m1210 or m1330

Hi:

I need advice. A week ago it suddenly it dawn upon me that the 3 year warranty on my 700m was about to run out and it was high time I replaced it with something new. Amazing how in the past a year was the most I could put up with a computer before itching to get rid of it. With all its quirks the 700m survived over 2 1/2. Anyway, I looked for something similar and saw the m1210, built an acceptable, as it seemed to me, configuration and was just about to finalize the order when June 26 happened and with it the m1330.

Now the peace of mind, that only a difficult decision taken once and for all can bring, is gone and I have to figure out the trade-off between staying within budget and getting the newest out there while all the time considering the needs and performance.

Obviously portability is important (both physical and warranty-wise - my travels are mostly overseas to Europe), as well as speed and capacity and connectivity within limits (meaning nothing extraordinary). I use the computer in my grad work (which exists comfortably within the word-processing and database applications), web browsing and watching movies.

The configurations I'm considering are as follows:

m1210: t7200, 2gb, 160gb (7200 rpm), 7400, 4 usb

m1330: t7300, LED, 2gb, 160gb (7200rpm), 8400, 2 usb

The LED is very tempting but does it offset the fewer usb ports. the HDD capacity is not that important - external storage is inevitable no matter what, but I'd rater go with the faster kind. How much should I expect T7300 and the 8400 to affect the performance given that I don't do games and heavy graphics. Will the m1210 be still workable in, say, another 2 1/2 years.

What do you think?

 

the m1330 wont last you any more than the m1210 will. i mean the specs are similar right? i'd personally go for m1330 with bigger and brighter screen. not to mention m1210 will feel all too familiar to the 700m.

 

Depends what kind of budget you are on. If money is not an option than the m1330, but the m1210 is currently a better value if you get a discount.

 

Well, I can't say that money is not a consideration. Still, I'm trying to decide whether spending the $3-500 more for the m1330 will be getting me an advantage in terms of speed and the capacity to handle multiple applications simultaneously.

 

The specs do seem similar. No wonder I feel like Buridan's donkey.

 

Except for gaming you will not notice any performance gains. Can’t you use Student/EPP discounts through your university or office? That will help bring down the cost of the M1330.

 

M1330. Its thinner and lighter, has a bigger and brighter screen, better performance and battery life, and it is much more stylish. The only con is the added price, so if you can afford it, the choice is obvious

 

The M1330 is bigger, but it will also add additional weight unless you opt for the LED backlight. The M1330 only has 2 USB, which is not enough for today's computing. The standard 4 cell battery is a joke, you get about 1.5-2 hours of run time. The hinges is also questionable because that reassemble Sony's SZ hinges. The overall notebook is a Sony SZ clone I would say, I haven't feel the M1330 yet, but that makes me wonder the quality as well.

 

I am in the exact same predicament as you mmmm33, and i recently ordered an m1210 with the exact same specs as yours i think (i got the nvidia graphics, im not sure if that is what you are considering).

Obviously, both are kick ass notebooks. I just chose the m1210 because it is far cheaper where i am (Australia) than the m1330, and i needed a portable notebook (i know the 1 inch isnt much of a difference though lol). so i guess if u have spare cash, maybe you will prefer the m1330.

 

same boat as u guys, just ordered m1210 2 days before m1330 came out

 

there seems to be a sizeable differencce between the two in the comparison picture on the first look thread

 

I disagree. Two usb ports is ok. Just grab a USB Hub for when you are at home. I bet I can stretch the 4 cell to 2.5 hours once I get it. Thats pretty decent considering its only 4 cells. Most normal notebooks with 6 cells only last that long The sony is ugly imo. Also don't get me started on Sony's tech support. As much as people knock Dell, as long as you are under warrenty and have onsite service, your machine will be fixed in 2-3 business days. Not to mention the 8400GS will smoke the 7400. Also the 1330 has an HDMI port, slot loaded optical, LED Display, and built in WWAN support for cellular internet. XPS 1330 is a great design and Dell is gonna sell a ton of these units.

 

Your specs on the M1330 will give you more graphics performance, by about 1.5x the performance over the 7400. This will only really benefit games and cad type of programs. The processor power is just a little better, but not much to even notice or care. The M1210 is...well...not that pretty, and it's a bit bulky. The M1330 will do better on the style points and battery life (provided you get the LCD and 6-9 cell battery). The M1330 also has the slot loading drive...great for keeping me from accidentally ejecting a disk.

If you do not need these extra features...the M1210 would be far more cost efficient. I think of it this way: gamer...1330. Standard user...1210. The little quirks are not enough for me but I bought it because I play games...and the 7400 sucks at that job.

