Dell XPS vs. Inspiron questions, plus general Dell inquiries

Hey Folks,

I posted this in the buying a new laptop forum, but thought it might be good to post in here too, since this is all about Dell. I'm getting ready to buy a Dell and am deciding between a Dell Inspiron 1405 and Dell XPS M1210. I'm having a lot of indecision and of course have people pushing me to buy HPs, IBMs, etc...but have decided to stick with the Dell, although it does sound like maybe I could save some money with an HP...anyways...I went away from the Inspiron 1505 (first choice originally because of weight) and have narrowed it down to these two. (1405 vs. XPS1210)

The main difference I am seeing is the price and the fact that you can't get an dedicated graphics card on the 1405. That seemed minor, so I was starting to lean toward the 1405 because I can save a lot, but, I've been hearing a lot of chatter about the build components in the XPS being much better quality than the Inspirons (i.e. it will last longer) and that the support from Dell is better (some kind of "white glove" service for XPS). Does anyone know anything about this? I like both models and screen size isn't a huge factor to me, but it seems the XPS are the "higher end" and screens would be better, etc...but I just dont' know. This is a purchase that does need to last me a bit....and while I can spend up to $1500or even more, would love to save money, so I can use the excess to buy a flash/jump drive or two and maybe an external hard drive. I'm open to suggestions, thoughts.

Lastly, I've heard one negative...that the XPS tends to run quite hot? Is this true? I tend to leave my system on all day long, so that is a factor. So you know, the specs I'm going with are:
Intel Core Duo 2400
1GB RAM
80GB HD
9-Cell battery
Windows Media Center Operating system
(no office software because I can get from my company)
8X CD-ROm/DVD burner - dual layer
Intel Wireless with Bluetooth
1yr at home service warranty + 1yr accidental damage (I figure one year is enough, thoughts?)
McAffee Security Suite (I know a monster, but of the suites out there, seems to have the best rating and most user friendly design, Use Norton now and hate it)
True life screen (debating on XPS whether to upgrade to ultra sharp - thoughts?)

And as for graphics card, haven't decided if i should take advantage of the dedicated graphics offered on the XPS if I go that route or still get integrated because I'm not a gamer and only reason I was considering dedicated was for when Vista comes out. Open to opinions on this too?

If you have any suggestions, I'm open to them.

Also, on a side note...does anyone know if there is a way to get all the "junk" Dell installs on the system (like AOL, etc...) off without going through the whole reformat process? I'm computer knowledgeable, but know just enough to get me into trouble So try not to do too much with the internal workings, unless I have to.

Lastly, and sorry for so many questions folks, but wondering if anyone knows the best way to get all of my files from my current PC over to my laptop, once I have it in hand This includes (word docs, excel sheets, music and picture files).

Thanks in advance for any advice/help.

Best,
Stacey

 

either system is under warranty from dell, so i would just reccomend going with the best deal.

personally i think the m1210 will just be extra money spent on features you dont need.

i would highly reccomend reformatting the computer once you get it. its not that hard.

integrated wont do for vista's "aero" rendered interface, but so what? although there are other advantages to a dedicated card- better video performance in high definition if you care about that, and often dedicated cards come with other features also.

make sure you find a good dell coupon before you buy.

and probably the easiest way to get documents from one computer to another is just to burn a cd. but there are 1000 ways to do this. you could set up a network and transfer them over... just check out control panel, network options, itll walk you through the process

 

You may as well go with the e1505. To me, it sounds like you won't need the XPS M1210. With the applications you are going to run, you won't notice a huge difference in speed between the two laptops.

However, it is worth paying the premium for the XPS as you get superior customer support, a dedicated GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) which can be used to run the Vista Aero Glass GUI. If you plan to get a new laptop in 2 years or so, go with the Inspiron, if you want your laptop to be future proof, go with the XPS.

As with copying files from another PC to a new one, get an Ethernet Crossover Cable and hook up the two computers using the RJ45 Ethernet ports.

On your old computer, Click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click on Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. Simply follow the step ny step instructions in the wizard to transfer the files.

