Vostro 1310 vs XPS 1330?

Hi there!

Looking at a 13" laptop (after a lot of deliberation, its the perfect size for me) and found myself admiring the look of both these dell laptops. After configuring them, I found that I can get a better spec (wireless n card, bluetooth) for the 1310 for £150 cheaper than the XPS. (and that includes VAT on both!)

Is there any reason for this price difference? Right now i'm looking at going for the 1310, but if its got problems, or for some reason isnt as good as the XPS, then I may have to rethink it. I just get worried about differences in price like this! Makes me think that the 1310 is going to just be cheap and nasty or somthing like that.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me

 

the vostro is ugly the dell xps isnt bte wat r u using it for if u dont game or dont mind if the vostro is ugly go 4 it y waste 150 pounds?>

 

Well I actually like the look of both of them. Nice simple designs, i'm just really wondering about the build quality of the product. Usually in my experience, cheaper = cheaper components.... Dont want to have to buy a new one in a couple years!

 

Bullyfish i'm guessing you are looking on Dell.co.uk?. I am from the UK too and starting from Yesterday whenever I go on to Spec an XPS of either size it comes with the Wireless N Card standard now, where as a few days ago you could choose the Dell 54g card or the intel 54g card , or the N card with the N being most expensive...

Also i'm pretty sure they use exactly the same internal components. Same brands of components inside etc, so you don't get faster RAM in the XPS, its still only 667Mhz DDR2 and things like that. The look and feel of the XPS I am lead to believe would be better as it uses a brushed aluminium palmrest etc.

You will also get "XPS Premium Support" with the 1330 which is supposed to be better. The XPS get Biometric fingerprint reader as a standard feature too which I don't think the Vostro gets...But don't quote me on that.

 

It still says a/b/g wireless for me on the XPS1330, but thats probally as i'm looking at getting it with Ubuntu (to drop the price by another £50, otherwise it would be £200 more expensive)

Its a shame the Vostro hasnt been built with the same materials as the XPS, as from reading about it, it looks to be a bit more fragile compared to other laptops. I guess i'll wait to see what my mums 1510 is like when its delivered in the next few days.

It would also be nice if dell didnt update their website with different prices so often...

 

I have the 1310. The external speaker in it is AWFUL. I mean terrible. I had to turn on subtitles to watch DVDs. I'm already considering opening it up and replacing it with something better.

Also media buttons aren't great. They are touch sensitive but holding your finger on it does nothing. You basically have to tap it about 20 times to reduce the volume by half.

No other complaints other than that.

 

I own the 1310 and have handled the 1330 at work. I'd go with the 1310 because the 1330 got very warm while just idling on the desktop. As for looks, I like them both but the 1310 has a more professional slant to it. Build quality isn't something I would worry about in either of these notebooks, though I guess ignoring the strange heat on the 1330 it might slightly edge out the 1310. The only other things I can make a note about is that the 1330 keyboard is a little more roomy (or so it seems) and the mono speaker on the 1310 is going to be a problem if you're part of the 0.05% of the population that uses their internal speakers regularly.

Closing thoughts: Get whatever is cheaper. The internal options available are exactly the same as far as I can tell.

Edit: Just a note about quarryman's point about the media buttons. They are exactly the same on the 1330.

 

FYI my vostro is built like a tank. 17in screen with no flex, and an aluminum chassis. If the vostro series keeps up the spartan look and this build type I may be in for another one when I need an upgrade.

 

Dont even compare the Vostro against the XPS, the Vostro is the cheap model of the Inspiron, and the Inspiron is a cheap model of the XPS, remember what you get for that you paid, I just upgraded my 6400 to a 1530 and it is amazing, so if you have money to spend i advise you to buy an XPS system, it gives you more performance and stability than a Vostro.

 

Wrong. Vostro is business class. It is in the same class as the Inspiron.

From what I hear, the Vostro is pretty durable.

 

It sounds to me like you haven't even used or owned a Vostro. I'll believe you in saying that your XPS machine is great, but unless you've used a Vostro or Inspiron there's no point in bashing it without giving some credible points. Just stating that it's a cheap version of an Inspiron which is a cheap version of the XPS makes you look ignorant since you are taking a debatable point and stating it as fact.

But correct me if I'm wrong. If you have any reasons for this strange hierarchy that makes Vostro definitively worse than the Inspiron which is definitively worse than the XPS then please share.

 

Thanks for all the input! Looks like the Vostro will be a better choice for me then!

 

I work with Vostros and Inspirons every day, and Inspirons computers they come with less issues than Vostros, a common issue with the vostro is the dvd not recognized, the wireless adapter not catching signal, sound issues (garbling sound, static and what not) , And whenever a motherboard has to be replaced is the same one as the Inspiron if you didnt know, As you might see some Vostros has the same case as the inspiron 6400, and now the Studio Line which is the Inspiron has the same case as the XPS 1530 (Studio line case is a little bit improved). It is simple math, for how much would you buy a Vostro and an Inspiron?? do the math. You pay for what you get. For every Inspiron i get 5 vostros are waiting. And for the record i've had a 6400 for over one year and a half.

 

Vostro is fa better than XPS and Inspiron
if talking about built quality XPS and Inspiron body is made from Plastic. and what Vostro is made from Magnesium alloy.
ya if you are talking about speaker quality m agree ya vostro is not better.
but only speaker is not the thing to compare.
for basic processors Inspiron starts with the processors with 667 Mhz bus.
Vostro comes with 360 Bluetooth® Module where Inspiron and XPS comes 355 Bluetooth® Module.
XPS and Inspiron comes with 10/100 lan where Vostro comes with 10/100/1000 lan.

there are many other features like TPM, keep your hard drive, no trailware, are optional available with Vostro only.