Dell XPS M1330 Review

That is going to kill Dell back to school sales numbers on the m1330...

 

Crap. I hope that's not true.

If it is, I might have to use my dad's old laptop for a few weeks...I really want to get the M1330.

 

It's true..I was placing my order on the phone this morning. When I began the conversation, I was complaining about the 8/30 estimated preliminary ship date. By the time the order was placed, the rep informed me that the date had changed to 9/5

 

I placed my order on june 27th, the 2nd day it was available and my shipping date is july 29th, a whole month. demand is extremely high and there are various part shortages for this laptop due to the demand

 

Consider yourself lucky. I'm June 27th and August 1st...

 

Me too !

 

You are all lucky. I ordered June 29th and my est shipping date is Aug. 23rd. But I got a 'heck of a deal, so I won't complain...too much.

 

I've got the 19th...of September.

Personally, I would have rather waited a bit before purchasing (for prices to come down, new components, etc). But since the wait times are growing at a stunning rate, it wouldn't be ready in time for when I need it.

ADDENDUM: I just noticed on the Inspiron 1520 that the Express Card remote is not included by default and must be requested. Is it the same for the m1330?

 

If you check your detailed order page it should indicate whether or not a remote is coming with your machine. It should say something like:

...
1 DELL TRAVEL REMOTE CONTROL IR $0.00

At least that's what it says on mine.

 

Yep, the Express Card Remote definitely comes with the m1330 without any requests.

412-0946 Dell Travel ExpressCard Remote Control, IR

 

A few points:

1) I thought that this was the site where folks who bought and use their laptops post uniform reviews after the moderator approves them. Did I miss something?

If reviews are only done after kissing manufacturer ass to get a special demo unit, a bad review will result in no more demo units! So the reviewer is compelled to be positive! That results in a branch office of the company's marketing dept.

If reviews are done by real people working on their real laptops over the course of time, we get a review of EVERYTHING. Good, bad and ugly. The ordering process. Delivery. Tech support if needed.

Ok, you say, but isn't it better to get the opinion of "professionals"?

Nope. There are plenty of competent writers and we are all expert, life-long consumers. And that's what the moderators are for, to make sure we hit all the relevant points. A real user would have spent the time to report the actual battery life!

For example: being hurried by Dell to send "the" review unit to Cnet so you have to rush out the review and the review happens to be totally glowing? That smells fishy, and even if everyone involved are angels, y'all are some fishy smelling angels.

Speaking of which:

2) If you are going to do "professional" reviews, then go big! Like Tom's Hardware or Consumer Reports as a model.

Benchmark comparisons to competing models would be best. Macbooks and M1210, and other similarly sized units. You had some, you should do more.

Show and compare webcam pix. Like you did with the M1210! The difference was astounding to compare the Lenovo, Macbook, and M1210 webcams, even just with still pix. No other reviews did that and you guys rock for doing it!

Where the exhaust is venting is important, as well as where the intake is. Too many laptops have int intake fan right about where your thigh would be if you did use it on your lap. If the exhaust is right where you would use a external mouse, very annoying.

How far does the lid open? Looks like NOT all the way. The Macbook pro and HP DV2000 only open to maybe 90 degrees, but the M1210 opens ALL the way. Sometimes the glare and sitting position needs that extra angle.

How does the lid close? Spring, magnet, or latch?

How badly does the screen torque? Can you easily push down on on the lid and distort the screen, or is the lid material durable enough to prevent it? Really import for this class of road warrior units, as if not designed right, stuffed into a backpack or bag and it gets squished a little, the keyboard can press into the screen!

ONLY TWO USB PORTS!?! Sorry for yelling, I know it was mentioned, but ONLY TWO!?! Fire and brimstone!

What kind of crapware was loaded?

How well does the wifi work? This alone is worth writing a review for!!!

What about bluetooth? For mouse or headset reasons, people want to know!

Ok, ok, I seem to be yelling a lot now...I'll stop, but you get my point? I found this site and fell in love, but this is just terrible. I look forward to better and brighter days ahead. Back to work, stay strong, and don't become a shill for the companies!

 

I also agree.... this review could have been so much more in-depth... instead it seems it was rushed (as you needed to return it.) I hope for another review when the M1330 is more readily available.

 

hmm... yeah... I actually wanted to see more battery life related tests with say wifi on and max brightness on 6 and 9 cell comparing the difference as well as battery life on different settings comparing both 6 and 9. I was also hoping for the wifi test with the n-card since I am going to get it built with an n-wireless card (eg: speed and range) as well as their internal bluetooth.

