Dell XPS M1710 - GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512 Mobile Gaming, Part 1
by Jarred Walton on April 18, 2006 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Features, Continued
The system that Dell shipped us is essentially maxed out -- the only upgrade you could still make would be to move to 4GB of RAM, but without a 64-bit Operating System you really wouldn't gain much (at least if you're planning on running Windows XP). Since Core Duo processors don't support 64-bit instructions, we'd recommend sticking with 2GB of RAM. Here's the configuration of the system we received for review, with a price of $4200.
To give you a better idea of the layout, we've included labeled images from various angles.
Starting with the front of the unit, you can see the buttons used to control volume and media playback. You can also see the lights behind the speaker grilles, glowing red in this image. The lights on the speakers as well as several other locations around the case can be set to one of 16 colors, or if you prefer you can also turn them off. A glowing XPS logo is also present on the trackpad, but it is limited to a red light. It too can be turned off.
The left side of the unit houses the optical drive, along with two USB ports. The glowing air intake can once again be set to any of 16 colors.
The right side has a 4-pin FireWire port, ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 flash card reader, and the microphone/headphone audio jacks. Unfortunately, you cannot reconfigure the microphone port as anything but a line-in port, so you're stuck with either 2.1 audio or headphone support. Dell really should have included three audio ports in order to support 5.1 surround sound gaming; maybe next time. The air intake here matches the left side air intake, and both are set to the same color inside the BIOS.
Finishing up with the rear of the unit, we have the majority of the connections. Note that both DVI and VGA display connections are present, which is good considering that most new LCDs use DVI ports. Also present on the rear is an S-VIDEO out port, Gigabit Ethernet, modem, and four more USB ports.
While the above images may help you understand where all of the ports and features are located, their size doesn't do a whole lot for conveying how the system actually looks. This is really a nice looking system, and at least in the notebook market Dell XPS systems are nothing to scoff at. We've included a few more higher resolution images of the system to give you a better idea of what it looks like. (Yes, the trackpad is located slightly left of center.)
The system that Dell shipped us is essentially maxed out -- the only upgrade you could still make would be to move to 4GB of RAM, but without a 64-bit Operating System you really wouldn't gain much (at least if you're planning on running Windows XP). Since Core Duo processors don't support 64-bit instructions, we'd recommend sticking with 2GB of RAM. Here's the configuration of the system we received for review, with a price of $4200.
| Dell XPS M1710 System As Tested | |
| Processor | Intel Core Duo T2600 (2.16 GHz 2x2MB) |
| Chipset | Intel 945PM 64-bit Dual-Channel |
| FSB Speeds | 667 MHz |
| Memory | 2 x 1024MB DDR2-667 SO-DIMM (5-5-5-15 timings) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB GDDR3 |
| Display | 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) UltraSharp with TrueLife |
| Hard Drive | 100GB 7200RPM 8MB |
| Optical Drive | DVD+/-RW with Dual-Layer DVD+R Write Support |
| Networking | Integrated 10/100/1000 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet and 56K Modem Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini Card Bluetooth Module |
To give you a better idea of the layout, we've included labeled images from various angles.
Starting with the front of the unit, you can see the buttons used to control volume and media playback. You can also see the lights behind the speaker grilles, glowing red in this image. The lights on the speakers as well as several other locations around the case can be set to one of 16 colors, or if you prefer you can also turn them off. A glowing XPS logo is also present on the trackpad, but it is limited to a red light. It too can be turned off.
The left side of the unit houses the optical drive, along with two USB ports. The glowing air intake can once again be set to any of 16 colors.
The right side has a 4-pin FireWire port, ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 flash card reader, and the microphone/headphone audio jacks. Unfortunately, you cannot reconfigure the microphone port as anything but a line-in port, so you're stuck with either 2.1 audio or headphone support. Dell really should have included three audio ports in order to support 5.1 surround sound gaming; maybe next time. The air intake here matches the left side air intake, and both are set to the same color inside the BIOS.
Finishing up with the rear of the unit, we have the majority of the connections. Note that both DVI and VGA display connections are present, which is good considering that most new LCDs use DVI ports. Also present on the rear is an S-VIDEO out port, Gigabit Ethernet, modem, and four more USB ports.
While the above images may help you understand where all of the ports and features are located, their size doesn't do a whole lot for conveying how the system actually looks. This is really a nice looking system, and at least in the notebook market Dell XPS systems are nothing to scoff at. We've included a few more higher resolution images of the system to give you a better idea of what it looks like. (Yes, the trackpad is located slightly left of center.)
