Need your opinion Re: XPS 1210

Hi guys
I placed an order for a new Dell XPS 1210 today (Used 18 month 0% interest DPA account).

Configuration: (Total price = 1,800$ )
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- XPS M1210, Intel Core Duo Processor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB)
- 12 inch Wide-screen WXGA Display with TrueLife, WW Ant, Ear Buds
- 1GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm RAM
- 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 TurboCache graphics card
- 100GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module (2.0+EDR)
- Inbuilt Camera
- 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
- Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy

- 3 years At Home Service-Nights and Week ends, 24x7 Technical Support
- Dell On Call, PC training, XPS hardware Warrenty(3 years)
- 3 years - CompleteCare Accidental DamageService
- 2 years- McCaffe PC protection (firewall,spyware removal..)
- 100$ gift card

Shipping estimated date - Aug 2nd !!?? (does it take soo long?)
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With no epp XPS coupons around, this was the best deal I could get. Is this a good config or Is it too expensive? Your opinion please.

Also, XPS 1210 owners; how is the 12inch widescreen - good/OK/too small?? and does the laptop gets really hot when playing games??

thanks.........baggi

 

I just ordered today too and I got same processor but 2Gig memory but no camera or upgraded audio and only 80 gig HD (7200) and it came to more than $2000.... I'd say you got a good price.

Cheers

 

That price isnt bad. However, you should have ordered during the EPP discounts because I got the same config. except I got the 2300E for 1220 total.

 

Hi pedroboe,
thanks for your reply. When is ur estimated ship date? Mine is around Aug 2nd!!
I assume your order might be shipped quicker since you havent gone for the inbuilt camera option.

2 gig memory, 80 gig HD-7200 --- Sweet!!

 

Not a bad price at all, seeing as how other than RAM, you have the exact same system as I do, and I paid 1800 & change for mine (I've got 512MB 533MHz x2).

As far as shipping goes, Dell always tries to play it safe & overestimate, so don't worry too much about it. I ended up w/ mine in exactly a week from the date of order although they estimated another week and a half.



HH

 

Agree! I'm a newbie and I didnt know that anything like epp discounts existed until this july.... this is my first laptop.

and Jtom......I'll be doing lots of MSExcel, MSword reading/typing, play games and watch lots of movies. Your opinion on the screen size, keypads and heat removal??
Thanks for the reply................baggi

 

Thanks HokkaidoHillbilly......Thats good to hear about the shipping!!

your opinion on heat removal, keypad typing, screen size plez.
(I'm really scared if the screen size turns out really small )
regards....baggi

 

I dont have mine yet; I am picking it up tommorow. However, my roomate has the 700m and the screen size is perfect for me. I have used his notebook for hours at a time and have never had eye strain.

I will try to answer your other questions tommorow night when I have the system.

BTW, you can always get an external monitor if its too small for you.

 

They are selling it at Costco for $1300 with a 80GB hard drive and 1.66 Core Duo which you'd be unlikely to tell the difference between it and the 2.0GHz from what you are doing. The Costo will also get you a six month return policy should you not like it for some reason. I don't know what kind of games you play, but something like the Asus A8jm or Compal HGL30 might be a better fit. They have the 7600 go card which is a better GPU and they are only slightly heavier with 14" screens. Good Luck.

 

Well, keep in mind that being in Japan, Southeast Asia/China/whereever the hell they make the thing isn't as far away as may be for you

Heat: By heat removal, do you mean exhaust temp? If so, with the 7400 card, yes, it defo gets warm, especially on the left side (the exhaust port is smack dab in the middle of the left side kinda close to your hand), but as far as I can tell, not to the point where it'd be uncomfortable sitting on your lap for a long period of time.

Keyboard: Really starting to like it, having switched over from my old i8500. Although the lower right side of the keyboard has a bit of flex to it, I don't really notice it unless I'm actually looking at the arrow keys while pushing them and overall, everything feels really sturdy and much more well built than any laptop I've used before.

