XPS 14 UltraBook Owners Lounge

How did you get it so low?!

 

@Dell-Bill_B,

If you preview the student-only offers (x-box 360 promotion) on Dell Home the xps 14 configuration shown is an i7, 4gb ram, and a 256gb ssd.

I'm guessing this is a mistake on Dell's end somewhere along the line; I spent about a half an hour today chatting with a sales rep about it and they confirmed that the configuration being built for the student offer is the 8gb ram 500gb HDD option regularly available on Dell Home. Obviously the ssd configuration isn't available, any time frame on when it will be released and if the $1499.99 price is accurate? (I'd prefer the ssd over the extra ram). Thanks in advance.

I posted this here so others could see a potential configuration option in case they are like me and are hesitant about dropping $1500.00.

 

Im not sure if you guys have noticed this but when I came across Bestbuy website, here is what I found

Product Features

From our expanded online assortment; not available in all Best Buy stores
3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-3517U processor
Features a 1.9GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz.
Intel® Core™ i7 processor
Features 8-way processing for ultimate smart performance. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology delivers extra performance when you need it and increased energy efficiency when you don't.
8GB DDR3 memory
For multitasking power.
Note: Optical drive not included
Compatible with optional external recordable CD/DVD drives (not included).
14" WLED high-definition display
With 400 cd/m² brightness and Gorilla Glass slim bezel showcases movies and games in stunning clarity.
Intel® Wireless Display
Wirelessly transmits streamed or downloaded movies, TV shows, music, photos and more from your laptop, network or the Internet to your TV (NETGEAR Push2TV adapter required, not included).
500GB hard drive (5400 rpm)
Along with a 32GB solid state drive offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.
NVIDIA N13P-GV graphics
Feature 1GB GDDR5 dedicated video memory for lush images and vivid detail. HDMI output for connection to an HDTV.
Built-in 1.3MP HD webcam
Makes it easy to video chat with family and friends.
Multiformat media reader
Supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital Input/Output and SDXC formats.
2 USB 3.0 ports
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
Built-in Intel® 6235 wireless LAN (802.11n)
Connect to the Internet without wires.
Bluetooth 4.0 interface
Easily link with other Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as a mobile phone or MP3 player.
Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN
For quick and easy wired Web connection.
Weighs 4.7 lbs. and measures just 0.8" thin
For easy portability.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled
Provides a stable platform for word processing, Web navigation, gaming, media storage and more.
Software package included
With Microsoft Office Starter 2010 (product key card required for activation; sold separately).
Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

For $1299, same specs on Dell website would cost you $1499 Am i missing something?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+14%26%2334%3B+XPS+Laptop+-+8GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+%2B+32GB+Solid+State+Drive+-+Aluminum+Silver/5700326.p?id=1218682373060&skuId=5700326&st=dell%20xps&cp=1&lp=11

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-14-l421x/pd.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn
Dell - 14" XPS Laptop - 8GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive + 32GB Solid State Drive - Aluminum Silver - XPS14-1591

 

Best Buy found a slimmer margin to
Price in. It also doesn't have the dell 1 year non-hardware warranty that you'd get if u buy from dell

 

I would take a chance on that and save $200, I"m sure bestbuy have 1 year coverage for all of their product right? Dell coverage is just a marketing gimmick,

"Accidental Damage Service: Service excludes theft, loss, and damage due to fire, flood or other acts of nature, or intentional damage." so what is that that they cover?

 

I am

Best buy gets their units online Tuesday and I can just ship to store and get it by next saturday

 

There are thin laptops out there that have easily user-replaceable components. The 15" Sony Vaio SE has the hard drive, ODD, and memory available under a plastic panel with only two screws, and is thinner than the Dell XPS15. Similar ease of repairing could be done for a 14" laptop with no ODD. Don't make excuses for Dell's poor engineering.

 

And BTW the 15" Vaio SE doesn't come with a cache SSD that's why it's cheaper.

 

Yea, it will still be plenty fast. No need to worry about it. It really depends on the drive. As you guys know, all SSD drives are not created equal. That goes for mSATA, too.

The reason you haven't heard much talk is because it's an emerging tech. Last year all the Sandy Bridge based ThinkPads included the ability to either use a WWAN cell card in the PCIe slot, or a mSATA drive. Many of us used the 80GB Intel Series 310 mSATA as a boot drive. This allowed for three SSD drives in the chassis of the machine.

