M1330 - Best Options?

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lt_wentoncha

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 20, 2005
Messages
285
Hi all,

Well, I'm thinking about this one. The only negative I see is the 8400GS (but it appears to be better than the 7600GS found in the M1210). Anyone have any recommended specs (proc, screen, etc etc)?

Usage will be office work, BF2, CSS, maybe SupCom or some other RTS (Starcraft II!) but I have no delusions or gross expectations (real gaming will be on the desktop).

Heh, I also noticed the 32GB SSD option...for $600.
 
the XPS 1330 looks to be decent. It has alot of flash, but IMO the specs its carries are decent, but not worth the price.

Low res Screen, wxga
Price(around 2,000 for a good config)
8400GS is a 128meg 64 bit card, thus is slower than a X1600 or 7600

If the price was around 1300-1500 it might be worth it, but at that price you could get a MBP which is very light, has a higher resolution LED LCD, 8600GT which will smoke the 8400GS. I have to say the look of the machine is almost apple like, but the specs just don't back it up.
 
Its an ultraportable. Its not a mongo gaming machine, but something you can take everywhere with you and still throw a game up once in a while. If they had a non-XPS version (AFAIK dell's coupons dont apply to the XPSs) Id grab one with the first CPU upgrade the LED screen and throw in a 64+GB SSD in a few months to replace my e1405. between the SSD, the 6cell (which reportedly doesn't stick out) and the LED screen, only moving part is the fan and it'll run for hours. And the MBP is a 15 inch (not ultraportable) 6lber. The M1330 is a pure portable.
 
GLSauron said:
Its an ultraportable. Its not a mongo gaming machine, but something you can take everywhere with you and still throw a game up once in a while. If they had a non-XPS version (AFAIK dell's coupons dont apply to the XPSs) Id grab one with the first CPU upgrade the LED screen and throw in a 64+GB SSD in a few months to replace my e1405. between the SSD, the 6cell (which reportedly doesn't stick out) and the LED screen, only moving part is the fan and it'll run for hours. And the MBP is a 15 inch (not ultraportable) 6lber. The M1330 is a pure portable.
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get your facts straight the MBP is 5.3LBS and the Dell is nearly 5LBS with a 9 cell and is only under 4 lbs with the very crappy 4 cell.
 
Vengance_01 said:
get your facts straight the MBP is 5.3LBS and the Dell is nearly 5LBS with a 9 cell and is only under 4 lbs with the very crappy 4 cell.
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a: commas/periods. They aren't rationed, use as needed.
b: 5.3 > 5. "crappy" or not, the 4 cell almost certainly will last longer than the MBPs basic battery. Upgrade the battery on the MBP and it doesn't get lighter.
 
Sorry, what's MBP?

Well, I was looking for a light notebook. So would the M1210 perform better gaming wise, then?

TYIA
 
GLSauron said:
a: commas/periods. They aren't rationed, use as needed.
b: 5.3 > 5. "crappy" or not, the 4 cell almost certainly will last longer than the MBPs basic battery. Upgrade the battery on the MBP and it doesn't get lighter.
Click to expand...
humm why don't you get your facts straight. Its standard with a 6 cell. also the MBP can get around 3-4 hours. the 8400GS is not bad, but if they would have included the 8400GT IMO that would have been perfect. Still the MBP and XPS 1330 are very simular with one being slightly more portable, and the other having more GPU power.
 
lt_wentoncha said:
Sorry, what's MBP?

Well, I was looking for a light notebook. So would the M1210 perform better gaming wise, then?

TYIA
Click to expand...
MBP= Apple Mac Book Pro. And the 1330's 8400GS is much better than the 7400Go. Also the desgin of the 1330 is just down right sexy.
 
lt_wentoncha said:
Sorry, what's MBP?
Click to expand...
MBP = Mac Book Pro. The 15.4/17" laptops from apple

Vengance_01 said:
humm why don't you get your facts straight. Its standard with a 6 cell. also the MBP can get around 3-4 hours. the 8400GS is not bad, but if they would have included the 8400GT IMO that would have been perfect. Still the MBP and XPS 1330 are very simular with one being slightly more portable, and the other having more GPU power.
Click to expand...
You're buying an iPhone, aren't you?
My e1405 on a standard battery gets 3 hours. So 3-4 for a MBP. The M1330 is going to be looking at 3 hours on a 4 cell battery, about 4-5 hours on a 6 cell, and 78-9 on a 9 cell. Those numbers are approximate of course. The thing is also slimmer and smaller, much more portable.

