Please Review My m1330 Order for "mistakes"

Hi guys- I am pretty much a newbie although I am trying to learn as much as possible about laptops. I just placed an order yesterday for the m1330 (to be delivered by 8/30- ) and since I am not yet very knowledgeable, I would love some input about my configuration. I am not a gamer, just a surfer girl....my main question is about the screen. Should I upgrade to the LED for $134? And get fingerprint reader? Any general comments would be appreciated since I have plenty of time to change my configuration as it will not in production for awhile it looks like ! TIA

XPS M1330, Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 (1.5GHz/667Mhz FSB, 2M L2 Cache)
1 310-9240 Matte Black Casing XPS M1330
1 311-7310 2GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm, for XPS M1330
1 320-5591 Slim and Light LCD with Matte Black Casing and Camera XPS M1330
1 320-5603 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS, for XPS M1330
1 341-4938 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive for XPS M1330
1 420-6813 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, English
1 313-5361 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive for XPSM1330
1 313-4783 Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
1 430-2589 Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) Mini Card
1 312-0561 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, for XPS M1330
1 950-3339 3 Year Limited Warranty
1 960-9188 CompleteCare Accidental DamageProtection, Inspiron, 3 Year
1 986-4349 Bundle LoJack Theft Recovery Service - 3 Year
1 310-8628 Windows Vista Premium System
1 310-9348 Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor

 

While I haven't seen it myself and eagerly awaiting the one I ordered everyone so far has raved about this LED screen and how this technology is the future. I think if your get the XPS 1330 if anything that screen should be a must.

 

Hello...there...your config....seems to be fine....since you are not a Gamer..and for your needs its more then enough...

 

just fine for what you need it for.

LED should use less power, and be brighter, for if that is worth anything to you go with the screen. But I have never seen one before.

 

Do yourself a favor and upgrade to the intel 4965 wireless agn card. Its only about $20 more.

The bluetooth 2.0 option is also something i couldnt grab a notebook in 2007 without. Theres nothing worse to me than someone with a brand new notebook with a usb dongle.

 

Thanks for noticing that - that's the one I meant to order ! As I have to re-order anywat, I did upgrade to LED screen As for bluetooth, you will be offended as I guess I don't mind the dongle (real word?LOL) too much ! Thanks everybody ! I'm psyched !!!

 

I think that maybe you should also consider upgrading to 1.8 Ghz as well i think that this may help to give your laptop a better resale value in the future as well. It is 90$ difference for the 1.8 processor. I don't know if you are getting a student discount but if not maybe you should call them if you have not and try and get some money of?
I got them down by like £200/$400 on my order.

 

What do others think? The lady at Dell thought the 1.5Ghz would be more than sufficient? I don't want to get carried away with the specs esp since I don't do intense gaming, etc....Hmmm....

 

I you are not a gamer then I suggest that you downgrade to the Intel X3100 and give yourself another hour (my current best guess) on the battery. The fan shouldn't be so busy either. For an idea of the perfomance of the X3100 you can see this review.

If you are going to phone them up about downgrading the GPU first check what they charge to upgrade the GPU on one of the base models. Dell (at least in UK) seem to value downgrades at a lower price than upgrades.

John

 

Oh my...I feel a headache coming on ! No, not really but there certainly is A LOT of choices - too many IMHO. John- I see what you are saying about the video card...obviously, I should have consulted you guys BEFORE I placed the order - DUH - the only definite change I'm making is the LED screen, tempted to up the processor, followed by downgrading the video card as I do like increasing the battery life !

 

@John - An hour is a pretty high guess as to added battery life.

I'd keep the 8400M, if its in your budget. Cpu wise, id stay where i was at unless you were jumping to a T7300 or higher. Otherwise you'd never really know the difference.

Also with the T7100 being phased out in 2 months i think they are overcharging for it.

I'd beg you to reconsider with the bluetooth but i dont think i'd get anywhere.

Dongle Lover!!!

 

LOL - I am going to officially add "dongle lover" to my signature !!!

 

I wouldn't bother with the Wireless-N card. It's a DRAFT N card, because the spec hasn't been finalized, and you'll just end up having to buy another card when the spec is finalized this summer. I have Draft N cards in my M1210 and M1710 and can't stand them. Just slow as all heck in N mode, and VERY unreliable.

 

Two reasons for estimating the extra hour on a 6 cell battery: (i) Somewhere I saw Dell quoting up to 7 hours battery life. That would be for a 9 cell with the LED backlight, so a 6 cell should manage at least 4.5hrs in proportion; (ii) people with the 12.1" Samsung Q45 (T7100 + X3100) are reporting around 5 hours. the M1330's display is bigger but the LED backlight should save power. Anyway, I put a second six cell battery on my order just in case....

