Has anyone on this forum received a "good" M 1330 on the first try?

Hey,

Just like the title, I want to know if anyone received a XPS M1330 without any defects on the first try without having to replace it or get it fixed.

If you had to replace it or get it fixed please list why & how many times until dell got it right.

It seems to me that most of the threads about the M1330 on this forum are about dell sending people faulty/damaged units.

I just want to know because i am expecting mine to arrive in the next few days and want to know what to expect.

Thanks!

 

my friend has. you have to remember that this is a site where people talk about their problems, so those who aren't having problems generally wont post about them.

 

if this is your way of saying your getting a new laptop, then congratulations!

 

Yeah i get that, Thats why i posted this question.

So i can find out how many people on this forum received one without any defects.

Thanks!

 

I'd say that for the most part, people don't recieve damaged laptops. But there are those select few that recieve the damaged ones.

 

LOL no its not. I just wanted to know how many people got one without any defects! that's all!

 

Thanks, The reason i ask is because even the reviews i've read on multiple websites have A LOT of people complaining of having something wrong with with it

 

id say ur chance of getting a defective 1330 is 35 percent

 

We have two both working and has not given us any problems to data.
But one unit did have the "P" from the XPS logo come off some 2-3 months afterwards, but we found it in the soft-case for the laptop and just stuck it back on..
Made in Ireland.
We call Tec Support and an engineer came round with a brand new lid which we did not get him to replace, I got him to close the job off as I had stuck the letter back on the lid and I then asked him in turn to leave the new lid with logos with me which he did...Yes a spare lid to hand with wirings for wireless ...

 

My m1330 had a couple small cosmetic issues which I received a discount for. Otherwise it was fine. There were no issues which required me to send it back because the functionality was at stake.

 

LOL. 35% failure rate would mean Dell is more than bankrupt. A 4% failure rate usually means a recall for most companies. Only God (and Dell) knows the actual failure rate for their laptops but it's going to be <1%.

 

less than 1%!! Not a chance in hell! 2-3% is within industry standard! And I doubt that 4% (just 1% over industry standard) would be a full recall!

The XBOX 360 has a 33% failure rate due to the 3 red lights of death! And after 2 years Microsoft themselves admitted it! BUT even they didn't do a recall! They just extended peoples warranties to 3 years (but the 3 years ONLY covers the 3 red lights issue and NOTHING else!), and cost them approx $1 billion!!

I'll bet you that the failure rate of the M1330 is greater than 1% and is probably greater than industry standard!

 

I am only two days into ownership but I have not noticed any defects. At first, I thought it had an uneven bottum until I actually set it on a level surface to discover my table was warped some. It is whisper quiet and it closes with no gaps. No software issues yet either.

 

i just got mine yesterday and the only defect is that it has an uneven bottom, i've tested it on three different surfaces..

however i got lucky with the screen, i got a toshiba
my screen is very bright and clear, very vibrant

is there a "fix" from dell for the slight uneven bottom?

 

all DELL will do is send a tech out to replace the bottom or send you a new unit! Easiest/quickest thing to do is put it over you knee and bend it!

The entire base is made from metal, so it will work! But REMEMBER to do it with the lid open! Otherwise you'll damage the screen!

 

I'm not talking failure rate within a year (which can be as high as 15%), I'm talking DOA failure rate plus defect when shipped failure rate. The question was "what's the chance of getting a defective unit" not "is my Dell going to crash and burn".

 

thats what im talking about too!

And industry standard for FAILURE rate (that means breaking within a year) is also 2-3%....NOT 15%! I don't know where you're getting your figures from mate.

Failure can be any time really! Even if its 1 second from opening the box (DOA) its still a "failure" in the eyes of the industry!

 

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/06/27/gartner_hardware_failure_rates/

First thing that came up when I googled.

However, if we go by your numbers, if the first year failure rate is 2-3%, then my estimate of <1% for DOA or defect out of box seems pretty spot on.

Edit: Second thing that comes up: http://www.techcentral.ie/article.aspx?id=11081

 

well my figures come from the IEEE/IET (Intsitute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers/Institute of Engineers and Technitions)...so I think my figures are a bit more accurate....and as I said, accoring to the industry DOA falls within just plain old failure rate...they dont really differentiate between DOA and breaking down within a year. A failure is a failure, thats it.

But 2-3% is WITHIN industry standard, I'm saying that I reckon the M1330 failure rate is higher than industry standard...but only DELL know that for sure.

And my figures are for electronics in general, not laptops specifically.

 

People that got a "good" notebook probably wont be posting much here. Your sample set is a bit skewed.

