Help me choose: XPS M140 vs E1505

I am having a tough choice to choose between the DELL XPS M140 and the DELL E1505. Which one would you choose? I need something that has great battery life as well as excellent portability.

These are the specification of the model.

XPS M140:

XPS M140 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
LCD Panel 14.1 inch WXGA TrueLife™ LCD Panel
Memory 512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms
Video Card Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Hard Drive 60GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
Integrated Modem and NIC Internal 56K Modem and Integrated Network Card
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
Combo/DVD+RW Drives Featured Upgd-8xCD/DVD burner(DVD+/-RW)w/dble-layer DVD+R write capability
Wireless Networking Cards Intel® PRO 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)
Office Software (not included in Windows XP) No productivity suite- Corel WordPerfect word processor only
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) PC-cillin Internet Security: AntiVirus, Firewall, Spyware removal 15-months
Primary Battery Special Upgrade!9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr)
Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support

DELL E1505:

Inspiron E1505 Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2300 (2MB Cache/1.66GHz/667MHz FSB)
KD16HN
LCD Panel 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife™
15XGAS
Memory FREE 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
1G2DP
Video Card Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
INTVID
Hard Drive 60GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
WMCE
Network Card and Modem Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
INTNIC
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
ADOBER
Combo/DVD+RW Drives 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
24COMBO
Wireless Networking Cards Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
TM1390
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) Microsoft Works Suite 2006- Includes MICROSOFT WORD plus much more!
IWORKS
y Suite (Pre-installed) No Security Subscription
NS
Primary Battery 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
9BAT
Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support


One thing I am concerned with the XPS M140 is that the 9 cell battery sticks out few inches outside of the laptop. Is this a huge bother to many of you XPS M140 owners?

Thanks again guys for your advice.

 

I was considering the same two notebooks for a bit, and I finally decided on the e1505, which is slated to arrive at my door the thirteenth. Considering their closeness in price, Dell's Core Duo, and free 1GB RAM upgrade, coupled with coupons galore, I'm confident I made the right choice. I ended up spending $1084, including taxes and overnight shipping. Good deal!

Mike

 

Yes, I noticed too that the XPS M140 uses Pentium M instead of Duo Core. The opportunity cost of getting the XPS M140 is I get 512MB DDR2 instead of 1GB, CDRW/DVD instead of the DVDRW and a battery pack that sticks outside of the laptop.

However, most prefer 14.1 if you carry around your laptop most of the time and some people were able to squeeze almost 8hrs of battery life from the 9 cell which is impressive.

 

I've got the 9 cell on the M140, and in truth it really doesn't bother me at all. I guess it's a hair heavier, and it sticks out maybe 1/2-1" in the back (sorry, don't have it with me at the moment to measure), but overall it doesn't drastically affect the profile of the machine much at all.

The M140 is the older of the 2 in terms of the technology in it, but it's by no means a slouch. Seeing as how you're going with the GMA in either config, I'll assume gaming isn't a concern; so it's more a matter of dual core or not. Everything else is (assumingly) going to be on par with each other.

I like 14.1 for its size. According to the specs, the e1505 is going to be maybe what, an inch more in dimensions ('cept for thickness), and maybe 3/4 a pound heavier. Not a drastic difference, but if smaller is your concern, the M140 just edges out a bit.

And if you're not averse to picking up a refurbished, the Dell Outlet has some pretty good deals on the M140, if you're up for some hunting/quick decision making. You can't configure them, but when the stock is high, there's so many options available that you'll more than likely find what you need (or more).

 

Get the M140...it's lighter, better battery life and the processor will handle anything you through at it. Heavy multi-tasking? Get the 1505 but otherwise the M140 will serve you well.

 

Is it possible you can post a picture of your laptop with the 9 cell battery? Or is there a pic available somewhere on the net?

 

Well, I decided to cancel my order of E1505 and go with XPS M140 due to its better battery life and 14.1 compact display.

 

good choice!

I just ordered my XPS M140 too - like you, I had a hard time deciding whether I really needed the dual core. I knew that I definitely wanted a 14", and given the battery life and the fact that I probably would never notice the difference of not having a dual core I settled on the m140.

So congratulations to both of us! I hope we're happy with it....

 

You are going to love it when you get it.

 

can I sit on a Thinkpad?

 

You know the XPS will have the dual cores soon don't you? Why not wait until they come out and you have best of both worlds!

 

I doublechecked this morning on the length of the 9-cell; it's closer to 0.5-0.6 inches in terms of how far it sticks out. I should note that the battery only sticks out from the back, not from the bottom; you probably knew that, but I happened to see some other extended batteries for other laptops and thought I should say....

Found a couple of pictures on the net of the battery. I think the first one's the best picture, 2nd one is hard to see:

Try the XPS M140 review at laptopmag.com; the 2nd page of the review's got a good pic of the battery. Can't link it, shouldn't be too hard to find though.

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=&s=1565&a=163500&po=4,00.asp

Hope those work for you; I can do some embarassingly amateur photography this weekend if not.

edit: my interweb skills suck; posted a bad link.
edit2: I'm terrible at this. Really, I am. First link isn't linkable, you'll have to find it there yourself.

 

With today's deal (Friday) of >$600 off on the E1505, I'd say go with the E1505 for sure, unless you _absolutely_ need a 14.1" screen. For between $100-$200 more, you will have much better technology at your finger tips.

Buy the additional 512MB of RAM from newegg, it's much cheaper than the $100 Dell upgrade to get 1GB.

-DJS

 

Appreciate it for taking the time to find the pic. Thanks.

 

Well, my E1505 already shipped before I had the chance so I decided to just cancel my order of XPS M140.

 

Could someone please post a top down view of the M140 with the 9 cell battery.