 

This too

 

I'm in Singapore. Yeah, it should really be delayed... as of 15th July, it is still in the manufacturing stage... Hope I can get it by the 20th though...

 

Well, the major reason there's been no user reviews is because... well, no user has actually got their hands on one.

I'm certain there will be a flood of user reviews for the M1330 towards the end of the month when people start getting them. I know I plan on reviewing it when I get mine.

 

That's quite true.
Most of the users here have their Est Shipping Date for the m1330 to be at least mid August.
So I'd doubt we'd be seeing any review of the unit before August.

I also plan on doing a full review of the unit. Sure hope it arrives soon enough for that .

 

Mines still estimated for the 23rd. I'll do a review of it if no one beats me to it.

 

Im going to be able to do a very unique review as I seem to be the only one to get the new SS 32Gb with my system and also, I may be able to put it right beside another exact system for comparison except that the other system has a 160Gb 7200Hd.

I will be amazed to see the system boot sound free as the drive has no moving parts which then cuts down fan usage, with a 11 second start time which is well below half of my time now.

 

So I was pretty psyched about this notebook when I first saw that it was announced, it has pretty much everything that I could want in a notebook, and just in time since my notebook is nearing it's last legs...but a couple of weeks ago I was using a friend's Inspiron notebook (not sure of the model) and noticed that they had put the fan on the bottom of the machine. They used their laptop on a coffee table, but with a cloth runner down the middle and I noticed that with it used this way the machine ran very hot and the fan never turned off. Now I notice that it looks like the m1330 has the same design???

I've never owned a desk and so my laptop tends to sit either on my lap, the couch, or a pile of blankets on the bed...it pretty much is never on a hard level surface. If it behaves like my friend's Dell in these types of conditions well then that is a definite deal killer for me. Any insight or speculation on how well the machine would run with a blanket stuffed under the fan?

 

With the fan on the bottom, the M1330 is definitely not going to be a prime solution if you're almost never going to be using it on a level surface. The 9 cell's elevation would definitely help though.

 

That's good to know. I did plan on getting it with the 9 cell battery, and for the first time I plan on getting an external monitor and so I'll have the computer set-up at a desk at least sometimes, so maybe it will end up working for me.

In the meantime, any suggestions for another 13.3" LED backlit notebook with an SSD option for under $2500 with the fan in a more reasonable place?

 

Err, does anyone know if the m1330's remote is included or is it like Inspiron's where you have to request it? I don't want to miss out on it since I plan on using it as a lightweight media center when at home.

 

It comes with it. It will show up on your order too if you want to double check. It slots into the express card slot.

 

Thank you.

 

Hey do someone know which notebook is better the DELL (XPS M1330), SONY VAIO(C series) or HP(dv6500t) plz, I mean ill only use the notebook for high school, but I really want a nice notebook, one who kicks asses=)

 

Notebook Searcher, read this
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271

and post in this board:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16

 

To all notebook experts. I need an answer if the X3100 integrated graphics card is able to support a 24" external monitor (resolution 1920x1200) in a dual monitor setup (using 13.3" LED as the secondary screen).

I am interested in M1330 and may want a 24" external monitor in future for dual monitor setup.

I don't do gaming. The most extensive PC works I do is Photo Editing. My worry is whether using X3100 can support such configuration. Will I experience some monitor lag if I decide to go for X3100 integrated solution?

Thanks in advance.

 

I am able to do a 1600x1200 and 1400x900 dual setup without any trouble on an older Intel videocard (g945) so I doubt you'd have trouble..?

 

I am pretty sure the X3100 can handle it, it just has to be able to support that resolution in it's drivers. Which I am not sure of yet.

 

A little searching and....

http://www.dell.com/content/learnmo...~id=hmc_graphics_xpsnb&~lt=popup&~tab=details

Voila, yes the integration video will be able to output 1920x1200.

 

Nice find! I was looking for that for awhile the other day.

I have a Dell 24in LCD already. So that is nice to know.

 

Has anyone found the XP graphics drivers for this laptop yet? I'd like to load the machine with XP instead of Vista, and I found this page of drivers:

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...&ServiceTag=&SystemID=XPS_M1330&os=WW1&osl=EN

But there's nothing there for the graphics.

 

Graphics should be easy, you can use the ones direct from Nvidia or Intel.

