Buy Dell XPS Studio 13 now or sometime before June

AIR-AUSSIE

I have to decided to buy a Dell XPS Studio 13, the spec is below. I don't really need it right away. So I am wondering should I buy it now with a price of around €1700. Or wait a month or two? Will prices go down, a faster processor for cheaper, or will the SSD get cheaper?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

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• Microsoft Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64bit- English
• Base: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P9600(2.66GHz, 1066MHz, 6MB)
• Microsoft Application Software: Microsoft® Works 9.0 / English
• LCD: Black Leather back cover 13.3" WXGA (1280x800) White-LED Display with TrueLife (thinner & brighter)
• Memory: 4096MB 1067MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048]
• Hard Drive: 256GB Solid State SATA Drive
• Enhanced Service Packs: 1 year of coverage included with your PC
• Primary Battery: Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery
• Optical Devices: Internal DVD+/-RW (DVD & CD read and write)
• Video Card: 512MB nVidia GeForce 210M graphics card - MLK
• Camera: Integrated Camera with Facial Recognition Software
• Dell System Media Kit: Studio XPS 13 Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
• Bluetooth: Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module

jdoctor

AIR-AUSSIE if you can wait then you definitely should wait. The new intel processors should be appearing in the Dell XPS range soonish (i guess in the next few weeks but to be honest that is just a guess). Also even if you end up getting the same spec in a few weeks time my guess is you will get it for quite a bit less.

AIR-AUSSIE

jdoctor wrote: »

AIR-AUSSIE if you can wait then you definitely should wait. The new intel processors should be appearing in the Dell XPS range soonish (i guess in the next few weeks but to be honest that is just a guess). Also even if you end up getting the same spec in a few weeks time my guess is you will get it for quite a bit less.

Yea I'm leaning towards waiting. Can I ask wat ur guesses are based on?

jdoctor

At CES the new intel processors were unveiled (new i7, i5 and i3). Dell had said they will soon start to carry them. The old I7 processor (i7 720QM) they had is no longer available on any of the dell base installs (in the studio XPS range although it is available in the studio models). IF you are more interested in high performance hang on and you should get this version of the i7 for a similar price as it seems to come and go off the Dell site.


The i7-720QM is a higher performance processor than the P9600 although the i7-720QM will consume more power.
http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=37266,43122,

So personally i am trying to hold off untill the new processors arrive. Some of the new i7 processors will hopefully have lower power consuption.

AIR-AUSSIE

jdoctor wrote: »

At CES the new intel processors were unveiled (new i7, i5 and i3). Dell had said they will soon start to carry them. The old I7 processor (i7 720QM) they had is no longer available on any of the dell base installs (in the studio XPS range although it is available in the studio models). IF you are more interested in high performance hang on and you should get this version of the i7 for a similar price as it seems to come and go off the Dell site.


The i7-720QM is a higher performance processor than the P9600 although the i7-720QM will consume more power.
http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=37266,43122,

So personally i am trying to hold off untill the new processors arrive. Some of the new i7 processors will hopefully have lower power consuption.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I will keep an eye out for the new processors so.

maco

Just bought my wife Mac Pro last month almost the same specs for 1,100 euro. Check it out, you might change your mind . ..

BenEadir

Air Aussie,

I've had an XPS 1340 for almost a year and whilst it's a nice design with great keyboard and screen I've had MAJOR issues with the hard drive. It's been replaced 3 times so far and this morning it froze again and after running the diagnostics (error 0142 again) they wanted to send me another hard drive but I've refused. Seems to be an issue with the drives they use in this model. I'm a medium business user (email, docs, spreadsheets etc) so by no means have I driven it hard.

I put my foot down as this would be the 4th hard drive in the machine and they eventually offered me a replacement but instead of a 1340 which they said they were phasing out they offered me a "New" Alienware M15X which apparently has just been launched. The Dell supervisor said it was the mutts nuts and would give me all the power and reliability I need. It's a 15" rather than 13" screen and is designed more for gamers than business so I'm not pleased with either the size (4kg Vs 2.2kg for the 1340) or look of it but if it's solid and won't let me down then I might go for it as the process of changing hard drives wastes at least 2 days of my time each time as programs and data are reloaded and configured etc. At this point he's saying there may be a small (€300) cost to change but if I do go for it I won't be paying that given all the hasssle they've put me through.

So, should you wait? I love the 1340 and if the hard drive wasn't an issue I'd be keeping it for at least another 2 years but I just can't rely on it. Also, the fact that they are phasing it out may mean a) they accept there is an issue with them and b) something even better in the 13" business/slick design space might replace it soon.

As an aside, what do you all think of my situation? Should I accept the Alienware M15X (see http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/featuresdetails.aspx/alienware-m15x?c=ie&l=en&s=bsd&cs=iebsdt1&~lt=popup) or should I do something else? Has anyone got any experience of the M15X? At 4kg and over 2 inches thick it's too big and heavy for business travel which I do quite a bit.