This year, many of the Ultrabooks are using mSATA SSD for the primary drive. Now that capacity for this form factor is 256GB, things are getting really interesting.

 

And the fit & finish on the Sony is no match for the XPS, we're talking MBP build quality here.


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You clearly have never used Dell's warranty service.

Claims I have personally seen them take care of with no questions asked (at work and home):

1. Monitor with a line of stuck pixels - Reported at 7pm, new monitor on my front step the very next AM, Then put my monitor in box and returned with provided shipping label.

2. Monitor with dead usb ports - Reported at 4 pm, new monitor on my door next day at 2pm

3. Bad fingerprint reader on a laptop - Reported at 4 pm, technician tried to come next day at 1pm (i was too busy to be there), but tech replaced mobo, and palmrest assembly, just in case the problem was on one part or the other. Solve the problem the FIRST time.

4. A laptop was stolen and burnt. Dell replaced

5. Numerous keyboards, palm rests, screens, hinges, etc destroyed by clumsy employees. All replaced next business day.

XPS13SAM don't read this part please

According to Dell's site, if you buy from Best Buy you are supposed to seek service through your local best buy store. Hopefully that doesn't mean Geek Squad. Last time I spoke to Geek Squad, I was horrified at their lack of knowledge. Could have just been my local best buy store.

 

Im wondering why those of you planning to buy this Ultrabook chose this over other similarly priced models like Asus zenbook ux32vd etc. This dell looks well built I've played with the xps 13 and felt it was wonderfully constructed. With the Asus specs being so similar with a different screen higher resolution. Is there Anything the dell offering that makes it stand out?

Btw...Can the ram be upgraded? Or hdd?

 

I've spent the last 12 months researching every laptop released (or at least, only those brands I'd ever consider buying - so Dell, HP, Sony, Lenovo, Samsung and ASUS).

I've been looking for a laptop for software development, so 1600x900p is a must for me (1080p is too much strain on my eyes, 720p is too claustrophobic). I find 15" laptops too big and 12" laptops too small, so this narrowed it down to either 13" or 14".

Next on my list of requirements are looks and build quality. I would rather spend twice as much on something of Apple-like quality than a horrible plastic block that creaks and wobbles.

This ruled out virtually all consumer models, leaving just a few Ultrabooks and business grade traditional laptops. Having owned Dell Latitudes for the past few years and using an HP ProBook at work, I wanted something that looked a bit cooler - while maintaining the same excellent build quality.

I finally decided on the Samsung Series 9 15" version, because it is only as wide as a 14" laptop due to the thin bezel. However, I found the shallow keyboard really difficult to type on and the SanDisk SSD it came with was slower than my two year old Intel SSD, so I returned it for a refund.

I had been watching the rumours regarding the XPS 14 and it ticked all the boxes for me. I knew it would be expensive because Dell are going after Apple - the XPS 13 vs the Air and the XPS 14 vs the MBP.

Because I want decent keyboard, 900p screen, decent support and warranty, premium build quality and good style looks - the XPS 14 fitted my requirements perfectly.

I did look at the ASUS UX31 (in all it's incarnations) but decided against it because of the shallow keyboard (same issues as the Series 9), the thick screen bezel looks a bit dated and I really REALLY hate that chinzy lid they put on it. It reminds me of a stainless steel industrial kitchen worktop! Also, I played with one in store at the same time as I looked at the Series 9. While the Series 9's build quality blew me away, the ASUS to me looked and felt like a £600 HP Pavillion, albeit in a smaller case.

So there you have it, that's why I bought the XPS 14. Graphics power doesn't concern me as I'm a .NET developer. The ULV processor is of no concern, my 3 year old Dell Core 2 Duo at 2.5GHz is plenty fast enough for C#/SQL development and scores 6.1 in Windows Experience Index - the ULV on the XPS 14 scores 6.9. My Sandy Bridge Core i3 full fat processor at work scores 6.3, so 6.9 is actually pretty decent.

4GB RAM is sufficient and I can easily upgrade that to 8GB in the future. The HDD will be replaced with a Samsung 128GB SSD that I've ordered elsewhere and I'll use the 500GB HDD in an external caddy for backups and storage. The 32GB mSATA SSD won't be needed, so I'll use that to backup development files on the fly, so I can rollback if I screw something up.

