First m1330 going back

I received my first m1330 about 3 days ago. My build quality is good, sits even, no parts falling out etc. I do have the south bridge whine but its really not bad at all and not a reason for return to me. However my issue is the LED screen. Unfortunately I got a Chi Mei screen and the whites look grainy and sweaty like i want to wipe the screen with a cleaning cloth. At first i said to myself its not horrible and id rather not risk getting an exchange thats worse with other problems. It really started to bug me I decided to go ahead and arrange an exchange i requested the TMD part number but of course they said they can't promise which one will be used so I can only hope. For an "upgraded" screen it should look good not grainy. Anyone have a Chi Mei w/o issues? I know i could ask them to send a replacement screen only but seeing as the notebook is 3 days old i didn't want to have someone start taking it apart. /end rant. Thanks

Replacement System Estimated ship date is: 1/18

 

Where do you find what kind of monitor you have?

 

All my received systems are Chi Mei without problem. The colour is gorgeous.

 

I would think Toshiba would build a better screen, but I haven't seen a Chi Mei screen. I've never even heard of that brand.

I have a Toshiba screen, but there is one pixel that is stuck on, or there is a substrate issue within the LCD. I have a tech coming out to replace the LCD, I am not sending it back on the first go. If I am not happy with the way the tech repairs the system, or if the LCD has issues, the entire system is going back to Dell for a complete replacement. I won't even let them replace the LCD at that point - it will be a brand new laptop.

 

Unless Dell policy has changed, once the Rep has attended or system repaired, the system cannot be returned or exchanged for a new one.

 

Trust me, it can. I have forced dell to take a system back that was over 6 months old, and repaired a few times. They sent me a new one for replacement.

Besides, I have a 30 day 100% satisfaction guarantee. They won't like me if I'm not happy. I will cost them far more than any laptop is worth.

Example, I sent a Fujitsu laptop back over 12 times until the system was 100% as it should be, and I had them pay overnight shipping to and from each time.

There is no reason why something you pay for should have a defect.

 

Boy I wish I had the gonads you have to get what you want.
I'm a bit of a woos..

But then I'm a nurse and alot of people are unhappy with their healthcare and take it out on me so I'm a bit sensitive.

You go.......

 

I have the exact same complaint about the whites looking grainy. I know its not just me being overly picky because in comparison to the other 3 laptops I have, the m1330 is the only one that bothers me. I too have a decent working/quality laptop, but I will ask Dell for a new LCD. I already had Dell replace the MB to try to fix the cpu whine issue, didnt help.

On another note, I just finished installing XP, the whole laptop runs cooler now!

FYI: I posted for the same reason: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=206802

 

My m1330 also came with a Chi Mei Optoelectronics LCD that was sparkly/grainy and had horizontal lines running across the whole screen. It looked like I was looking through a mesh screen, and the horizontal lines gave everything a weird texture that it was not supposed to have. I chatted with Dell and arranged for a tech to come out to replace the screen, but the replacement LCD is also a Chi Mei part and has the exact same problems. The tech also screwed up the hinge an awful lot in the process of re-assembling the system, so a replacement system is on its way to me right now. Hopefully the replacement will come with the Toshiba part...if it doesn't I will be calling tech support to have them ship me the part that I want.

I too tried to convince myself that it was not that bad; I tend to be picky about screen quality, and I find problems that other people do not pick out. However, I showed the screen to some people who are decidedly less picky than I am, and they easily picked up on the problems. This tells me that the issues with this screen are pretty severe and that I should not tolerate them, especially in a premium device. Every time I go back to my old laptop or look at my phone or TV after having used the m1330 for a while, I see a massive difference in screen clarity.

Audiofx, where did you find the status of your replacement's ship date? Did it just show up on your order status page? My replacement has not showed up in my account order status yet and I would certainly like to know when I should be expecting it so that someone can be home to sign for the package.

 

NovaRev, - how do you determine if you have the Chi Mei or the Toshiba screen?

 

You can tell the screen you have by going to Dell.com/support/warranty on left/original configuration and enter your service tag from the bottom of the laptop.1

 

Thanks, flamenko!

 

Yes thanks I found the make it's the one you have that some complain about but I love it.....

