13.3" Laptops

Adrianr

Adrianr

Adrianr

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Apologies if this comes up over and over and over again.. If there is a comprehensive thread answering my questions please link away :)

Looking for a new little laptop, one with a 13" screen to be precise. It seems to me the best combination of size, weight, useability and power. It will have to do the usual word documents and internets, but also double up as a light photo editing/tethering machine (Used in conjunction with a larger screen in the studio). For this 4GB of ram is absolutely essential, as the smallest files it's likely to see are 21mp RAWs.

Good build quality is also a must. Laptops are something you tend to be a little more 'hands on' with, so it has to feel solid and generally nice to use. I've no shame in admitting i'm a bit of a tart.

Of course the first thing you're likely thinking is "Get a macbook!", and it is one of the options. However I do all my photo editing at home on a PC, as I get far more power and thus speed for my money. I work exclusively with cross-platform apps (Adobe CS4 suite mostly) so I wouldn't be missing out on anything going either way in that respect. The reason i'm posting this in here is because if i post it in the Apple forum it's not going to take a topic to guess what the replies will be :p

I've been looking at the Dell XPS 13" and I have to say it looks freakin awesome. Better screen than the Macbook (An obvious plus for photo work), better spec, and surprisingly more ram expandability (8GB max vs 4GB). This could lead to getting a little more life out of it.

So besides the Macbook and the XPS13, what else am i looking at around that size and price point? Say no more than £900. Cheers folks :)
 
if you're looking for the best spec for the money, the Vostro 1310 is an excellent choice, and they're immensely tough too :)
 
I can recommend the dell 13.3, I went for the 4GB version and I'm extremely happy with it. Runs photoshop with ease and even runs some of the latest games. Only thing is, as it's a dell it comes with a load of bloatware but once thats gone it's fine.
 
Samsung don't seem to making much with any visual finese.. They all look a bit er, how do you say, office-ee?

Aod: Isn't the XPS range supposed to be higher quality than the Vostro range? I thought the XPS stuff was their best?

selven: Yeah my Sister recently got a Dell laptop actually and I was amazed at the amount of bloat on it. And that pitiful OSX top-dock effort, ridiculous! I'l most likely put the Win7 beta on it as it seems like a much better OS for laptops than Vista.

Must be some more choices than these two folks!!
 
I got an xps just over a year ago and it's still going strong (bar a loose connection a month ag, which was easy to rectify with Dells online guides), definately recommend one.

Sony also do a good, tough 13" notebook but it's probably a bit more than £900.

Also with Dell they give you a proper Windows disk (with no bloatware) so it is very easy to reinstall a clean version of Windows when you first get the machine.
 
Great thread, I was searching for the same question :)

I've been a PC guy all my life, and like the OP have my reservations, but is the Macbook Air even worth considering within the 13.3" equation?
 
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I too can recommend the Dell XPS M1330. Had mine for a year now and it's been great. Managed to get an absurdly good deal on mine at the time which meant I could upgrade the CPU from 1.66 to 1.83, and go for the LED-backlit display for about £550 in total. The HDD it came with was a bit slow and noisy but I eventually had that replaced by Dell in January and the newer HDD is quite a bit quicker, so I'm happy. Battery life with the standard 4-cell battery isn't atrocious either, think I get a little over two hours use with it.

Dell have a 10% discount code available (until midnight on Wednesday) at the moment too, so they're worth a look.

kar said:
Great thread, I was searching for the same question :)

I've been a PC guy all my life, and like the OP have my reservations, but is the Macbook Air even worth considering within the 13.3" equation?
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Really depends on what you're after; the MacBook fills the niche between netbooks and 13" notebooks, in terms of size, weight, features and performance. It lacks an optical drive, has only one USB port, and isn't particularly quick, but then it's very slim and very light. But then, it's also incredibly expensive for the spec you get, because you're obviously paying for the design more than anything else.
 
I think I should have clarified as I didn't realise there were Studio and non-studio models, but i'm talking about the Dell Studio XPS13 in my OP, not the standard XPS.

The Macbook Air is priced and specced for a fantasy market IMO.. I'm a tart, but i'm not that much of a tart :p It would be too limiting for what I intend to use it for, if only for the lack of optical drive and single USB port alone.
 
Ahh, in that case definitely go for it, they seem like extremely nice machines. Should be some decent reviews around too. And again, the current 10% discount knocks the price down a bit.
 
Thanks for the sugestion TheLonely, but the samsungs really don't do any for me styling wise.. They look far too like my old P4 Sony Vaio sat behind me!

I'l have to try and get to a store to have a hands on with one of these Studio XPS13's I think. They seem like the only real contender so far.
 
Adrianr said:
Thanks for the sugestion TheLonely, but the samsungs really don't do any for me styling wise.. They look far too like my old P4 Sony Vaio sat behind me!

I'l have to try and get to a store to have a hands on with one of these Studio XPS13's I think. They seem like the only real contender so far.
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Having done a fair bit of research I'm of the same mind, the XPS Studio 13 looks like the winner at the moment. You can get a great spec for about a grand.

Just having trouble finding the actual weight of the studio version though. Looks around 2.1 - 2.2 kilos which is okay.

Although this bit has given me cause for concern

http://compreviews.about.com/od/ultraportables/gr/StudioXPS13.htm

In what can only be considered a major design accident, Dell put one of the primary cooling ducts on the back side of the laptop. This duct can be blocked when the LCD panel is folded beyond a straight perpendicular position, something that many users do with laptops. Combine this with the aluminum bottom panel and this system can get very hot on the bottom where it should not be used on one's actual lap without some sort of cooling device.

The other downside is that the Studio XPS 13 is quite large and heavy for a 13.3-inch laptop. At nearly five pounds in weight, this is a system that is much more comparable to a 14.1-inch for portability.
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That Q320 does look nice, if the res is a bit higher than 1280x800 I would be sorely tempted by it despite its a bit heavier than it should be at 2.2kg.
 
Apparently it only has one usb port ala' macbook air. What is that all about, really?

Although there is a combi esata/usb port so I don't know. It's hard to work out where those 2.2kilos are coming from although it puts it squarely in the same weight category as the dell xps 13 studio.
 
kar said:
The suggestion for the Q310 was a good one, like the OP, the styling isn't so great and it was kinda close to the end of its shelf-life.

Funny then I should come across this, this morning.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49301675,00.htm

Q320, which looks fantastic and is brand new :)

Was a bit put off by the xps studio 13's heating issues so maybe this will be the win?
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Hmm, like certain bits and dislike others.. Not much compared to the Studio XPS13 or Macbook though IMO. I'm not liking all these stories of super hot S-XPS13's either :(
 
posting from Q310 P8400 version, i was after performance with small form factor as use it to DJ from using Traktor. I was impressed with it, got if for £650 in december 08, there seems to be a newer version out with the a higher spec chip for about £700 now.
Also chose it cos it has XP drivers, i dumped vista home premium for XP pro

Quailty build, gets fingerprinted up tho and the style isn't that bad, i quite like it but those the Q320 looks gorgeous. i'd wait for that
 
I'm starting to question this whole 13.3" malarky now.. It seems they all come with TN panels, and i'm sure some of the larger ones come with better types? I know the Dell Studio 16 can (if you spec it) come with an RGBLED screen, but thats only the backlight, it says nothing about the panel tech. If i've got 3 people trying to look at the same image the viewing angle could be problematic.. But I still want the portability! Gah!

Anyone know what (if any) laptops come with VA or IPS screens?
 
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