Price didn't concern me, because I want the best build quality you can get. I didn't consider Apple, because as a Windows Software Developer they're of no use to me. I know you can put Windows on a Mac etc, but the key mappings are all wrong and there is limited driver support. Besides, as an IT Pro I'd sooner use Linux than defect to iOS!

 

I know some folks have already received the 14, but here's a review for those who haven't:

Dell XPS 14 / 2012 Review | Electronic Devices

 

Don't use BestBuy warranty! If the problem is something that the Geek(!) Squad cannot solve, say bye to your laptop for 4-6 weeks...

 

LOL. I read that review and quickly recognized where I'd seen it before. I wonder how Laptop Magazine feels about it

Dell XPS 14 (2012)

So, if I understand you correctly, aesthetics and 'build quality' (I take it that this means something considerably more specific than simply durability) are the overriding factors of consideration in your case. That, at least, would explain the relative indifference to virtually every concern other posters have raised with how the 14 fares against competing products. Honestly, though, I think people are raising more valid points than you're really giving them credit for when evaluating this notebook

 

@CowboyCoder,

Can you post a screenshot using GPUZ ?

I'd like a confirmation of the GPU memory bandwidth (64 or 128 bits)...

Thanks !

(Sorry for my poor English...)

 

It was $23 cheaper and he had a $50 coupon.

 

I vote for someone putting a Youtube video up!

 

I ended up choosing this Dell for pretty much the exact same reasons as CowboyCoder.

I've been on a 15" E6510 1920x1080 for two years now. Great laptop. 1080p is great for some things. But it can be hard on the eyes in Visual Studio, SQL Server Mgmt Studio, and other development tools with alot going on on the screen. I find myself running the display at 1920x1080p at 125% zoom. But not everything scales well. I have always preferred 14" 1600x900 for work, previously owning the 14" Latitude models that offered that. But the 2012 round of Latitudes didn't downsize to something thinner, ligher, or affordable at this screen resolution.

While the XPS 14 doesn't shave as much weight off as I would like or expect for something as thin as it is, it's still nearly 1.5 pounds lighter than my E6510. The new E6430 isn't particularly compelling, even though it'd be 1600x900 and the same 1.5 pounds ligher than my E6510. It would also cost hundreds more. Plus, I can shave more weight b/c I will most likely be able to leave the house for a full 8-10 hour day of work w/o taking the power adapter. The E6430 would require a bigger battery (heavier) or the adapter to go along (heavier).

About my only beef w/ the XPS 14 is the reflective screen. Yea, glad it's gorilla glass tough, but I'd prefer a matte screen. I work in multiple environments during the week, many of which will create a reflection issue in brightly lit areas. Will have to deal w/ that somehow.

The other options just don't offer this combination. They might be lighter, slightly cheaper, but otherwise similar specs save they are either 13" models at low res, or a couple at 13" and 15" w/ 1600x900. 13" 1080p is a nightmare to work on. Almost nobody else is doing 14" or 15" 1600x900 at this price point, size/weight, ivy bridge category.

For the specific purpose I will be using mine for, software development, the XPS 14 fills MOST of the needs I have at a price I can live with.

My biggest CONCERN is durability vs what I've become accustom to w/ Latitudes. My E6510 just took flight off the top of a laundry basket at the top of a flight of stairs. Went top to bottom, end over end cartwheels, landed on a tile floor. It was on, but closed at the time. Not a scratch on it, everything worked. Had I had spinning drives instead of SSDs, might have lost the drive. Hope that the XPS is that durable. Hopefully I'll never find out.

 

One reviewer from The Verge going crazy with the XPS14 !

A single Dell XPS 14 drives a technology reviewer crazy | The Verge

 

They got a dud. So?


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I must have missed those. Could you enumerate what you are talking about? What are the concerns with the Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook?

 

Ditto. What issues are there I'd also like to know.

 

If u see comments at the bottom of that link its concerning how many people are reporting issues with dells xps line laptops. Yikes

 

I don't mean to be argumentative, but happy people don't post or come to forums or review comment areas to post postivie things...at least not in the numbers that unhappy people will. Plus, there are only 73 comments on that review as of my post here...I'm pretty sure Dell has sold way more than 73 XPS models over the years.

I have my fair share of gripes w/ Dell, but all in all, they are just as good as anything else. As with any product, you can find a crowd of people that despise them and no PC manufacturer is exempt.