 

I have a Toshiba screen in my M1330 right now, and its nice, other than the bad pixel.

I would be willing to bet Dell sends a tech out with a Chi Mei screen. If they come out with that thing, and it looks wrong in any way, I am getting a new one.

 

Mine was just delivered a little bit ago and is still too cold to turn on, what screen does it have?

1 PK653 PROCESSOR..., T5450, 1.66, 2MB, CMER, M0
0 01323 INFORMATION..., NO ITEM
1 J2551 CORD..., POWER..., 110V, 3F, ALTERNATING CURRENT..., 3W, PROPOSITION 65..., UNITED STATES...
1 RW506 PLACEMAT..., GETTING STARTED..., EXTREME PERFORMANCE SYSTEM..., M1330, DAO/EMEA
1 MU194 KEYBOARD..., 86, UNITED STATES..., ENGLAND/ENGLISH..., SINGLE POINTING..., BNTS, LIGHT...
1 FK454 KIT..., EARPHONE..., BUDS, NOTEBOOK...
1 CY757 HARD DRIVE..., 120G, S2, 9.5, 5.4K, TSHBA-LEO
1 RW194 ASSEMBLY..., DVD+/-RW..., 8X, PANASONIC..., 9.5, SLOT
1 NX061 ASSEMBLY..., ADAPTER..., ALTERNATING CURRENT..., 65W, 3P, LATIN/LATIN AMERICA..., M1330
1 TT344 BATTERY..., PRIMARY..., 37WHR, 4C, LITHIUM..., DYNAPACK INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CORP...
2 GX074 BRACKET..., SUPPORT..., METAL..., 13.3, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., M1330
1 GX081 ASSEMBLY..., CABLE..., COAXIAL ..., LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., LIGHT EMITTING DIODE..., M1330
1 RP774 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 13.3 WXGA, VIDEO ELEC. STDS. ASSOC...., TLF, TRANSFORMER METROPLEX DESKTOP...
1 FW331 KIT..., REMOTE CONTROL..., NOTEBOOK..., M08, PHILIPS
1 CW725 CARD (CIRCUIT)..., WIRELESS..., INTERNAL..., BLUETOOTH..., 355, VSTA
1 JC977 CARD (CIRCUIT)..., WIRELESS..., MINICARD..., DW1490, BROADCOM CORPORATION...
1 CM249 KIT..., SOFTWARE..., ADOBE..., PRE, 4, W#2, DIXV
1 HT074 TECHNICAL SHEET..., ADOBE..., CONTACT...
1 WP376 KIT..., SOFTWARE..., ADOBE..., PSE, 6, COMPACT DISK DRIVE..., ENGLAND/ENGLISH..., DIXV
1 N6704 ASSEMBLY..., CAMERA..., 0.3M, INTEGRATED..., MANUFACTURED IN CHINA..., M1330
1 RW485 BEZEL..., LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., PLASTIC..., 0.3M, CAMERA..., M1330
1 GN866 KIT..., SOFTWARE..., DELL MEDIA DIRECT..., 3.5, DIGITAL VIDEO DISK DRIVE..., EXTREME PERFORMANCE SYSTEM...
1 WR053 BATTERY..., ADDITIONAL..., 85WHR, 9C, LITHIUM..., SANYO
6 2864D SCREW..., M3X3, K SCREW HEAD..., MICROSOFT..., BLACK OXIDE...
1 N6705 ASSEMBLY..., BASE (ASSEMBLY OR GROUP)..., NOTEBOOK..., UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE..., M1330
1 HX425 KIT..., SOFTWARE..., OVERPACK..., VHP32, A01, DIGITAL VIDEO DISK DRIVE..., ENGLAND/ENGLISH...
1 HX105 ASSEMBLY..., PALMREST..., MAGNESIUM-ALLOY..., W/FPRDR, M1330
2 Y9525 DUAL IN-LINE MEMORY MODULE..., 512MB, 667, 64X64, 8K, 200

 

Dloreski--You got the Toshiba screen. Let me know what you think of it.

