Very Light/Portable Notebook for myself

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TechieSooner

Supreme [H]ardness
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Nov 7, 2007
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Title pretty much says it all.

The Eee and Air just won't cut it.

I like the Dell XPS M1330 pretty well, however I hate to jump on it.
Knowing that's what I'd like and at what price I can get that at, is there anything else I should take a look at? I know I like some Sony models but for the money I just don't see why I would go for those.

What else is out there?

Not big on HDD space (I still have a desktop) at all. However 2GB of RAM is my #1 thing...
 
More info needed. What's your budget? What are you going to use it for? What size are you looking for--a 12" ultraportable, a balanced a4" productivity machine, a 17" desktop replacement?

The sole reason I post on this message board is to recommend Thinkpads to people I don't know, but they're a bit expensive for the feature set and they're not good for gaming. Still, if you just want a solid, reliable laptop, Thinkpad all the way.
 
Don't like the fact it doesn't have an optical drive...

Just looking for something light/portable. 17" no way.

I used to have a 15" notebook that I felt was too big- so I am going for small here.
Budget, varies. Obviously as cheap as I can but around $1000-1400 would be good.
 
1.4" thick and over 6lbs... pretty hefty still.

I guess my question is if there is anything that has the needed features the XPS M1330 has and about the same size?
 
if you have a desktop i would consider the eee. I picked one up the other day and it works for just about everything but gaming and higher end apps.
 
Vengance_01 said:
What would you like to know about the 1330? I have one pretty loaded.
Click to expand...

Was planning on looking at one in person tomorrow actually. Is it pretty light and thin compared to other notebooks?

I imagine a Thinkpad or the Air could best it as far as weight goes, but then I end up sacrificing other features which I like to keep.

SolidBladez said:
^^^ And you can easily buy a 2GB stick for under $40. :)
Click to expand...
To go in the Eee?
Really don't know why you'd need 2GB unless it has Vista on it, and I imagine Vista would take up most all of its space anyways.
 
Yeah I was referring to the Eee. (hence the ^^^ to boostified's post).

IMO, XP runs best with 2GB of ram. And that'll definitely help if you get an Eee which already has a small SSD drive.
 
Dell's 1330 is not super light, but at just above 4LBS with the 6 cell, its a thin and light in my eyes. But it offers fantastic performance, decent number of ports, and the LED screen is very bright and pretty decent. Mine runs very quiet, but can get a bit hot under full load like playing WoW. HD stays cool, and palm rests only get a mild warm feeling, but thats about it. Keyboard is bit noisy, but over all pretty easy to type on. LMK if there is anything eles you want to know.
 
You could also see about getting a M1210 second hand, especially if it's still under warranty. 12.1" screen, decent battery life, and a discrete graphics system make me love my 1210.
 
Vengance_01 said:
Dell's 1330 is not super light, but at just above 4LBS with the 6 cell, its a thin and light in my eyes.
Click to expand...

Compared to a Macbook or something (One thing I like about them (and that's just about ALL I like about them) is that they are very thin), is it a monster?

Does anything else best the 1330, with the same feature set (optical drive, etc)?
 
I was in your same position recently. I looked far and wide for the best bang-for-the-buck small laptop and I kept coming back to the xps1330 and vostro 1400.

I ended up getting a refurb 1330 mostly loaded except for the led screen. I'm pretty satisfied so far. It's pretty thin, but I opted for the 9-cell which makes it overall thicker and heavier, but now I can carry it all day and not have to worry about the adapter. With typical usage it amounts to around 5 hours of battery life so far. Probably could be longer with the led screen, I'm sure.

I haven't really tested the gaming perfomance yet, but I zipped through the first few levels of Portal with no problem. I'm going to fire up Civ4 and TF2 today and see how it fares.

The keyboard is good but not great. I also wish the touchpad was larger.

One issue I did have was with a cd that had a label silkscreened onto it, making it thicker than normal. The slot-loading drive on the 1330 wouldn't read it, and I could hear it "rubbing" a bit while it spun. A small issue, but an issue none the less.

For the price, though, I really couldn't find anything even close except for the vostro, but it's a little bigger.

Does anyone who has the 6-cell want to chime in on battery life? I might pick one up to save on weight/space if I knew I could get 3+ hours out of it.
 
TechieSooner said:
Compared to a Macbook or something (One thing I like about them (and that's just about ALL I like about them) is that they are very thin), is it a monster?

Does anything else best the 1330, with the same feature set (optical drive, etc)?
Click to expand...

The m1330 is actually thinner than a macbook and as far as I know it is also lighter.
 
TechieSooner said:
Compared to a Macbook or something (One thing I like about them (and that's just about ALL I like about them) is that they are very thin), is it a monster?

Does anything else best the 1330, with the same feature set (optical drive, etc)?
Click to expand...
I am not sure, but not really. There might be some Sony models but the Dell is very well rounded. The only thing it lacks is 1 extra USB port and gigabit Ethernet. It has vga, 2 USB ports, HDMI, slot loaded dvd+RW, express 54 slot. The Fingerprint reader is a nice touch.
 
prtzlboy said:
I was in your same position recently. I looked far and wide for the best bang-for-the-buck small laptop and I kept coming back to the xps1330 and vostro 1400.

