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    XPS 14 from outlet - to buy or not to buy?

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by acowan, Jan 23, 2013.

  1. acowan

    acowan Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi Folks,
    I've just ordered the following from Dell Outlet:

    XPS 14 Ultrabook - Certified Refurbished
    Display : 14.0 Inch HD+ (900p) True Life Infinity Display with Skype Certified Hi Def Webcam
    English Genuine Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium (64Bit OS)
    Battery : Primary 8-cell 69W/HR
    Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-3517U (1.90 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.00 GHz) (1GB Graphics & TPM)
    AntiVirus: McAfee SecurityCenter 30 Day trial version
    512 GB 2.5inch SATA Solid State Hard Drive
    8 GB DDR3 Memory (1x8GB) 1333MHz
    Internal Backlit Keyboard
    Wireless: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 and Bluetooth 4.0 Combo Card
    Back Up Media Not Included
    Standard 1 year service
    Power Supply: 90W AC Adapter

    £950 including VAT & free delivery. I'm looking for a solid yet lightweight yet powerful 13.3" or 14" (HD - as high res as possible) & mid-capacity SSD for around the £1500 mark. After a little research the XPS 14 looked real nice - I found this on Outlet and figured it was too good a deal to miss so hit the button.

    I've since read up more and found many people with Wifi, display and noisy fan issues. I'm concerned this may not be such a good purchase afterall - (especially as it's a refurb, potentially with a good few hours on the clock judging from the Windows 7 OS).

    There's also the risk that the XPS is due a refresh in the next couple months - if that's true then I'd be better waiting...

    What do you guys think, should I keep it or cancel/return?

    Thanks!
     
  2. sangemaru

    sangemaru Notebook Deity

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    I'd say cancel it. That's a gigantic price for a machine with a low-voltage cpu, no dGPU, and what i personally consider subpar design.
    The price is probably bumped up due to the large-capacity SSD.

    Unfortunately I'm not sure what to recommend you within those specs.
     
  3. flatsix911

    flatsix911 Notebook Evangelist

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    See this thread for more information ... http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-ultrabook-owners-lounge-143.html#post9044415

    Yes. The XPS-14 was an Dell Outlet find that is refurbished.
    It arrived in perfect condition with Windows 7 installed and a backup DVD.
    The screen quality is fine with me after I switched from Splendid color to Generic color(Win+X)
    I also have great WiFi speed and no connecton issues - 14.2 Mbps measured. Photos to follow.