Kboyer--Another way to check what screen you have is to go to the device manager, choose Monitors > Generic PnP Monitor, then click the Details tab and choose Hardware IDs in the pull down box. A Chi Mei screen shows up with an ID of CMO with some numbers after it, whereas the Toshiba screen shows up with "LCD" I think.

 

Thanks NovaRev!
I was somewhat hesitant about oredering a Dell from reading these forums.
But I must say, the quality of this unit looks great. I put both the 6 and 9 cell battery on and there is no wobble.
Also, my unit wasn't supposed to ship until the 16th and it's already here.

 

Same thing happened to me. I sent my M1330 back to Dell to replace the motherboard (at their suggestion due to numerous freezing issues). It came back to me with the freezing issues unsolved (although they claimed they tested it and there were no more problems). In addition they had failed to reassemble it properly such that when the screen is closed there is a 5mm gap between the screen and the touch panel on the left side. On examination it looks like they had messed up the hinge which is causing the misalignment. I requested a full refund but they refused and now I'm getting a replacement system. I have had massive problems with this system almost from the day I got it.

 

Dloreski--Glad you got a machine that you're happy with. The m1330 has a great design and a lot of nice features. The only problem seems to be getting one that justifies the price!

Inigomantoya--Sounds like you ended up with a hinge problem very similar to mine. I've attached some pictures of what my m1330 looks like when "closed" now, and here's a link to a Youtube video of what my hinge sounds like when it is moved now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDb_dW_H8E4

It's very loud and annoying. Certainly not the kind of noise that you want your laptop making in a public place, such as a classroom or library.

 

NovaRev - the problem with the gap b/w screen and touch plate looks the same as mine. I have attached some photos of the area around the hinge which clearly show that the components have not been put back together properly (following "repair" by Dell) which is causing the gap. I don't have any noise from the hinge though so perhaps your problem is different to mine.

 

You pull the hinger cover off and reattach it
Its described in the service manual

 

Looking at mine now, that hinge cover is screwed up in exactly the same way...I bet I could fix it if I popped the hinge cover off and reattached it correctly, but I don't want to accidentally break a little plastic tab or something. I'll just leave it as it is for now since I have a replacement coming in the mail.

 

I do see what you mean about the screen, it has like a texture to it.
Interesting.

 

what screen do i have? whatever it is the whites are very bright and it looks pretty good! viewing angles are so so.

1 GP457 PROCESSOR..., T7500, 2.2, 4MB, CMER, G0
0 01323 INFORMATION..., NO ITEM
1 J2551 CORD..., POWER..., 110V, 3F, ALTERNATING CURRENT..., 3W, PROPOSITION 65..., UNITED STATES...
1 RW506 PLACEMAT..., GETTING STARTED..., EXTREME PERFORMANCE SYSTEM..., M1330, DAO/EMEA
1 MU194 KEYBOARD..., 86, UNITED STATES..., ENGLAND/ENGLISH..., SINGLE POINTING..., BNTS, LIGHT...
1 CM500 KIT..., SOFTWARE..., TREND MICRO..., 14.7, ENGLAND/ENGLISH...
1 NX511 BATTERY..., PRIMARY..., 56WHR, 6C, LITHIUM..., DYNAPACK INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CORP...
1 FK454 KIT..., EARPHONE..., BUDS, NOTEBOOK...
1 RK533 HARD DRIVE..., 160GB, FREE FALL SENSOR..., 9.5, 7.2K, SGT-GAL
1 Y9530 DUAL IN-LINE MEMORY MODULE..., 1GB, 667, 128X64, 8K, 200
1 Y9540 DUAL IN-LINE MEMORY MODULE..., 2GB, 667, 256X64, 8K, 200
1 RW194 ASSEMBLY..., DVD+/-RW..., 8X, PANASONIC..., 9.5, SLOT
1 XK850 ASSEMBLY..., ADAPTER..., ALTERNATING CURRENT..., 65W, 3P, DELTA - AC ADAPT..., M1330
1 MM357 BRACKET..., SUPPORT..., LEFT..., METAL..., V2, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., M1330
1 MR079 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 13.3 WXGA, VIDEO ELEC. STDS. ASSOC...., TLF, SECONDARY..., V2
1 RW488 ASSEMBLY..., CABLE..., COAXIAL ..., V2, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., M1330
1 XK078 BRACKET..., SUPPORT..., RIGHT..., METAL..., V2, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., M1330
6 2864D SCREW..., M3X3, K SCREW HEAD..., MICROSOFT..., BLACK OXIDE...
1 U8042 ASSEMBLY..., BASE (ASSEMBLY OR GROUP)..., DISCRETE..., 128M, M1330
1 FW331 KIT..., REMOTE CONTROL..., NOTEBOOK..., M08, PHILIPS
1 CW725 CARD (CIRCUIT)..., WIRELESS..., INTERNAL..., BLUETOOTH..., 355, VSTA
1 YX524 KIT..., SOFTWARE..., DELL MEDIA DIRECT..., 3.3, COMPACT DISK DRIVE..., THURMAN
1 HX425 KIT..., SOFTWARE..., OVERPACK..., VHP32, A01, DIGITAL VIDEO DISK DRIVE..., ENGLAND/ENGLISH...
1 HX105 ASSEMBLY..., PALMREST..., MAGNESIUM-ALLOY..., W/FPRDR, M1330
1 KP618 ASSEMBLY..., CAMERA..., 2M, INTEGRATED..., LITEON..., M1330
1 XK074 BEZEL..., LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., PLASTIC..., 2M, CAMERA..., M1330
1 MK933 CARD (CIRCUIT)..., WIRELESS..., MINICARD..., 4965, MOW1