 

When you compare a fully spec M1210 and M1330 in Aussie dollars I would say that the systems are not that far apart in price and the M1330 is only maybe $150-200 more expensive. But for the updated features, I do not think that is too bad, I was expecting to pay $3500+

I will be getting the M1330, just going to wait a bit, no way would I be now choosing the M1210.

 

hmm, i think the difference could be ignored, just look at http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/23861.jpg
M1210 and M1330 size almost identical with less than 1 inch difference plus m1330 is thinner, larger display size, LED backlid and santarosa...

man, wish i could afford one.....

 

lol, I'm in the same boat. I have 700m and loving it. However, I'm tired of 12" screen, it's too small for me. I don't want going to 14" 'cause it'll mean 6lb or heavier notebooks. So, it leaves 4lb XPS 1330 for me Well, that or Sony SZ

 

I agree and I would see if you can go to a Dell Kiosk and check out the keyboards as the m1330 supposedly sports a full-sized keyboard which IMHO, makes a world of difference ! Nevermind, they both do ! Ignore

 

Also the picture does not show depth, the M1330 is 9.4in deep while the M1210 is 8.7in deep. On the other hand, the Toshiba U300, another 13.3 in notebook is 12.2x8.9 while the M1330 is 12.5x9.4. Also on Dell I noticed in the footnotes it says the M1330 is 3.9lbs with the 4 cell battery and LED, wonder what the weight would be with the regular screen and 6 cell battery, probably somewhere around 4.5lbs which might be actually be a tad heavier than the 4.4lbs M1210.

 

It's 4.2 pounds with a 6 cell. 4.7 pounds with the 9cell.(I don't believe this one, though).

 

The M1210 is outdated, the reason Dell is offering some crazy deals on it is because noone is going to want it in 2 months time (even with ridiculous pricing). If you can live with that get the 1210, it's good value.

Personally I couldn't live with a "close-out" product for the next two to three years.

 

If I can offer some personal advice....

If your m1210 has not arrived, cancel the order. Get the m1330.

I can clear up lots of confusion as to much discussion here and will start with my background on the subject.

I became a M1210 owner in August of last year and have had nothing but probs since. There are over 50 hours logged, 3 repair visits, 3 motherboards with CPU's, 3 hard drives, 2 DVD's, 2 fan/heat sinks and 2 batteries; all because of a very annoying squeal. Im not alone.

The history and journal of my situation is here:

http://www.dellcommunity.com/suppor...&thread.id=7927&view=by_date_ascending&page=1.

The good news is I am getting a replacement system free which is in pre-processing. They had originally agreed to replace the m1210 then stopped it and configured a m1330 with me instead. they even threw in 2 very valuable upgrades which are the hard drive and the LED upgrade.

I asked why and they told me that the M1210 was no longer available for home consumer purchase and there is question as to its manufacture end date presently.

This is what I was told. I only know my personal heartache as well as that of dozens of others on the above forum. I can list no less than 4 others, again specific to problems with the M1210.

As for there being similar systems, this is incorrect. The new processors are based on the 'Santa Rosa' architecture which is a huge enhancement over the Core 2 Duo former editions. You will always know the Core 2 Duo standard edition because they are even numbers (T7200) whereas the Santa Rosa design is T7100/T7300/T7500. Not only does the Santa Rosa design tackle issues such as speed and battery life, but it also tackles issues of heat and temperature within the unit.

When we look at the LED, also new...again much thinner, much lighter, much less power used.

We can also carry on to the solid state drive availability or, properly configured the M1330 is one of the true ultraportables at under 4 lbs and is now described as the most powerful and only 13 inch ultraportable available.

I know I may get backwash for some of this and I understand...we were all M1210 lovers once. I sit here typing, still listenning to a bad squeal and waiting for 'the best ultra portable money can buy'.

PS... See the end of that forum. Another was ecstatic that they replaced his m1210 finally with another. The 'new' and not refurbished system arrived with a hinge crack and then in less than 2 days...the squealing again.

I honestly just dont want to here of anyone else going through this heartache.

PS. If this helps you pls dont be afraid to click on the lower left scale and add to my Rep; I am hoping to become a valuable and trusted contributor here.

 

i say 1210. both will do you for the same thing... the 1210 will be much cheaper, and much more available.

i wouldnt even mess with the 1330 for the price it is now, not to mention how far back they are on orders.

 

1330 if u can wait... its a no brainer...

 

What he said.... Listen to this guy man he is prolly the expert on this issue.
I don't know why some ppl can't hear the whine but after going thru 2 replacement and using my friend's m1210 for 10min. I can say that all m1210s have the exact same problem =( I guess you can always try ordering the m1210 and ask for a m1330 as a replacement later. I am not sure if everyone would be as lucky as flamenko. Now i am so glad that I got a full refund back in april. good luck

 

Thank you very much.