiple applications without generating too much heat. If anyone has any comments please see my thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=4698321#post4698321

Thanks very much.

 

I have to admit, I don't really know what this upgrade is. Does it just provide slightly better speakers?

 

Using the ExpressCard audio solution is basically like putting a discrete sound card into a desktop... I don't know the details about this particular device, but I'm guessing it'll let you output to more complex audio solutions, offload audio processing from your CPU, and generally give you better overall sound quality. I don't don't think these do much to help your internal speakers though... even if you have a really good signal quality, if your actual internal speakers suck, your sound is probably going to suck.

Of course, if you're like me, you can't tell the difference between "good" and "better" sound quality and it's not a worthwhile upgrade anyway.

 

It's a software upgrade for $20 that gives you more options, there are no speaker upgrades that's why it's not worth your money. No matter what you do with the software you're still limited by the hardware.

 

Dell specifically says it's an ExpressCard sound card? Am I missing something?

 

Yes they do, they are listed under the Inspiron Laptop section as 1340's or 1640's