 

Do you see any grainines at all?

 

Willymcd--Do you have the LED backlit model or the standard CCFL backlit model? I'm not familiar with that part number; it doesn't seem to be either the Chi Mei or Toshiba LED backlit LCD, which are the only two panels used in the LED backlit m1330 as far as I am aware.

 

its the ccfl, i think it is more of a rare backlight, haha, i was pretty suprised with how good the screen looked

 

I'm not familiar with the different panels used in the CCFL backlit m1330 so I can't really help you there, although I will say that I have not seen/heard many complaints about the CCFL version. You probably don't have anything to worry about if you're happy about the quality of your screen.

 

yeah, i was just curious is all!

 

Support rep emailed a new order number. Just went to dell main page clicked order status on top right and entered info. I won't have my replacement until next week. The CS rep stated they noted the order to be built with a Toshiba screen but who knows what I will get. I'm crossing my fingers. For the money we spend on these things i should atleast have a nice screen to look at. I mean the $800 laptops at costco have gorgeous screens.

 

My M1330 is going back for a system exchange due to the gap between the Chi Mei LCD and the bezel.

It's being replaced with a new system with the same specs.

 

Audiofx--thanks for the info. I just fired off an email to Dell customer support asking them for information about my replacement, since it still has not shown up in my order status.

I too have my fingers crossed for the Toshiba LCD part in the replacement. I agree that these machines should have better screens for the price; my mothers $700 Toshiba laptop has a wonderfully clear screen compared to the Chi Mei part in my current m1330.

Here's hoping that we get the good panel, I guess.

 

Got my replacement today same Chi Mei screen. Same grainy crap. I emailed support again. I don't know if i want to

A) Return it get another brand
B) Get another replacement
C) have a tech come out and put a TMD panel on (which im sure after taking apart i will have more problems)

 

You should return for a refund and place a new order.

 

the promos and coupons etc i used aren't available. I priced my system out its $100 more now.

Well after wasting another hour of my life on the phone with dell. I am sending the replacement machine back (it had more issues then my first one) and am going to have dell send someone out with a Toshiba screen. I can't be dealing with exchanges anymore so I will post back when its done, they say Monday.

 

So did they come replace the screen with a Toshiba screen? I just received my m1330 a couple days ago with the crappy CMO grainy horizontal line issue. With a fair amount of backlight leakage. I'm having regrets on buying this system. Can you deal with them through "xps chat" or do you have to call them on the phone?

 

Yes you can use both points of contact.

 

1 MM350 13.3" UltraSharp Widescreen WXGA (1280x800) Display with TrueLife(0.3MP webcam)


How am I suppose to know what brand this is ?

 

That doesn't look like its from the Original System Configuration page. Did you get that by entering your service tag?

 

yes, I did.. >_< "