 

As I understand the reviews, concerns were raised with: Fan noise (Engadget, PCMag), Performance (Engadget, PCMag, Laptop Mag), Display Quality [particularly, viewing angles] (CNET, Laptop Mag, Engadget), Price (CNET, PCMag, Laptop Mag), and weight/bulk (Engadget, PCMag, Laptop Mag, CNET)

Engadget - Dell XPS 14 review: a 14-inch Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge and graphics might -- Engadget
PCMag - Dell XPS 14 (Summer 2012) Review & Rating | PCMag.com
CNET - Dell XPS 14 Review - Watch CNET's Video & Read Our Review
Laptop Magazine - Dell XPS 14 (2012)

On the other hand, it seems build quality is generally praised and performance is above that of typical 'ultrabooks' (although at the cost of weight). As I said earlier, I think I'm going to try to use one in person and get some general impressions of it before deciding whether or not to purchase it. It is a very attractive design. I do wish the overall performance were higher, though.

 

No your fine, that's a good point. I myself have never owned a dell so its tough getting a gauge of its quality. With best buy selling it at same price as the Asus ux32vd I'm really hoping its a good Ultrabook

 

So far so good, except for the price !
This is why i will order one ....next year ;-)

Can't wait to have my XPS15z...

 

Those people leaving comments are complaining about the previous XPS models. The new range is a completely different machine. Also, the review complaining about noise may have had a pre-production model because I've read other reviews with no mention of it. In the other forums at this site, people who have received them say it's actually quite quiet.

I should also add this particular thread is for people who have placed an order for one or already own one - not for trolls with their negative b/s.

Read this instead:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/dell-xps-14_Laptop_review


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Posts regarding concerns about the design do not constitute trolling.

That link is a preview, not a review.

You are correct that most of those posts appear to be discussing past products. I agree that they aren't abundantly probative about the current product in question.

 

Bill says there are no loud fan noises with this. Considering all the work he did getting the XPS 13's fan to be quieter, I for one believe him over some reviewer with a pre-production sample.


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This laptop looks promising. My wife and I are hanging on to our Dell Studio 14z's because there has been no suitable replacement.

I've read the reviews for this, and to quote LaptopMag.com:

Anyone have an opinion on this? Are these reports exaggerated at all?

 

Part of the problem is that Dell will source LCD panels from different suppliers. Some will be better than others. Personally blacks & viewing angles etc don't bother me as I only use it for web surfing & software development. It might be an issue for gamers & movie watchers though.


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I imagine most (if not all) of the reviewers received what are essentially production samples. Dell would gain nothing by sending out subpar units and would risk a poor review of the product (which, from Dell's position, would nullify the value of sending out a review unit). Also, it seems like reviewers often explicitly note that they are using a pre-production unit if that is the case.

In any case, I didn't present the issue as having a definitive answer. Rather, seeing this issue raised, in two out of the four reviews I could find, is enough that I consider it at least worth looking into the matter.

 

Thanks intarweb. It sounds like business as usual for Dell, unfortunately. I really want to see that company succeed but it seems like they never come up with a class leading machine. I am not into buying middle of the pack machines at this point in my life.

 

I'll invest in some ear plugs if that's the case.

Honestly, one of the reviews said the fan was noisy when running benchmarking software at full tilt - no $h1t!

The XPS 13 was 'noisy' until Dell issued a BIOS update to set the fan speeds correctly. I imagine such fine tuning hasn't taken place with the 14 as yet.


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I guess you won't be keeping that Samsung Series 9 with its hard keyboard, sub-standard SSD and soldered RAM limiting it to 4GB then? At least it's fan is quiet. ;-)


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Nope. My son kept one of the two we bought. I returned the other one. 4GB of RAM is a non starter from here on out.

 

Originally Posted by intarweb
As I understand the reviews, concerns were raised with: Fan noise (Engadget, PCMag), Performance (Engadget, PCMag, Laptop Mag), Display Quality [particularly, viewing angles] (CNET, Laptop Mag, Engadget), Price (CNET, PCMag, Laptop Mag), and weight/bulk (Engadget, PCMag, Laptop Mag, CNET)

Looking at these point by point...really not seeing the big deal for most users.

Fan - seems to be a mixed bag from the reviews. If its a problem, dell has mostly corrected these types of issues with bios updates.

Performance - as stated, still outperforms almost all other competing ultrabooks, folks that want a fast beasty gaming-ish rig shouldnt be looking at this category of product anyway.