Screen Size: This was the biggest thing to get used to, coming from a 15.4" screen, but having used it daily for over a week now, this new screen seems totally normal, and my previous laptop seems rediculously large now (I can't even imagine how a 17" beast'd look like...way too big in my opinion).

The only problem I can see in the future for me with the screen is that I do a lot of translations where I'll have a .pdf open on the left side of the screen and the translated document on the right. This wasn't an issue w/ my i8500, but it's definitely gonna take some getting used to on this new rig, as even with the wide screen, there's just not enough real estate to have 2 windows open simultaneously and not have to strain my eyes to see 'em.

Other than that, I love this thing! It's fast as all get out, the screen is redicuoulsy bright, it's light enough to carry it around, plays all the games I want like a champ and is built like a brick...well, you get the point.

HH

 

Just buy one from eBay. There are lots of people selling good configs for decent prices after the recent 30% off coupon. The warranty is transferrable, so as long as you buy from a reputable seller, you'll be just fine.

 

Furthermore, the M1210 is a pretty good notebook. Compared to other so called ultra-portables, the M1210 is feature rich and is the most powerful you can get in its class. However, it is not without its negative points. Having previously owned a 700M, the build quality doesn't seem to be as good. The LCD screen suffers from leakage and poor viewing angles. I have seen three M1210 notebooks and they all have somewhat disappointing screens. It is also bulkier than other ultra-portables. The comment I hear the most is that it is extremely thick in profile. It's also not the lightest notebook, weighing close to 5lbs with a 9-cell battery. Despite these criticisms, the M1210 is still one of the best "ultra-portable" notebooks out on the market today.

 

My estimated ship date is the 21st July. I did see in the Dell site that choosing the AV option will delay the process. I don't really use webcams, plus I have 2 Logitec ones in my drawer....

 

thanks for the reply guys

 

I just got my 1210 today, it is perfect! The screen is the perfect size and it has very good build quality. Degintely one of the best solutions for students who need mobility.

 

Yeah I got (specs below) extreamly good build quality. The screen is larger than I expected, which is a good thing. I was half expecting it to be too small to do things like game, but after I put HL2 in (full specs) and Oblivion (medium specs) it became clear that gaming is great on this thing. The combination of a resolution such as 1280x800 on a 12.1' Truelife screen makes for some amazingly sharp graphics. I love it.

 

Sounds like you got a good deal. I personally just received my Asus W3J today and it has the below specs for $1872 but it could be had for ~$1720 as I found out after Oh well, the build quality on the W3J is rock solid with a carbon-fiber chasis and anonidized metal cover. I was looking at the Dells as well but decided to go for better build quality and a better graphic's card. Nonetheless, you got a good deal with the XPS M1210.

 

I second this - buy from someone who had good feedback. You will end up paying about 200 more compared to EPP coupon deal, but its should still be less than 1500. Warranty and all.

 

jtom ----> Congrats on your new laptop man....enjoy

sheff159 --> I'm relieved to hear that the screen size is fine..thanks

Noobified, wearetheborg -->
Thanks, I did consider the ebay option...but I didnt want to take any risk with my first laptop. (I personaly feel ebay is worth risking only with < 100$ purchases)

doc_who ----> Based on your and few others replies, I'm happy that I got a reasonably decent deal on XPS 1210.

thanks everybody..... Please keep posting if me or other XPS 1210 owners need to know anything more about the laptop

 

is there little to no chance for that 30% off again ? What does EPP stand for?

 

XPS coupons are very few and far between, and usually not that great. I dont think we'll see another 30% EPP coupon for a very very long time, if ever. Oh and EPP stands for Employee Personal Purchase Program. Its for Dell employees, and companies/orgnizations/institutions that are dell partners. My college is a dell partner (all their computers are dell) so I got an epp discount because of my school.