I bought a Samsung Q70 with the 8400M G GPU and it's on its way back, partly because of disappointing battery life. The GPU leaks power and means the fan in on almost all of the time. I'm now giving my money to Intel whom I think have taken power management more seriously. The Intel GMA 950 can handle my graphics requirements (I turn off Vista's eye candy because I think it looks better without). I don't want a dedicated GPU.

I feel that the T7100 is a good compromise as a CPU. I am wary of the T7300 (not currently available on the Dell UK website) because I think the extra cache uses more power and I am wary of the T5250 because Intel hasn't published the full specs.

I am also wary of Bluetooth because on my Q35 I had to disable it because it was costing about an hour in battery time. Maybe this is specific to Samsungs but it is also happening with the new Q45. I don't normally use Bluetooth so I can make do with a dongle (aside from which the Bluetooth upgrade in UK is the high side of $50).

My M1330 is to replace my Samsung Q35 (link to detailed review below) siimply because the 12.1" display is a little small for my eyes. Otherwise the speed is fine and 5 hours on a 6 cell battery is a tough act to follow. Hence my spec for the M1330 was something very similar. I had tried the new Samsung Q70 but it failed to perform.

John

 

John- I am sure you are right about the video card as I read a review of the m1210 and I do believe they stated you definitely get extra battery life ~ 1 hr and cooler laptop if you get the integrated graphics card.

Btw, does the video card effect the quality of videos on the web e.g. YOUTUBE? Just curious.

 

Youtube videos shouldn't be affected. It's 3D animations like in games, Vista Aero etc that need the dedicated graphics card. I heard the new integrated graphics card renders Aero ok though. I would still go with the dedicated graphics card.

 

hey guys -
The lady from Dell emailed me about the LCD/LED mix-up and stated that the "sku number is active jet" ?!? Can anyone translate that into English for me? She said it should be fixed by tonight

 

personally i would update to either the t7100 or t7300 - more on the t7300

and with out a doubt get the led

also i would keep the video card, u never know if you might want to play a game - and i got it specifically for the hdmi, you may not have a high def tv but chances are you'll sometime get one and connecting to that and searching the web will look awesome!

as for bluetooth, dont matter if you dont plan to use more than 2 things at once for usb. i never even thought about using it when i didn't have it, but once i got it, i did use it and it is nice.

and the agn, like said before, isn't finalized yet so no point to get it (although i got it, but afraid if i cancel it, it will change my, what seems like forever, (yet better than most), 7/31 shipping date - to a late august ship date like alot of people have!


personally i dont even know why were talking about the m1330 or any notebook for that matter - harry potter is coming out next week....

 

I think the HDMI is standard regardless of the videocard you get?

 

I guess i should i have given a source

http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=4980 Core 2 Duo Sept Price Drop

If that number of 7 hours with a 9cell is legit then 6 hours with the 8400m is going to be great for me.

The advice i gave was mostly biased based on the other hardware i have. I havent had a chance to try out wireless n on my new router so thats why my views may be a little skewed.

I also have a bluetooth 2.0 compatible phone that'll share its evdo internet connection with the laptop. So there is a slight rhyme to my reason.

But you guys are right neither are necessary to have a good notebook.

 

What she was saying was that the LED screen when ordered is confirmed as part # 320-5583

however, on the order status page, this screen is listed as 320-5591.

in fact, based on your first post, I don't think you need to upgrade to the LED- you've already ordered it. Thus she was explaining to you that the SKUs were mixed up- making it look like you needed to pay $135 to upgrade to something you'd already paid for.

hope this helps... basically it means you have the LED already

 

Regarding the battery life.

Here it says:

But there's a footnote:

However, I very much doubt that even the big battery will play DVDs for 7 hours.

John

 

Wow a lot of people posting here. As someone who has just bought a M1330 too, and I have similar usage I will quickly go over what I got:

I will be using it mainly for office stuff, a little bit of photoshop and stuff too. But I have a primary desktop system already.

Processor: I got the 1.5Ghz too. That should be fine for light gaming, surfing, and most anything else.

Case: Red Ownz.

Screen: LCD was the one of the main reasons I bought this model. The new Macbook Pro's use the LCD screens and have been getting very good reviews.

Video: Just get the Intel card. That will be fine for everything except 3D gaming. The NVidia card will make your laptop run hotter, and run the battery down faster.

Wireless: I stuck with a/g, Wireless N is not around much, and I want mine to run Linux.

Bluetooth: This is cool, I want to see if it will allow me to sync my Cell Phone with out cables. And I am getting a Bluetooth mouse for sure so I do not have the DONGLE. Remember we only have 2 USB ports you do not want one always used up with a Dongle in it.

Fingerprint: This is just for show for average users. I got one just so I can show off and swipe my finger to log in. But if you don't mind typing passwords you will be fine without it.