Don't buy McAffee Security Suite. It is the same as Norton Anti-Virus, uses up too much RAM, installs a load a annoying and useless features, is unreliable and slow. Buy Eset NOD32 instead, it is one of the best Anti-Virus programs around and has won numerous awards. I use it and would never switch to another anti-virus program. If you are at college, go to the IT department, and see if you could install an Anti-Virus program off their network. That way, you will get a corporate edition of an anti-virus program and don't ever have to worry about subscriptions.

http://www.eset.com/

It seems like your on a tight budget. There is no point going for the Ultra Sharp LCD screen. Save the money not buying the Ultrasharp screen and get a RAM upgrade, or a faster processor. One thing is that the current Core Duo will not be compatible with the "actual" version of Windows Vista as it is not 64 bit, it is 32bit. Don't rush in and buy. If you can wait a month or so, and buy a laptop with the Intel Core Duo 2 (Merom) CPU. The new Core Duo 2 CPUs are the same price as the current Core Duo (Yonah) CPUs so it is worth waiting.

As with getting rid of Junk, the easiest way is to re-format, so when you order your laptop, make sure you order the XP disc as well. An easier way is to use Add/Remove programs in the control panel and then use a registry cleaning programing to clean up the rubbish left behind in the registry keys.

http://www.registry-clean.com/

Just download the trial version, use it get rid of the junk left behind by Add/Remove programs and then uninstall Registry Clean Pro.

Please do look at the other brands before rushing into buy.

Hope this helps Stacey,
Mayur

 

Stacey:

I can comment on a FEW of your concerns regarding "XPS" (I just got an XPS M1710) ...

The "white glove" service: earlier in 2006 I had an XPS 400 desktop. At THAT time, XPS was top-notch. In the few times I've called XPS support for the M1710, tech support is NOTICABLY less (but NOT "bad"). The ONE benefit is that the XPS warranty is one year; Inspirons are less than that.

Generated HEAT: My M1710 runs WARM ... but ONLY on the right side (where the graphics card is, and I have a 7900 GS card). Even using it ON my lap is no big deal ... but I CAN feel the warmth. IOW the heat is NOT uncomfortable.

Deleting junkware WITHOUT reformat: Although I PLAN to reformat, I'm actually NOT dissatisfied with the results of manually removing the bloatware.

Two pieces of advice if you manually remove bloatware:

1. There's a thread somewhere here which has a DECENT list of s/w you can remove. Helped me to identify s/w which isn't OBVIOUSLY bloatware. However ... removing the s/w should be the FIRST thing you should do.

2. the SECOND thing you should do is update Windows XP through Windows update. Do that BEFORE activating other software (such as McAfee).

Finally ... I have yet to see any RECENT Dell coupons for XPS systems, especially the newer ones like the M1210 et al.

However, what *I* did is this: I called a sales rep, told him I was ready to buy ... but I told him a friend was a "Dell Affiliate" (web site which earns sales commissions). I told him "Give me a reason why I should buy from you and not from my friend's site". He gave me $110 off.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks all...a lot of good advice here. Think I will go with the XPS because of what one person said....if I'm looking for something longer than 2 years, and I am. One question: To Lil Mays: You said the new chip will cost the same as the old one. I can wait another month, if that would be a good idea, but worried about missing out on sales right now. XPS 1210 (on teacher discount, back to school specials) is running at $1150 baseline. With all the bells and whistles its up to a little over $1500, so worried I'll lose that great pricing.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks again.

-Stacey

 

check out deals in the dell outlet, price fluctuates in there a lot, but sometimes you see really nice deals.

 

oh..and the The XPS M1210 has a distinctly superior build over the E1405...
No flex on the screen/body at all

From what I inferred after playing around with both the I1405 and the XPS1210 is that the Mag-alloy casing on the 1210 will definitely be able to handle rough treatment a lot better than the plastic casing of the 405

And the 1210 does not run hot under normal usage though it gets warm (though not hot) to the touch while gaming