Ultimate Notebook Reviews

The latest in Dell’s XPS high performance gaming notebooks, the M1710, is one of the fastest notebooks money can buy. This replacement for the XPS M170 comes in two colors: “metallic black” and “formula red” and has a 17” widescreen. The inside features the 2GHz Intel Core Duo processor, a possible 4GB of RAM, and the latest NVIDIA GO 7900 GTX graphics card with 512MB of memory.

There is no doubt that this laptop is designed to catch the eye. During the day, the striking lids captivate nearby audiences and at night the eerie glow of the lights make this laptop look like something out of a science fiction movie. The light colors are configurable, with up to 16 color combinations for each light.

This notebook has a little bit of an industrial look, and the build is true to that look. With a top and bottom case made entirely of magnesium alloy, a keyboard and palm area of hard, rugged plastic and steel hinges apparently tested for 20 000 openings and closings, the XPS M1710 is very strong and very sturdy. Dell’s designers have mastered the art of an efficient and quiet cooling system as well. Having separated the processor and the video card, the two biggest heat-producing parts of the computer, and putting them on opposite sides of each other as well as giving each its own fans and heat sinks, this notebook stays quite cool.

The screen, a 17” widescreen, features Dell TruLife treatment, an excellent feature on a gaming machine as it offers greater contrast and bolder colors. The screen is also 30% brighter than its predecessor, the M17. There are, however, slight imperfections in the display, which is not evenly lit, though for the average user this is not noticeable.

All in all, this is an excellent notebook and well worth the hefty price tag of $4215 for the model reviewed the basic coming in at around $2600. This is one of the top performance notebooks around and a huge asset for any gamer.

The XPS M1710 takes a 9/10 in my book and is recommended for the traveling gamer.