I recently picked up the new Vostro V13 that Dell released in December. I purchased this unit in order to replace the Studio XPS 13 that was stolen out of my car this past summer. I had also tried out an Adamo prior to this as well. My main goal for this purchase was to find a laptop that is small & lightweight. One that would be handy to use around the house, on the couch, in the bed or for travel. What I’ve found is that the Vostro V13 is the lightest of the bunch and quite responsive. I purchased the base model, which came with Ubuntu pre-installed. Immediately after receiving the V13 I installed Windows 7 (32 bit) which performs wonderfully. I would have preferred to use the 64bit version but Dell is not releasing drivers for that OS. I did install Windows 7 64bit briefly and it seemed to run okay but I did not spend much time testing it out before going to the 32bit version.
My original plan was to purchase this laptop and upgrade the RAM and HDD later on although I wasn’t sure how expandable the Vostro V13 would be. As you’ll see in my teardown video, I was able to inspect the expansion options for the V13. There is an internal Mini PCIe slot for a WWAN card or whatever you might want to put in there. There’s also a SIM card slot, which is hidden under the keyboard so you must undo a few screws to get to it.
The RAM slot is located above the keyboard, under the hinge for the lid. My unit came with 2GB pre-installed (PC3 – 8500). Overall I’m pleased with this purchase. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments by posting below.
{ 82 comments… read them below or add one }
My decision to buy this laptop or not rests on two questions:
1. Is Windows 7 truly snappy w/ the culv processor?
You said it is even on the lowest available processor so that knocks out one question.
2. How is the battery life w/ moderate internet and word processor usage?
I’ve yet to find a answer to the second question and if you could test it out for me, I’d really appreciate it.
1. How is the fan noise?
2. Can the harddrive be replaced? If yes, can show that on video?
Anon:
Windows 7 is snappy & great for general use but IO is really taxed trying to do something like Photoshop CS4 so if you need to do stuff like that you may want to upgrade.
Battery life for those type of tasks is excellent – I could see getting at least 4 hours or more, especially if you’re willing to dim the screen. From my test, each level dimmer you go on the brightness adds 45 mins to the battery life.
alpha:
I’ve never heard the fan so I would say non-existent. The HDD is easy to replace – I didn’t film it but I did take it out.
Hey hey,
I have a question for you. Same thing as anon, I would like to buy this laptot but I need to know if I can replace the CPU.
Do you know if the CPU is welded to the motherboard? or you have just to turn a little screw with a screwdriver?
Thank you.
I did not get all the way down to the CPU but I am pretty sure it’s glued to the motherboard – I’ve never had a laptop that allowed for a CPU upgrade. The RAM, on the other hand, is very easy to upgrade.
ai ai ai, that is a big problem ^^
Well let see, I’ll try if I buy it and I’ll send you the record^^
Thank you for the anwser
Hey it is me again, do you know if we can OC the CPU from the bios? Is it possible or is it blocked?
Thank a lot again^^
Hello,
Is it true that we can’t remove the battery of the Vostro V13? So we can’t expect to have in the future a 9 cell battery, it’s quite annoying.
Another question, when you ordered this one, you take 2GB RAM pre-installed, did they install 1x2GB or 2x1GB memory?
Thanks
You can replace the battery if you’re willing to open the case, we’re only talking about a few screws here.
It came installed with one 2GB RAM module – there is only one RAM slot.
You’re most welcome!
I didn’t want to crack open my new V-13 to see if I could upgrade my HDD and RAM because it’s just so thin I thought any messup would surly show, so thank you for this.
I have two questions, and thank you for answering in advance.
1) What brand of RAM came with it? It’s nice to find little known names that sell for lower prices.
2) While I have swapped out RAM and CPU’s I haven’t changed a HDD, so would my Windows 7 HDD (From my Gateway laptop) swapped with my Ubuntu HDD (From my sweet new Dell) give me a functioning Windows 7 V-13?
You’re welcome, thanks for stopping bye.
1. The RAM is made by HYNIX
2. You can try that, but in my experience it rarely works. Because Windows figures out which drivers your system needs in order to run during installation, not going through that process could be a disaster. Then, when you try to put it back in your Gateway it won’t work. For the best experience, put the drive in the Dell, format it and start over. :)
What do you think of the screen? What do you think of the keyboard? On a scale of 10, how happy would you say you are with the purchase?