EDIT: I have been corrected in another thread, apparently the drivers on these sites do not always work with the portable cards. But there are alternatives out there.

 

I talked to dell support today and they said they are waiting for the display and the processor to build my system, so apparently there is a shortage of processor's and led display's.

 

This computer does not exist outside of the hands of reviewing nerds....

No parts...

No delivery...

Come on....has anyone got one....and I DO NOT MEAN ONE OR TWO....
I cancelled my order...6 weeks to deliver..come on, who are they kidding????

 

That's a rather silly post. Did people say the Lenovo T61 did not exist because they had severe delays in shipping the initial units out?

It's hardly like this machine is vapor ware when they are taking orders for it. I was expecting delays when I ordered, because it's new and cool. It actually makes it more exciting waiting for it like it's rare or something.

Anyway, delays are to be expected from time to time, especially during new model launches.

 

I dunno, should we really be so accepting of delays for new models? In this day and age, with all of the resources of one of the world biggest and best computer manufacturers and tens of thousands of highly trained people working on it?

At what point do we demand more? I'm not saying we go strike until we get our flying cars, but to have a corporation stock units, predict demand, and be honest about delivery dates?

I built one, and in the time it took to check out, my ship date slid back a week, to Sept 5th.

On the other hand, I was at the movies and they showed a preview for something that won't be released until mid-Jan. Wtf? I will need to be reminded, not give a damn, and forget all about it at least 7 times before then. (no, I don't remember the movie ;-))

 

Well if anything the fact that Dell is so big is the main problem. Imagine the logistics involved in setting up a production line, getting all the parts in, training people how to assemble the new parts. etc etc. This is not just a new model it is new design from the ground up. If it were a small company with 20 employees to train, and they only need to ship a few hundred a week then I would expect a more flexible system.

But I agree, by now they should be able to predict demand and set things up better than this. I do think they kind of got a little blind sided by interest though.

 

I don't think it's a part shortage, at least not for the initial lead times for the people who ordered very early. If it were merely a parts shortage, at least a few people would be getting them. This is not the case.

I think in an effort to pull in the M1330's launch alongside the Inspiron line, they had to essentially paper launch it. No available production units at launch time, but lots of press coverage, which is always good for a company. I've voiced some thoughts here.

http://www.randomprocess.ca/2007/07/16/not-quite-what-i-meant-dell-xps-m1330-delay-part-2/

 

The X3100 supports up to 2048X1536.

 

i bought mine july 3rd.

 

I wouldn't doubt that Dell was doing final internal testing on this model up until last week, working out as many bugs as possible before beginning mass production.

Just imagine if they rushed out the first 100,000 units as fast as possible, only to have to recall all of them due to problems. I think Dell would face a lot more backlash from that scenario, than from delaying shipping a few weeks.

 

I have a silly question but does the dell N wireless card by any chance conserve more batteries compared to their a/g card?

 

no it just supports wireless N networks which have faster data transfer rates than g

 

I was scrolling across dell's website and in their technical specs page for the m1330 I found that it says

13.3" UltraSharpTM WXGA display with TrueLifeTM
3.0 MP camera (optional WLED display)

Now how is this possible? I thought it was agreed that if you get a LED backlit screen your VGA camera is 0.3 MP. Why is it 3.0 now? Did it suddenly change or am I confused?

 

Looks like a typo to me. 0.3 <-> 3.0

 

Cant quite make up my mind w.r.t the processor choice.

Options are:

a) Intel C2D T5250
1.5 GHz, 2MB Cache, 667 MHz FSB

b) Intel C2D T7100 (Adds 219 AUD to the system cost)
1.8 GHz, 2MB Cache, 800 MHz FSB.

Given I will mainly use this notebook for internet surfing, VoIP calls, and watchind DVD's, would the faster processor make any difference, or much of a difference?

 

Not much difference, but the 1.8 is a little better with the FSB speed and all. I went with the 1.5 but in hind sight I kinda wish I went to the 1.8 or 2GHZ

 

The massive delays from Dell and Lenovo are horrible business strategies.
I say strategy because its clear they want to profit from an early release.

The longer they cannot deliver, the more customers start to look somewhere else. You saw Apple stock massive numbers of iPhones before the launch because they wanted people to buy their product. yes, there may be supplier delays, but good logistics managers would have solved this problem, either by stocking in advance or multi-sourcing if one supplier cannot deliver.

This is supply chain management 101 stuff--get the stuff to your customers ASAP, meet demand, or if you cant't-- raise prices until you can.