D630 vs. M1330 - new purchase

I have been trying to decide between D630 and M1330 for sometime. Finally I am leaning towards D30 due to following reasons:

(1) M1330 has a glossy screen / I have never used glossy screen and not sure about it
(2) M1330 doesn't have docking option
(3) M1330 can't be factory configured with XP
(4) M1330 doesn't have PCMCIA slot

Please advise on the configuration. We are a software product company and I will use the notebook as desktop replacement. I also run oracle and websphere application server in my notebook for application demos.

I am looking at following configuration in D630:
T7500 -2.2 Ghz
NVIDA Quadro NVS 135M
2x 1GB RAM
120 GB 7200 RPM harddrive
WXGA+ 1440x900 screen
Win XP
6 cell battery - (9 cell battery sticks out of notebook)
6 cell modular bay battery

Any idea on how long 6 cell battery would run run? Do I need 6 cell modular bay battery or not? I am looking at 2.5-3.0 hours of usage on battery.

 

You should get at least 3 hours running that. I get 4 hours-plus running numerous Office 2007, Acrobat Pro 8.0 & web windows on the 6 cell. I also have a modular and haven't gotten to the point I need it yet, but I estimate getting about 8 hours (give or take 15 minutes) under my usage patterns. If you only want 3 hours from the 6 cell, you won't need the bay battery. These machines are REALLY great with the power usage. Note that I have the x3100 integrated graphics, so the dedicated card would be somewhat of a factor.

I don't think the 1330 would make much of a desktop replacement -- it's really meant as more of a student-type portable.

 

Oh, just noticed you'd be running xp ... I'm running Vista business, so that ought to make up for the fact that you're using a dedicated gpu, since Vista is an absolute HOG!

 

Thanks offbase. How is your experience with D630. How is the display / brightness? I have heard good and bad things about it.

 

The 630 may be the better bet for an office-dweller. Looks like you've already spotted the obvious - i've found the dock and PCMCIA invaluable at the office.

Add 3-year support, and you've got a machine that will serve you well.

Regards,
P

 

I love the display. The only issue with it is that, since it's matte, sometimes you have a problem with VERY fine contrast ... such as hotmail, where your current email is highlighted in a sort of very light tan color, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish from the background. But colors are very saturated and realistic, in general. It gets bright enough for me (brighter than my Vostro 1500, but a bit less than an HP). It's certainly brighter than a Thinkpad. It came with an LGP branded screen, so I really haven't had any issues with it. I have wxga+ and usually have an adobe window open on one side and a Word window opposite, and can read them both with no problem at all.

And as far as that fine contrast is concerned, I'm sure there's a setting I could change it with if it were really so bothersome to me as to make me have to deal with it. I have 5 laptops (a 3 year old Compaq V2000, an HP TX1000, Vostro 1500, Inspiron E1705 and the D630) and 2 more (the kids') in the house and office, and this just blows them all away to me. I really can't say enough about this machine ... it's all "business".

 

I couldn't have described it any better, "All business" is a good way to describe it.

 

Thanks again. How is your experience with D/port advanced port replicator? Is it worth going with the notebook?

 

If you're not gaming or doing 3D work (e.g. CAD programs), you'll get better battery life (and save money) by stepping down to the x3100 graphics chip.

Also, you can check out the D630 review on this website for more details about the battery life on this notebook. It's supposedly pretty good in general.

I'd also recommend the D630 over the M1330 for business and/or software development use.

 

The port replicator's design hasn't changed in years for a reason - they work very well. The mechanism may feel cheap at first, but it's surely reliable. I dock/undock my office machine pretty often, but it hasn't affected functionality any.

As a side note, look into the expansion dock for more functionality, ie media bay, additional PCI slot, etc.

 

Thanks. Any idea how much extension do I get on a 6 cell battery if I downgrade from Nvidia NVS 135m to X3100? I

If I am not gaming or using the notebook for CAD/CAM is there any advantage in having NVIDIA 135m over X3100?

Please note that I plan to use WinXP.

 

Those questions have already been answered -- read the above posts again.

