XPS M1330 Arrived. Worth the wait! (Pics)

Just wanted to send some encouragement to those still waiting for their 1330 shipments! According to some sources this model is the first platform for which they've pretty much eliminated the summer's backlog.

Seems like quite a few members have received theirs over the past few days, and mine arrived last night after being flown up from Austin.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the build quality after seeing some of the horror stories on this forum. Although it's no Mac (my old iBook is a tank), all the plastic pieces fit to good tolerances, my decals didn't come off, there is very little play in the various covers and snaps, and while buttons like the wi-fi catcher are relatively loose, and the expresscard/SD slots are relatively tight, overall, this is about as good as I expected from Dell. No exposed teeth around the screen or anything like that. There is room for improvement, definitely, but I can't say I am disappointed.

I haven't experienced CPU whine yet on either AC or battery, but also haven't had the unit long enough yet to say that conclusively. The screen is extremely bright and contrasty with no graininess (CMO) - although I do see a bit of uneven backlighting (the LED wave pattern) when viewing a completely blank screen like the POST or Vista startup. It's absolutely not a problem once the desktop comes in.

My base is (very) slightly uneven with a six-cell battery. Not enough to bother me too much, and I expect it to even out once the rubber bumpers on the feet wear down slightly. The matte black finish is gorgeous, but also a fingerprint magnet. Note that a damp paper towel seems to take care of it.

Other than that, this is by far the fastest computer, notebook or desktop, I've ever used, and Vista so far seems stable and without lag. Best of all, this laptop is light light light. Very noticeably lighter than a 15" MacBook Pro, and significantly easier on the shoulders.

IMHO, worth the wait, and even more so once Dell gets their production under control and maybe lowers the prices a bit again.

Some pictures to whet your appetite! Keep believing, and I hope you all receive yours soon!

 

Naw, so jealous. XD

 

When I first turned on my M1330 I met a BSOD...but after that it has ran smooth

 

Good to hear.

In the fourth image there appears to be an orange fleck where the power button is. I had thought that all LED's on the system were blue.

Is this simply a reflection from a flash bulb, room lighting or have they changed something?

Nevermind. The orange tint on the exposed metal makes me think it's just room lighting reflecting off of the button fascia.

 

Mine's should arribe the 13/09, just hope all goes ok like you and i dont have to call them =P

Now that i see that case, does it protect the laptop good enough? i mean, can you put it with the case in a backpack or should buy a better case?

 

The orange is the overhead lighting reflecting off the metal trim. All lights are blue - and by the way, the capacitance touch buttons seem to work quite well imho.

The sleeve is fine for use inside a backpack (unless you're checking it in for a flight or something). There's just enough padding/felt to protect the notebook from books, pens and stuff outside the bag. I'm using it inside a courier bag.

 

Snowkarver!!!

Glad everything went well with your system. Repped you for the enthusiasm buddy.

Dont be afraid to check out the tweaks to make it fly...

 

SnowKarver...heyyy..I was starting to wonder about your silence...but I estimated that you should have received it by now and that I would find a post from you somewhere today. I was right..

I am glad you liked your system ... gives me hope since my machine was built about 3 days after yours. mine is in transit in U.S. and if it goes through the same shipping time as yours, then I should have it here by the 13/14th. that would be very interesting since you did order yours 3 days before me.

anyways, I also recommend Flamenko's tweaks as I have applied some of them to several machines (All XP btw) and they work great, specifically I recommend tweaks number (1,2, and 4) I am not sure about turning off indexing..and I am in the pro-UAC camp myself..I haven't tried tweaks 6 or 7 yet...

enjoy your new sexy machine.. I'll see you in the owner's lounge soon

 

Congrats on your new Laptop! It seems like Dell has finally started to catch up with the orders. I ordered mine on September 6th and got a preliminary delivery date October 27th. My order went almost immediately in "Build" and today the order status says shipped!! This is in Europe though, but it seems as the M1330 is starting to get delivered to most users here worldwide.

Btw, thanks to all here for the excess of information and tips you have provided to us prospective owners of this baby!

 

here is a picture of a dell with a spanish keyboard

 

you're not Spanish right?

 

no, I am Mexican

 

This is the spanish Keyboard. Remember the catalan ppl
http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sany0013ba9.jpg

 

of course! there's a difference