m1330 vs d630: a showdown story...

I traveled about an hour today to find a store that actually had both of these on display. (Here in Israel you don't order a configuration from Dell. You just go to a Dell reseller who has the laptops in stock and buy one. It's nice not having to wait ) I thought that after reading about all the problems with the 1330 I was really only going to check out the d630, which I was weighing against the HP 6910p.

Well, things definitely got more complicated when I actually got to the store. Any thoughts of cpu whine and design flaws went straight out the window when I actually saw the m1330. The only thing I could think was

"OMG I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!"

This even with the regular screen, as they don't have the LED one here, unfortunately.

Anyway, after taking a few deep breaths, I managed to somewhat let my brain take control, and started actually checking the two laptops out. The two models available to me were the following:

M1330: T7300 (2.0 ghz), 2 GB ram, 160 GB 5400 HD, wxga screen, fingerprint reader.

D630: T7300 (2.0 ghz), 1 (or more) GB ram, 120 GB 5400 HD, wxga screen, no fingerprint reader.

One thing I definitely learned is how important it is to actually play around with a laptop before deciding. Things always come up that reading a review can't give you. Specific things that I found were:

Keyboard: I found the m1330's to be a lot smoother. I was able to type quicker and more comfortable on it than on the d630.

Touchpad: idem. The m1330 touchpad felt smooth and comfortable. Using the d630's after that felt yucky and jittery.

Screen: although the m1330's screen was nice and glossy, I got the distinct impression that the d630 matte screen was actually brighter. I couldn't put them right next to each other, but I kept on wishing I could bump the brightness on the m1330 up one notch. Still a great screen, don't get me wrong!

All in all, it's a very difficult decision. No matter how much I want the 1330, there are a few things that keep on pulling me back to the d630:

Dock: the d630 has it, the m1330 doesn't.

Sturdiness: Would the m1330 survive a fall intact? I'm entirely unsure of that. It feels quite fragile. The d630, on the other hand, is really strong in that respect. I can see the d630 lasting me years. The m1330, who knows...?

Battery life: from what I understand, the d630's battery life is second to none, which is important to me.

So it's basically: dock,sturdiness, battery life, brighter screen

vs

size, better keyboard, better touchpad, fingerprint reader (not so important). (I was going to add looks, but I really don't want that to be a factor...)


So, what would you fellows do with such a dilemma? I think I should just go for the d630, but I can't stop thinking about the m1330...

I'm thinking of just running to get the HP so I don't have to go back to that Dell store...!

Shraga

 

I wouldn't trade my D630 for ANY 1330.

 

Did you check them both out before purchasing?

 

You're really lucky. There are no Dell resellers (that would carry either machine) in the US as far as I know other than mall kiosks. I've called all of them within 90 miles (~144 km) of me every weekend and none have a M1330. Also, none of them have any of the business line of machines on display such as ANY of the Latitude series.

So, trying to find one w/a M1330 AND D630 is virtually an impossibility.

 

I know, it's the silver lining. The other side of the coin, however, is that we're limited in options. You HAVE to choose from the few preconfigured models that are available. In the case of the m1330, for example, there is no LED available...

 

just out of curiosity how much are these babies in Israel?

 

I purposely didn't want to bring up price, but now that you mentioned it...

M1330: T7300, non-LED wxga, 160 GB 5400 hd, Intel x3100......Cheapest I could find was $1986 according to todays forex rate.

D630: T7300, wxga, 120 gb 5400 hd, Intel x3100........Cheapest I could find was $1630 according to todays forex rate.

Israel had high taxes, so we're definitely paying premium for the ability to see the laptops before buying!

 

I originally ordered the D30 and had it in my hands for a week.

I promptly returned it as soon as I saw leaked pictures of the m1330 because I knew that was the laptop I wanted.

I've had my m1330 for 2 weeks now and there is no doubt in my mind, that I made the right decision! The m1330 wins hands down in my eyes!

 

I was also strongly considering the Dell D630 before deciding on the M1330. It seems like I had pretty similar criteria as you, aside from the dock. I wanted something sturdy with good battery life to take to class daily.

Battery life is amazing with the M1330. I did some detailed tests of it, which will be in a review that should be posted soon. For now, you can see some of the initial tests I did here.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=2333526&postcount=30

Over 3 and a half hours is very easy with the 6 cell and browsing the internet. The 9 cell will push that to around 5:30. That's with the NVIDIA graphics card and LED backlit panel, so I figure your configuration of CCFL + X3100 would get around the same battery life.

There has been some fit and finish issues with the XPS M1330, but if you get to see the laptop in person before purchasing it, you can avoid that problem. The materials used in the M1330 are very sturdy from the magnesium alloy base to the aluminum palm rests. You can easily pick it up from a corner with the display open without worries of bending or creaking.

That said, the D630 will definitely be better built - it's meant to be thrown around and survive. But the M1330 is no slouch either, just not quite on par with business-grade laptops. I think the rest of the advantages overcome this deficiency.

As I said, my review should be posted soonish here at NBR, so perhaps that can help you decide. It's quite in-depth, perhaps too much so.

 

Nah, no such thing for THIS laptop !