Many people attributed Dell's recent purchase of Alienware to the perception that the giant PC maker just couldn't create the kind of cutting-edge notebooks and desktops that performance nuts and gamers want. Dell's XPS engineers must have missed that memo, because the new XPS M1710 notebook announced today looks pretty smoking.
Dell calls its XPS desktops and notebooks its luxury brand, and the XPS M1710 comes with the hardware, looks, and price to match that moniker. Most notable about the high-end unit is its nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics chip with 512MB of memory. Yep--this notebook has the mobile version of nVidia's fastest desktop GPU.
The company is offering two starting configurations of the M1710, in two different colors. The Metallic Black model starts at $2,600 and includes a 17-inch display, an Intel Duo Core T2400, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, a 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS graphics chip, 1 GB DDR2 memory, and a 60 GB hard drive. The Special Edition Formula Red model starts at $3,400 and has the same display, OS, and RAM but upgrades to a Core Duo T2500, the 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics chip, and an 80 GB hard drive.
Both versions also have an illuminated XPS touchpad and adjustable 16-color perimeter lighting. I guess that's so you can find your notebook back should the power go out at your LAN party.
We haven't tested the M1710 yet, but we did get to take a peek at a unit during a briefing a short while back and it looked sharp. We're looking forward to running the notebook through our WorldBench and graphics tests, so keep your eyes peeled for our official review in the near future.
In the meantime, you tell me: Would you buy a high-priced gaming notebook from Dell, or would you be more inclined to buy from boutique vendors such as Falcon Northwest, Voodoo PC, or even the Dell-owned Alienware?
Personally I'd go with the most gusto and better devices. Desktops differ as you can update anything in them; where as Laptops tend to be a bit trickier, so I pay the cash and get the best hardware I can get!
OMG! I can't wait to spend thousands of dollars for 'Dell My Way Search Assistant.'
I think not.....
I wouldn't buy anything from DELL. I actually tried to buy, and paid for two different models. The first one a desk top; the second a laptop. They are very friendly when they are trying to get into your money. But try and get a refund and you'll see a most unfriendly and vicious DELL. There are too many other great computers on the market to ever have to go to DELL.
They really need to do something about the telephone sales people who try their best but have a hard time understanding North American English.
At the end of the day, its whats inside the machine that counts, not fancy lighted skulls! And I have had a pretty good experience with the two desktops and a laptop that I bought from Dell over the past 5 years. So its Dell for me! And with the money I save, I would buy some actual games (And not just download them of some torrent site like the 'boutique' people!)
Wow.. Dell bashing... I use them a work for all my laptops... Just got the Latitude D820 in today and it's a killer... Yeah Dell has started putting some questionable software in there but alot of other vendors do too... And it took me 4 clicks to get rid of the garbage... And as far as service I think it is the same as any company, they have good people and bad people just better hope you get a good one... Over all I would buy a Dell laptop for myself but I'm a desktop modder so I will only build my own desktops, Sorry Dell...
I can build an incredible gaming machine for $3,400 and still have money left over to buy the actual games. I think that I would have to pass on this one.
I saved a huge pile of money a while ago by getting a Dell Inspiron 9300 ($2150CDN) with the Nvidia 6800/256MB and 100MB HD instead of the Dell XPS II (which had a $600CDN premium and a bit higher cpu/video specs) or any specialty shop (which had big premium plus I imagine loss of economy of scale that dell had, more like a $1200-1700CDN premium, although I was drooling over their RAID setups). In the end, the inspiron has been perfect for me, great for games, even BF2 at 1900x1200, and rather than wanting to come across as the alpha geek at a lan party, I would rather have a laptop without agressive styling so I don't look like an idiot when I take my laptop to Starbucks (which I do a lot, despite girlymen complaining that 17" and 8 lbs is too big and heavy to be mobile.)
