|  The Dell XPS M1710 is the latest premium gaming notebook from Dell that replaces the current XPS M170. The M1710 has a 17" widescreen and comes in a choice of two colors, "formula red" or "metallic black". On the inside it houses the 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM and the icing on the cake -- the latest and greatest nVidia Go 7900 GTX graphics card with 512MB of memory.
The XPS M1710 features headphone and microphone jacks, VGA and DVI outputs, S-Video-out, four-pin FireWire, and a whopping six USB 2.0 ports. Networking connections include a 56Kbps modem, 10/100/100 Gigabit Ethernet, optional Bluetooth, and integrated 802.11a/b/g wireless. Also onboard are an ExpressCard slot and a 5-in-1 media card reader; PC Card users, take note that the XPS M1710 does not support PCMCIA cards. (For the sake of comparison, the Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 has all of this, plus it supports PC Cards and SmartMedia cards and has an S/PDIF output, though it has two fewer USB 2.0 ports.) Finally, our XPS M1710 test unit included a multiformat, double-layer DVD drive. Dell bundles a standard software package, including Microsoft Windows XP Media Center.
At $4,215, our Dell XPS M1710 test unit came configured with the most high-end parts money can buy: Intel's top-of-the line 2.16GHz Core Duo processor, 2GB of fast 666MHz DDR2 SDRAM, and a big, fast 100GB hard drive spinning at 7,200rpm. Our XPS M1710 test unit was also stocked with Nvidia's GeForce Go 7900 GTX GPU, with 512MB of dedicated memory, and was, at the time that this review published, the first and only system to feature the new card, though more will surely follow soon. The Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 costs much less: for $1,999, you get a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 1GB of 333MHz DDR2 SDRAM, a 160GB, 4,200rpm hard drive, and a lower-end but still powerful Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS GPU with 256MB of dedicated memory.
The XPS M1710 includes a full-size keyboard, though it lacks a separate number pad, as found on some other desktop replacements, such as the Satellite P105-S921, the HP Pavilion dv8000, and the Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600. The XPS M1710's mouse buttons are very big, however, and the touch pad, which features a backlit XPS logo, is adequately sized. The touch pad also has arrows running along its right and bottom edges, outlining where to place your finger when using the software-enhanced pad to scroll through documents or Web pages.
- Type: Gaming, Media
- Operating System: MS Windows XP Media Center
- Processor Name: Intel Core Duo T2600
- Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz
- RAM: 2048 MB
- Weight: 8.8 lb
- Screen Size: 17 inches
- Screen Size Type: widescreen
- Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce Go 7900GTX
- Storage Capacity: 100 GB
- Networking Options: 802.11a/g
- Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL
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