1330 vs. 1420? Not long to decide...

Been eyeing 1330 for awhile now, but about the same time my finances get in order Dell has downgraded deal twice. I have a saved cart that comes out to $1437 without factoring in the 4% Dell Preferred Account savings or the $70 giftcard. Specs are standard for the high end package but I picked the LED screen, which should make up for the fact I only picked a 6-cell battery. I had looked at some 14 inch models as possible alternatives but HP's 400 off coupon died and the DPA discount and gift card make up much, but not all, of the difference down to a spec'ed out 1420 through EPP as well. Would you stick with the 1330 or go down to the 1420? I would put this in the buying forum but would rather have some Dell people offer up their opinions.

 

M1330 is 1lb lighter, thinner, smaller and above all looks better than I1420. Both have almost identical hardware specs, but M1330 has few extras like LED screen, Fingerprint reader, Slot loading DVD drive and HDMI output. 0.8” difference in screen size or 1440x900 resolution is not worth giving up all the other features of M1330. Therefore, unless you get a big discount or prefer I1420 design over M1330, I'd say go for the M1330.

 

If there isn't much of a price difference [tried comparing two similarly configured systems and it came out with a $10 difference] and you don't mind the smaller screen and resolution, I'd say go for the 1330. PhoenixFx pretty much sums up the differences well.

 

Well let's play Devil's advocate here,

I've read nothing but issue after issue of M1330 problems, while the 1420 has very few...

I have a Vostro 1400 and am satisfied - my notebook is built like a rock, which I wish I could say about the 1330...

 

Take a trip to bestbuy where they do have 1330s now and compare it to a notebook like the Toshiba Satellite M205 if they don't have a 1420.

 

i would agree. Vostro is rock solid compared to the XPS.

 

Vostro is rock solid but I still think the 1330 is a much faster and better machine

 

I used to own a 1420, but I returned so so I could prhcase the M1330. But then again, for my maxed out specs, I'm only paying about $1160, because I have a 8% EPP code, another automatic 10% off, and an additional 16% Boeing discount code. But...if I were you, I'd go for the M1330. Just go to dell.com/epp, and where it tells you to choose your company or whatever, just choose "Federal and Civilian". Because technically, you are a civilian. And that'll give you an additional 8%.
Hope I helped.

 

I think the issues with the 1330 have dramatically decreased now. Or maybe that's just because it's not selling as much now. But yeah, I rarely hear any issues on the 1420, apart from being slightly affected by the grainy-screen-phobia the 1520/1500 have brought upon. The Vostro/Inspiron also seem to be more toughly built [emphasis on "seem"], although I'm not to judge. You could ask more questions to Gunner over there *points up* who has owned these exact laptops you're asking about.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I am only considering the 1420 because it doesn't look like a brick, at least when compared to its 1520 counterpart. I have noticed the large numbers of problems with 1330s, but it does appear that some of the issues have been remedied somewhat.

And FYI, I can get the EPP discount legitimately since my university is in cahoots with Dell.