I ended up getting a refurb 1330 mostly loaded except for the led screen. I'm pretty satisfied so far. It's pretty thin, but I opted for the 9-cell which makes it overall thicker and heavier, but now I can carry it all day and not have to worry about the adapter. With typical usage it amounts to around 5 hours of battery life so far. Probably could be longer with the led screen, I'm sure.

I haven't really tested the gaming perfomance yet, but I zipped through the first few levels of Portal with no problem. I'm going to fire up Civ4 and TF2 today and see how it fares.

The keyboard is good but not great. I also wish the touchpad was larger.

One issue I did have was with a cd that had a label silkscreened onto it, making it thicker than normal. The slot-loading drive on the 1330 wouldn't read it, and I could hear it "rubbing" a bit while it spun. A small issue, but an issue none the less.

For the price, though, I really couldn't find anything even close except for the vostro, but it's a little bigger.

Does anyone who has the 6-cell want to chime in on battery life? I might pick one up to save on weight/space if I knew I could get 3+ hours out of it.
Click to expand...
The 6 cell is right around 2:30-3 hours is what I personally see with a 6 cell.
 
Vengance_01 said:
The 6 cell is right around 2:30-3 hours is what I personally see with a 6 cell.
Click to expand...
This is what I was thinking of getting. How much weight does the 9 cell add to the 6 cell?

thefewtheproud said:
The m1330 is actually thinner than a macbook and as far as I know it is also lighter.
Click to expand...
Really? Wow. Doesn't look like it from pics... I need to go to Staples and physically play around with one I guess.

Vengance_01 said:
I am not sure, but not really. There might be some Sony models but the Dell is very well rounded. The only thing it lacks is 1 extra USB port and gigabit Ethernet. It has vga, 2 USB ports, HDMI, slot loaded dvd+RW, express 54 slot. The Fingerprint reader is a nice touch.
Click to expand...

That is what I was thinking... Sony's TZ series looks very good, however 3K AND UP is just a bit too much to take off 1 pound and 1/4"...


Do you think I should opt for the $150 extra LED display? Anyone have any knowledge how much weight (I can't imagine it's much) it takes off? And how much battery it saves?
The M1330 is pretty darn cheap (refurbished) if you don't care about that LED display.
 
Cool.
Also, in addition to the questions above, is it recommended to buy a refurb one?

It appears Dell gives you all the warranty of a new one, and the condition is just like new, so what's the history of these things?

For example, an Xbox 360 refurbs I have heard nothing but bad things about. I guess it could be refurb 360s have the older heat sinks inside that are prone to the RROD, I don't know...
 
TechieSooner said:
Cool.
Also, in addition to the questions above, is it recommended to buy a refurb one?

It appears Dell gives you all the warranty of a new one, and the condition is just like new, so what's the history of these things?

For example, an Xbox 360 refurbs I have heard nothing but bad things about. I guess it could be refurb 360s have the older heat sinks inside that are prone to the RROD, I don't know...
Click to expand...

Oh it is totally different. It is perfectly safe to go with a refurb. I am pretty much in your exact position and am gonna get the m1330 as a refurb. Just make sure it is not a scratch and dent. Yep you get the same warranty and everything. My advice both to you and myelf is GO FOR IT. and post pics when it arrives!
 
thefewtheproud said:
Oh it is totally different. It is perfectly safe to go with a refurb. I am pretty much in your exact position and am gonna get the m1330 as a refurb. Just make sure it is not a scratch and dent. Yep you get the same warranty and everything. My advice both to you and myelf is GO FOR IT. and post pics when it arrives!
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking as well...

I can save some serious money not going with the LED display- anyone have info on it?
 
Well the led display makes the overall weight/thickness less but I really dont think it is worth it. The normal lcd is still thin.
 
the LED can extend your battery life about 30 mins. If you are looking at a refurb, just make sure you get the on-site service. Because if you get a bad screen etc... they come to you to replace parts. The 1330 is a good little machine. Mine is my companion to my Quad Core and 8800GT desktop. I don't really game, but when I want to I can if need be.
 
Well I looked at one at Staples today and must say it is a pretty small machine. Not the thinnest in the world, but it is a good size for sure.

The other downside to the LED is it only has a 0.3 MP camera rather than a 2.0 MP....

30 minutes extra battery life is interesting though, not quite sure if it'd be worth it or not...
 
Wonder if all the Staples stores carry this model? Dell M1330.
Only thing I wonder about is the 128MB graphics, and how capable it would be? :confused:
EDIT: Looking for a mobile WoW game station w/ Built-in Verizon EVDO.
 
