Should I buy XPS M140

I'm considering buying the XPS M140 through military base/post exchange online catalog which allows me a decent discount. I was also considering the Sony TX650 for the portability but it will cost me about $500 more and won't have the same horsepower. I really don't do much gaming (last game I played was DIABLO ) but do quite a bit of photo editing, spreadsheet, powerpoint.

The Dell is the only LT that I have the option to configure if I order through the military catalog. They have a few other LT's available but with basic configs.

Any thoughts on this config/price? Budget is open but this looked like a pretty good deal.

$1,591.80 (Includes shipping)

Date: Saturday, December 10, 2005 11:18:49 PM CST
Catalog Number: 23 RC977947
XPS M140: Intel® Pentium® M Processor 760 (2GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
Operating System XP Media Center Edition 2005
Display: 14.1 inch WXGA TrueLife™ LCD Panel
Memory: 512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms (Intend to upgrade to 2gb through online vendor)
Video Card: Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Hard Drive: 100GB 5400rpmHard Drive
Integrated Modem and NIC: Internal 56K Modem and Integrated Network Card
Adobe Software: Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
Optical: 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Wireless Networking Cards: Intel® PRO 2915 and Dell 350 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed): No productivity suite- Corel WordPerfect word processor only
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed): Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition 15-months
Battery: 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr)
Additional Battery: 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery (80 WHr)
Limited Warranty, Services and Support: 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support
Operating System Backup & Recovery: Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition backup CD
Dell Digital Entertainment: Starter Entertainment Pack - Basic digital Music, Photo and Game experience
Dell Digital Jukebox: Dell 512MB DJ Ditty (Free)

 

You should only get 256MB of ram if you plan on upgrading to 2GB.

 

i think the lowest you can go now is 512 with Dell, but i could be wrong.

Great price.

 

Are you planning on using this out on the acutal field in the military?

Just to let you know that when your outside with the TruLife screen, make sure the screen is faced away from the sun otherwise you get a giant mirror, other than that, its a perfect screen for outside because it doesnt go dimmer like the matte screen does.

 

512 mb is the lowest I could go.

 

No not using in military. The military has base/post exchage stores we can shop in and I will be ordering through them from the dell site which will allow me the military discount.

 

Cool. It's a shame that dell won't let you get 512MB on a single module. I guess you can always sell those two 256MB modules.

Good price BTW, I'd get it now before Dell changes their pricing; as they continuously do.

Gasp! What happened to my one point of "Rep power"? whatever that is...

 

there you go AngryLlama

 

Thanks. I'm getting closer to the plunge.

 

You really are a Super Moderator.

 

I would use the coupons you can find on the main page here. There usually is a $500 off $1499.

 

# 8QG$0WW01?GKBQ $500 off purchase of Inspiron $1499+ (expires 12/15/2005 7:00:00 AM)

 

Would that coupon even work on a XPS?

When I think of XPS I dont think of it being in the inspiron class.

 

Wont work on XPS systems

 

They will, that is an option now (since around the 1st of December). However, it will cost you $100, which is not a good deal considering you can get a 512MB module from Crucial for $58 (or TWO 512k modules for $111). I upgraded mine to 2 GB (anybody wanna buy two 256K modules? ).

NFred: I have an M140 and so far it's been great. It should work out well for the applications you described (it even runs Flight Simulator really well, although FS is more dependent on the processor than the graphics card). My biggest problem is the heat. It gets pretty hot, particularly on the left side where your palm rests where you are typing. I'm also not crazy about the screen which shows colors a little washed out and is pretty particular about your viewing angle (I got the "TrueLife" screen). The battery life is excellent (I got the 9 cell), the keyboard is good and I like the touch pad. Plus it's got all the goodies built in like built-in wireless, media buttons on the front, and a media card reader which I am already using a lot. Overall I don't regret the purchase, for the money I think it's a good choice.

 

I found a 25% off coupon for the 630m on the biz site then called up dell to purchase and they took off about $30 and gave me an extra year on the warranty. 630m is the same machine.

 

I still have yet to see this in person but i'm comparing it against a 14" HP notebook (similar size).

 

Scratch the XPS M140. I was out shopping today and bought a Sony S560P. It is the perfect size between the TX650 and the M140. Typing on it now and it's a great ultra light.

Thanks for all your inputs.

 

Congrats on your new lappy...post here and let us know your specs and how you think it is...I love hearing about other lappys that I might consider buying. I have 3 desktops and 2 lappys and I am still salvaging more and am looking for a laptop for the wife.