So my opinion: Dell provides unmatched bang for the buck, whether you do XPS or a model down. I did also successfully get a refund from Dell on another laptop, although I had to prove it was broken and didn't fight to not pay interest on the financing they suckered me into. Their sales people from different parts of the world are somewhat annoying though. (Sometimes hard to understand, plus all the 'deals' they are scripted to pull on ya.)
Now... if they put hydraulics on the XPS, that might pick up the chicks!
Prices jacked way up with the revamped line. A previously configured XPS M170 with the options I wanted (2ghz dual core cpu, 80gb 7200ram, 7900 gfx, 802.11g+bluetooth) was about $2100 with whatever promotion they had going. A similarly configured M1710 is around $3000 now, hah. Granted the new line is a little nicer and such, but not worth nearly 50% more in cost to me.
why bother saying you can build a machine for $xxxx?
it isnt portable is it?
no, didnt think so....
this is THE most powerful laptop, and smashes most desktops too.
I'd buy - if I had that kinda cash to blow. I have had great experience with Dell. My external flat panel display fried and they had one shipped overnight to replace it, with little or no grief. Get that service from the guy on the corner. I love my D820....
My Dell desktop is coming via UPS today!
I'd buy - but I already bought a D820 and LOVE IT. I have had great experience with Dell. My external flat panel display fried and they had one shipped overnight to replace it, with little or no grief. Get that service from the guy on the corner.
My Dell desktop is coming via UPS today!
I hate dell and I live in austin, over the past few years I've seen 6 out of 10 dell laptops give problems.
My roommates laptop wouldnt turn on and over the last 8 months he has sent it for repairs 3 times already. The last waiting period for dell to return the laptop was 1 month.
It broke again last week, finally we threatened to sue them, I mean a laptop is essential when you are doing your Phd. in civil engineering.
Today he got a refurbished laptop.
wow dell..
Do you know ?
dell doesnt have any inventory costs because they dont have an inventory.
They only make laptops when you order them online.
Dell is very quick to ship replacements for defective equipment. Why? Because they have a lot of experience sending out replacements. We've replaced 4 printers in less than a year. Not going to drop big bucks one of their laptops.
I just bought the xps m1710 special edition from dell and I think it was a good deal. I was pricing out a laptop from alienware and for a model that is almost as fast as the one from dell the price difference was around $1500CND. And my dell has the faster 512 7900 gtx videocard compared to the 256 7800gtx on the alienware. I can't wait till my laptop comes. This laptop will almost be as fast as my desktop that I custom built. My buying experience was very good. Best I have ever had.
Called and odered one. Will be my 4th Dell. 2 desktops and now a second laptop. Can't wait for UPS to get it to me. I have used Dell's for 5 years now. When I had a problem, it was addressed and solved very quickly. I love Dell.
Ryan: I call bullshiz. I work for Dell......the M170 was never offered with a dual core CPU. Ever. The whole point of the redesining into the M1710 was to include the Core Duo, and the 512mb 7900 GTX. The previous M170 only had a 256mb 7900 GS available at the end of it's life.
Please, know whart you're talking about before you start talking. You are right that the M170, at that configuration and with a promotion and coupon or two could be $2100.....but spot the right deal, the 1710 could be too.....I could get you one like you described for about $2,500 (and actually WITH the dual core, unlike the M170).
The one thing I WILL say is that the difference between the Formula Red and the Black color is kinda ludicrous......to get the back in the "limited edition" red is about $900 MORE than the black for the same configuation.....
John: Maybe you shouldn't have skimped on the warranty, eh? For only a little extra, you could have gotten at-home service and had someone at your home the next day.
T2500 Intel Duo (2ghz)
100 GB SATA 72K RPM
ATI X1400 256MB PCI-E video
512MB DDR2 667MHS RAM
TRUE BRITE super 15 inch Wide Screen.
INTEL PRO Wireless
IEEE USB 2 5-1 MEDIA
8X DVD-RW
all in a little latop, total price $1488.. how in the world can you bit that?
