That trackpad looks tiny, and I always wonder why they're not done in proportion to the screen in terms of x and y.
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XPS M1330 vs BlackBook
- Thread starter daneoni
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Because most people are right handed it's ergonomic unlike any product apple has.
I wondered that about PC products. I know it's not that big of a deal but going form the gigantic trackpad on the MBP to the tiny ones on the PCs is a dead give away to the size limitations on the PCs. HP's 20" laptop has a trackpad that is smaller than the MBP's own. The HP on their 20" is nicer, but it's tiny.
It is one of the tinier ones on the market. I believe the M1330 is engineered or designed by Samsung, as everything I've had that's Samsung has the same tiny trackpads.
In use, I have to say it's not that big a deal. Put it this way - I itch for a mouse in exactly the same way on the Dell or the Macbook Pro after about the same time of using both.
I know we're mostly comparing the computers by specs here, but I want to warn you that I decided to get an iMac and a cheap Sony Vaio, and the Vaio has been hell, running Vista. It's slow as a turtle that has had 3 legs amputated, and it's remaining foot welded to the ground.
Vaio specs were:
1.86Ghz Core Duo.
1GB of RAM.
Intel GMA950.
Vaio specs were:
1.86Ghz Core Duo.
1GB of RAM.
Intel GMA950.
It's like a Mac. Add another gig for normal application speed.
Also, cheap = slow. In case you didn't realise
Also, cheap = slow. In case you didn't realise
So as said i ordered both and the MacBook came in Yesternight just 48hrs from order (stock model but RAM upgraded to 2GB by self) whilst the Dell isn't set to ship till the 7th/Jan and possibly take another 7 days for delivery. Granted the Dell is significantly more customised.
Anyway i've been trying out the MB and the build quality is excellent, no cracks, creaks, wobbles or anything of that sore. The hard drive is a Fujitsu so no Seagate issues for me. The screen was completely bleached out much like all intel notebooks that have left cupertino, they all have yellowy tendencies but are often fixable by calibration. Mine is no exception. Quality was satisfactory.
The keyboard is somewhat stiffer than what i'm used to (MBP/PB keyboards), hopefully it'll become more soft with use. It came with Leopard which i'm not a fan of i wish you could still install Tiger on it but you can't due to the X3100 drivers not being available in Tiger. Speaking of the X3100, Leopard drivers for the X3100 seem really subpar. Photobooth barely works and when it does its seriously laggy/jerky...especially when switching between effects. Also stacks animation follows the same suit as does iTunes visualizers and coverflow
Basically it really shows that you're using a GMA rather than a dedicated option probably due to sucky drivers.
The laptop performs well and has handled everything i've thrown at it CPU wise with grace. VMWare runs fine. Safari blazes but tends to crash often though not frequently if that makes sense. Battery life is around 5 hrs plus change
The major no no for me thus far is the sharp edges. They start to really hurt after a while, its not as bad as the first gen models but its still there
Overall i'm tempted to keep it and cancel the Dell order especially since the Dell will take a while to get to me, also the fact that none of the issues plaguing other MB users currently seem to affect me such as Airport, Keyboard and HDD issues but two things hold me back. Subpar handling of graphics...anything image related (photobooth, iphoto etc) and the notebook starts to struggle. Also the sharp edges, if i'm gonna be using something for extended periods i'd rather it didn't slit my wrists. If i didnt have an iMac, i wouldn't keep the MB, i simply can't use it as a main computer. As a secondary or tertiary computer yes...primary not so much.
Still contemplating as to whether to make things fair and give the Dell an evaluation before judgement. Hmmm....
Anyway i've been trying out the MB and the build quality is excellent, no cracks, creaks, wobbles or anything of that sore. The hard drive is a Fujitsu so no Seagate issues for me. The screen was completely bleached out much like all intel notebooks that have left cupertino, they all have yellowy tendencies but are often fixable by calibration. Mine is no exception. Quality was satisfactory.
The keyboard is somewhat stiffer than what i'm used to (MBP/PB keyboards), hopefully it'll become more soft with use. It came with Leopard which i'm not a fan of i wish you could still install Tiger on it but you can't due to the X3100 drivers not being available in Tiger. Speaking of the X3100, Leopard drivers for the X3100 seem really subpar. Photobooth barely works and when it does its seriously laggy/jerky...especially when switching between effects. Also stacks animation follows the same suit as does iTunes visualizers and coverflow
Basically it really shows that you're using a GMA rather than a dedicated option probably due to sucky drivers.
