M1210 and 640M

I can get 640M for less than $1000 from Dell small business
Intel T2250 Vista Basic
2G Ram 120 HD
Or I can get M1210 from dell outlet for like $100 more, if I can get new outlet coupon then probably same.
Intel T5560 Window XP MD
1G ram 80HD
Both have GMA950 (I know I should get dedicated video card but I think it should be fine)
Which one should I go for?
I can't decide which one fit me better....I don't play much game on notebook.
Usually used for statistical software, office, and uses at campus.
I know m1210 is more portable but less ram and less hd...
Which would you go for?

 

Please fill out the FAQ for better recommendations. The XPS1210 will be better built.

 

Overall review:

640m: 14", Superior battery life by leaps and bounds. (I love mine still)
XPS m1210: 12", and generally a much better build (more expensive components). Try getting one with discrete graphics for the best bang for your buck.

You can always add RAM later which is a relatively painless process, so don't let that be a giant influence on your purchase. The hard drive can be upgraded too but not easily or cheaply, so that could be a deciding factor. The 1210 is overall a better choice if you need portability (basically the size of a smallish 3-ring binder) and at that price is a pretty good buy. The 640m has amazing battery life but not much else- it's heavier and bigger, and the model you are looking at is on the high end of the 640m's configuration while that 1210 is on the low end of its scale.

The 640m is more than adequate for everything but gaming- I have one and really do love it.

 

Size and battery life would be my main concerns as memory and hard drives can be upgraded later if needed--remember that there are other storage options like external hard drives, cds/dvds or network storage. The 640m is a 14.1" notebook while the m1210 is a 12.1"...that's the biggest difference in my book.

 

640M comes with 9 cell battery
M1210 comes with 6 cell battery...
Since I am going to buy from Dell, not really sure how 12.1 compare to 14.1
I better go to some mall with dell stand to compare the two...

 

btw, if you think the go 7400 isn't good enough for gaming so you're just going to get the intel gma... then think again.

With counterstrike source, i get a steady 60-74 fps on mine with all high settings and 1280X800 resolution. This is on de_dust2. Anti Aliasing off.

 

hey sirius
how many hours of battery do you get from 6 cell on m1210?

 

640M is still very light weight and portable. It's a good value for $850~$900.
One thing I like about the M1210 is the build quality. You can feel it when you hold it. The system is solid, not flimsy like the Inspiron line.

 

with four clicks brightness (max 7 clicks), and surfing the net, I get a tad over 5:30 hours.

with max brightness and doing normal things like surfing and word processing, i get a little over 4:30 hours.

it's has very good battery life.

 

You get that on the 6 cell? Your either gauging the 9 cell, in possesion of a mutant battery, or you really need to calibrate the 6 cell, when I got my replacement I put my old batt in the new unit, and it said I had a little over 6 hours time on it, which is way off for a 6 cell, after draining it and recharging it posted normal readings, a 6 cell with the vid card set to max battery, medium brightness, wi-fi on, and low disc usage should give you around 3 hours, cranking the brightness, gaming, or anything with heavy drive usage will shorten that time considerably.

 

damm 5 1/2 hour on a 6 cell all I can get is a max of 2 1/2.

 

I think I will go with M1210 from the outlet...
Probably going to wait couple days to see if any outlet coupons gonna show up...

 

I totally agree with this assesment of m1210 (9-cell) battery life. I keep my brightness around 5 with trillian/word/firefox (no bluetooth or USB usage) running and have gotten similar results.

I had a 700m prior to this and only got up to 4:30 max with similar settings and the 8-cell (and I thought it was pretty impressive).
It actually kind of sucks for me because I bought my 9-cell in addtion to the standard 6-cell but I've only used the 6 twice, for travel.

I am sure the additional cell helps a bit, but it probably has more to do with the reduced power consumption of the CoreDuo line.

 

I personally like m1210 better.

When I purchased my m1210, I was faced with the same choice. (I was also considering D420 though)

 

No, the 5 and a 1/2 hour is on a 9 cell.

I have it on and I have a total of 4 hours of classes a day. I still have enough juice to browse about an hour when i get home before I recharge it.

And iceman, yes, I meant to say 3:30 for the 6 cell and not 4:30. simple typo. But I still think the 6 cell battery is very good.


LOL i just reread what I posted. OK, let me tell you what I get.. MY FAULT GUYS...

On the 9 cell I get around 5:30 hours

on the 6 cell depending on the settings usually around 3:00 - 3:30 hours

I'm so sorry for that confusion. I DO NOT GET 5:30 on the 6 cell lol!

 

i should stop posting at night... :ninja:

 

i tested again,

my 6 cell got 4:15 hours. with low power saver settings. Lowest brightness. WiFi still on. wordprocessing and surfing the internet.

 

I just bought M1210 from outlet with 9 cell on it...
Can't wait to get it...