I have spent the past 10 minutes skimming over the majority of the comments here only to find complaints on the price. Forgive me for not finding your interjection and outrage a bit, well... misplaced. The XPS is first and foremost a premium and luxury line, so you will pay correspondingly. I cannot put it more simply then maybe the aid of this analogy. I once heard Maseratti use this as a camaign for their cars, "If you have to ask how much, its not for you." You simply cannot demand a top of the line product and complain about its price. It just doesn't make sense.
Ive got a Dell Inspiron 8600 (3 yr old) and it works great. Very few probs. Ive had to replace the DVD burner about 3 times but theyve never made an issue and theyve always sent a new one overnight. it came the next day, no pain or hassle. just take the broken one and put it back in the box, reseal, and use the provided stickon label to send it back. painless. I also love the modular bay: if I need to take my laptop on tripes, I just hot-swap my DVD burner out for a modular battery and all of a sudden my battery life jumps to over 5 hours, sometimes 6 if i turn the brightness and stuff down. Came with a 128 MB mobiity radeon 9600, which was top of the line at the time and still lets me blast away through HL2 and COD2 and BF2, so long as I turn a couple settings down. Awesome laptop.
Now for what I really want. Im not an engineer, but:
1) Why cant they take more laptops and make them tablets? It shouldnt be that hard of an engineering prob to integrate a swiveling screen into the notebook, and then just stick the pen in the PCI card slot or just make it magnetic and stick it on the side of the notebook or something. I'm looking for functionality, not beauty. I dont give a d a m n whether the laptop glows, but I do care if it boots real fast and gives me good frame rates. My 8600 looks like h e l l, why should I care?
2) Why do they think that we want 17 in screens? It just adds to the laptops weight and causes the screen to be less sharp at the same resolution as a smaller screen. Also, wouldnt a 17 in screen be more expensive than a 15 in screen cause ure using more materials? Better to have a 1900x1200 15 in screen than a 17 in 1680x1050 screen IMO. Widescreens are nice though. If I could cram everything i want into a 14 in, mb a 15 in that would be good. But no one needs a 17, let alone the 19 in that Voodoo is planning to release.
3) Why cant they put the nice 7900 go in smaller laptops? If youre gonna put a dedicated gfx card into a smaller laptop does the faster card really take up that much more space? And if it does, just make the screen a little larger which forces you to make the laptop a little wider so that you can put it in, but then it makes the insides a little roomier and the notebook can survive a fall better.
4) Why do you have to settle for a 2.5 in HDD? is it a power issue or somethin? it shouldnt be that hard to make the laptop a little wider and a little longer to put it in, no? especially in one of these 17 in behemoths? Once u put in a 3.5 in HDD, max storage capacity jumps from a paltry 160 GB HDD to a 500 GB HDD. Trust me, I could use the extra space with the cramped 60 GB HDD i have in my 8600 now.
5) Why cant I have an actual numeric keypad on comps with 15 in screens or smaller? Cause there isnt enough room? BS. a) you can use the butterfly keyboard designs that were in the early laptops to make space or b) put it under the keyboard to the right of the touchpad. So that the keys are not used unintentionally, either have a key above the keyboard that locks/unlocks use of the keypad and is seperate from the existing numlock key or put a plastic cover right over it when not in use. In fact, why not put a plastic cover over the keyboard itself when its not in use? It would definitely help with all of the dust ive got in my keyboard now....
6) How hard is it to put a trackpoint in laptops? You know, that alternative to the touchpad thats the little eraser nub between the g and h keys. It cant be that expensive and its sure as heck of a lot more reliable than most touchpads. Which reminds me. Manufacturers, make sure that the touchpad actually works BEFORE you ship the laptop! The touchpad in my machine works great but Ive tried the touchpad on my friend's alienware which didnt have a trackpoint and it SUCKS. It hardly works and I have to stroke the touchpad multiple times so that the pointer can jump around the screen, making it hard to do stuff with out resorting to using keyboard shortcuts, which dont always seem natural. And i seriously doubt that Alienware is alone in this prob.