The screen is great, no issues there. It’s a matte finish, in case you can’t tell.
The keyboard is great, fast, light touch without feeling cheap. I wish it was backlit, tho. The mouse is great, it’s got gesture capability, too, which is nice.
I’d say I’m at a 9 on a scale of 10. I should have gotten the faster processor and I wish the keyboard was backlit.
Thanks for the info. You said you loaded 64 bit with no issues. Do you think it would run? I am thinking of getting one with the dual core processor and a 4 Gig chip, but the 4 Gigs is not worth the money if I don’t have a 64 bit processor to utilize all of it. Perhaps you can try loading it again, if you have free time, and testing it out long term to see if any issues arise. I know that would be helpful to some people. Dell tries to tell you flat our that it wont work, or that is what the CS rep told me anyway.
It totally works. I had it running 64bit and connected to the internet. When my new SSD & 4GB upgrade arrives I’m going back to 64bit Windows 7.
Hi ，
I just got my Vostro V13 with 1gb ram installed ,can you kindly show me the procedure of upgrading the ram to 2gb.Thanks & have a nice day.
Awesome, I appreciate all the info. I plan to get the Core 2 Duo processor (you shouldnt have skimped there in my opinion =D ) and I am going to load it with 64 bit Windows as well. What SSD did you go with? Can you provide a link? Also, can you provide a link for your memory upgrade (in case its cheaper than going through Dell)? It will be part of the link if you post them, but in case not, who did you order your upgrades through…newegg?
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions!
I have written a new post which details which parts I used for my upgrades, you may find it here.
Hi, from your teardown video I noticed that your laptop didn’t have a wwan card installed, yet did have the needed antennas and sim card slot. Is this standard with the v13 laptop or did you have a wwan in there and removed it before making the video?
It was standard – I would say that all V13s have this slot.
I want to go with the CORE 2 SOLO ULV SU3500 1,4 GHz model do you think it’s enough to watch “HD” YouTube videos and run Boxee?
Hi,
thanks for the review. I consider buying a V13 and i have a little question: is it possible to boot from the SD card reader (without the hard disk)?
It’s nice to read your review, useful. I have some questions. Based on your model, there is a slot for a wwan and sim card. Lex mentioned antenna but i cant see it. I think by default the wwan wasn’t included was because Dell knew how much it would consume the batteries if it were installed and run at the same time. Now big question, not sure if you actually managed to get it running or not, but if the device were installed, is there anything needed to be activated inside the bios? Or is the Bios capable or ready for the wwan device add-on? In some models this feature is completely disabled.
The antennas are pre-installed and routed to the appropriate place. Installing a WWAN card would be really easy. There is a setting in the BIOS to disable or enable the WWAN slot. No BIOS mods necessary. Good luck!
how did you remove the panal above the keyboard, I got stuck in the middle part of the panel where it doesn’t seem to pop up
After upgrading to Win7 where you able to get the Webcam to work? I upgraded my v13 and now the webcam does not work. I am using Win7 Pro 32 bit. I would appreciate any help. Thank you.
Hi,
I bought the v13 with intel core 2 duo 7300. I think the product is fantastic but having a problem – the fan is constantly staying on from boot. This contradicts all the reviews I have read about this laptop being quiet and energy efficient. I contacted dell but all they said was a bios update may be released in the next two weeks and that should sort it.
Has anyone else experienced this or have any advice? I love the v13 and its a brilliant product but if I cannot sort the fan issue its going back.
Thanks
I have not experienced this issue. Please keep us posted. I’ll write something up when they release a new firmware. SSD is a great upgrade for this laptop, btw. Very happy I added it.
Thanks for the great info on V13. I was liking the Toshiba T135-S310WH until I saw the V13. I was wondering though, after trying the Adamo, why didn’t you purchase the Adamo Admire package? 64-bit Windows, ulv c2d, and an ssd for $1k sounds like a deal although the V13 looks better to me.
Michael:
The sound you are hearing is the Seagate hard drive. Mine is constant too (and it does kinda sound like a typical fan noise).
If the noise is coming from the front right side, its the HD.