What would you guys do? I know I won't get my money back so what else can I get from them? The 1340 is the only model in their lineup that meets my criteria of light weight, powerful, good battery life and great scren and keyboard. Is ther any point in getting them to send me a different configuration with Win 7 64bit instead of Vista 32 bit and the 256GB solid state hard drive rather than the 500gb serial ATA drive I currently have? Would that make a difference? Are the solid state drives ok now? I heard they gave trouble after a year or two.

I'm inclined to ask for anew 1340 with Win 7 and and SS drive and see what happens rather than go with the M15X. Good idea or not? I'm sure I can manage with 256Gb by just dumping old movies etc onto an external HD so what's the downside of Win 7 64bit and the SS drive over my current configuration?

Regards,

Ben

Voodu Child

BenEadir wrote: »

I put my foot down as this would be the 4th hard drive in the machine and they eventually offered me a replacement but instead of a 1340 which they said they were phasing out they offered me a "New" Alienware M15X which apparently has just been launched. The Dell supervisor said it was the mutts nuts and would give me all the power and reliability I need. It's a 15" rather than 13" screen and is designed more for gamers than business so I'm not pleased with either the size (4kg Vs 2.2kg for the 1340) or look of it but if it's solid and won't let me down then I might go for it as the process of changing hard drives wastes at least 2 days of my time each time as programs and data are reloaded and configured etc. At this point he's saying there may be a small (€300) cost to change but if I do go for it I won't be paying that given all the hasssle they've put me through.

The M15x is massive as far as 15" laptops go. It is closer in size and weight to a typical 17". It seems very bizarre of them to offer it.

As an aside, what do you all think of my situation? Should I accept the Alienware M15X (see http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/featuresdetails.aspx/alienware-m15x?c=ie&l=en&s=bsd&cs=iebsdt1&~lt=popup) or should I do something else? Has anyone got any experience of the M15X? At 4kg and over 2 inches thick it's too big and heavy for business travel which I do quite a bit.

What would you guys do?

If you need a light machine, forget about the M15x. Get another HDD off them. Ask for a Western Digital 320GB or 500GB. Forget about those Seagate 500GB 7200rpm (is that what you have currently?), they are crap and give a lot of trouble. Although ive never seen 4 drives fail in a row, so I would also examine how you use the laptop, in case thats a factor.

AIR-AUSSIE

@BenEadir

In relation to your comments about the XPS 1340, the laptop I am think of getting is the DELL XPS Studio 13 - it is a different model to the one you own.
Dell Studio XPS 13

As far as I know the model I'm looking at is in fact replacing the model you have.

If you are being offered an Alienware laptop, as the above poster says, it does seem a little odd.

I was considering getting one of these before I decided on the XPS studio 13. From what I have read their build quality can be questionable and also their weight is a big issue. As you purchased a 13" laptop I would assume that you want portability, at least that is why I am choosing a small laptop. It seems perhaps that DELL are trying to lump off an alienware they have lying around.

If I was you I would tell them that you would prefer the DELL Studio XPS 13 as it is my along the lines of the model you bought in the first place. You can get a SSD in this and windows 7 64bit. Why they didn't offer even a refurbished one in the first place is odd also.

I would be thinking of getting a SSD also, mainly due to their quicker loading times. however I am unsure of their reliability as they haven't been tested as extensively as normal hard drives.

Ian Beale

AIR-AUSSIE wrote: »

@BenEadir

In relation to your comments about the XPS 1340, the laptop I am think of getting is the DELL XPS Studio 13 - it is a different model to the one you own.
Dell Studio XPS 13

As far as I know the model I'm looking at is in fact replacing the model you have.

There the same model, its a dell studio xps 1340, they just took the 40 off the end just as the studio 16 model is the model 1640. I have the studio 13 and it's very good, only complaint is the small vent at the back that gets half covered by the screen when open :rolleyes: and the speakers are pretty small aside from that it's solidly built and very quick.

BenEadir

All,

My XPS13 is going in the bin. For the last few days the fan has randomly started to run at full speed and the cpu at 100% until it gets so hot that it just crashes. I literally watched it do this for 15 minutes yesterday with only a couple of Office applications open and then crash. Dell support aren't interested and all they want to do is replace the hard drive again which means another lost day or more loading programs and data etc. I refused to have the hard drive changed again for the 4th time and told them that their offer to give me a 15" Alienware machine wasn't acceptable as it's 9kg tank of a thing not suited to mobile working. I asked them to replace this iece of sh1t with another XPS13 but this time with Win 7 and the solid state hard drive instead of the standard type which constantly gives me trouble and they said they wouldn't do that as parts for the XPS13 are hard to source and it could be 28 days before I'd get one. In the end they have agreed to give me a full refund but only after I return the device to them.

I've a pain in my bo**ix with Dell I can tell you and don't ever want another one of their machines.

Those of you who know the XPS13 will know what I'm after. Basically a 13" lightweight business laptop which has strong performance, good battery life and a good screen. A backlit keyboard would also be nice as I really like the one on the XPS.

Any thoughts on what I should get and where I should get it?

Or is it finally time to switch over to an Apple???? Any thoughts? I use MS office applications 90% of the time.

Ben