M1330 Specs......

Im looking to buy the following system....

Dell XPS M1330
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate (32Bit) - English
Base Warranty - 1 Year Hardware Support, Next Business Day
Tuxedo Black & 0.3 mega pixel Camera for White-LED Display
13.3" UltraSharp™ WXGA (1280x800) White-LED Display (300 nits) with TrueLife™
Biometric Fingerprint Reader
4096MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
320GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
128MB nVidia® GeForce® 8400M GS
Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load Drive, including SW
Primary 9-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (85 WHr)
Dell™ TrueMobile 355 internal Bluetooth Module - European
Intel® Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-Card - Europe - Core 2 Duo Processors


I use my M1730 (in sig) for the more demanding stuff including game play etc since thats my desktop replacement and never leaves my desk, so I wouldnt be using the above M1330 for gameplay etc very much, if at all. I'll really just be using it around the house via wireless, and as a general more portable unit I can carry around with me, but with enough power for general use and some video editing (very basic stuff in Movie Maker etc). It will probably mainly be used for web surfing and general office related stuff.

For that reason Ive decided to go for the 9-cell battery, since if its more portable I'll be using it on battery power most of the time. However, do you think Ive gone too far with the specs? Im considering dropping the GPU for the integrated version, thinking it will use less battery power?? Then again, its nice to have the power there if you ever do need it......

What do you think?

 

Nice specs..

You could definitely save some money by dropping down to Vista Home Premium (unless you need something that Ultimate has, which is pretty much nothing), and drop the RAM down to three GB instead of four cause Vista 32 will only see about 3.5.

 

The reason why I am thinking of 4GB RAM rather then 3GB, was because it is only a £20 difference, which I thought was pretty good for the extra GB??.....

I prefer Ultimate since it also has the imaging program so that I can create a backup image of the entire drive etc - or does Home Premium also have this feature?? If it does, I'll go with Home Premium....

 

You obviously care about performance, with the 4GB of RAM and T9300, so I'd go for a smaller, 7200 rpm HDD. Especially since it's not your main computer and you don't need that much storage. It will make a lot of things run quicker.

Also, for the 9-cell, don't get it from Dell if the price is too high. You can get one from an online retailer for about $120, or even less on eBay(I got one for $70 shipped that way--had a tiny bit of scuffing, but holds a full charge). Search google for part number PU556.

Other than that, looks like a real sweet system.

 

Chelet, I think the OP is in the UK.

To the OP,

If this is not your primary system and you are going to be using it for mainly office tasks plus web, I think you can drop the processor as well to save money. A T7500 or 8300 would be more than enough for those tasks.

 

Thanks for your input.
I want the system to last a long time, which is why I increased the processor and GPU etc. It may be an idea to go for the smaller 7200rpm drive though, since as you said, I wont be saving an aweful lot on it etc, just work-in-progress stuff I guess.......

The main thing Im thinking about is the GPU. Im wondering whether I should drop it and go for the integrated graphics to save on battery power?

My absolute perfect scenario would be to have the above spec system, but have a second 9-cell battery also, so I can just swap them over. I know I can do this, but I would love to be able to charge the spare in a seperate charger, rather then having to connect the entire laptop. So, for example, I could be using one battery on my system, while the spare battery is charging - like the seperate battery chargers you can get with some mobile phones. That way, I would aloways have a full battery, and wouldnt ever need to plug the laptop in!
However, I believe you cant get any battery charger for laptops

 

i went for basically the same spec as you...currently on order thru dell ireland.

i decided to go for the 200GB 7200rpm drive....not available on the irish site at the time but if you call an actual uk/us (wherever you live) based sales rep, you can ask for it

also, if u call the rep, you will get whatever discount offers that are going. i got 900euro off the site list price (about $1,420 off)

my spec is as follows:

T9300, wled screen, 3GB RAM, bl200GB 7200rpm drive, 8400 nvidia 128MB, next gen wireless lan, 9cell primary and 6 cell additional battery, bluetooth, nylon case, 4GB lexar usb mem stick, laser-nano cordless mouse, kensington travel charger, 4yr hardware support and 4yr accidental damage (i intend to use it extensively on the go)

thats the spec as i remember it now off the top of my head....laptop is currently in pre-production stage....has been so for over a week now....hoping it'll go into production sometime soon....

at the time the list price on the site was about 2,500euro and i got it for 1,600euro when i talked to the rep, who was an actual irish guy....not an outsourced rep.

your spec looks good and go with what you feel is best for you, it is your laptop/money after all.

