December 21st, 2007DELL XPS M1730 REVIEW
Brief Description
Dell’s newest portable gaming rig, the XPS M1730, is a fashionable addition to the company’s rising stable of notebook PCs.
Featuring a new PhysX card and frequent other extras specially for gamers, this machine is fast adequate for even the most hard of gamers. The XPS M1730 boasts the Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor, as well as dual Nvidia graphics processors, along with an Ageia PhysX controller. With all these features, this heavy-hitter will cost you a pretty penny, pricing in at $3,824.
The standard visual configuration of the XPS M1730 features “Smoke” accents on the top with the additional option of Red, Blue, or White inserts. In the front bezel you will find speakers featuring red backlights. On the top you will observe the traditional Dell logo, while the mouse pad shows the XPS icon, which are lighted as well. Accents on the lid are also backlit and the user can decide dissimilar colors or turn of the lighting all together using Dell’s Quickset feature.
If you look beneath the lid, you will notice that Dell has upgraded the keyboard. The keyboard now features a complete number pad in its traditional place to the right of the primary keys. Also, the touchpad has been moved slightly in the way of the left so that stay in center with the space bar. The keys are a sharp silver color and well-spaced, payment a responsive and pleasant feel along with crisp white backlights. These are easily toggled on or off with the touch of a function-key.
The keyboard is surrounded by the same decorative gray that is featured on the lid. There is a large power button that is easy to see, because well as a key for the Media Direct function available by Dell. This gives the owner instant access to average without the booting of windows. Sitting above the screen is a 2 megapixel webcam.
The XPS M1730 features a 1920 x 1200 pixel WUXGA display that has the recognizable glossy coating for glare-reduction found in preceding XPS models. Visuals stay put crisp and colors are vibrant. DVDs and games look astounding, admiring comment by the wide viewing angles.
Weighing in at 11 pounds, with capacity of 16 x 11.9 x 2 inches, the latest XPS is somewhat hefty. This is compounded by the power brick, which is the size of a small book. The M1730 also offers four USB ports, DVI and S-video outputs, FireWire, and a 5-in-one card person who reads. Missing is an HDMI port that could’ve made this rig a bit more appealing.
The storage space space was very inspiring. The latest XPS features two 200 gig hard drives clocking in at 7200 rpms. The over lockable Core 2 Duo processor and 256 MB George GO graphics card make this a gamer’s dream.
Though a tad costly, hard core gamers should locate this powerful machine more than worth the speculation. If you are in the market for a new gaming rig, this is one notebook that shouldn’t be overlooked.