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| Click to enlarge | |
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IntelUser2000 - Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - link
At DDR2-667 it will be better because it can run synchronously with the FSB. Probably add another 2% :).
Anemone - Sunday, April 23, 2006 - link
However the 533 runs much cooler which could be an issue for some users.Personally I went with 2gb of 667, but do be aware that the stuff gets pretty toasty :)
JarredWalton - Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - link
Oh yeah, sorry about not including that information. Things slip through the crack now and then, but I've updated the spec table.spinportal - Thursday, April 20, 2006 - link
Thanks for the explaination. I upgraded my laptop to DDR2-533 1GB for 63$ instead of DDR2-667 for 90$, which is almost 27% price differential for maybe 4% gain, so on the price-perfomance curve, it doesn't rate as a good buy.spinportal - Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - link
Why hasn't anyone called Jarred on this? Why is the article linking to the M170 laptop for 1300$ and not putting the link to Dell's M1710 which is 2600$ starting?? Come on, stop with the bait & switch advertising.Also, I'm peeved with Dell as I got the E1710 with the Go 7800 GTX, and now, a month later, they pushing the ATi X1400 mobility! What a joke!
Also, Dell didn't offer a CD replacement install disc for XP MCE for $10 at the time of my purchase. Dell won't renegotiate with me to extend that offer which is bad business. Corporate Greed and Penny Pinching at its FINEST!
And Also, why is there DDR2 2GB Upgrade obnoxiously high at 300$? OCZ / NewEgg has a super deal for 1 GB DDR2-533 SODIMM PC-4200 for 73$ with 5$ S&H and a $9 rebate!
Also, the E1705 had a promotional rebate period. I got $400 off mine, nearly 33%. Now with the M1710 there is nothing happening. I'll be damned if I paid stock price.
Also, it'd be nice if Dell would think to offer an upgrade (reasonably priced) to replace the E1705 with a Go 7900 GTX graphix mini-board. It can't be that hard to manufacture a common board and PCI-e interconnects for all their laptops?
In closing, Dell better wake up and offer a Merom upgrade path as well for all these new laptop lines for enthusiasts. Its long due that laptop upgrades, especially for DTR machines, are commonplace and easy for DIYers.
Anemone - Sunday, April 23, 2006 - link
The CD replacement disk, write to Dell and CC Microsoft support in the email. Microsoft doesn't need the rep that comes with this double dealing. They should send you the install CD without issue. A call to your Attorney General's office would further enforce the point. That disk is your ultimate proof of ownership if the hardrive goes south or the laptop gets destroyed. It is illegal in many states to deny you that.The 7900GTX doesn't fit the power spec of the 1705. There are ways around this, but they are not for the faint of heart :) Notebookforums.com has some pointers if you look around.
Merom is pin compatible with Yonah (per Intel) and "should" (with some people out there having done it already) be a drop in replacement into a Yonah notebook (like the 1705 and 1710). Some risk of proprietary design issues is there, but likely with Dell being Intel's kid sister, you could expect they'd get it right. :)
RogueSpear - Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - link
I think it's fantastic that Intel is finally back in the game again, especially in the desktop arena. They never really did cede much in the portable market. Now if ATI could finally get something worthwhile for portable graphics. See this is what makes me smile. Good old fashioned competition. I think AMD has gotten a little too smug with themselves after 3 or 4 years total dominance, much like how Intel was around 3 years ago. As far as I'm concerned, all of the Intel vs. AMD and nVidia vs. ATI back and forths is fantastic. In the end it almost always results in progression of technology and increased performance. Oh yea, that's one hell of a laptop too :) I hope that I can stand to stick it out until we see a version of this laptop with Merom. If I'm going to spend 4 G's, may as well get 64-bit capability even if I don't take advantage of it right away.timmiser - Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - link
With my M170, I am unsure how to update the Nvidia driver to the latest version on the Nvidia website. They have specific drivers for the 7800 GTX Go but they are not supported by Dell so when I try to install them, it won't let me.Is there a mod tool somewhere that will allow me to force the driver to be installed? Dell never updates their official video drivers so this is important.
(I know for my old XPS with the Radeon 9800 I had the same problem but there was a mod tool available to get around this.)
Anemone - Sunday, April 23, 2006 - link
Video drivers (all versions to the latest) for M170/Gen2 and all similar:laptopvideo2go.com
Should find more than enough there to guide you :)
timmiser - Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - link
Thanks for the link. :)