Viewing angles and quality - probably still best at this resolution and if you go with something that does liik better, youll be back to a macbook, no windows out of the box, and a much lower res (real estate) screen.

Price - a bit high, agreed, but if construction is as it appears not that high.

Weight - agreed, could be lighter. If it makes it more durable, fine. But i have my doubts about that. Might be a premium xps, but its not going to be latitude 6 series durable.

 

LOL. How professional. That's why I take a lot of the reviews with a grain of salt. If I am really interested in a machine, I'll buy it and test it myself.

The way it's looking, between now and Christmas I'll end up with a Mac, maybe the X1 Carbon, and one of the Surface units. I have a MBA 8GB RAM 13.3" unit getting delivered tomorrow or Tuesday. Might be a keeper. We'll see.

 

Could well be. Let me know how it goes. Will you stick with OSX or wipe and install Windows? Or both maybe?

I was watching the X1 Carbon but something put me off, can't remember what it was now. More soldered RAM maybe...

Anyway now waiting for my XPS to arrive. At the end of the day nothing ticks all the boxes. People just need to find something that ticks the most boxes for the things that are important to them.


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Fan noise is a wait-and-see for me. I'm holding off final judgment until I either see a lot of reviews, or get to try it myself in adequate conditions. Depending on thermals, you're right that a BIOS update could significantly mitigate issues of noise in moderate-load conditions. I am probably watching this issue especially closely because, last time I made a notebook purchase, I didn't put much weight in a few reviews which raised the issue of fan noise and it did end up being an issue.

Honestly, I agree with CNET that the 14 really "stretch[es] the definition of an ultrabook." It's really more like a mid-size notebook in terms of overall carry-weight. It is a bit thinner than the norm for mid-size notebooks, but it doesn't seem fair to compare its performance to notebooks that are substantially thinner and lighter simply because it's being called an 'ultrabook.' In spite of this, Asus' UX32VD can be configured with the same CPU and a similar GPU in a thinner and lighter chassis. However, as a general matter, it seems to me the comparison class is really 0.8-1" notebooks @ ~4.5-5lbs. Within that class, it's not very powerful or feature-heavy.

Hard to say on this one, since there isn't much of a comparison class. There is the HP Spectre 14 w/ 1600x900 @ 14". Ackerman (CNET), who reviewed the XPS, indicates that the HP Spectre 14 has "excellent off-axis viewing angles" ( HP Envy 14 Spectre Review). So, it seems like there was the potential for better performance in this regard (assuming they could use the same or similar panel?). On the other hand, I don't seem to be as sensitive to this sort of issue as some are, so I wasn't too worried about it. I figure I'll take a look at it in person and see what I think.

Yeah. I am definitely concerned about weight. I didn't think I was that sensitive to it, until I tried a ~3lbs notebook and noticed how nice it is to carry around compared to a 4, or especially 5lb notebook. I was surprised at how much difference only 1-2lbs seems to make. What I will probably do is just try lifting it up in person and get a general feel for the weight. It is reasonably thin, so maybe it won't feel too bulky. I don't know yet >.<

I think for me, I haven't been that impressed with most of the 'ultrabooks,' and I've been looking to maybe go towards a thinner mid-size notebook like the 14 to give me more oomph and higher-end features. It sort of gets me there, but not quite. However, I'm happy to be convinced otherwise, so that's why I'm holding off final judgment on it.

 

I'll run both. Most likely keep a Windows VM handy for apps or tools that I don't have a license for on OS X.

 

I agree as well, definitely stretches the definition. I personally don't give alot of creedence to what is or is not an ultrabook, but I agree w/ your point given what everyone would consider an ultrabook. I think this more competes w/ macbook pros and not other ultrabooks that will get used for ultrabook purposes (all day computing for non-power users, or secondary travel machines for power users). But point taken.

My point exactly, why nobody wants to produce a great 1600x900 display in either 14" or 15" and put it in a notebook/ultrabook I will never figure out. 1080p is all fine and dandy, particularly on a 15"+ screen or on your desktop LCD, but on anything below 15 (hello Sony) it's just unuseable. A 14" 1600x900 is the cats meow for portability and real-estate.

I have always been weight sensitive because I started my notebook usage with a Sony VAIO N505VE (233mhz cpu, 128mb ram, ouch). It was under 3lbs. I've pretty much been consistently moving up in size/display to now running an E6510. But over the last 2 years, I've really come to the conclusion that its just too big and heavy. I was happiest w/ my 14" D630 @ 1600x900. So my plan has been to go back to that, but Dell just hasn't kept the Latitude line as configurable as it once was. Plus, the price now on a 14" 1600x900 Latitude would be upwards of 1600-1700, just not going to pay that anymore for a notebook that I toss every 2-3 years.