Mines getting swapped for a solid state drive soon.
Thanks sysadmin and 5literpower.
The sound is indeed coming from the front right side so definately the HD. This is the loudest HD I have ever heard on a laptop.
Is there any advice on how to reduce this noise? Is this a firmware issue?
I will look into the SSD for a future option. Prices of SSD still seem a bit high – but any recommendations of good SSD’s at a good price are welcome!
Thanks
Michael
That’s strange that it would be so loud. My stock HDD was silent. Perhaps yours is defective? Regarding SSD options, I linked to the one I used in a later post: SSD for Vostro 13.
Yes, it seems to be the 7200rpm Seagate drives used on the $599 and $649 configurations of the V13. As far as I can tell the $450 model used a much quieter 5400rpm drive.
Is not the typical 7200rpm drive sound either, it’s a constant noise that sounds like a typical fan noise. Id be willing to bet most people assume it IS the fan and don’t think about it.
Its just loud enough to be annoying though and especially annoying considering the laptop itself is otherwise silent.
I am going to contact Dell technical support tonight. I paid more for the better spec laptop and not happy that I have a noisy laptop. I agree with 5literpower, its just noisy enough to be annoying but especially more annoying as its meant to be an ultra efficient, silent(ish) product. I would rather have had the slower 5400rpm drive to start with if its much quieter.
I will let you know the outcome.
Sysadmin,
Could you Please confirm/update regarding working time of this notebook?
TIA
You can expect about 4 hours if you keep the display brightness at a medium level. You might get 5 if you keep it all the way down. I went into the BIOS and turned off my Bluetooth radio and that seemed to help as well.
Hi,
Just keeping you updated on progress. Tried contacting dell tech support but they only operate mon – fri bus hours for bus customers, I work full time so its difficult to contact them. I am setting up my own business hence reason for laptop portability choice. I sent a complaint to them. After I sent the complaint letter from my desktop, I tried logging into the vostro and now windows 7 does not recognise my user profile login. So now I cannot even login into windows. I have sent a second complaint so hopefully someone will pick this up so I can talk to them after 6 in the evening (uk time). So overall so far not having much luck with this machine which is a pity.
Michael
hey disco!
still curious about your preference between the adamo you test drove and the v13. equalizing for ssd/mem/64-bit which do you rate the better performer and which is the better value at todays prices?
sarangco
I guess it depends on what is more important to you. Now that the Adamo has a lower price that is obviously a better choice if you want an SSD. That said, I’m actually going to sell my V13 and get another Adamo for two reasons. One, I really miss the backlit keyboard and second, the network card in the V13 does not work with my Belkin N WiFi router with the 32 bit drivers as I’m running a 64 bit OS. The laptop disconnects from the router every 15 mins. None of my other computers do this. I could probably figure it out eventually but I can never change the keyboard so I’m going to sell my V13 on eBay.
Hey, thanks for the videos and this site with the reviews and replies. I was wondering about the screen quality. I’ve read some people say that the screen is absolutely trash and I’ve read other reviewers that have said that the screen is sharp and produces no problems.
I was wondering whether you could post some HQ pictures of the screen in use or maybe another video if that isn’t trouble for you. I’m set to buy this machine but the screen is the only thing holding me back.
Or maybe if you could suggest how the screen compares to or how similar it is on other well known laptops. I wish most laptops would now have screens like the macbook air, so I’m wondering what you’d rate the v13′s screen to the air’s screen.
I considering getting the basic model. Do you have any problems watching videos online (e.g. Hulu)
Any regrets in picking the slower processor?
Thanks
Yes, it will play video just fine, as long as it’s not too hi-res. Over 720 is pushing it. I would certainly go for the faster processor.
I plan on purchasing the V13 on Friday and I am torn between the celeron and core 2 solo. I only plan on using this laptop mainly for browsing the internet (facebook, emails, youtube, and occasional word and stuff). Is there really a big difference in speed between these two processors?
If that’s all you’re doing you should be fine with the celeron. I’m going to be selling mine. I will post a link to the ebay auction on this site.
