My Review on Dell Studio XPS 1340 Laptop

My Review on Dell Studio XPS 1340 Laptop

Introduction
I just got my this laptop recently for $899.99 in a Best buy store. It was hard to find it in the Best Buys around my neighborhood (South Bay in California) because the laptop was either constantly out of stock or in transition. I guess either there is a high return rate or people are just loving it (Other online reviews said otherwise, but oh well).

More images and the complete specification of this Dell Studio XPS 1340 are on Dell.com, on Dell.com this system starts at $999.99, I'll explain why this $899.99 from Best buy is a potentially a better deal for you later.


Straight-Forward Specifications:
Operating System:
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit and Windows 7 upgrade qualified (For more information Click Here)

Memory:
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 running at 1066MHz (2x2GB modules)

Processor:
Intel® Core™2 Duo processor P8600 2.4GHz

Hard Drive:
500 GB runs 7200 RPM(Revolution-Per-Minute)
(Formatted to be less, so the actual usable space is around 466GB, all I can tell you is it can hold a lot of movies and pictures)

Disk Drive:
8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive
(It mean there is no pop-out drive, just stick in the disk, works like a CD/DVD drive in a car)

Weight:
4.9 lb, Macbook Pro 13' weights 4.5 lb

Network Capabilities:
Gigabit Ethernet Port, Firewire and Wireless N enabled.
No bluetooth or Cellular network adapter in this Bestbuy model, but you can always buy the expansion chips from Dell.com

(Mostly you would just use the Wireless N adapter for surfing the web and streaming HD videos, maximum connection speed for a 802.11n qualified adapter is 640Mbps, to put that into perspective, if your internet download speed is around 300KB/s, your internet connection speed is just about 3Mbps. You can test you connection speed on speedtest.net)




What I think of this Laptop:
Upsides
1.Able to compete with Macbook Pro on paper (cheaper comparing to 1099.99 for students and better hardware wise). For Macbook Pro's specification refer to Apple.com
2.Nice leather accent and ambient XPS hinge Design.
3.Touch-sensitive multimedia buttons on the top.
4.Nice 13' wide-screen aspect-ratio with integrated webcam.

Downsides
1.Poor battery life (On a normal, non-intensive working basis the battery only lasted 2:31 min)
2.It is a thick LCD display with CCFL light backlit (For $100 more on Dell you can have a thinner display with LED backlit, I personally don't think it's worth the cost, but the advantage of LED is it extends the battery life, way brighter than LCD and is thinner)
3.Poor practical/structural design contributes to poor air ventilation. The screen blocks the back's heat exhaust causes the laptop to run hotter than many other comparable laptops. But it is not an big issue on performance.

If you would like to know more about this laptop, feel free to post comments and questions.
I brought it, it's gotta be nice, at least for me. lol