Do you have a laptop? 4 cell + 9 cell (what I would buy) is going to weigh less than 5 pounds while providing enough juice for a full day of work. And thats the magic number, a full day of work. "Your" MBP is going to crap out after (Ill be generous) 8 hours at about 7 pounds. That 8 hour number may work for the first 3 months, but after that the life is going to decrease and drop to under the full day. And that 2 pound weight difference adds up when you are carrying it everywhere. From experience, just adding the wall charger adds an appreciable amount of weight to my bag. It doesn't seem like it would, but it does.

Im really not sure why we are debating this. They are in different catagories all together. Compare the M1330 to the MB if anything, the MBP is just too big.
Compared to the MB-black the M1330 is ~$280 more for a comparable configuration. But its (slightly thicker, not as wide, little deeper), has X3100 vs GMA950 graphics, and weighs about .75lb lighter with a slightly bigger battery including the LED backlight. That config includes the 2.0 C2D, not the 2.1x in the MB. Drop $150 and add a little thickness without the LED backlight. So those two are very comparable.
 
The MBP and the m1330 are completely different leagues. If your going to compare an Apple notebook it needs to be the Macbook. (Not to mention similarly configured m1330 and MBP 15.4" the MBP carries a couple hundred dollar premium, for basically a GPU upgrade)
 
I think if I could get the m1330 without Vista I'd pick one up. I also agree that the MBP and m1330 are completely different types of machines. Complaining about the low res is ridiculous as well. How many 13" screens do you know of doing better resolutions than the specs on this dell?

Besides, I'd take dell's customer service over apples any day of the week. I also don't really enjoy my friends MBP burning holes in my pants when I actually have it on my lap. :rolleyes:
 
trxjw said:
I think if I could get the m1330 without Vista I'd pick one up. I also agree that the MBP and m1330 are completely different types of machines. Complaining about the low res is ridiculous as well. How many 13" screens do you know of doing better resolutions than the specs on this dell?

Besides, I'd take dell's customer service over apples any day of the week. I also don't really enjoy my friends MBP burning holes in my pants when I actually have it on my lap. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I didn't think the MBP still did that -- at least not with newer models. Then again, the aluminum body can act as one big heatsink.
 
I would LOVE to get an m1330 without vista so it would be like $200 cheaper...
 
AFAIK theres no price difference to the OEMs, thus no price difference to the buyer. XP was/is(?) a no cost option on the inspirons (for a while if not currently).
 
Vengance_01 said:
I have to say the look of the machine is almost apple like, but the specs just don't back it up.
Click to expand...

How does it look like an apple at all? Sony maybe, but an apple?

3-Phase said:
I would LOVE to get an m1330 without vista so it would be like $200 cheaper...
Click to expand...

Considering they get the OS for next to nothing it wouldn't change the price that much.


Overall the M1330 is a step in the right direction for Dell, but it is a pricy machine.
 
Are you guys talking about the home or small business stores on dell? I believe you can get any of the business models for less money, with XP as an option, and its easier to config one reasonably priced WITH a 7200RPM hard drive.

Just started to look for a laptop myself so not up to snuff on much but as far as dell goes I like the small business side for price, options, and better deals(if you can haggle on the phone well). In fact the M90(what I currently have my eye on) even ships in an XPS case lol.
 
I'd suggest unless you guys have owned one of the new MBP's, you should do some research before you compare/bad mouth one.

I have owned too many laptops to list here, dell's, sony's, IBM's, and by far and away, my new $1799,00 MBP with a 2.2 C2D, 2 gigs 667, 120gig sata, 15.4" LED LCD, 8x dual layer DVD-RW, 8600gt 128mb, laptop is the best, by far, wayyyyy by far I have ever owned.