Hi there, I got a sweet deal from Dell, (using our company account) for the V13. Your video helped me a lot on my decision to buy this next week, though I have a question; on the video it has a SIM card slot, is this for 3G access? I have a mobile broadband subscription with our local telco, it uses a USB modem and it has a data SIM card inside. You think I can easily install the SIM card and then have internet anywhere? That would be great!
Thanks
chinoy: Great! I’m glad it was helpful to you.
The SIM card slot is for 3G access but you will have to add a 3G modem (WWAN HSDPA) first. The sim card slot connects to the 3G modem through the computer. There is an empty slot next to the WiFi card for this. Do an eBay search for ‘Dell 3G’ and you’ll see a wide selection. Just make sure you can locate drivers for the card you want to buy and your OS before you purchase. Good luck!
oh! That I didn’t know….I’ll think about it tho…probably would cut the battery life in half…or I could just use my iPhone as a tethered modem via bluetooth (which would also cut the battery life in half) hehehe
That’s what I ended up doing after testing several 3G cards. I use the MyWi app – if you’re iPhone is jailbroken then I highly recommend this app. It doesn’t use Bluetooth, just turns your iPhone into a hotspot for up to 8 people I think. It’s really handy and works well on Edge connections, too.
Hey! I havent heard of that App. Yup, mine’s jailbroken…let me try that out
thanks for the heads up!!
Hi,
I’m intereseted to know what unit you’re going to to replace the V13 with that has a lighted keyboard? But for that missing feature, the V13 is exactly what I need. However, I spend way too much time surfing at night to go buy another laptop that’s “in the dark.”
I got an Adamo.
I tried to install a huawei em770 wwan card in my vostro v13′s wwan slot, but it seems to not want to even boot when it’s installed! Has anyone else tried this and gotten it to work?
Im glad I found your blog about this. Ive been going back and forth between the Adamo and the V13 for sometime now and need to make a choice soon. I too find the backlit keyboard to be a priority however, the Adamo’s ram is soldered to the mobo and not upgradable. Thats a no go for a machine thats so expensive. I guess I will just have to get a cheap USB light and deal. Thanks again though
I forgot to ask my question, whoops!
Did Dell include the 64 bit CD or did the key work for both? Would you mind explaining this process? 4gb of ram is a must for me but as you know Ive gotta have the 64 bit.
Where your N router problems due to the laptop running 64 or? Im not sure how this was an issue. Thanks again
My Vostro came with Linux, I supplied my own copy of Windows 7. I think the router issue was with the 64 bit drivers I was using for that WiFi card.
Hi
May I know how to open top cover i planning to change my V13 notebook ram? under the hinge for the lid
How to open it the cover ???
Thanks for reply
Nelson
Remove the tiny screws on the back and slide the lid, it will pop off.
Many Thanks ….will try later .
When an SD card is inserted, can you still put on the cover? I am planning to keep an SD card permanently plugged in and use it for windows readyboost. Thanks.
Can’t wait till I get my own Dell XPS 16 laptop!
I intend to purchase the V13 Celeron/Ubuntu configuration and install Windows 7 32-bit myself (mainly for writing, browsing and emailing tasks). I’m glad i’ve found your article. I do have a concern (as some other visitors did express) with the webcam/mic, which Dell always refers to as “for Linux” and “for Windows 7″ specifically – do you happen to know if there is a difference, hardware-wise? I checked Dell site and did not find any Windows 7 drivers for webcam/mic at all.
Just noticed that you had posted this article way back in January! :-) Thanks for caring enough to continue to respond to our questions/comments. BTW, did you manage to sell your (supercharged) V13?
Looks like the V13 Ubuntu->Windows 7 path is well-traveled, and the webcam AND mic problems have been experienced by a few people. I found this:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/software-os/f/3524/t/19316603.aspx
Any further insights would be great. Thanks!
I bought the Dell V13 SU3500. Upgraded the RAM to 4gb and installed a SSD. The thing is pretty fast but the fan made too much noise. It’s been 3 days now since I opened up the computer and unplugged the fan. It runs around 44-49C and when I watch a video for a while it runs at 50-55C. I’m not an expert but I think that’s a safe temperature. Am I wrong?
You should be fine as long as the CPU temperature is below 100c.
Source: http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37133
I have had my V13 for awhile. Thanks to your article I was able to upgrade the RAM – Thanks!!