 

I w2as recently in the same situation. I opted for the D630 for a few reasons. One, the m1330 had too much unknown as it was so new and almost nobody actually had one. And above all, I needed something that would hold up. I also use it for business rather than games, and also have never had a glossy screen. Great for watching movies, which I have never done on any laptop.

the screen on my D603 is truly excellent, with a slight problem with vertical viewing angle that I am already used to. I have the screen next to 2 Dell 19 inch LCD's and the laptop screen is BRIGHTER!

I got the built in graphics for cool running and better battery life. Mainly cool running. I am hoping to use this laptop as a possible desktop replacement with a docking station. I have not tried the docking station yet.

I got the 9 cell battery, which does stick out. However, I am going away for a night and not bringing the charger

I intend to add an SSD to this bad boy as soon as it is anywhere near reasonable

I hope this helps, Dave

 

I think you will be happy with the D630.

I, too, want to migrate to the SSD, but prices are scary for them right now

 

I'd definitely go with the D630 - it's much more suited for the office space. The biggest advantage of the M1330 are aesthetics and size, but for your situation, the D630 will be cheaper and better built for use at a desk, with things like the dock connector and higher resolution display.

 

After ordering the D620 (same form factor as the D630) and using it for a week, I promptly sent it back as soon as I found out the m1330 was coming out.

As soon as I opened the lid on my m1330 for the first time, I knew right away that I had made the right choice.

After having my m1330 for a couple weeks now, I still feel I made the right choice and am even more thrilled with my m1330. I've received so many compliments on it, and people wondering "Wow! Who made that laptop?".

I support Dell's at work and when I've deployed a few of the D620/D630s, they never got the same reaction.

As far as expansion, no the m1330 doesn't have a specific docking bay, however there are USB docks which work just as well.

Battery wise, I went with the 9 cell, and I actually like the fact that the 9 cell props up the back end of the laptop to give the keyboard a slight incline making it easy to type on.

 

Khris, what were your issues with the D620?

as for my experience with the D630 - nothing but a joy to work with. the machine is lightning quick with 2gigs of RAM and Vista, and the thermal cooling system very efficient; i rarely notice the fan kicking in and the palm rests never feel warm. as to the screen - you will definitely need to calibrate it somewhat (i'm using integrated graphics) to drive down the contrast so that you can differentiate between lighter tones. it's worth pointing out - matted screens are a godsend, and i loathe the glossy variety like the plague.

 

Until I got my m1330, I had been using an m1210.....the D620 felt huge in comparison and I didn't like it. It felt way too big for my liking, and as I'm finding out, I prefer the glossy screen....which the D620 didn't have when I ordered it.

I also wanted the FPR but at that time, I couldn't order the D620 AND the FPR AND Vista....it had to be Win XP.

I also didn't really like the extended battery for the D620. The fact it stuck out the front really didn't impress me. I don't mind having an extended battery stick out when it's out the back however!

 

I was also comparing between the M1330 and the D630 previously.. what a coincidence I guess there are lots of people in the same boat.

Anyway, surprise surprise, I went for Inspiron 1420. Main reason is because of cheaper cost compared to D630.

M1330 is definitely out for me as the highest resolution is only 1280x800. I am currently running 700m and 1280 is a little tight for me.

D630 is nice. I have a few people at work that has it... however it feels "boring" with the grey latitude design I'd like a little fun laptop as this will be my personal laptop instead of business

BTW, I got both M1330 and D630 quoted from Dell Rep and I normally got a pretty good discount from him, however the pricing on Inspiron is still blowing away the D630 pricing. Granted, I am cheating because there is only 2 years of warranty vs 3 years between the 1420 and D630... and also the fact that D630 has Vista business instead of Vista home.... However I don't really care about those as I am planning to upgrade again a little after 2 years and we are Microsoft certified partner, so I will be formatting the 1420 on the first power up.

Thats my 2 cents

 

how do you adjust the contrast on your screen?

 

The m1330 doesn't need a dock! Unlike other notebooks that require a dock to maximise connectivity, the m1330 has all the ports you could possibly need already on it!

(Minus perhaps a USB hub dependant on exactly how much you plan to wire up.)

 

Docks are nice though so you don't have to plug in and unplug all your peripherals when you want to take your laptop with you.

dordale