7) Why do I have to settle for the unacceptably short battery life that this would offer? If ure a college student and u gotta lug ure comp around, its easier if u dont have to plug ure laptop in while ure in class right? I wouldnt like it if I carried around more than one primary battery because then i'd have to switch the batteries while theyre recharging, and id prob forget or something. Solution? Like I said earlier, I dont care if my laptop doesnt look nice. That includes I dont care if its 3 in thick. I'd gladly take on a battery that conforms to the footprint of my laptop and that the laptop locks into when I put the laptop on the battery. With a battery this large, I can go around and actually have full-day battery life, even when I have the brightness turned all the way on and Im using a bluetooth mouse while playing BF2 over my WiFi connection.
All of this would probably make the laptop weigh maybe 11 pounds with the battery underneath assuming its a 15 in widescreen. I currently carry around about 9 pounds of stuff, including my laptop bag. Its not that hard people! And im not one of those people who lifts weights and works out and stuff. Im the weakest among my peers, and its really not that hard. with the new laptop, figure carrying 13 pounds of laptop w/bag and whatnot. Its really not that hard, especially once you make the transition to either a backpack or a rolling case, which you should do anyways.
The biggest problem I have with dell is they never update their divers, and you cannot load standard drivers from NVidia or ATI on them.
^ With those suggestion, I believe your claim, you're not an engineer.
They're still running Intel CPU's, which still makes them bad for running games.
It's unfortunate that Dell continues to use crap peripheral hardware even in their high performance lines...
What, you can't say c r a p here?
I have a Dell laptop Insperion 5160 ,P4 3.2ghz or shall I say had. The Mother Board died 2 months out of warrenty, Dell offered to sell me the same defective MB for $350. Some people got the extended warrenty and had the same MB replaced 3 times, all with the same defect. A power issue. You can read about it on thier own forums.
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forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_power&message.id=41053&query.id=199782#M41053
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forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_general&message.id=215950&query.id=199820#M215950
Tons more posts like this, MB problem. They haven't revised the problem, it's in the 6000 too. I HATE DELL FOR STEALING MY MONEY and others.
^ Finally a smart person amongst them all. It's not DELL that sucks (well they do) It's INTEL!!!
Some dells suck, some rock. I've seen both and been lucky to usually get the ones that rock. (Desktops and laptops both.)
No. I wouldn't fork over the cash for one of these. I wouldn't even ask for it if my boss was paying for whatever laptop I asked for. I will always go for the tech thats a year or two old because it doesn't break as often. Yeah, I drive an old car, 10 years but it has less problems than the one I bought for my wife, now 2 yrs old. Same philosophy on computers. I get the technology that has survived the testing. If they're still pushing these things in 2 years, then I will probably try to get one.
Apple is the only realistic company on the market right now; you REALLY get your money's worth. I wish Apple would let people use their notebooks for a week.
Once you go Apple you don't go back.
You might go to bootcamp though.
There is a class action lawsuit going against Dell for their faulty laptop design and their refusal to recall.
Of course the slaves/pawns who work there are going to justify their extra "warranty", for their defective design, it's the service that makes the most money, anynone who has a bussiness sense knows that. I had a 5150 w/ a 3.2 Ghz P4 w/ extended warranty and they replaced the motherboard 4 times before they finally sent me a refurb and even then they wont admit it was faulty design. In any case, I ended up buying a toshiba for my needs. Stay away from Dell. just look up
DELL HELL and you will see what people are talking about, better yet go their own forums.
Bad batteries
Bad motherboards
terrible cooling design.
I'd buy a MacBook Pro and have a working OS for the time I'm not gaming.
