Pulled the trigger, ordered Studio XPS 1340 from Dell Outlet

I guess its a matter of hit or miss on what you get from the Dell Outlet store. Several years ago, I got an XPS 210 desktop which was in perfect condition. Last week I found a Studio XPS 13 P9600, 4GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, for around $1049.

Got it on Friday and there were definitely a number of quality control issues. When placed on a level desk, the laptop wobbles from back to front. The rubber legs look about the same height but obviously there is a problem. Makes it difficult to type on. Also, when the screen is closed all the way, it is flush on the left side, but on the right side, there is a gap of like 1/8 inch. Pretty poor manufacturing and quality control. In addition, despite updating to the latest BIOS A5, the laptop runs very hot and the fan is constantly on.

Called Dell Technical support and after being transferred to about 6 different people, they said they could replace the motherboard to address the fan and heat issues but did not mention anything they could do about the legs or the gap when the screen was closed. Didn't really want to go through the hassle of having the board replaced so they just told me to return the laptop and did not even offer to exchange the unit. So much for their customer service. I guess Dell must be doing well enough and selling lots of computers that they can afford to lose a customer.

 

The 1340 is being plagued by a number of common issues, its not the outlet. The wobble is a known issue, the current fix either to shave down one of the legs or adjust the screws (or rescrew the bottom plate). The heat is a known problem with the 1340 as well, it's a 13" (which runs hot anyway), and it has poor ventilation. The current fix for this is to run it in power-saver mode (which is plenty fast anyway, considering its 4 gigs of ram and 2.4+ ghz).

Of course, this is no excuse for bad design. It's just that it happens to all XPS 1340s, not just the outlet ones.

 

So what do you guys think about the Dell Outlet Studio XPS 1340? Do you hate the system? Love it?
Are all the problems making you wish you didnt' buy it?

I am thinking about buying one from the Outlet but I am just not sure


I just looked at the Dell Outlet and they had about 10 Studio XPS 13refurbs.. I added one to my cart but then I went away from my computer for 20 minutes, I came back and it was out of my cart due to inactivity, and then I searched again and there was only 1 out of the 10 left.. I don't know are these things selling like Hotcakes? or are people buying them and throwing them up on ebay?

Anyways.. Found a 9cell studio xps 13 battery on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW!-DELL-85-WH...ItemQQimsxZ20090407?IMSfp=TL090407152009r5384

 

They are flying out the outlet.

The outlet ones are usually just as good as brand new ones. However, I personally am finding too many small problems with the 1340 design. Media keys keep on becoming inactive (you have to then drain the power from the system to get it working again), feet wobble, overheating, etc. Beyond that, it's not a terribly bad system.

 

The overheating is my biggest concern, if you turn the power mode on and sli off or wahtever.. does this make it better?

All i really need it for is web surfing, dvd dual layer burning/dvd burning and once in a while watching tv show espidoes i missed

I dont play games so I could turn off any advanced graphics for the most part? which would make the heat less????

 

Turning it to power mode helps it by a LOT. It runs much cooler and you can put it on your lap. On high performance it gets to be very very hot.

 

I think I will buy a dell outlet one soon.. even though there are problems, I just can't look away from it.. no matter what other laptops I look at.. I have to get this one

Will order it soon .. Need to find an outlet one with a WLED screen.. for a good price.. my budget is only like 700-800$.. might be a challenge
Don't really care about the upgraded video card.. as all I will do is watch tv episodes.. no gaming

Just checked and they have NONE on the outlet store.. Will check again later.. this morning they had 10 of them

**Update.. I just saw a studio xps 13 on the outlet with W/LED for $789.. just need to pay for tax and shipping!

 

Nevermind- I found the 15% off Studio XPS DELL Outlet code

GDSH?L?H0Z6HS5


I don't know when it expires though
but I can get a 2.2ghz, 4gb ram, 500gb 5400 hd, WLED screen
for $818 including shipping and tax
I just can't tell if it is slot load dvd or not.. i want slot load

Does it matter if i get the nVidia GeForce MCP79MX ?? or should I get the 256mb one???

 

all studio xps are slot, i would go for the upgraded graphics card, it helps with video, but that is a great deal.

 

Scratch and dent
2.4ghz, 4gb ram, 7200rpm hard drive, regular LCD screen

$663.39 after coupon, tax and shipping.. that is a good deal.. i wish it had LED screen.. I will keep looking

 

Got the same one I think. I couldn't pass up the deal for $650. I really wanted the upgraded video card and the LED screen too, but I didn't want to pay another $200 for those.

BTW, they are all slot load, there is no other option.

 

I also got in on one. 799 shipped and taxed after 15% off.
2.4ghz, 4gb Ram, 500 GB drive, 9500 graphics, upgraded led screen

 

With the coupon I ordered a 2.4GHz, 320GB 7200RPM, 9500M, and LED screen for $760 after tax.
I ordered it as a replacement for the one I am going to send back.

 

Last night around midnight I ordered a
2.4ghz, 320gb 7200rpm, WLED, 1515 b/g/n regular standard graphics for $650 including shipping and tax..
Not a bad deal.. I wish I could have the graphics card, but since I dont play games, it should not be a deal breaker.. the onboard nvidia card should be able to do 1080p hopefully

I ordered a scratch and dent.. im curious to see what that means when it arrives.. most of you guys on the forums said it is not an issue so that makes me feel better

 

Yeah the scratch and dents I've seen on this forum are in perfect condition. You really don't need the additional graphics card, I don't notice a big difference between low and high anyway (not that I game enough to notice it). That is a great deal though, I got a similar machine for 900 with the graphics, so that's a $250 difference between the coupon, scratch and dent and a graphics card.

 

Yeah I just had to wait and refresh the outlet page every 30 seconds to find the deal... found it for $729 then used the 15% off coupon.. Most of the $729 ones they had only had the regular lcd screen.. took me about 3 hours of hitting that refresh button before I found a $729 priced one with the WLED.. but I am happy I did! $619 after code.. then shipping an tax brought it to $650
Here is the link with the code.. just copy the code or write it down and then you can use it at checkout

The code is listed below xps laptops
CLICK HERE

 

Orderd the laptop 8 hours ago at midnight est
Estimated ship date is 4/29.. I hope it really does not take a full week to ship a outlet pc.

I tried to chat online with dell and they told me it takes a week and a half to ship.. i hope that is not the case


**Update: Laptop just shipped.. wow that was fast

 

what you tell them when you try to return?
Don't they charge stocking fee?

 

I think they charge 15% restocking fee
21 day return policy.. the date it ships from is when the 21 day return policy starts

 

I get my Studio XPS 13 scratch and dent pc today
(as long as I get home before they attempt delivery)
And I will find out how scratched and dented it really is !

I will provide pictures hopefully today.. probably not a review though because I need to reinstall the OS once I receive it and download all the updates.. which may take a while

 

any updates pic?
I am also looking into getting one too.