Which Dell Laptop for corporate work - M1330?

I have been using a D630 at work (XP, C2Duo T7500 2.20ghz w NVIDIA Quadro ). I dock it when at my desk (so screen size not a huge deal)and otherwise carry it around for business meetings etc, almost daily. My usage is mostly Internet, MS Office 2007, Adobe, some viewing an very minor editing of images (resizing etc) and Itunes. I multitask heavily where programmes are concerned.

This D630 is fine speedwise, but is more bulky and heavy than I need since I move around a lot. I have asked to get something lighter (would prefer say a Panasonic Toughbook Y7 like the Y5 that I have at home) but looks like I have to pick a Dell in this case (corporate purchase policy).

The IT dept offered me a D430, but the CPU on that looks woefully underpowered for multitasking and my type of use. I have never been happy with those low lowered 1.3ghz type of CPUs, so I am reluctant to waste time on it. So I need to think of something else Dell that can work for me.

Is the XPS M1330 with say a 6-cell battery a decent solution? Anybody have experience with it?

 

I've not owned an M1330, myself, so you'll want other more qualified opinions as well, but from all I've read, I'm not sure the M1330 is really rugged enough for the corporate environment. That's one of the reasons the Latitude line is a bit heavier. They are build to withstand the constant moving, plugging and unplugging that they go through in that scenario.

I would go with the D630.

 

If the extent of your movement is just from one office desk to another, the M1330 will be just fine.

The fact that it won't bounce when you drop it or survive arctic tundra aside, the M1330 is still a great notebook that was designed for transit.

 

The D630 is definitely NOT an option. I have used one for a half year now and it is too heavy for what it is. I am not doing anything crazy with the laptop, ti goes in my bag and out of my bag. So the weight is the key factor.

I guess I will go with the M1330 unless I hear something crazy. Too bad about he D430 - the size is right, but the lame CPU options killed that as a choice.

 

You might want to consider opting for the 9 Cell though. Whilst you will be able to have a more capable notebook through the M1330 route, so doing will be at the expense of out 'n' about juice.

 

Its a really nice system, its not as solid as a Latitude though, but I'd defo opt for the 9 cell.

 

M1330 hands down. Though you should be aware that due to a design flaw, thermal paste makes everything goey inside, though if you dont care about the insides since you most likely wont notice it unless you open up your notebook... its great!

 

Lets discuss:

1) 9-cell vs 6-cell:

The 9 cell seems to add bulk and weight, which would simply put me back where I was with the D630. If I can get about 2.5 hrs out of a battery that is good enough for my daily ou-of-office needs. Any longer battery needs would be an overnight trip - in which case I take the power cord with me anyway. Or am I missing something?

2) CPU Options
Which of these CPU options would give me best balance or speed and battery life? I am not running photoshop or anything, but I just want enough power that I dont bog down simply because I had a torrent running or vide streaming or other multitasking

Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T5550 (1.83GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T5750 (2.00GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T7250 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB Cache)
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T8100 (2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB Cache)
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T9500 (2.6GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)

 

1) You will be able to easily pull off over 3 hours 30 mins with the 9-cell battery with a 8400GS. My M1530 with 8600GT pulls off that much.

2) Best balance of speed and battery life is:
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache)

If you want more speed for multitasking as well as performance, get:

Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)

The ideal is the T9300.

 

With all due respect, I would disagree. It seems to me that the M1330, like most consumer-grade notebooks, was designed much more for style, just going by the heat and "falling apart" issues many have had with them.

Even just putting it in your bag and pulling it out again, a notebook is subjected to constant pressures and jostling. Some consumer lines will handle it better than others, but few can compare to the business lines in that respect, and my impression of the M1330 is that it wouldn't excel in that area.

As I said previously, however, I'm no authority on that product, so the best I can offer is what *I* would choose, given what I've read.

 

The 6-cell easily lasts me between 3 - 3.5 hours surfing with wi-fi on.

I see no need to go with a 9-cell with its added bulk.

If I need more battery life, I would buy another 6-cell to keep in the laptop bag and have more run time with 2 x 6 cells than 1 x 9 cell.

In regards to CPU, go with either the T8100 or T8300 Penryn, as they seem to provide the most bang for the buck.

 

Folks, I dont have a choice but to get a Dell: corporate policy. But the Latitude line doesnt serve me properly. Incredibly Dell doesn't think "road warriors should be served by that line", so XPS is where I end up. Just the facts.

I just dont want to lug around needless weight or an underpowered unit. If the thing falls apart or even melts, well its not really my problem since I dont pay for it - and I wouldnt have picked this brand. The people who decided to buy only Dell can deal with the financial implications - hell maybe they even factored the Dell replacement rate when they decided to force us to buy only Dells.

So the only relevant question for me at this point is which battery and CPU to pick for the M1330. All answers on those questions are very helpful!!

So 3.5 hrs sounds decent, I guess I will do the 6-cell.

Which leaves the CPU question to be nailed down. Still not sure on that yet.

More thoughts on CPU choice?

 

M1330 is the only system that seems to fit your needs, go for it

 

The T9300 2.5GHz, as stated above, would seem to offer you the best fit for your usage. The T9500 isn't worth the extra money (regardless of who is paying for it.) The T8300 may not be quite fast enough depending on how heavily you multitask.

As for the M1330's durability, I assume your company extends the warranty on its machines as standard. If something goes wrong after a couple of years of lugging it about, have it repaired/replaced.

I'm actually worried about going up to an M1330 in terms of weight - I currently use a 12.1" D420, and that's been very good to me. My usage is virtually identical to yours, and I picked the M1330 (without a restriction on brand), so I would suggest you're making a wise choice.

 

the m1330 is made to be portable - I think it will serve you well

 

I use the 6-cell and it suffices for around 2.5 hours of heavy usage on balanced power settings. On Power saver, you can get 3+ hours. These are fairly conservative estimates and others may do better - I have done things like burn DVDs, etc., while on battery and gotten the above numbers.

Note, though, that batteries do wear, so you may lose some of that time, as the battery ages.

I would not get any less than the T8100, though the T9300, with 6 MB cache, is a great choice if Dell is not charging $500 to upgrade to it from the T8100.

 

Your co-workers will ENVY you with the M1330. 6cell and T9300 are the way to go. Though if you want to help your company save some money, T8300 works too.

 

Fair comment. My 'designed for transit' comment was based squarely on it's form factor not it's material quality. I should have made that clearer.

 

T8300 seems to require a heavier 90 watt AC adapter, vs a normal one on the T8100?

Is there meaningful performance difference between these two CPUs?

 

I have an M1330 with a T9300. It came with the 65 Watt adapter.
If you decide on an M1330, I'd recommend getting it with the X3100 Intel graphics instead of the Geforce 8400GS video card. People who get the Intel graphics don't suffer from the heating problem described in this thread
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=204772
Until Dell finds a better way to cool the 8400GS, I wouldn't recommend getting that video card.

 

From that perspective, I would most certainly go with the M1330, despite my earlier recommendation to the contrary. Once you remove any and all risks from a durability and reliability standpoint, you eliminate much of the Latitude's upside. I would agree that the smaller, lighter and better-looking M1330 is definitely the way to go in that case.