I got mine with 2 issues, both minor, both fixed by myself. One was the keyboard bulge, and a loose fitting left side "hinge" cover.

Otherwise I think my 1330 was fairly "good". Good screen, no electonic whine, nothing has broken or fallen off (yet)....

Of course if you compare to the almost bulletproof D630 that I have, the M1330 looks and feel a fair bit more fragile.

 

Yes, I did.

 

My M1330 was so hot that I could cook on it. It took me 22 days to get the refund but Dell cheated, they kept $0.01 USD and are refusing to credit it.

 

I will receive my xms m1330 tomorrow, how can I tell if I have a toshiba screen? also what things should i look for to see if was built incorrectly? uneven bottom, keyboard, etc? thanks

 

Agreed, but we're not talking about failure rate over a year, we're talking about receiving a defective product, thus either DOA or defective when shipped.

Then wouldn't my numbers for laptops specifically be more accurate than your numbers for electronics? I'd have to say, watches and alarm clocks probably have much lower failure rates than laptops.

 

i just got mine on november 27th.

its almost perfect, i have a little bit of a bow in the keyboard but other than that its awesome. the screen i got is this..

1 XU290 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 13.3 WXGA, VIDEO ELEC. STDS. ASSOC...., TLF, AU OPTRONICS CORP..., V2

 

I received a perfect built unit.

 

Hmm.. so they are using AUO LED screens in the M1330's now? I thought Chi Mei and Toshiba were the main suppliers.. I know Vostro's had problems with AUO quality.. hmmm

 

I had to replace it twice, and this third one is pretty good(mostly)

First one was almost perfect, except the 'P" on the "xps" casing fell off

Second one had 2 many problems

Third one is almost perfect,

 

AFAIK, the AUO screens are not LED screens, only the Toshiba & CMO screens are LED ones.

 

1) but the industry still counts DOA as a failure, so that means that all DOA and faulty products should be within 2-3% (if within industry standard), my point is that I think the M1330 is higher than industry standard.

2) But think about how many laptops, desktops, PS2's, PS3's, XBOX 360's, LCD TV's, etc, etc get sold compared to an alarm clock?!

More than 85% of all electronics sold will be of a new technology, and not old proven technology (like an alarm clock), so your argument doesn't hold!

Now the PS3, which is the worlds most advanced and most powerful consumer electronics (the CELL can hack a "very secure" 8 character password in 8 hours, where as the most powerful intel processors take 2-3 days!! Thats according to security experts in research labs, and not just me saying it!), and THAT has a failure rate of less than 1% (includes DOA AND failure within a year).

Now if Sony can make that (with the help of IBM & Toshiba to develop the CELL), then why cant DELL make a laptop that you pay double the price for (if not more) to the same standard?!

 

ahhh got it...

 

Yes, I think we're agreeing on this point. If, according to you, who apparently knows better than my sources, first year failure rate for a laptop is 2-3%, then the chance of receiving a dead or defective laptop - which counts in that 2-3% - would then be lower than 2-3%, which isn't far from my 1% estimate.

My argument does hold up. If you're comparing Dell's laptop failure rates to industry failure rates, then you're going to compare them to other laptop failure rates, not electronic failure rates.

A few reasons:

1. A laptop is not a gaming machine, and you just can't plain cross-compare like that. If in fact the CELL failure rate is 1%, then Sony themselves cannot match it in their own laptops.

2. Sony loses money on each PS3 sold, and hopes to recoup on games. Dell does not have that luxury.

3. Most people don't want to pay $4000 for a perfect laptop, they would prefer $2000 for a good laptop.

 

1st of all, my figures come from the IEEE, so they will be much more accurate than reghardware!

And I'm saying that Dell failure rate is HIGHER than industry standard (industry standard is 2-3%), I personally think Dell failure rate is in the area of 15-20%...

Laptops are electronics, so you compare them to other electronics not just laptops

1. a PC can be a gaming machine! They all have a CPU, a GPU, RAM, a motherboard, a HDD, etc, etc!

2. and?! what does that have to do with making a quality product??

3. well I for one am not one of those people! I recieved my replacement M1330 today which has more probs than the original one! They are collecting my original one on Friday, and my replacement one some time next week, then come the 16th of December I will be buying a Sony VGN-SZ61WN/C for almost £600 more than what I payed for my M1330 (the Sony site shows it for £1699 but I can get it online for £1500) just for the peace of mind that it wont fall apart in a few days, and wont arrive with build quality issues!

 

Laptop failure industry standard - up to 15% first year. Not 2-3%. Also, even though I believe you, source yourself.

Umm, no. You compare toilet paper with toilet paper, not tree pulp accessories. You compare TV's with other TV's, Oven's with other ovens, Christmas lights with other Christmas lights. Not with each other. You compare laptops with laptops, not electronics in general.

