Vostro 3350 Owner's Cafe

So I just got my 3350 from Dell a couple of days ago and basic specs are as follows. i7-2620M, 8GB of ram, Radeon 6490M, 500GB HDD, backlit keyboard. I got a refurb with the 20% off coupon as it seemed to be the only way to get the i7 and a backlit keyboard.

Does anyone know anything about upgrade-ability with the blu-ray players? I saw in the outlet that some were available, but they weren't configurable on the website.

I did a fresh install of windows but am having a similar problem as the previous poster with the wireless card. It drops in and out, and sometimes doesn't work at all. I called Dell today and they are sending me a new model of card, though I'm not 100% on which one.

I really like it thus far. The keyboard is actually one of the best I've used, and despite the reviews of the screen, it sure kicks my old M1210 out of the water, and it doesn't seem any worse than my girlfriends new Macbook Pro. I also considered getting a Latitude E6320, but for some reason the USB 3.0 was the deal breaker for me.

 

I ordered last week a vostro 3350, the i5 2410 model with amd 6470. Gonna get it tomorrow.

 

thanks hakkan and daver160 for your replies.
Yes, x220 is comparable with 3350. I guess I'll be happy with either of them. So I will decide between these two only after I handle them and try them out to see which one I like ergonomically.

Btw, does anybody own a Brisbane Bronze version of 3350? I find it quite interesting, but I haven't seen any pictures of it except the ones on Dell's website. I would love to see some normal, 'real world', user's pics.

thanks,
hrishi

 

@ godanigo,

Congrats for your purchase. Where did you find the refurb Vostro? Mind sharing the link?

thanks,
hrishi

 

the optical drive in this laptop is 9.5mm not 12.7mm which is the standard. as of today, the blu ray drives at 9.5mm cost around $150 shipped on ebay. IMO its not worth it since the screen quality is very poor.

 

I initially was searching on the online small business outlet, but I ended up calling them. I told them what I wanted and they said they were getting a shipment the next day and if they had what I wanted they would call me then. The woman was nice enough to actually call me back, but I was at work all day. When I called back the next day she had put it in a cart under my name and I was able to purchase it over the phone. Talk about awesome customer service.

Might be worth it if I HDMI or WiDi'd it to my TV, though.

Seconded. If I bought a new one I was totally going to go with the Bronze, and there is also the backorder issue. Makes you wonder if anyone has ordered them....ever

 

I own a Dell Vostro 3350 (i7-2620M, 750 GB HDD, ATI 6490, 8-cell batt.). If you buy it brand-new it is a bit expensive but if you look at refurbished 3350's and have a %20 discount then it can be a steal ! You can get a dell same configuration with mine can be as low as 650 USD ! So, i suggest everyone to look at refurbished ones.

X220 was one of my favorites but if you buy an i7 model its too expensive so I decided on 3350 and suggest to all.

 

@godanigo and hakkan,

Thanks for the tip. How long did you have to wait after you ordered? I just realized that Brisbane bronze will cause significant shipment delay. So I think a refurb Silver one sounds just great. Btw, are refurb laptops taxable?

I had a very good experience with Dell's AAS. My Dell Studio 15 was in its last week of onsite warranty and its optical drive started malfunctioning. They changed it within a day, no questions asked.

Btw, does 3350 'feel' a bit heavy? ( i know this is subjective, still would like to know your opinion). It's specs show that it is 2.2kgs. That seems to be closer to a 15incher's weight than a 13incher's.

X220 i7 is being available for $900 till the 31st (I think it is a student offer, but I'll be reaching US on the 4th, so don't know whether this will get extended). It seems to be cheaper than 3350 i7 (from Dell's website), but buying refurb changes this equation.

 

Doe's anyone know of a free application to calibrate the 3350 monitor? I find the whites are off, tried the software that came with it, but it can't get the whites right.


Thanks.

 

Dell Vostro 3350 Screen Quality and Calibration w/ Spyder 3 Pro Review - YouTube

at the end of the video there is the link with the calibration profile.