Dell XPS M1710

(Source: Dell)

Product: Dell XPS M1710
Type: Notebook

Typical Configuration (Worth $4,215):

* Intel Core Duo T2600 (2.16 GHz) Processor
* 2GB DDR SDRAM (667MHz, 2x 1GB) [Max. 4GB RAM]
* 100GB (7200 RPM) SATA hard drive
* 17″ WUXGA TFT LCD display
* NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX (512MB DDR)
* 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW)
* Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 (802.11a/b/g)
* Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
* 5-in-1 media card reader
* Integrated Subwoofer
* Ports: 6x USB 2.0, 1x FireWire 400, Modem RJ-11, ExpressCard 54 slot
* Audio / Video Connectors: DVI-D out, VGA out, audio line-out, external mic. port
* Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition
* 9-cell lithium ion recharegable battery
* Weight: 8.8 pounds

Reviews:

Oops, a bit late here, but better late than never, right? Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. NotebookReview.com comes up with a top-notch review of the recently released Dell monster: The Dell XPS M1710. From images to benchmarks, the review is one of the most comprehensive available at the moment.
The review confirms what most of us already know. The Dell XPS M1710 is unmatched in 3D performance, whether for gaming or high-end 3D tasks. It is definitely one of Dell’s more stylish creations, and has an excellent screen. Moreover, the M1710 remains cool and quiet even after gaming for hours - a definite plus given the powerful components. But the M1710 doesn’t come with a PCMCIA slot, and the area below the LCD and top of the keyboard is less sturdy compared to the rest of the notebook. Of course, there’s also the rather uhmm… impressive price tag.

So, what’s the verdict on the M1710? Well, “The conclusion is quite simple for the M1710: If this were the state fair and the contest were for best performance notebook, then the blue ribbon would go to the XPS M1710. The coolest thing being, you could even adjust the lights on the M1710 to blue to match that ribbon!”
Okay, time for the next Dell XPS M1710 review. Just this time, it’s 13 whole pages by AnandTech. And for your information, this is merely the first of a two part series on the M1710.

Now, the basics have been covered earlier, so we’ll skip straight to the conclusion. It’s long my friends.

As far as portable gaming goes, the XPS M1710 is currently one of the best options available — certainly the best I’ve ever used. SLI gaming laptops are on the horizon, but as our benchmarks show there are quite a few titles that don’t really need multiple graphics cards to be perfectly playable. In fact, personally I think multiple GPUs in desktops is already getting a bit carried away, and while I don’t generally want a thin and light notebook, anything larger than the XPS M1710 starts to get into the “luggable” category as opposed to being a truly mobile computer. A single fast graphics chip at present seems the best way to balance performance against heat and power requirements.

As for how the XPS M1710 compares with other laptops, we don’t have anything in-house faster right now, but there will almost certainly be competitors in the near future. For now, this is an extremely powerful mobile gaming platform, and it deserves serious consideration if you’re in the market for such a system. The system also looks great, and the 17″ LCD feels huge — you generally sit with the laptop very close to your face, so a 17″ laptop display feels about the same as my 24″ desktop display. This is by no means a complete review, and we will have a follow-up article looking at some specific details, but our first impression is definitely favorable.
I missed this review of the Dell XPS M1710 by CNET a while back, so given that it’s been a rather slow week, I thought it would be okay to bring it in. We’ve seen two reviews of the same machine already, so I’ll skip the basics.

For its strong points, the reviewers identified its excellent gaming performance, stylish illuminated case, and large array of ports and connections, while its high price and relatively low-brightness display were deemed its minus points.

So, the bottom line? Well, the XPS M1710 gets an 8.2 out of 10 overall rating, the Editors’ Choice Award for April, plus an undeniably favourable verdict: “If you’re a hard-core gamer looking to play the newest games at the highest settings, this is the best system that (a lot of) money can buy.” Of course, this was in April, so it might not hold now.
Perspective counts. At least, that’s what BusinessWeek’s review of the Dell XPS M1710 gaming notebook reminds me.

While early reviews of the XPS M1710 gave Dell’s gaming luggable unrestrained praise (think 9.0 out of 10 kind of praise), we’re looking at a “mere” 3.5 out of 5 from BusinessWeek. Why? Simply because BusinessWeek now has comparable top-of-the-line laptops, such as Fujitsu’s Lifebook N6410, to compare with.

It’s something we tend to forget when reading multiple reviews of the same product, even though we all know how fast the PC world moves at. At least, it’s something I tend to forget.

Anyway, here’s BW’s conclusion: “Overall, Dell has drawn a serious line in the sand for rivals in the PC gaming business. There are indeed some nice flourishes, but also evidence of some lack of attention to detail. Having shown the rest of the industry how to cut prices, it could still stand to learn from its competitors how to really build a top-flight machine. But it’s clear that Dell is coming along.”
Here’s yet another review of the Dell XPS M1710 notebook - this time from About.com. As usual (that is, with respect to About.com), it’s only a tech. specifications review (i.e. no benchmarks, pictures, etc.), but it follows the downwards trend begun by BusinessWeek Online by awarding an overall rating of only 3 out of 5.

So, it shouldn’t be surprising to see a reasonably positive, yet very qualified bottom line: “Dell’s XPS M1710 is certainly a very stylish and high performance system, but the high cost and recent drop in Dell’s support make this a very specialized system that will appeal to a very specific audience.”
You might call the XPS M1710 one of the most powerful notebooks in the market at the moment. I call it one of the most reviewed notebooks this year. Here’s the latest review of the 17-inch powerhouse by BIOS Magazine.

They loved the Intel Core Duo processor, the GeForce Go 7900GTX graphics card and the great display. But the fact that the M1710 was supposed to be a top-of-the-line gaming notebook prompted them to question why it comes only with a single graphics processing unit, no integrated camera or dual-layer burner on default.

Despite their objections, however, they arrived at a 9 out of 10 overall rating - one of the most favourable to the machine so far. Did I say that it even got BIOS’ Editor’s Choice award?

News:

Dell’s XPS line has been expanded with the introduction of the Dell XPS M1710 power notebook. Coming in metallic black and formula red, the XPS M1710 attempts to be a world-beater in terms of both performance and style.
Well, I have to admit that just the specs listing alone gets my hands screaming for a M1710. The visual appeal of the Dell is a plus, but what I’m sure really excites gamers and other power users out there is its 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 7900 GTX graphics card, dual-core processor (up to Core Duo T2600), 4 GB of memory (max.) and SATA 120GB HDD.

Of course, it’s not going to come cheap. A Dell XPS M1710 Metallic Black model (with T2400 processor, 1GB RAM and 256MB graphics card) will set you back by at least US$2,600, while the Special Edition Formula Red model (T2500 processor and 512MB graphics card) will cost you at least $3,400.

[News via Dell]