The laptop performs well and has handled everything i've thrown at it CPU wise with grace. VMWare runs fine. Safari blazes but tends to crash often though not frequently if that makes sense. Battery life is around 5 hrs plus change
The major no no for me thus far is the sharp edges. They start to really hurt after a while, its not as bad as the first gen models but its still there
Overall i'm tempted to keep it and cancel the Dell order especially since the Dell will take a while to get to me, also the fact that none of the issues plaguing other MB users currently seem to affect me such as Airport, Keyboard and HDD issues but two things hold me back. Subpar handling of graphics...anything image related (photobooth, iphoto etc) and the notebook starts to struggle. Also the sharp edges, if i'm gonna be using something for extended periods i'd rather it didn't slit my wrists. If i didnt have an iMac, i wouldn't keep the MB, i simply can't use it as a main computer. As a secondary or tertiary computer yes...primary not so much.
Still contemplating as to whether to make things fair and give the Dell an evaluation before judgement. Hmmm....
When it comes to anything that involves heavy lifting, the Mac notebook will either fail miserably, or handle it with the average gusto one would expect of a very good but mediocre machine. My MBP is a great performer, but as soon as I decide to do anything about word processing and surfing the web the fans rev up and the book gets hot.
Surprisingly, the one app that doesn't rev the fans up is Aperture and Photoshop, but Final Cut, Motion, DVD Studio, etc get that thing a blowing. This is a pro machine mind you, so I can see how a MacBook would be a little stressed dealing with anything graphical.
Also, I totally support you on the main machine deal. I don't think I could live with using my MBP of any size as a main machine and put up with the edges and the lack of performance. Give me a Mac Pro or iMac or desktop anyday and let my portable machines be my backups.
So i decided to more or less return the MacBook, which is a shame cos i really wanted to keep it. But i found the sharp edges to really bug me. So much so that i haven't even been using the laptop for the past few days...opting to use the iMac instead and thats not a good sign.
Normally if i'm in love with something it'll be difficult to pry it off my cold dead hands.
I've packed it up but i havent actually made the call to Apple to come pick it up yet. Something keeps telling me to keep it...especially since i have one without any issues and vista sucks according to majority so i won't necessarily like the Dell(20%). Another voice is telling me to return it, especially since i'm not really satisfied with it. Hence no point keeping it just because...(80%)
I dunno
Normally if i'm in love with something it'll be difficult to pry it off my cold dead hands.
I've packed it up but i havent actually made the call to Apple to come pick it up yet. Something keeps telling me to keep it...especially since i have one without any issues and vista sucks according to majority so i won't necessarily like the Dell(20%). Another voice is telling me to return it, especially since i'm not really satisfied with it. Hence no point keeping it just because...(80%)
I dunno
Their customer service with the service pack may be good, but if you do not order it (like most people) because you assume their product is good, they stiff you. Be aware.
My family owns dells, not a single Apple, Sony, HP, etc. I had a problem with my computer where the computer would not start because the heatsink overheated (I had to search through forums about this). I spend 2 hours on the phone and the dell Reps said they couldn't talk to me because I wasn't under warranty. I was just days over the year warranty. I found out there is a number I can call (Dell) that will tell me what is wrong with my computer for a $15 fee. I eventually figured it out and fixed it by myself because I am pretty good with computers but the service was very bad.
In the end this is why I am going to get 'anything but a dell' in a few months for my college computer and am leading towards a MBP. Just be aware, Dell's customer service is based in India and though the reps are nice, they have nothing to do with out of warranty computers.
That's a little silly. If you intend to keep your Apple for more than a year and you're familiar with the litany of Apple issues, you are going to freakin' buy Applecare. Dell gives you more for less in this respect.
Screw them both. Go out and buy a really big lamp or something.
lol...funny enough i already have a big lamp. Two as a matter of fact.
Yes, but you were over the warranty our family has 6 dells never had a problem related to hardware. I have been on the Phone with a dell support they are friendly just a little hard to understand.
So the Dell arrived at my door this morning (props to them for delivering 7 days early) and i've been testing it. The build quality is pretty good. No flexing or wobbling although the display is pretty flexible i guess thats due to the thinner LED display.
Speaking of which, the LED display is pretty good...made by toshiba. Colours pop more and gives a sharp image and its very bright but it has its issues. First off its grainy...reminds me of the pre-SR MBP i had, i hear this is due to bad glossy coating more than anything else. It also has yellowy/bluey hues when compared with the MacBook but to be fair the MB has been calibrated whilst the Dell is factory state when both are compared at factory state the Dell wins by a huge margin
The XPS is definitely lighter despite the added 9 cell batt. Speakinf of batteries, battery life is slightly subpar to the MB churning out 4 hrs of useage whilst MB gets around 5hrs plus change but then again the Dell has a dedicated graphics card AND a 7200 RPM drive
Funny thing i noticed was that the Dell has the famous CPU whine that plagued the first gen MBPs although less pronounced, its defintely there.
