finally settled on a dell XPS M140

after going through a bunch of laptops, i've finally settled on the dell XPS M140. it seems to get good reviews (generally!) and was in my price range.

*****
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
Operating System: Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
LCD Panel: 14.1 inch WXGA TrueLife™ LCD Panel
Memory 512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms
Video Card: Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Hard Drive: 80GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
Combo/DVD+RW Drives Featured Upgd-8xCD/DVD burner(DVD+/-RW)w/dble-layer DVD+R write capability
Wireless Networking Cards: Intel® PRO 2915 Internal Wireless (802.11 a/b/g, 54Mbps)
Primary Battery: Special Upgrade!9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr)
*****

total was $850. i didn't know dell website charged tax! i can't remember the last time i was charged tax for an online purchase. is this common?

somebody please tell me i did good!

 

Looks good. That was the exact configuration I was going for. However, I settled on the E1505 because I wanted dual processor.

 

what are the benefits of the dual processor? i've just started hearing about them lately.

it was a toss up for me between the M140 and the E1505. i didn't really have a preference and no one could tell me the difference, so i just picked one! i can't wait to get it. now to sell my 2-week old gateway! ahhh!

 

Faster processing, duo core takes a lot of load off for multi-tasking performance

I also got a free 1GB memory upgrade although I didn't get a free DVDRW or 9 cell battery upgrade like your XPS M140

 

battery life is important to me, as i often use it off the power supply.

i think i'll eventually swap out the 2x256MB for 2x512MB as i do want 1GB RAM. i saw some good deals on RAM on ebay! i recently got 512MB for my gateway MX6421 for $32.

 

Heck go all the way and get 2GB. Got mine off Newegg for under a $120. Vista proof.

 

calm down there cougar. i got some serious credit card debt to pay off in the next few months! i am still trying to hunt down exactly what kind of RAM this machine takes...

 

huh, i just realized i ordered the XPS with a 14" screen...and then i realized it doesn't have the 15.4" screen as an option. oops. i winder if i'll miss the 1.3 inches.

 

XPS only has the 14.1 inch screens, which is ideal for me. I wish Dell made models that were 14.1 inch with duo core.

 

If you live in a state that charges sales tax, it is. HP does it too.

They do. The Lat1tude D62O.

 

Looks good congrats

 

is the 256MB RAM able to be upgraded easily? i thought i read somewhere that the XPS M140 had one of the RAM chips built into the motherboard.

any word on this?

 

I don't think the M140 has 256 built into the motherboard, because I have 2 512mb DIMM's, and the machine is capable of up to 2gb.

I think there is a slot underneath the keyboard, and one on the bottom of the laptop. When I'm back home (and not sittin the airport), I will see what I can find on mine.

 

well, finally got my M140! about a week earlier than initially expected!

here are my quick thoughts:

cons:
colors seem a little washed out.
touchpad gets kinda warm when charging.
AC adapter gets very warm when charging.

pros:
very quiet!
speedy!
excellent battery life!

that's all for now. generally, i am pretty impressed. it's smaller than my gateway MX6421, but it will do!

 

sounds great, I just ordered mine on monday and cannot wait to get it, very similar to yours except I got 1gb ram. How is that battery holding up, any reports on battery life? How about the overall build and styling of the notebook?

 

I want to buy it too (Inspiron 630m on Dell.ca)... waitting for a good deal! maybe tomorrow!

 

I just got mine 2 days ago!

Very happy with it so far (except for the wireless card... getting lots of error messages, and haven't been able to connect to my wireless network yet )

 

Intel 2200?

Pain in the hindquarters. Wireless Networking section has a huge thread on 2200 issues. Mine was a little twitchy at first as well, I ultimately installed the more recent intel drivers/proset software, and it seems to be better now. I haven't had a chance to give it a good workout though, so I'm not quite ready to declare victory.

A few things to try:

- Are you using the Intel Proset software to connect, or the Microsoft client? Alot of people seem to have trouble with the Proset; try switching to the MS client to connect.

- Old drivers? Old software? Both the wireless card drivers and the intel software might be a few revisions old. You can either try using the set of drivers on Dell's page, or the newer set straight from Intel. Maybe try the Dell's first, I'm not sure if it's older because they didn't update, or just found that works better with their computers. If you do update your drivers, it might be a better idea to uninstall the old ones first, then install, rather than having the driver utility just write over the old one.... I think some people reported problems with that.

- Check the wireless card settings. Stuff like the power management slider apparently can muck things up. Click off the default check box, move the slider to maximum performance.


I guess a better thing to ask is what kind of error messages you're getting as well, heh. Glad you (generally) like your M140 though, and I hope you can get the wireless to work out.

 

the battery life is outstanding. getting well over 4 hours and i think that was on a partial charge. i think the build and styling is great. i don't mind the "white stripe" that so many others complain about. the touchpad buttons have a lot more give than i am used to, but i do like them.

only thing that REALLY bugs me: colors seem a little washed out and the touchpad area gets a little too warm sometimes. i still haven't found a way to adjust the contrast on the machine. maybe there isn't a way.

otherwise, i am pretty pleased with the machine!

 

Not a horrible deal, but I just got the M140 for $649 with the same processor and memory, and a 60gb 7200 rpm drive, but the 6 cell battery. But to make me feel even worse, my wife got an inspiron with the same processor and memory, and a 40 gb 5400 rpm drive for $499 today!!!

 

That's because the M140 is being upgraded on May 1st

 

Nice! Congrats. Your laptop is almost the same as mine. I have a 60GB HD and 1GB of RAM. Hope you like your new system!