m1330 owners: did you have an XPS m1210 previously?

I’ve had my m1210 for 2 years now (and a 700m before that), and am naturally drawn to the next evolution of Dell’s thin and light lineup, the m1330.

I ordered my m1210 pretty decked out, but find myself not using some of the upgrades (256mb video card, extra 6cell battery). The m1330 I would order would be pretty baseline; I’d only want a 7200RPM drive and a 9cell, although I have extreme reservations about how the 9cell protrudes below (might be a deal breaker). I really really need the 9cell but its just so ugly and bulbous on the m1330 that it makes me want to wait for the next generation of the thin and light lineup…that and I would really like to try an SSD hard drive but those don’t seem to be getting cheaper any time soon..

OTOH, the webcam would be nice to have and I could def make use of the HDMI port. The larger screen would be welcome as well. I have a $900ish m1330 scoped out from aafes.com with the aforementioned hard drive upgrade, and I’m hoping to get $500 for my m1210 (still has 11mos of warranty).

So I’m curious if any m1330 owner had a m1210 prior and how they feel about the differences:

- how does battery life on a m1330 6cell compare to a m1210 9cell?
- Does the m1330 feel any ‘cheaper’ in terms of build quality?
- do the speakers sound any louder/clearer?
- does the increased screen size (13.3 vs 12.1) make the laptop less ‘lappable?’
- do you feel that the touchpad/buttons/keyboard are more/less responsive?

Sorry, I know its some pretty dumb questions but I just hate the remorse feelings I’d get if it didn’t live up to the awesomeness of the m1210. Thanks in advance for the responses.

 

I didn't own one previouisly, but my dad has had one for a year, and I've used it a lot.

-I get the same life on a m1330 6-cell as my dad's m1210 9-cell . Provided you get Penryn, I think.
-Not really. The buttons (power button, MediaDirect button) are plastic, so they feel a bit cheap, but the touch-sensitive media buttons make up for it. The rest of the notebook feels rock-solid.
-I think I get a tad more bass out of the m1330's than the m1210.
-Not at all. Maybe if you get the 9-cell (haven't tried it with a 9-cell before), but the m1330 feels pretty natural on my lap.
-It takes a little bit of time to get used to the m1330's touchpad, coming from the m1210, I think. The m1210's is much more recessed than the m1330's. The rest is about the same... although I've noticed a bit of flex on the m1330 keyboard if I press hard enough, but if you're a light typist like me you won't feel anything whatsoever.

 

I owned them both and I felt the M1210 was a more solid machine overall. The M1330 feels more flimsy, but it is still a great notebook.

I had the 9 cell battery on my M1330 and it was a slight difference, I think the 6 cell would be fairly close to the M1210s mobility.

Also, remember you have the 21 day return period to make sure it fits your requirements. Both are great computers though, you should be very happy with the M1330.

 

i would actually recommend getting the 9-cell... now im using some styrofoam pieces to hold the laptop higher, helps with the ventilation....9-cell adds about .3lbs and protrudes, but its managable

 

Keep the M1210, it’s a great little powerhouse of a laptop. I just put a new processor in mine and a 320GB HD. I will be putting in 4GB of the PC5300 with 4-4-4-12 timing. I can do anything I want with this little machine, play games, web, work, graphics, you name it. It will keep up with the best of them.

 

I just chose a Used M1210 over a new M1330 as I prefer my laptops to be sturdy so that's where I stand. But I can understand the "urge" to upgrade

"If" you were going to opt for the M1330, I would recommend you install the HD yourself...if I can do it, you can do it as I believe it's much cheaper and it really IS easy. Scupking recommended the 320 Gb Scorpio HD (5400) and it ROCKS ! Most people say you can't notice any decrease in speed vs 7200 RPM HD. I got it from Amazon for $125. Only tip is that with Dell laptops, you need to install Media Direct Disc BEFORE OS disc in order for it to work. PM for more specific instructions as I have now done it Twice in 4 days (due to a bad audio driver I downloaded).

As for the battery, that's a tougher issue. Basically, you are forced to choose between Battery Life and Looks.

Finally, if you can, I would wait for the New Latitude E lines to come out....

 

Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning towards holding out for a few more months and seeing what new lineups are released.

Interesting...I did a search and found some new E series Inspiron machines, but good lord they are tiny. I can deal with 10-12" screens but 8.9" is crazy small. Its like the equivalent of a nintendo DS laptop! And starting at $299 I would question the build quality, although I know the Latitude line is built much better and will obviously cost more. If a 8.9" Latitude E series with LED/BluRay/SSD could be had for less than $1000 I would bite...(dreaming)

But I think its worth holding out for, at least to see what's next. thx for the advice