Vista is definitely slower than Leopard taking almost 2 minutes to boot. Despite having a 7200 rpm drive. Indexing is also dog slow even though this is a clean machine with all bloatware uninstalled it is still indexing causing the drive to spin constantly. The drive (Hitachi) is also waay noiser which can be distracting. Bloatware installed weren't that many....about 4/5, which is very good compared to Sony's record. Once vista gets going though its pretty snappy..almost as fast as Leopard if not equal and overall can be an enjoyable experience...if you know what you're doing.
Browsing is slightly faster regardless of which browser you're using in vista. I think browsing in OS X has sucked from time. Flash handling also eats less CPU cycles than in OS X
I'm also not a fan of the keyboard, it just feels cheap and somewhat too springy....the MB defo has a better keyboard since i type faster with less errors on that keyboard. Trackpad is tiny and scrolling is not as intuitive as macs
Overall i dont think i'm keeping the Dell. Two major red flags for me. Vista (Windows as a whole) and Keyboard.
Using the OS so far, it just doesnt feel right. It requires me to think and be too involved (cancel/allow and nagging popups in general) instead of just getting on with my work. I also have to worry about protecting myself (antiviruses/firewalls). Speaking of anti viruses, i couldnt get McAfee to uninstall no matter how hard i tried which prevented me from installing my prefered AVG. I also had issues installing my Office 2003 but got there in the end after several restarts
General slow down of the system has also led to fans remaining on constantly and the laptop has been warm since first powerup
Add that to other small caveats and things start looking ugly, which is a shame cause i really wanted to like the Dell. It came with more stuff and is a very good value for money. It has a case, remote, headphones etc plus it matches and in some cases exceeds the macbook in specs. But simplicity and security of OSX along with a better system management overall means im more likely to keep the MacBook
The Dell is very good laptop but its been severely crippled by Vista
Speaking of which, the LED display is pretty good...made by toshiba. Colours pop more and gives a sharp image and its very bright but it has its issues. First off its grainy...reminds me of the pre-SR MBP i had, i hear this is due to bad glossy coating more than anything else. It also has yellowy/bluey hues when compared with the MacBook but to be fair the MB has been calibrated whilst the Dell is factory state when both are compared at factory state the Dell wins by a huge margin
The XPS is definitely lighter despite the added 9 cell batt. Speakinf of batteries, battery life is slightly subpar to the MB churning out 4 hrs of useage whilst MB gets around 5hrs plus change but then again the Dell has a dedicated graphics card AND a 7200 RPM drive
Funny thing i noticed was that the Dell has the famous CPU whine that plagued the first gen MBPs although less pronounced, its defintely there.
Vista is definitely slower than Leopard taking almost 2 minutes to boot. Despite having a 7200 rpm drive. Indexing is also dog slow even though this is a clean machine with all bloatware uninstalled it is still indexing causing the drive to spin constantly. The drive (Hitachi) is also waay noiser which can be distracting. Bloatware installed weren't that many....about 4/5, which is very good compared to Sony's record. Once vista gets going though its pretty snappy..almost as fast as Leopard if not equal and overall can be an enjoyable experience...if you know what you're doing.
Browsing is slightly faster regardless of which browser you're using in vista. I think browsing in OS X has sucked from time. Flash handling also eats less CPU cycles than in OS X
I'm also not a fan of the keyboard, it just feels cheap and somewhat too springy....the MB defo has a better keyboard since i type faster with less errors on that keyboard. Trackpad is tiny and scrolling is not as intuitive as macs
Overall i dont think i'm keeping the Dell. Two major red flags for me. Vista (Windows as a whole) and Keyboard.
Using the OS so far, it just doesnt feel right. It requires me to think and be too involved (cancel/allow and nagging popups in general) instead of just getting on with my work. I also have to worry about protecting myself (antiviruses/firewalls). Speaking of anti viruses, i couldnt get McAfee to uninstall no matter how hard i tried which prevented me from installing my prefered AVG. I also had issues installing my Office 2003 but got there in the end after several restarts
General slow down of the system has also led to fans remaining on constantly and the laptop has been warm since first powerup
Add that to other small caveats and things start looking ugly, which is a shame cause i really wanted to like the Dell. It came with more stuff and is a very good value for money. It has a case, remote, headphones etc plus it matches and in some cases exceeds the macbook in specs. But simplicity and security of OSX along with a better system management overall means im more likely to keep the MacBook
The Dell is very good laptop but its been severely crippled by Vista