Dell XPS M1330 Laptop

5 comments

1. 

   Richard Unger Jr. on December 18, 2009 at 11:35 am

   I love my xps 13… The only things that erk me are the finish shows ever single finger mark. Also the computer runs very hot when watching a movie, running multiple programs, or just blocking the vents(very easy to do). Other than that if you can get around these faults the computer really is a great machine. Plus the free windows 7 upgrade is awesome from dell! get the larger battery also if you have the option i get about 2 hours web browsing.

2. 

   D. Truong on December 18, 2009 at 2:27 pm

   When it comes to computers, Dell has had a pretty good reputation for “build quality” in their products. But, they also have a reputation for notoriously bad “customer service”. One thing that I never expected from Dell was a laptop that was not only built well, but also a real “head-turner” . But that’s exactly the case when it comes to the Dell M1330 laptop. This sleek and sexy 4 pound high-end (XPS line) laptop packs a formidable punch and offers a cool array of features & options. These features include an 13.3″ LED backlit screen (LED backlight optional), slot loading optical drive, brushed aluminum casing, biometric finger print reader (optional), Media player with travel remote (optional), integrated camera, HDMI out, Solid state hard drive ‘SSHD’ (optional), and a good selection of laptop colors to choose from. To finish it off, it features powerful CPU choices ( from 1.66Ghz to 2.5Ghz “Core 2 Duo” Intel Processors) and an optional 128mb NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Card. But along with the good, there are a few things that keep this laptop from being perfect. One thing that I really wished this laptop had was more than just 2 USB ports. Not only that, but the ports are on opposite sides of the computer. Also, there isn’t even an option for buying an integrated Blu-ray drive… which doesn’t make any sense when you see that there’s a beautiful 13.3 wide-screen and HDMI port on this thing.

   Still, there’s a lot to love about the Dell M1330. It’s ultra portable/super thin wedge shape design, full-sized keyboard, and built-in memory card slot, integrated web-cam & mic, and 2 headphone jacks, also adds to it’s intrinsic value and charm. Few laptops can match both it’s ‘power per size’ ratio. And although it’s been available now for a couple years, it can still hold it’s own among some of the newer laptops on the market. And when it’s all said and done, I think that it makes this Dell a true “classic”… especially now that Dell has discontinued this model. It can still be acquired “new or used” on sites like Ebay, through Dell’s online Outlet store, and other online sources. It’s also still available at some retail stores.

   Pros:
   
   -Beautiful glossy 13.3″ wide screen (also available with LED backlight)
   
   -Great super portable, sleek, light, and sexy design.
   
   -Powerful (up to 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo and 128mb NVIDIA GeForce Video Card option)
   
   -Nice array of colors available including “Blue, Pink, White, Black, and Red”
   
   -Slot Loading Optical drive
   
   -Wide array of hard drive options including SSHD, easy to DIY hard drive upgrade as well.

   Cons:
   
   -Only 2 USB drives
   
   -No Blu-ray Option
   
   -Standard 6-cell battery doesn’t last too long (about 2 hrs) Don’t even bother with 3-cell batt.
   
   -9 Cell battery available but it’s very expensive and adds much bulk to laptop.(sticks out too)

   Conclusion:
   
   This is a sexy and powerful high-end ultra-portable laptop. I’ve heard that it was rated the most powerful laptop per it’s size (when it was first released) …But this may not be true anymore. The XPS line of Dell laptop has a higher build quality than most regular consumer laptops on the market. And because the prices for this model has drastically dropped (now that it’s been discontinued), it’s even more of a bargain. Mine has been very dependable and I’d highly recommend it to others.

3. 

   Film Flim Fan on December 18, 2009 at 4:01 pm

   If you get this, I highly recommend you purchase the on-site hardware replacement & support plan from Dell. You’ll need it.

   The computer failed twice within 18 months. Both times required replacement of the motherboard. They claim that the problem was due to the graphics chips not having a high-enough temperature tolerance. The computer runs exceptionally hot and it doesn’t help that the ventilation fan input is under the computer by the far left corner. That means that when flush on the desk, cooling is severely restricted. When placed on a bed or couch, cooling is nonexistent. Cooling stands don’t help (and actually hurt, since the fan placement is completely blocked by most stands.

   That’s just one facet of poor design. Others include touch-audio controls. They look cool, but try finding the right button without looking. Try watching a DVD without accidentally brushing against the eject spot. Try typing without accidentally brushing against the touchpad, leaving new text in whatever random spot the cursor was sent to. Try finding the right keys in low lighting.

   For how much this cost, I’ve been HIGHLY disappointed.

4. 

   Debra Alliegro on December 18, 2009 at 6:02 pm

   I bought this laptop a couple weeks ago and its just..well…amazing! It looks awesome, so sleek and sexy, with a black finish and a very VERY thin screen. The whole computer is very thin.

   The xps m1330 is soooo fast. It loads up really really fast and the screen is soooo bright and clear. Vista is awesome too, very good looking and you will never go back to Windows. Some ppl say it is buggy but i have experienced nothing wrong so far.

   I highly recommend this product!

5. 

   Kevin B. Smith on December 18, 2009 at 7:38 pm

   I’ve had very mixed luck with this machine. The pros listed in the very positive reviews are right on–it is fast, it is sleek and light etc etc. However, I’ve experienced some serious problems with this machine:

   1. The drivers for the video card are incredibly buggy, and routinely lead to the screen blanking out (this is a well known problem, and it still hasn’t been satisfactorily fixed).

   2. Windows vista has never worked well. I’m not sure if this is a Vista issue or a hardware issue, but this machine and this OS have not worked well together (e.g. I initially could not shut the machine off except by using the power button–vista has a lot of shutdown options, all of them simply froze the computer; the machine still crashes, freezes and slows down at random).

   3. I’ve had problems with the Wi-Fi — it’s simply not that great at picking up a signal. On several occasions I’ve had to borrow a laptop to get online; other machines were picking up the signal but not this one.

   4. The computer regularly simply stops working. It won’t start, or if it does it won’t boot. I suspect it was simply set up very poorly by whatever Dell tech put things together. I paid a computer technician a couple hundred bucks to go through the system, and this made things a lot better–but it made the problems less frequent rather than cured them.

   A simple summary of my experience with this machine can be summed up by this fact: I’m writing this review on my wife’s MacBook because my XPS is currently in its “I’m not working today” mode.

   I’ve been a huge Dell customer over the years–this is my fifth machine ordered from Dell. There will not be a sixth.