costco vs dell

besides the waranty that dell provides with buying the xps m1210, what is the real difference between buying it from costco and dell? i understand that costco's m1210 are preconfigured, but are there any hardware or performance differences? has anyone bought the m1210 from costco yet? if anyone has, i would love to hear your input on your system. i also understand you are able to buy the bluetooth upgrade from dell as well. other than that, im ready to pull the trigger on costco's m1210. they have a 6 month return policy and if i am not happy with their system i'll just run over to the local costco and get my money back ...and plus its way cheaper to get it from costco anyway. thank you for your input.
-chun

 

Yes, I am pretty sure that the Costco models are the same as the ones at Dell performance and hardware wise, except for the RAM. On the Costco website it says taht it has 533MHz RAM, can anyone confirm this? The one at Dell has 667MHz RAM which is why I am asking. Also, can anyone confirm the Audigy soundblaster sound upgrade?

 

You may have to pay sales tax if you get the notebook from costco, which may bump up the price $100 or so. Still, the notebook is pretty sweet and the return policy is great. I've got to return a notebook and called to ask if it was okay if there were any cosmetic blemishes. All that they told me was "As long as it was purchased less than 6 months ago." Love that place.

 

Does the Costco deal come with the EVDO card and the built in camera/audio package? THe deal lists it as optional, but it seems unclear if it comes with that.

 

I belive they do come with it

 

i have the costco package (the 1399 one) it has everything advertised, i also got that creative hd cd-rom and the webcam (the webcam is really bad quality, don't think its just me though) overall i'd say it was a pretty good buying experience. On the product page it says allow 20-25 business days for shipping, but mine arrived 8 days after i ordered it.

 

sounds good. i think i might just have to pull the trigger. thanks guys

 

and i also understand that there is a specific way to get rid of dells bloatware because of the media center buttons (can someone link me?). it requires the discs from dell? does that mean if i get it from costco, these cds wont be included? i feel like i would want to format the hard drive before i start playing with it. and final question -- is there anything special i need to do with charging the battery? ive read some threads of people charging their new macbooks the first 24 hours for maximum battery performance. should i just plug and play? or charge first?

 

the number one overwhelming difference between buying at costco and buying direct from dell? you can take it back to costco ANYTIME AND FOR ANY REASON (to include "I don't like it anymore") within the first six months and get 100% of your money back!

 

Don't they have a 1499 dollar one too now? Imo, if you're not in a rush for a laptop for college or fairly sure you will stick with the M1210, I'd go with Costco. I got mine from Dell because after much research I decided to go for the fully loaded M1210 along with a 4yr warranty for college and the EPP discount. It really depends one your use for the M1210 as well.

 

See, I am going to go with the $1299 model from costco because that is exactly how I had it configured at the Dell store for about $350 more than what Costco is charging. I still want to know if it is 667MHz RAM as on Dell's site, or 533 as advertised on Costco.com.