Help to Configure a General Purpose XPS M1330

Please help my friend to configure a general purpose Dell XPS M1330. The following are his requirements:

General Questions:

1. What is your budget?
A. $2,000 (Final Price i.e., Including Tax, Shipping & Handling).

2. What size notebook would you prefer?
A. Thin and Light 13.3 Inch Widescreen.

3. What country are you buying this in?
A. USA.

4. Are there any brands that you prefer?
A. Dell.

5. What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
A. Office Productivity, Personal Image, Audio & Video Editing, Web browsing, Watching TV/Movies and Recording Audio/Lectures.

6. Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places?
A. Yes. Using Public Transport, Cab, Airplane.

7. Will you be playing games on it?
A. No.

8. How many hours of battery life do you need?
A. 4 Hours on Battery.

9. Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
A. No.

10. What OS do you prefer?
A. Microsoft Windows Vista.

Screen Specifics:

11. Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
A. Widescreen.

12. What screen resolutions would you prefer?
A. WXGA 1280x800.

13. Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
A. Prefer Matte/Non-Glossy but can manage with Glossy/Reflective Screen.

Build Quality and Design:

14. Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
A. Yes.

15. When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
A. Before end of 2007 (Waiting for a Deal). Notebook should last at least 3 Years.

Notebook Components:
16. How much hard drive space do you want?
A. 250GB.

17. Do you need an optical drive?
A. Yes. DVD+/-RW.

Based on his requirements, this is what I came up with:

Dell XPS M1330
Tuxedo Black
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7250 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB, 2MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium Edition
Standard Display with 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0
1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor,24x7 Phone Support

Base Price: $1,634.00 & Final Price: $1,655.31 (USD)

Based on his requirements (price can be managed), is it worth upgrading to:
1. Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache)?
2. Slim and Light LED Display with VGA Webcam?
3. 2GB Memory via third party and buy only 1GB from Dell?
4. 250GB Hard Drive via third party and buy only 120GB from Dell?
5. 7200 RPM Hard Drive?
6. 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS?
7. Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card?
8. Additional 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery?
9. Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition?
10. Biometric Fingerprint Reader?
11. Dell Slim 65W Spare Auto/Air/AC Adapter?
12. 130-Watt AC/Auto/Air Adapter?

If he purchases before December 20, 2007, he will also get a $200 Gift Card. What do you recommend he purchase using this card? (e.g., AC Adapter, Additional Battery, etc.)

 

Hmm! Somebody has already rated the thread down but no solutions so far!!!

 

Hello sinstoic. Based on what I see in your requirements, I would tack on the LED backlit display and the wireless N card. The 2ghz processor will be fine for you, as will the 5400rpm HDD. And if you are not a gamer, you can gain some more battery life out of the 6-cell going with the Intel integrated graphics instead of the Nvidia dedicated graphics card.

The reason I suggest going for the LED display is because it is just a lot more stylish on the m1330 and really accentuates how thin this notebook is. Without it, it is still a great laptop, but just doesnt look like an m1330 to me with the standard LCD. The LED display and wireless-N(for future-proofing) would seemingly bring your cost right around $2000.

 

Thanks a lot!

Do you recommend upgrading to 2 GB Memory via third party and buy only 1GB from Dell and 250GB Hard Drive via third party and buy only 120GB from Dell?

What about Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition and Biometric Fingerprint Reader? Are these really useful?

Which Auto/Air/AC Adapter is good: Dell Slim 65W Spare or 130-Watt (Looks like Duracell)?

 

I read somewhere on the forum that you can get 2x2GB memory from Newegg at the cost of upgrading from 1GB to 2GB via Dell. I am not able to find that memory! Any links?

Also does the M1330 offer powered USB 2.0 port? He would like to run the external USB hard drive without power devices. As I don't have any to test, I am asking you guys!

 

not sure about the Sound Blaster software, but I personally think the biometric fingerprint reader is a bit of a gimmick.

Unless you have EXTREMELY important documents for your company, etc, then there's no real need for it!

I've also heard of it not working for some people with "faint" finger prints, even after they've had it replaced several times, and other people can get it to work!

 

The upgrades to the sound cards are not worth it in my opinion. I have the biometric fingerprint scanner on my m1330 and I use it all the time. It is just a convenience not having to type my passwords in all the websites I frequent. But the usefulness really is limited by the person's usage, so I can't say if it is worth it for you or not.

And regarding the memory, there are many sites online that offer better deals on RAM than the dell website. I had a 1gb module in my m1330 and then purchased a 2gb module from another website, giving me 3gb RAM to work with. It was a much cheaper solution than going for it with Dell.

But be forewarned...if you opt for 1gb from Dell, you will get two 512mb RAM modules instead of just one 1gb module. I got 2gb from Dell, removed one of the 1gb modules and installed a 2gb module.

 

Hmm! I will ask my friend to configure without Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition and Biometric Fingerprint Reader and ask Dell if they can throw the same for free. Let us see if he gets lucky!

 

Does anybody have answer to my previous questions? Thanks.

 

why are you bumping? what else do you want to know?

 

Do you recommend upgrading to 2 GB Memory via third party and buy only 1GB from Dell and 250GB Hard Drive via third party and buy only 120GB from Dell?

What about Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition and Biometric Fingerprint Reader? Are these really useful?

Which Auto/Air/AC Adapter is good: Dell Slim 65W Spare or 130-Watt (Looks like Duracell)?