I wont even take the 30 minutes it would take to tell you why I love it so much, but go try one out at the apple store, and tell me it isn't one of the most amazing laptops you've ever used.

And no, I'm not a fan boy. This is only the 3rd apple laptop I've ever owned, but it's just that good, and with Parallels running Vista on top of OS X at basically native speed, I get the best of both worlds.

There isn't a laptop out there that can compare to the build quality of an Apple laptop. It just can't happen. I wish there was, but even price wise, 1800 for this well built of a laptop and the features, it can't be beat.

All of this imho.

*and no, I am not going to, nor do I want to buy the new iphone.
~m
 
Hey I have an idea,

Let's go into a thread about the best options for the new dell laptop and derail it with fanboy praise about the new macbook pro and turn it into a flamewar about which is better.

No thank you.

Frankly it's your money.

I'd say these options;

2ghz C2D 800FSB - LED display w/webcam (I'm a stickler for displays) - 1gb RAM (I just can't justify Dell's prices, upgrade on your own) - 160gb 7200rpm (imo SSD's aren't worth it at all just yet, kinda like LCDs in the late 90's) - Throw in the extra $100 for the GPU and you're sitting at around $1800-$1900.


Most importantly you'll have a badass laptop and a machine to be proud of.
 
In my opinion, if you are looking to get an m1330, make sure to get the features that set it apart from other laptops. Get the C2D Santa Rosa (the T7xxx chips), the 8400GS, and the LED backlit screen.
 
Well since I already did state I clearly didn't consider myself a fanboy but finally a well educated consumer, I will say I hadn't realized this thread was a M1330 specific topic. After reading all the posts, I figured it was open.

~my bad
 
You can also take a peak at the Lenovo T61. Similar in spec, a bit cheaper in price, and better build quality from all that I have heard.

The XPS is sexy, but not worth the premium price for a Dell IMO.

MBP are ok, but their touchpad and keyboard suck in comparison to other laptops I have used. That is personal preference though, so do not flame about that :rolleyes:
 
T6x has a 14.1" screen at best IIRC. Its a competator to the MBP, not the M1330 and macbook. The X6x is closer, but it has no GPU to speak of.
 
GLSauron said:
T6x has a 14.1" screen at best IIRC. Its a competator to the MBP, not the M1330 and macbook. The X6x is closer, but it has no GPU to speak of.
Click to expand...

Still the T61 specs are pretty much identical except for the GPU and it really is not even close to the size of a MBP ;)
 
GLSauron said:
T6x has a 14.1" screen at best IIRC. Its a competator to the MBP, not the M1330 and macbook. The X6x is closer, but it has no GPU to speak of.
Click to expand...
I would totally spring for the IBM x series if it had discrete video mem.

I'm really into TnL, I'd like to get a MBP but it's too burly for me. I don't know about LED backlights though; gimmick or wave of the future?

TYIA all.
 
GLSauron said:
a: commas/periods. They aren't rationed, use as needed.
b: 5.3 > 5. "crappy" or not, the 4 cell almost certainly will last longer than the MBPs basic battery. Upgrade the battery on the MBP and it doesn't get lighter.
Click to expand...

BS. the 4 cell will not last over 4hrs. my mbp does.


get real
 
kgeier82 said:
BS. the 4 cell will not last over 4hrs. my mbp does.
get real
Click to expand...
It was a guess. Without having seen side by side benchmarks for battery life.
My e1405 gets ~3hrs on its. Improvements in HDD power saving, LED backlight, smaller screen, C2D vs CD, etc should help. The e1405 DOES have a 6 cell, but I dont recall the mah rating off the top of my head. Worst case, 3 hrs on the 4 cell.
 
I actually have a constructive question to ask, so no fanboy'ism here.

I went to dells website yesterday, and proceeded to price out 2 or 3 different laptops. The only laptop dell even has an option for an LED display was I believe their XPS line, and the closest to the price of the MBP and its features is the m1330. Which with the below features came in $452 more than I got my almost identically configured MBP. Which again, I think is significantly better produced hardware wise (quality), and I have the ability to run any OS I want on the hardware.

