Dell Xps M1330 Review

by Andrew Baxter and Jerry Jackson

Overview and Introduction

The Dell XPS M1330 is designed for those that want power on the go. If you're also fashion conscious and like to standout in a crowd, the looks of the XPS M1330 will help you in that area too. Sleek design coupled with a portable form factor and powerful components come together to make for a compelling notebook.


Build and Design

Our pre-production XPS M1330 as equipped:

* 13.3-inch WXGA screen with LED backlight
* "Crimson" red paint (also available in "Tuxedo" black or "Pearl" white)
* 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, Santa Rosa chipset (up to 2.4GHz available)
* 2GB DDR2-667 SDRAM (up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM available)
* 160GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD (32GB SSD drive available)
* Slot-loading dual-layer DVD±RW drive
* 128MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS
* WWAN option for Verizon
* Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n (Intel 4965), Bluetooth option
* Integrated VGA webcam
* HDMI, VGA, 1394, two USB 2.0 ports, integrated media reader (MS, SD, ), fingerprint reader
* Media Center remote located in ExpressCard slot
* Windows Vista Home Premium
* Dimensions 12.5" x 9.4" x 0.87" - 1.33"
* Weight starts at 4 pounds with 6-cell battery



The design of the XPS M1330 really sets it apart. The design is, in a word, striking. The sloping look and stunning lid, available in three different colors, are immediately attention grabbing. The slope is akin to a fast car tear drop look. And while the XPS M1330 isn't designed to go fast in the physical sense, it looks like it could if you just put wheels on it.

Once opened the M1330 provides more eye candy in terms of design. The buttons along the top edge are touch sensitive and light up with a soft glow when pressed. They look very stylish. The LED buttons are a bright blue and also eye-catching in their appearance. The silver colored keyboard and brushed aluminum casing on the inside give a slightly industrial look that would tell you there's some muscle to this machine.



The hinge on the M1330 is quite unique, it's very rounded in its look and rotates to bring the screen about even with the keyboard for a slightly lower overall profile. The LED backlit screen is super thin, which keeps weight down and again contributes to the looks. An integrated web camera sits at the top of the screen, it's well hidden but noticeable.

Overall we have to say that the M1330 is one of the best looking notebooks on the market today.

Screen

When configuring the XPS M1330 you have two options for the screen -- a backlit 13.3" LED display that's thin and light or regular cathode backlit display that's slightly thicker and not as bright and evenly lit as the LED backlit display. We were lucky enough to have the LED backlit display, and while it costs $150 more than the standard display, it's a worthwhile upgrade. The picture and brightness you get is just amazing! It offers 330 nits of brightness and is simply gorgeous to look at. It's glossy in nature so you'll get some reflection, but the rich and bold colors that come with having this type of screen finish is worth it.



The only downside to the LED backlit display is the fact that you can only get a VGA webcam. If you get the regular WXGA display you can configure a 2MP web camera. We think VGA resolution is enough for things such as video chat applications, but if you really feel the need for a higher resolution web camera and want to save a bit of money too, then go with the regular WXGA screen option.



The speakers for the M1330 are located at the top of the keyboard area. There's not much to write home about the speakers, they get loud enough that's for sure, but the sound is slightly tinny as is the case with nearly all laptop speakers. The volume audio controls are touch sensitive buttons along the top right side of the keyboard. It's a little hard to use these buttons if you have big fingers, and there's no on screen feedback to tell you you've actually pressed the button. Overall the volume control buttons are tough to use, though they look nice, an old fashioned volume dial control is easier to use.



If you prefer to use headphones to the built-in, you're set. There are two headphone ports to capture audio from, both are located on the front of the notebook. If you're trying to attach external speakers this isn't as handy, but since this is an on the go notebook it's probably not an issue.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the XPS M1330 is fairly similar to the older XPS M1210, though it does feel more spread out with larger keys so overall the keyboard is better. One thing that's definitely better with M1330 is that the keyboard is more firm. On the M1210 there was some sink on the right side of the keyboard, but with the M1330 it's firm and solid all over. The XPS M1330 is really quite a pleasure to type on. The only complaint I have for the keyboard is that if your fingernails are slightly long they might get caught under the keys, this shouldn't be a problem for most males though.



One thing to mention is that with the 9-cell battery in you get an overall greater slope to the keyboard, we actually like this for ergonomics, it feels more comfortable for typing.



The touchpad works well enough, though it's on the small side. The Apple MacBook is a 13.3" screen notebook and the touchpad is probably twice the size of what you get on the M1330. The mouse buttons are fine, though Andrew would prefer they had a little more travel to them. The good news with the touchpad is that it's responsive, has dedicated scroll areas and the textured feel is good.

Performance and Benchmarks

The M1330 is a remarkably capable performer in its price range thanks to the Intel Santa Rosa processor platform and the Nvidia GeForce Go 8400M GS video card with 128MB of dedicated graphics memory. While there are better performing gaming systems on the market in the $1,500 to $2,000 price range with 256MB of dedicated memory, the M1330 provides more than enough power for casual gaming ... even with some of the newest games.

That said, we experienced some problems getting 3DMark05 and 3DMark06 to run smoothly on the pre-production M1330 straight out of the box thanks to some Vista driver issues. After spending a few hours running Windows Update and hunting for drivers online Jerry was able to get both 3DMark05 and 3DMark06 to run consistently and managed to improve some of the benchmark numbers from our first look review.

Hopefully any driver issues will be sorted out when Dell ships actual production units of the M1330 to customers. However, the driver issue we experienced shouldn't deter anyone from this genuinely impressive system.

Source : http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3826