About to pull the trigger on the M1330!!

so im about to buy an M1330 to replace my HP dv2700.

heres the back story on the HP:

it had severe overheating problems since day 1, it would cook my flesh if it came anywhere near my lap, and due to the poor design, it hindered ventilation and created an oven within itself. the astounding heat caused the crappy (i believe) nvidia gs 8400 video card to crap out and i now have the same problem as every other M1330 on here. Lucky for me, this happened 2 months after my warranty expired. so new laptop here i come.


it would seem as if i would be digging my own grave if i bought a different laptop, the M1330, which has the exact same problem. what has dell done to fix this prevalent problem? have new video cards replaced the poor faulty ones?

Also, are there any major problems that I should be aware of? I've done some reasearch and most commonly I've read about:
-having to push hard on keyboard keys
-glare problems with the screen
-overheating problems
-poorly manufactured (cracks and gaps between parts that easily come off)
-motherboards dying
-poor video cards
-faulty power adapters that fail, which CAN/WILL fry your motherboard
I also found a list of problems from an older thread:
Granted, it's 2 years old, but some problems still exsist...

1. CPU Whine
Detail Info of Problem: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=153436
2. Screen resolution changing after it wakes from sleep mode (Vista problem, not M1330?)
Solution: http://support.dell.com/support/down...&fileid=214039
3. Dual Array Mic picks up computer static
4. Uneven base
5. Exterior condition flawed
6. Dual Array Mic sensitivity is too low
Solution(?) : http://forum.notebookreview.com/show...=152723&page=2

all in favor of me buying the M1330? yay
all that oppose? nay

what other options might be a better alternative?

sorry about the long post, i dont wanna spend another grand on a laptop thatll crap out on me

thanks,
kien

 

edit: double post

 

I would also like to know the answer to this.... has dell fixed anything? Is it worth getting this computer? I would hope that after a few years in the market, they would have fixed something.....

 

I was on the phone with a dell rep yesterday and asked him about any revisions that have been made to improve the heat problems/gpu failures and he couldn't name anything that had been done to alleviate these issues. With the way he danced around giving me a direct answer, I would suspect they've done nothing.

 

Wouldn't get one with the 8400M-GS. It only took mine two days to die. Got a refund and purchased one from the outlet with integrated video.

Why not look at a 1340/E4300/V1320 as an alternative?

 

thats all i needed to hear! +rep

sucks how they refuse to fix the obvious problem...they probably got some sweet deal the with nvidia, and they cant let go until the contracts up or some BS...or theyre just lazy, who knows

so if i downgraded to the Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, whats the difference between that and Geforce 8400MS (sorry im not too video card savy)
--edit---
actually i researched it out...but man, im a gamer and a separate video card would be nice...=/ is it worth the risk? am i feeling lucky??
Ferretwulf - thanks, i will definitely look into the models you listed

 

Since you are looking for opinions I will share mine. Personally, I would not touch the M1330 or the M1530 at all. Integrated video - ok, possibly. Dedicated NVIDIA GPU - nope, not a chance.

Dell nor NVIDIA have done nothing to fix the shoddy manufacturing which plagued these cards. The only 'fix' was to implement a BIOS change which prevents the GPU from experiencing the mass thermal fluctuations.

Look at something else - you'll be happier in the long run. Just my 2 cents.

 

The M1330 and the M1530 both have issues with the GPU, however the M1330 is far worse than that of the M1530. To be honest, if I had my time again, I wouldn't buy either.

If you look around the internet (and this site), alot of people have issues with the 1330. The failure rate is VERY high. At a guess (and this is by no means scientific), I'd stick a failure rate of nearly 75% on the 1330. Why is this? Because of the small form factor, the 1330 runs ALOT hotter than the 1530. Dell and nVidia haven't really done anything to alleviate the issue. Dell have released BIOS updates for both machines to adjust the fan profile, however it hasn't really done anything to fix the problem per se, just "delay" it, for lack of a better term.

If you're were talking about the 1530, I'd say fine. But since the 1330, I'd advise you not to take the risk.

In reference to your post above, if you're doing any gaming you're going to want a dedicated graphics card (although, it depends on what you'll be playing). With the Intel Integrated graphics, you're less likely to have problems, but with that being said, there are other alternatives which would potentially be more viable than the M1330 in the 13" category.

Too long didn't read: I wouldn't touch an M1330 no matter what graphics solution it uses. Look for something else.

 

Jamesmington, if you plan on doing anything other than 'light' gaming, or much older games, the X3100 graphics is going to dissapoint. Its just peachy for movies, and regular display duties, but newer games are going to drown it.

With that in mind, the E4300 may be out as well (X4500 graphics...a bit better than X3100, but nothing to write home about). The 1340 supports the nVidia 9400M-G and 9500M. Still runs a bit warm, but does not have the associated failure rates of hte M1330. The Vostro 1320 supports the 9300M, but comes standard with the X4500.