 

I wouldn't go with integrated graphics just b/c vista is such a hog. True, I haven't run it with integrated graphics, but I have a feeling it's much smoother, even with just the 128mb card. Also, battery life is pretty good with the 9-cell, even with the vid card.

 

You could get one of these, lulz. And don't forget the security enclosure.

 

Ok cheers, I think I'll stick with the above spec for now then!

Now why cant they make somet like that for charging a single, or dual, batteries!!! That would be perfect!
May see if I can find a faulty M1330 on eBay for really cheap, just to use as a battery charger!

 

They don't make it because it's not cost effective. At least, that's what I think.

 

Is there any way to add the Blu Ray drive to the M1330?
Im assuming the M1530 and M1330 use the same drive etc, and the BluRay is available in the 1530.....
It would be great if I could get BluRay with it, and use it as a portable BluRay player!!

 

As far as I know the size is slightly different.....but more importantly, it'll eat battery power for fun. Anyway, on that size of screen the Blu-ray is kinda wasted, unless you output to a HD-TV. Just stick with the spec that you have already and get the nvidia graphics, not the integrated one.

 

Is this true? Will Vista run better with a dedicated card, vs. an integrated one?

Also, how much battery life will a dedicated card shave off a 6-cell battery? (again, vs. an integrated card)

 

Although the 1530 is a bigger laptop - the optical drive should be the same size - but Dell dont seem to offer it in the M1330...
I would only use it to output to a large screen, and when plugged in to power..

Nevertheless, I still have my below system with BluRay so its not a necessity or anything, just would have put the icing on the cake

 

Is the T9300 a Penryn processor, and could I expect longer battery life because of it?

 

Yeah, T9300 should be cooler and give you slightly more batt. life.

 

Excellent, cheers.

I'll be using the system mostly for general web browsing and the odd bit of work, not for gaming since I have my M1730 for that - do you think I would need to purchase a notebook cooler for this system??

I plan to use it on my lap, but on a hard surface, such as a folder etc, so that it has good airflow. The 9 cell battery should also raise it a bit as well - should that be enough??

 

I would think it'd be a good idea anyways to get one even for that so that way you will have even better airflow through to the fans anyways. I know I am gonna buy one as soon as I save enough money for it.

 

@ifti: a fanless cooler might not be too bad of an idea.

 

^^^
A fanless cooler??
Any recommendations on any?
Thanks

 

If you're keeping this for a long time, I'd probably consider downgrading the hard drive to a smaller, 7200RPM unit, ditching the dedicated video card and upping the warranty period.

The X3100 will handle Vista's Aero effects flawlessly. The 8400M GS won't make a difference. Additionally, it's getting to the point that the 8400M GS can't handle most of the newer games. I personally regret getting the 8400M GS - any of the games I want to play cannot be played satisfactorily without really reducing the resolution and/or details (who wants to play TF2 at 800x480 and low details...), and even on the desktop, it sucks up battery life.

Perhaps I'm just spoiled with my desktop and gaming on a 24" monitor with good frame rates, but I get the feeling you're a pretty demanding user as well - I don't think the 8400M GS will satisfy you.

 

I have the below laptop (in sig) for games etc, so Im not looking to play games on this system. It'll just be basic Internet usgae, and the odd document. Im not bothered about the cost of it etc, although I do want it to last a long time, hence the reason for the high specs.

 

The only other think Im a little concerned about is the 1200x800 resolution.
Whats the text like to read etc? I like things 'small' so I can fit entire web pages etc on the screen! I dont want to scroll horizontally as well as vertically!

I would be most grateful if anyone has a screenshot of their desktop, and of a webpage (this one for example) so I could take a look at what the resolutoon looks like?? Since if its not to my liking I may need to go with a 1530....

Many thanks in advance.

 

How do I check which mainboard revision I have, and which tends to be the best??

 

Make sure to get a long warranty.

My M1330 just died, and mobo needs to be replaced.

 

I went for the spec in my first post in the end. Ordered on Friday, and have been told I should receive it by the end of this week