XPS 1330 or LG P300?

I am trying to decide between these 2 options. The LG P300 is on sale at Futureshop this week, http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10098992&logon=&langid=EN. I can't seem to find any reviews on it though. Anyone know whether the qualitiy of the XPS will be superior to LG products? I can configure an XPS 1330 to be very similar in spec at Dell Canada since there is a sale going on now.

 

The LG P300 does not have an internal DVD drive and it also has a superior graphics card the 8600GS. If battery life is your priority and you need a built in DVD drive then the XPS M1330 would seem like the better deal. If you don't need these things and need a slightly better graphics card for gaming then the LG looks the better choice.

 

Not quite true. P300 does have an internal, built in DVD burner.

and looks like an HDMI "in" as well according to the Futureshop listing?

It's definitely superior in Spec terms. However, service may be a difference. Also it will never have the type of community that the M1330 does. Also, a real review would be interesting to see. The 8600 may have heat/battery life issues in a laptop of this size.

 

Ok on that specs page the OP linked to it lists the dvd burner as-
Optical Drive External Super Multi Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
I have also seen other sites list it this same way as well.
http://www.notebook.de/lg-p300-serie-g-767/

 

Looks like you are right. All the pre release press said internal but looks like the official specs read external too:

http://ae.lge.com/products/model/detail/p300.jhtml#

 

I decided to go with the XPS. I don't know much about LG and their build quality or their customer service.

 

I think that's a good call. The M1330 is a beautiful notebook.

 

I am, as we speak, trying to make the same decision re these 2 laptops, plus another one, the Asus W7S.
Today I decided to go Dell, now tonight I want the LG.. irg...but my gut tells to go with the Asus.
Both the Dell and LG are around $2400 with taxes. I do audio recording, video editing, etc. so I need 7200rpm drive.

Dell
pros- available w/7200 rpm drive; includes a 9 cell
cons - only 2 usb! (I'm currently using 7, and some things don't like to run on a hub); a bit heavier than the LG; read about quality issues; OS Vista
-
LG
pros: great display, higher quality construction, slightly better speakers, *3 usb*, more powerful graphics
cons: no firewire (but an express card is an easy fix); 6 cell; need to replace drive; no dvd but that's a non-issue..the one they give you is great; support uncertain; OS Vista Home
The LG is a bit lighter and just seems like a sexier machine to me. According to the review at this website the build quality is excellent.

Option #3: a great cheaper option-Asus W7S, which is $1600 including taxes, saving $7-800! It gets very good reviews, plus it is available with XP Pro. I'm really afraid of getting into the Vista can of worms.
pros: 3 usb; 4.3lbs; great display; 2 year warranty; lightscribe; spdif; Windows XP!
cons: max ram is 2.5 (the only real downside); not great battery life; bad sound (but none of them are great); it's going to take 2-4 to get it.
Review: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-w7s-b1b.aspx
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3885

Now I really can't decide. Advice welcome. I need to buy this week.
Thanks.

 

My experience with three different kinds of LG products (DVD-player, CRT-monitor, LCD tv) were all very bad: all of them died way too fast. All of that could have been a coincidence of course, but I'll never even consider another LG product haha, so just my two cents I guess.

I know Dell is know for its great build quality of its products and I believe Asus has a pretty good track record as well.

Note that I've never tried (or even seen) an LG notebook though and perhaps they've improved their quality control recently.

 

I've almost got myself talked into the Asus, as long as 2.5 ram is going to do the trick for audio recording. With XP I'll be able to use all my existing software, and why pay more?..I'll save a lot of money.
So unless someone wants to talk me into the Dell, I think I'll go with Asus W7S.

My current laptop is a 15.4" Asus and it has been a total workhorse for 5 years.
Thanks.

 

UPDATE:
I just called Asus and they don't recommend putting a 7200rpm drive in the W7S. What a disappointment. The new W7Sg model won't be available here for quite a while.
So I'll be getting the Dell 1330, with Vista (yuck)...I have no other choices.

 

Would LG cover for the warranty if purchased from Futureshop which seems to be Canadian and me being in the USA? That LG P300 seems to be an awesome laptop and I just wonder about the GPU heat. If the GPU heat is not super high, I would trade my M1330 for the LG in a heartbeat.