A few questions regarding M1330

I've been using my Fujitsu laptop for about 5 years now and I'm thinking of replacing it with a new lightweight notebook. I have narrowed it down two systems; the ASUS W7S or Dell XPS M1330. I'm leaning towards the Dell as it has more customizable features.

A few questions:

Theres an online option for upgrading to wireless N Mini card however is it backward compatible? I have a wireless G router.

Also, I have been browsing through the threads and I've learned quite a lot of owners suffer from bad build quality. Is this something to be worried about? Sometimes I'm thinking of getting the ASUS because of this.

Btw, here are the specs I'm thinking of getting:

Intel T7300 2.0GHz 4MB L2 Cache
Windows Vista Home Basic
13.3" WXGA LED Display
Black Color Kit with A/V Package
2GB DDR2 Ram
160GB 5400rpm HDD
Geforce 8400M GS 128MB
Intel Wireless N ???
6 and 9 cell batteries
Dell Care Plus 2 years

 

Be aware that the M1330 has a significantly better graphics card than the W7s.

 

wireless n is backwards compatible with a and g, but not b, as far as i know.

 

WiFi n will work with a WiFi b network.

 

Different countries have different coupons, you should look for some on the net.

 

1. I have the WifiN which works like a charm on my G network; it is fully backward compatible.

2. See my article below 'Getting Money Back' for discounts; and

3, You are only seeing a vocal minority on this website regarding build concerns. Many come here because they dont know what to do. The vast majority are extremely satisfied and, in fact, the majority even here with issues wouldn't give up their system.

I have received three, all in perfect condition.

 

This is the tech spec page for the 8400M graphic card family. Btw the 8400G and the 8400GS are both class 3 graphic cards.
From the tech spec page i can see that the GS graphic card is better than the 8400G graphic card but whether it is significantly better i am not so sure.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_8400M.html
Clearly though the 8400GT graphic card is significantly better than the 8400G and the 8400GS.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVidia-GeForce-8400M-GS.3709.0.html

 

Notebookcheck is notoriously unreliable in it's benchmark lists, so it's assessment shouldn't be trusted.

And yes, the 8400M-GS is significantly more powerful than the 8400M-G, with twice the shading power potential.

 

Does the standard CCFL screen have the gloss effect or Matte?

 

Build quality is not something to worry about anymore, it's been much improved lately. The CCFL screen is glossy (Tru Life) just like the LED screen. I have the LED screen and never really noticed it being glossy. It doesn't show alot of reflections.

 

Thanks.

Hm. I just noticed if I have the LED screen, I need to choose the Black Color Kit with A/V package for LED Display. But that only comes with a 0.3MP web cam whereas, the CCFL Display with A/V Package has an integrated 2.0MP web cam. What gives?!

 

The led screen is thinner and as a result it can only house a smaller camera whereas there's more room in the CCFL screen to house the larger camera.