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    XPS - M1330 - Duct tape mod

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by mjmcss, Mar 15, 2010.

  1. mjmcss

    mjmcss Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yo

    I've had my XPS for around 2 years now and I've done many modifications to get it to work like a functional computer. Copper mod, undervolt, underclock, constant tweaks to the OS, I'm sure all you XPS owners know the drill. One thing stuck out though - the ty, ty paint job.

    The sides of the display are bracketed by two silver strips, similar in colour to the palmrest. The problem is they appear to have been painted with a spraycan by a chimpanzee - the paint is only one coat thick, chips and cracks easily, and leaves the system looking messy.

    It looked like crap and I wanted to avoid causing any more damage in case I could resell it for a can of coke in a year's time. Solution? Duct tape! Electrical tape, actually. I carefully applied half a roll of ductape to the top of the display and the display bezell to conceal the silver chips and ended up getting a - in the opinion of myself and everyone else who's seen it - much better looking computer.

    It costs about 3 dollars, takes about 30 minutes and looks very nice.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    You can see here I've swapped out the default keyboard for the Vostro keyboard - fits perfectly, works like a dream and is much more responsive and easier to clean. What happened to my left mouse button? It broke the day after my warranty ended. I don't use it anyway, so I melted half of the fake SD card that came with the system and blue-tacked it in place.

    Ingenuity!

    Enjoy

    MJ
     
    mjmcss, Mar 15, 2010
    #1
  2. byeung12

    byeung12 Notebook Enthusiast

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    i really like it I might spray paint my bezel on the inside for a cleaner look too. However, the vostro keyboard mod did you have a backlit keyboard on the xps before or was it a plain one doe sit plug in the same way?
     
    byeung12, Mar 15, 2010
    #2
  3. mjmcss

    mjmcss Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just had the normal keyboard and the vostro keyboard actually sits a little better than the original, i only had minor keyboard bulge but it's gone now
     
    mjmcss, Mar 15, 2010
    #3
  4. E.D.U.

    E.D.U. Notebook Deity

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    DUDE!!! When they say personalization you're the one I'll remember from now on. Your laptop looks sick! I like what you did with the left mouse button, ingenuity indeed. That doesn't even look like the same laptop at all. Very nice. :D
     
    E.D.U., Mar 15, 2010
    #4
  5. blindfoldedhope

    blindfoldedhope Notebook Enthusiast

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    looks like you modified the tv remote too... Spend some money on some paint... Im going ford redfire metallic for my edges.
     
    blindfoldedhope, Mar 16, 2010
    #5