Dell XPS M1330 user reviews

David Hamtaro 7 April 2011

Good: Nice cool design, cool colour - red. Light and portable.

Bad: Sluggish.

Comment: While for the first few months it works fine, problem start to evolve after more than 6 months. Screen is getting dimmer, can't read it outdoor. The startup speed also getting really slow, despite using it only to read news and surf the net. Experience dvd drive collapse more frequent too, Dell Media Direct software keeps popping up.

Blackfreighter 4 May 2009

Good: Nice design, nice spec, very good screen.

Bad: Graphics card burns out, DVD drive doesn't read if there are any scratches.

Comment: This laptop is a lovely product, well specified and aesthetically well thought out. Sadly, it is rendered useless by a fault with the graphics chip, which will kill the laptop, eventually, and a DVD drive that has issues.
My version of this machine lasted for a year before the graphics died, leaving me with a doorstop.

XPS_user 13 August 2008

Good: The form factor, the LED display and the performance.

Bad: Affected by the NVidia m8400/m8600 GPU problem.

Comment: The XPS m1330 and m1530 are great notebooks. Sadly however, I would caution against buying the XPS m1330 or any other laptop (from Dell, HP, Acer, Asus or Apple) that comes with the faulty Nvidia m8400 or m8600 graphics GPUs. Nvidia has finally admitted that there is a problem involving "a weak die/packaging material set" in their GPUs (see http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1215037160521.html).

These laptops are dying at an alarming rate. Mine died 3 times in the last 10 months. In each case the GPU was the cause and the "fix" was a motherboard replacement. The problem is that there is no guarantee that the replacement will last!

DELL and other manufacturers have offered graphics drivers and system bios updates that cause the system fans to run more frequently thereby delaying the failure. However, they are yet to address the real problem which is faulty hardware. HP has offered free warranty extension for affected systems but other manufacturers including Dell are yet to follow.

There are hundreds of articles like this one (http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/26/dell-explains-nvidia-gpu-issues-throws-out-bios-updates-to-help/) that describe the problem. There are even videos on YouTube showing XPS m1330 dying ( see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkw47rprZU8).

To make matters worse, the XPS m1330 has inferior heat sink design that makes the faulty GPU even more vulnerable. Some users have come up with a mod that improves the heat sink using a piece of copper (see http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3725405). Dell doesn't recognize the heat sink design as a contributing factor and subsequently won't recommend the heat sink mod.

So keep an eye for updates on this saga. In the mean time, stay clear of affected laptop models and configurations until the manufacturers own up to the problem and recall or offer upgrades for affected systems.

pn249 29 July 2008

Good: looks good from the outside, but has a rotten core

Bad: if machine fails in 32 days, it cannot be replaced because machines can only be replaced within 30 days. need i say more?

Comment: warranty is a joke. beware that battery warranty is only 1 year, despite purchasing 3 yr warranty. customer service waits for warranty to elapse before they return complaint calls. Computer keys failed within 2 months, battery within 4 months, they refused to replace item stating that machines are only replaced within the first month. 3 xps dell computers in my family, all three developed problems in the first few months. DO NOT BUY DELL!!!

Pawel Prochot 21 March 2008

Good: Style, size, preformance, WLED extra thin and bright screen, weight, keyboard, touchpad, hardware compatibility, volume of BOTH headphone jacks

Bad: Matshita DVD slim load shipped with mine.

Comment: I'm an IT but also sensitive to the design and feel of the equipment ( not that other IT people aren't :P ) and I really enjoy both functionality, performance and look of my new M1330 laptop. I advised few of my friends to get it. One of them bought it the other one is jealous.

Sanjeev Kamalanathan 19 February 2008

Good: finger print reader can be useful when you forget passwords, white-led screen is very bright at 300nits compared to average of 220nits

Bad: top spec components can be expensive. e.g. 64gb ssd

covertx 11 December 2007

Good: Power, CD Drive, Screen quality

Bad: Keyboard, Wireless, Flimsy lid

Comment: I LOVE my new XPS, there's not doubt in that... I would however like to point out the following negative points about the product:

- My laptop came with a dodgy "K" key, there was nothing majorly wrong with it, it was just a funny angle... After a week of using it (2-3 hours/day) they key completely came loose... It simply required clicking (firmly) back into place and now it's fine, but it was a bit of a let down for something so simple to cause so much return-to-sender worry!

- If moved even slightly (picking up) the lid can either close or fly open... It feels as if it's been used for years but is obviously brand spanking new... With normal use, the lid is fine and moves smoothely...

- I'm using Vista Ultimate and as much as I love the new OS I'm hating the wireless features... I somehow managed to turn off a "Find Networks" option and for the life of me couldn't find the right setting to turn it back on... I couldn't connect to any network for about 3 days... MOST ANNOYING! I had to wait until prompted (randomly) again before I could turn it back on...

- Everyone said that the CD slot loader is noisy... OH MY GOD THEY WERE RIGHT...


Other than that, I'm loving my laptop and would recommend it to anyone! (If you still want to buy after having read this review!) I bought it through the Dell website and was given a laptop sleeve, a leather case for CDs and a number of other goodies...

TOTALLY RECOMMENDED...


So far...

J 6 October 2007

Good: Lovely in principle

Bad: Dell's shocking QA

Comment: I was the fool who posted a 9 before it dawned on me that all was not as it should be. This is another "1" to bring the scores down. Read the other reviews here and be careful! [Ed's if you can delete that 9 review instead pelase do so]

J 29 September 2007

Good: Great machine if you don't want to talk

Bad: Microphone does not work on LED screened systems

Comment: Avoid and go for the Sony. The microphone has almost no volume on the LED systems due to a systematic driver problem present at shipping.

Make your own mind up: 8 Pages of disgruntled users trying to fx their own system because Dell will not or can not: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=149351

I confirm also that I have this problem with mine.

On a budget system I would say hey ho and get on fixing the drivers. At this price I am nothing short of livid.

Shame Dell. Shame on you. If you are going to go for the high end take a long hard look at your quality control.

Wim Bonjean 27 September 2007

Good: The speed, the looks, the HDMI output

Bad: The high pitch whining noise it makes - giving me a headache like never before.

Comment: What a fantastic configuration in such a small laptop - is what I thought when I first looked at the specs of this m1330. Because there was nothing like it on the market my mind was made up in an instant. And it really is a fantatsic system. It runs very smooth even with the horribly slow vista OS.
But when you are using it sitting quiet in your livingroom, you start to notice a high whining noise. It is screaming out at you, as if it is hunted by some tormented ghost. You can't get it out of your mind. It is giving you a headache you have never experienced before.
I called the Dell support line, apparently they now about that issue and they send me a replacement. That had the same problem. I called back and then they told me that all those configurations make that irritating noise. So now I am getting a refund. What a pitty, I really loved the machine, but this was too crazy.
So whatever you do, do not buy the 2.2GHz version. At least wait a few months, Dell said they are working on a fix for the problem. So let us hope that they are able to get it out of the next batch that leaves the factory, then I will pick one up as fast as I can. Or maybe I should go for a Vaio instead...