I am happy with Ubuntu but the installed version is no longer supported. Every time I try to upgrade something gets messed up eg: to version 9.10 audio is disabled; above that the machine stops working, so I keep rolling it back to the installed version. I would like to upgrade to the most recent version of Ubuntu. Is there a preferred method to do that?
Thanks in advance for your help.
@Frank I wish I could help you. I removed Ubuntu from my V13 and installed Windows 7 so I don’t know a whole lot about your issue. Have you thought about trying Google Chrome on it? I’m sure it would be zippy & fun.
I really appreciate the quick response ( more that I got from Dell, but I digress).
I considered windows 7, as I am using it on the rest of my computers but I was concerned about device drivers. I assume that you had no problems with the “upgrade”
I had not consider chrome but I will investigate.
Thanks again.
@Frank You will have no problem with drivers if you go Windows 7, everything worked fine in my experience. That was a great laptop, I liked it. Chrome is cool but you have to get used to the idea of doing everything in the browser but the app list for the Chrome store is growing every day. At least you can run it via USB and just test it out, worth trying out. Good luck!
Thanks for all your help. I appreciate your timely and helpful responses.
Nice to run into someone on the internet who is actually trying to help. Keep up the good work!
Well I finally took the plunge and upgraded to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.
I did it in to parts. First I installed the new version alongside the currently installed version (9.04) to make sure everything worked.
There was a small problem with the wireless but it was solved with a quick Google search (the proper wireless Broadcom driver had to be reinstalled from Synaptic Package Manager).
Once I was sure that the new version worked I re-installed 10.04 LTS again selecting the option to take over the entire hard drive.
I have had it up and running for about a week now and it is very fast. With the ram upgrade I did, my V13 should last well beyond the support period for this version of Ubuntu.
For all of you wondering whether it is safe to upgrade I can tell you that a re-install is the way to go. I would recommend the two step process I used to compensate for any differences in configuration between V13′s
Enjoying reading your blog, but i just have a few questions you may be able to help me with. I currently have a Toshiba Satellite t135-s1310 and since the Dell Vostro v13 is now on sale for 349 i wanted to know a few things if you don’t mind. on my toshiba i use a bluetooth mouse and the bluetooth is always on so i don’t have to cut it on everytime i restart my laptop. i just wanted to make sure that its the same on the dell vostro. i also wanted to know if anyone thinks its worth it to upgrade from the toshiba to the dell. thanks!
@Mason bluetooth will always be on as long as the radio is enabled. I don’t know much about the Toshiba model you speak of but you can’t go wrong with the Vostro. Enjoy!
thanks for great support! can you tell me what kind of hsdpa modem fit for this vostro v13, I cannot on on support.dell.com neither :(
thanks in advance!!
@Lui Try the Dell 5530, you should be able to get one on eBay pretty cheap.
Thank you for uncovering the RAM slot! I was looking forever for that and no one would point to it. I am going to upgrade to a 4GB RAM card and I hope that will improve the performance a little ways. Other than that, this laptop is working out really great to all of those on the fence.
76 and computer stupid, but enjoyed reading all the comments. Looking at the following on ebay for email, letters, and browsing. Here’s what it says, and how bad can I get burnt? Dell Vostro V13 ultra thin core 2 duo-2G DDR3 SDRAM, 320GB HD $549. That is all Chinese to me. Not too concerned about the price, just will it do what I mentioned. No movies, etc. Would you answer to my email in case I can’t find this web site again? Thank you Chuck
@Charles – That will work, just check out the sellers feedback, shipping charges & make sure they accept the payment type you wish to use. Good luck with your Vostro!
Haven’t received any answers yet, but I’d like to say all this tech stuff I’ve read here probably also sounded complicated when I tried to explain, a blower, mag, headers, and moth balls in the gas tank to make it go faster to the latest girlfriend 60 years ago.
thanx, this post is so helpfull. I just want to share, vostro v13 bios refuse to start if we install 3rd party 3G modem on its slot. But I have trick for this, check this out: http://www.okyfirmansyah.net/blog/?p=1
Nice hack – thanks for sharing @okyfirmansyah
Can you tell me (via email) what the WiFi chip on the Vostro is? Do they use Intel again? Thanks, Jeff.
{ 1 trackback }