My problem as well, mostly a screen resolution gripe. Even doing software development, I don't need a screaming fast machine (cpu) so the ultrabook platform COULD be my dream machine. Thin, long battery, decent CPU. But the problem thus far has been memory and screen size. There is no reason you couldn't build the XPS 13 in a 14" screen w/ 8gb of memory. That would be it for me. But alas, the XPS 14 is what they decided to produce. I'll be happy w/ it. But thinner and lighter would make it a true ultrabook and truly functional for those straddling the fence of low end power house and high end ultrabook.

 

Definitely sounds like we're on the same page. I don't really need gaming power, necessarily, or an exceptionally fast CPU. However, if I'm going to lug around nearly 5lbs, I'd like a serious step up in terms of functionality as compared to the ultraportable class. I wonder if Dell will offer a 640M in the future.

 

Would definitely be overkill for me (640m). I don't really do i7, or anything that has historically been on the tip-top of the performance curve on mobile chipsets. It's always been a heat, battery life issue for me. While that gap has been narrowed (mostly w/ Sandy Bridge) there is still a difference. Maybe Ivy Bridge has now closed that gap totally, but nothing I've seen really answers that (to my satisfaction) so I'm sticking w/ i5 this round again. Don't need the speed. Need the battery life. Prefer cooler and quieter. We'll see.

I don't even do discrete graphics. My 6510 is just Intel graphics and so is my 'in production' XPS 14. Just don't need the graphics power. Playing a video (movie or youtube) is the extent of my graphics and CPU needs. Intel graphics serve me just fine and the NVIDIA is $100 more. I'd rather put that toward an SSD.

Which brings me to my next tough decision. Use one of my existing Intel 320 drives, or splurge for a new Samsung, Intel, or Crucial SATA3 6gps drive. Decisions, Decisions.

 

Use the 320. You're unlikely to notice the difference in performance in real world tasks on a notebook computer. You might be able to eek out a bit of extra battery life using a Plextor M3 or maybe the Intel 520, but it's probably not worth the cost.

As for performance, I don't really need the extra performance. My point was more something like, if I'm going to carry around nearly 5lbs, I'd like for it to at least come with additional performance. HP's Folio 13 would have been perfect for me, if not for the fan noise and somewhat cheesy display. The ergonomics were fantastic, the battery life was great, and the overall feel was quite nice. If it turns out that the XPS 14 is very quiet, it may hit enough of the other things for me that I may be willing to put up with the significant weight penalty.

 

Thanks, someone else up above here, or in the other XPS 14 thread indicated probably not much difference. Just figured if it boots quicker and generally is more responsive, couple hundred bucks might be worth it. Also gonna need more capacity. I currently run dual 120gb 320s in my E6510 (optical bay HD adapter), so I'm thinking about a 256gb M4 for the XPS. If I'm gonna spend, can't see buying a larger 320 still in the SATA2 realm when there are other options faster and reliable for the same price. A little concerned about the newer Intel 520...differing opinions on the Intel/SandForce combo, still reading/researching before I decide.

 

I've used the 520. It was very fast, and I didn't notice any problems. However, the Plextor M3 offers the same 5 year warranty and uses a Marvell controller (I think a bit newer rev of the one the Crucial M4 uses) with Toggle NAND with Plextor's own firmware. It's the fastest of the Marvell-based drives. You could also get a Samsung 830, which has received a lot of praise for its speed and appears to be reliable, although it does use a bit more power than the Plextor if I recall correctly. One thing that bugs me about the Sandforce controllers, though, is it seems 256-bit AES disk encryption isn't actually supported. Most people don't use such disk encryption, but I feel that it's a good idea for a notebook *shrug*. Plextor just announced their M5 which looks really nice; I wonder how much it'll cost.

Unless you need the additional capacity, though, I doubt you'll gain noticeable performance over the 320. SSDs are much faster in random read, write, and access than HDDs. The random read and access are what tend to be especially noticeable in most everyday tasks. However, between models nowadays, it's significantly harder to tell the difference outside of benchmarks. At least, that's been my experience with them thus far and other people have suggested the same on some other forums I've read.