I am looking for the same type of laptop. Something truely mobile <14" and ~4lbs that can handle WoW or EQ2 without sluggish.choppy play. I have a budget of $1250 or so but still haven't found what I want. The 1330 looks great but I am waiting for one of those Dell deals that always seems to appear when I am broke
 
My advice is to evaluate what you really are going to use the notebook for, what do you absolutely need vs. what do you want. What is your definition of light and portable?

I too was looking for something light and portable to replace my 5 year old 14" heavy notebrick, and I ended up getting an M1330. I got it pretty loaded, 2.2GHz C2D, nvidia 8400 GPU, 120GB HD, LED screen with webcam, fingerprint reader, 6 and 9 cell batteries. For it's size, I think it's pretty light, much lighter than my old notebook, but as for size, it is only 1 x 0.5 inches smaller than my old 14" non widescreen notebook.

When I started using it I could hear it emitting a high frequency noise which gave me a headache after about 20 minutes. I did some searching, tried some of the solutions, but it didn't help. I found a post on a forum that said they released a revision A04 motherboard to fix the noise, so I checked the sticker and they had sent me one with a revision A01 MB. :mad: I contacted Dell customer support, and they sent me a new one by next day shipping. The new one did have a revision A04 motherboard in it, but it still made a high frequency noise, though slightly different.

Also I could not get the fingerprint reader to work reliably on either of them. I was only ever able to get it to read my right thumb and my left middle fingers. I didn't really need the fingerprint reader, but when I ordered it, it was a free upgrade so I selected it.

I ended up having to send it back (almost a month ago) for a refund, which I'm still waiting for.

Apparently the noise problem not just a Dell problem, it has something to do with the Intel chipset used on the motherboards, and not everyone can hear that high of a frequency either. It's to bad because I did like the notebook. On the other hand it also turned out to be a good thing since I realized that I don't need that much power in a notebook, and also I would rather have something smaller and lighter.

I don't use it much at home, but I do like having a 2nd PC around for doing certain things when I don't want to tie up my desktop. I travel out of town quite frequently. Most of the time it's a short overnight or a weekend deal, so I really only need something to check email and use the internet. About once or twice a year I do go out of town for 5+ days, so it would be nice to have something (like the M1330) that I could play games, watch DVD's or have a place to dump pictures from my digital camera, but I would still rather have something smaller and more portable.

Right now I'm looking at getting an Eee PC. It's size and weight will be perfect for my typical usage. As for the longer trips, I already have a 120GB WD passport drive that I can bring along to use as storage for pictures. It wont play games or DVD's, but in all the years I've had my old notebook I only had time on one trip to play a game and one other time I did bring a DVD and watch in a hotel. The hotel had satellite TV, so I could have done without, and I did watch TV after the DVD was over.
 
I bought the M1330.

A few things to note for those that are looking at this...
The 4 and 6 cell batteries both are physically the same. Only the 9 cell adds physical size.
With the 6 cell battery (the one I got) the system is just a hair under 4 lbs.


Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800MhzFSB, 4M L2 Cache)
3GB RAM
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
160GB 7200 RPM HDD with Free Fall sensor
Slim and light LED Display with webcam
6 cell battery
Bluetooth
Fingerprint Reader
4 year in-home warranty
4 year accidental damage
4 year LoJack
Click to expand...

$1573.09

Thought it was a pretty decent deal considering I have 4 years of warranty, accidental damage, and LoJack on there.
 
orangehole said:
I am looking for the same type of laptop. Something truely mobile <14" and ~4lbs that can handle WoW or EQ2 without sluggish.choppy play. I have a budget of $1250 or so but still haven't found what I want. The 1330 looks great but I am waiting for one of those Dell deals that always seems to appear when I am broke
Click to expand...

Well, it is $799 off the loaded one with LED display and 3 year warranty through tomorrow 1/31. Not that they won't have an equal/better deal a few days later. That's just the Dell way of selling computers..."deal of the day".

And you have to get the 6 cell or 9 cell battery if you are getting the LED display and better graphics.
The 4 cell is not compatible with that configuration.

Andrew
 
aamsel said:
Well, it is $799 off the loaded one with LED display and 3 year warranty through tomorrow 1/31. Not that they won't have an equal/better deal a few days later. That's just the Dell way of selling computers..."deal of the day".

And you have to get the 6 cell or 9 cell battery if you are getting the LED display and better graphics.
The 4 cell is not compatible with that configuration.

Andrew
Click to expand...

IMO since 6 cell adds nothing but a little more weight it's the best battery.

The LED also pulls less juice to start with vs. the LCD.

Be sure to sign up for the Member Purchase Program (free) that knocked off another $125 on mine or so.
 
Where do you sign up for the "Member Purchase Program"?
I thought this was only for Dell employees, friends, family, etc?

Andrew
 
TechieSooner said:
IMO since 6 cell adds nothing but a little more weight it's the best battery.
Click to expand...

I think the only reason they offer a 4 cell battery is so they can advertise it as weighing less than 4lbs. The weight with the 4 cell is 3.97lbs, and the 6 cell puts it just over 4lbs. The best bet is just to get both the 6 and 9 cell batteries, it's only $80 more than getting just a 6 cell battery.
 
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