M1330 resolution question

Hi,

I am looking for a laptop and currently have one eye set on the Dell XPS M1330. What I need to know is, can this laptop output at 1440x900 to an external monitor via VGA (or i believe it also has a HDMI port?).

Thanks!

 

I think it has VGA and HDMI.

I have a real nice one on the way. Ill sell it to you for ...$1800?

 

I'm not sure exactly how high it can output, but it's WELL over 1440x900 so you should be fine in that aspect.

 

Yeah i guessed it would be able to, however so can my old Packard Hell Easynote. The problem is, even though it goes higher - will it do 1440x900?

My current laptop goes to 1900xsomething but the nearest to the resolution I need is 1400x960, which obviously looks terribly distorted and isn't doing the screen or my eyes any good.

 

1440x900 is a common widescreen resolution so I assume it would do it without any problem, but I can't say that 100% sure.

 

I'm going to ask the Dell live chat people tomorrow so don't worry about it, was just wondering if anybody knew in the mean time

Thanks

 

i heard it goes up to 2560x1600 through the hdmi? not sure though

 

Ahh so your external monitor is 1440x900?

What I would do if I were you would be togo to the NVidia and Intel websites and search for the two graphics chip options that come with the laptop. They will probably list all the possible output resolutions in their specs.

 

Dell chat reckons I need to upgrade to the nVidea GPU for it to do it, whether I believe that or not I don't know

 

Update: Being sick of the frankly asinine support I got from the UK (*cough*) live chat, I hopped over to the Dell US site and talked to someone there. He seems to believe the shared graphics would be fine, however I would only configure the laptop to 1gb ram due to budget and I would be needing to use photoshop on it fairly often so I think i should go with the dedicated chip anyway, do you agree?

 

There shouldn't be any difference between the integrated and dedicated video if you're after Photoshop. You're better off spending the money on more RAM (2GB would definitely help Photoshop over 1GB).

 

I was thinking more that if I was to go for the shared graphics it would reduce the amount of available memory (of the low 1GB) available to OS. I would love to go for the ram...but money is unfortunately an issue right now.

Matt

 

But wouldn't the integrated graphics save money versus the dedicated which you could spend on the memory?

I'm not certain how TurboCache works specifically on the desktop, but in 3D applications, it will also take memory from your RAM.

 

Photoshop won't utilize dedicated graphics... but it'll love more memory So yeah, dump the geforce and get 1gb more RAM.

 

It will, in fact the difference would only be £40 or so, but being 16 it now depends on getting a job and how much money i can borrow from my parents before college

I would not be using the laptop for gaming, so shared would be basically ideal for me. I will also check again with a few more reps before buying anything that shared will allow me to using the 1440x900 monitor.


edit: Annoying fun fact, all this is much cheaper in the US

Matt

 

Have you considered buying RAM after you bought your laptop?
Good RAM is very very cheap right now from respectable online sources such as newegg.com and frys.com.

For instance, the memory here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010260381+1309221136&name=DDR2+667+(PC2+5300)
is what the m1330 takes, and on the m1330 it looks like the RAM is very easy to replace and Dell considers replacing the RAM a user upgrade so doing so will not void the warranty.

One note: The memory that the m1330 is DDR2 memory, meaning that to upgrade it and get the features that you pay for in the RAM, you have to install the RAM chips in identical pairs. ie. to get 2 GB of memory, you should buy two IDENTICAL (same manufacturer and speed) 1GB RAM chips and install together, completely replacing the RAM chips that would come from Dell.

 

The amount of system memory saved by a dedicated graphics solution would be only about 2 to 8 mb with a standard desktop, and maybe about 50 to 100 mb if you're running something fancy like Vista's Aero interface. Not worth getting too excited about. For the US $100 you would have spent on that grahpics card, you can instead buy an extra 1 or 2 gb of RAM aftermarket and install it, which will actually benefit photoshop. Also, battery life will be better with the integrated graphics, and you can still drive an external monitor at up to 1900x1200 resolution.

I would only get dedicated graphics if you want to play 3D games.

 

My problem with buying ram after purchasing the laptop is that I do not kno of anywhere cheap in the UK.

Great link for the US squishylizard, but on sites such as crucial it's about £200 (UK) for 2x1GB DDR2.

swarmer, thank you for that link! Very helpful.

Matt

 

Wow, that's pretty pricey... What about this?

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=462693

I'm not too familiar with online computer stores in the UK.

 

Post deleted.

 

I could output at 1680 x 900 from my mobility radeon 7000 bought 3-4 years ago. So i am 100% positve that it can output far beyond WXGA+. I think its controlled by the driver rather then hardware.