 

toilet paper is completely different! And as I have said, if Sony can make the PS3 (which has all the usual parts that ANY PC, laptop, etc has) with a less than 1% failure rate, then why cant Dell??

The PS3 CPU is superior than that in ANY Dell PC

The PS3 GPU is superior than that in the M1330

The RAM in the PS3 is admitedly less than a PC, BUT it can handle MUCH, MUCH higher bandwidths & data rates!

So if Sony can do it with the PS3 (all NEW technology) without problems, then WHY can Dell do it with a PC (most of it proven technology).

And the main problem with the M1330 isn't the hardware failing, its the folk that put it together being lazy, the folk at QA being asleep, and a very poor design!

I've vouched to NEVER, EVER buy an American electronics product as long as I can help it (apart from HP Printers). ESPECIALLY ANYTHING with a Dell logo!!

I just trust the Japs with electronics a lot more than I trust Americans...maybe thats why the Japs are the world leaders in electroincs...cos they make good quality stuff, and they know what they're on about!

 

Then why can't any company? Why can't Sony? I'm a computer engineer, but not that kind, so I can't give you a distinct answer, but there must be some reason, other than all these companies want to screw you over.

Probably lies in the fact that designing a computer is hard.

 

When you say "Computer Engineer" what do you mean exactly? Cos I know of a few unis that do Computer Engineering courses, but its more like Computer Science than Engineering in all honesty...oh and by the way...im an Electronic Engineer.

And as for "why cant Sony?" its prob cos Sony doesn't make all the hardware that goes into a PC/laptop, but they do make all the hardware that goes into a PS3...

 

u really cant compare Sony and Dell
thats like comparing Lexus and Buick

sony is an elite japanese company and they mostly use their own parts in their computer
while Dell is just an american company and the only part they use thats Dell is the wifi card

 

if the sony TZ was $1250 which is how much i paid for my 1330 then I would be in the sony forum right now

 

1) I prefer the analogy more like comparing Ferarri with lada...

2) true, and sometimes even the wireless card comes from Intel! But same goes for Sony, they dont make all the hardware that goes into a PC. And the build quality of a Sony is never poor! My 2 year old niece could to a better job than the monkies at Dell with regards to build quality!

 

Computer Engineer - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_engineering.

Ok...apparently then Sony just doesn't care enough, like Dell to make good computers...I bet that's the reason.

The reason is that it's not technically and monetarily feasible. Free Market - everyone strives to make the best, and price the best - if it were possible to make laptops with a 1% failure rate at the same price range, some company would do it.

Dells are mostly made by Compal, while Quanta makes the Vaios. I've seen as many Sony's fail as Dells. None of the companies have abnormally high failure rates. They wouldn't be in business if they did.

http://www.gen-x-pc.com/laptopmanu.htm

 

think you got that the wrong way round.

True, your right that it's not technically feasable to make the perfect, 100% error free laptop, but why are Dells so much worse than Asus, HP, Sony, IBM/Lenovo, etc? Its cos they cut corners, thats why!

I'm not saying it has anything to do with the ODM, but its the people who put it all together! Yes, Dell parts may be designed, manufactured, etc by Compal, but its Dell employees that take the parts and put them together, thats where things go wrong!

 

No they're called chipmunks not Dell employees, and that's Dell's solution to the recent trend of 'going green'. The lack of opposable thumbs is where things go really wrong.

Jokes aside, the new mobo revision seems to have things picking up, and now we've found out that an uneven base can be rectified by brute force without voiding the warranty or breaking anything...

What I don't understand is that the business lineup of dell has always been pretty decent with build quality (disregarding the Vostro series which I still consider new), but it seems all lineups are assembled by different mammals (back to the jokes).

Edit: or are chipmunks rodents?

 

I hope I get a good one on the first try. I just ordered one yesterday....

 

Doesn't it give you pause about buying from Dell ? I mean even if you get a laptop that looks perfect, if they are being put together by chipmunks how long is it actually going to last before something goes wrong ??

I was considering buying an M1330 but reading this thread about build quality is putting me off.

 

Mine is quite juicy and by juicy I mean REALLY juicy. No issues as of yet *knocks on wood*

 

mine was a replacement unit...the moment i opened it up..i noticed a slight stain near the webcam, would not go off till today..left hinge cover loose, hard disk cover not flush with the system...replaced 3 palm rests, wireless card that stopped working, top bezel, motherboard, heatsink, fan, dvd-writer, speaker grill on the the right side, near the hinge was not flush...sigh...now i cant power on the laptop..they said its the processor...