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® Vista Ultimate Edition edit
SYSTEM COLOR Tuxedo Black edit
LCD PANEL AND WEBCAM Slim and Light White LED Display with VGA Webcam edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
OPTICAL DRIVE CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 8400M GS edit
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini-Card edit
BLUETOOTH WIRELESS Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR) edit
SOUND OPTION High Definition Audio 2.0 edit

Came in at $2,253

It's just interesting to me, and I was kind of wondering why, with a better built latop, and the fact that everyone always says Apples have a premium, that this argument is still raging on?

Mario
 
fossill said:
I actually have a constructive question to ask, so no fanboy'ism here.

I went to dells website yesterday, and proceeded to price out 2 or 3 different laptops. The only laptop dell even has an option for an LED display was I believe their XPS line, and the closest to the price of the MBP and its features is the m1330. Which with the below features came in $452 more than I got my almost identically configured MBP. Which again, I think is significantly better produced hardware wise (quality), and I have the ability to run any OS I want on the hardware.

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® Vista Ultimate Edition edit
SYSTEM COLOR Tuxedo Black edit
LCD PANEL AND WEBCAM Slim and Light White LED Display with VGA Webcam edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
OPTICAL DRIVE CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 8400M GS edit
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini-Card edit
BLUETOOTH WIRELESS Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR) edit
SOUND OPTION High Definition Audio 2.0 edit

Came in at $2,253

It's just interesting to me, and I was kind of wondering why, with a better built latop, and the fact that everyone always says Apples have a premium, that this argument is still raging on?

Mario
Click to expand...


So your basing your entire comparison off of the laptop needing something which Apple only just added what like 3 weeks ago? (LED Screen)

Configure a 1520 with the same specs as a MBP and you come up with a price that is 300$ less than the MBP.

As was said earlier, the m1330 and MBP are not competing products. Also, the base price of the MBP is 2000$, what you got it for is irrelevant. I can get Dell's for 20% off, that doesn't mean thats the price I am going to use as a comparison.


Back on topic : I agree that the best features to get on the m1330 are those that differentiate it. The LED screen, the discrete graphics in an "ultra"portable, and perhaps even go for the built in WWAN.
 
jimnms said:
Does anyone know if the 9-cell battery sticks out?
Click to expand...

Yes, quite a bit. It actually sticks out and down, raising up the back of the laptop. I believe Notebookreview.com did a review of the notebook where they had the 9-cell battery. I dont like how they made it go down as well, I would have preferred just straight out like on the M1210.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Yes, quite a bit. It actually sticks out and down, raising up the back of the laptop. I believe Notebookreview.com did a review of the notebook where they had the 9-cell battery. I dont like how they made it go down as well, I would have preferred just straight out like on the M1210.
Click to expand...

That is kind of strange. I don't like that either. Damn it, I want a long lasting battery, but I don't want that huge ugly battery sticking out like that.

EDIT:

I just noticed it comes standard with the 4-cell battery, so does that mean the 6-cell sticks out too?
 
jimnms said:
That is kind of strange. I don't like that either. Damn it, I want a long lasting battery, but I don't want that huge ugly battery sticking out like that.

EDIT:

I just noticed it comes standard with the 4-cell battery, so does that mean the 6-cell sticks out too?
Click to expand...

The video review that I saw made brief mention that the 6-cell did not stick out, although I am not entirely sure I trust him...didn't sound too confident on some things. I would call or email Dell and ask if they have pictures of a 1330 with the 6-cell (or if the 6-cell sticks out).
 
Erasmus354 said:
The video review that I saw made brief mention that the 6-cell did not stick out, although I am not entirely sure I trust him...didn't sound too confident on some things. I would call or email Dell and ask if they have pictures of a 1330 with the 6-cell (or if the 6-cell sticks out).
Click to expand...

I did the chat deal on dell's site and the guy said the 6-cell doesn't stick out. I'd rather have two 6-cells than that monster 9-cell, but they don't give you that option. :mad:
 
If only they had a 6-cell + 9-cell option.. I don't really mind the 'monster' 9-cell as long as it's on the desk. It'll probably help with the cooling anyway, though I don't know if it would be harder to type. 6-cell for moving around, 9-cell for desk ;)
 
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