My problem with Dell, and I have bought several computers from them, is their announcement to send thousands of jobs overseas to India. Maybe even build a manufacturing plant there. As far as I'm concerned, they can SELL their computers over there too.
Lol on the "My Way Search Assistant".
If I were you people I'd get a Shuttle PC
http://global.shuttle.com/Product/Barebone/SN25P.asp
Small size, powerful. Those gaming pCs for 4 and 5 thousad dollars are a gimmick. 1,500 - 1,800 bucks makes a very nice gaming computer.
I just bought a top of the line maxed out alienware 7700.
I has been a nightmare - 7 week to deliver, 4 week later burnt out video card, two week of Communist Cuban tech support and now it does not see my video cam correctly over the Firewire.
Alienware really sucks when it came to tech support.
I am converting to scientology to get rid of the alien thetans living in my alienware laptop!!!!
Dell makes a decent product and has prices that are hard to beat. Thats all great if you don't mind selling your soul to the corporate satan to save 100 bones. And, who brought up apple? Theres a reason they have about 1% market share.
Ok.. If I am going to look for a gaming laptop, Dell sure wouldn't be my first choice. Falcon.. Voodoo would be good places to start.. However.. check out Widow PC for one that really screams. If I am not interested in a Dell.. I can assure you, Alienware is not even in the running...
get a mac book pro, why pay that much for a dell? get something that works if your going to pay that much.
Dell computers have their ups and downs. Yes are pretty faulty because dell uses custom cases and sometimes custom boards.
Also Intel boards are as reliable as an old car. Intel has always had problems with the stability of their boards so most of the fault should be directed to intel.
WHoever said you cant use official Nvidia or ATI drivers from the websites is wrong. I have never failed to install drivers from offical releases. You just have to install them manually which isnt so hard to do. If your a gamer and dont know how, then start learning because you do alot of cleaning and manually installing drivers.
Dell provides the standard consumer what they need. Decently prices PCs with simplicity. You can call dell and they will walk you through troubleshooting to get it fixed or they send a technician out. BTW Im a technician working for a company contracted by Dell, so I know how their premium warranty works out.
Most of you making comments are probably the small percentage that build their own desktops. Also you cant expect dell laptops to be as stable as common laptops because dell redesigns parts that you cant find elsewhere so they are bound to get into some problems.
Im not a dell fan and i dont hate them. They are the microsoft of the PC hardware industry. They will never go away but they are slowly losing customers to competition. As long as they sell cheaper PCs then competition, they will always be around.
Not another problemic item from dell. It always appear that 95% of their laptops or desktops always have issues. They fail to get them fixed, but yet seem to entice buyers into spending more $$$$ for something that will burn more battery power, get over heated ( High end cpu), GPU that will burn out sooner before the laptop dies ( all hardware are to close to each other ), and not to mention the fact that the sounds of the internal fans running will make it feel like your getting ready to lift off into another product waste. "DUDE, DON'T GET A DELL"
oh yeah pac mans last comment reminded me, MY MAC #1 doesnt heat my home an additional 13 degrees when it is in sleep mode and # 2 IT DOESNT MAKE A NOISE. LIKE FOR REAL NOTHING!!! go mac youll never look back!
After owning several Dells and running a center supporting them i have two words.. FORGET THEM! For the price they charge get an Acer Ferrari 4000, it runs circles around a Dell, runs 1680 x 1050 resolution on a 15 inch display, has an AMD 64 bit dual core that will smoke anything Intel has AND a 100gb Hard Drive. Dell is a piece of crap, always has been.
Of course if you have bucks go for Lenovo T60p and drop 12 oz of coffee it and watch it still run. Of course it aint the best gaming machine but after owning every laptop on the market first one that has NEVER bluescreened and NEVER been to any shop, business guys take note.
Lol, the intelligence level of some of you posters is quite amusing.
Most of the complaints seem to stem from user error. First and foremost, if you don't know what you need in a laptop then either go or call one of those Dell stores in the mall or at least have a friend that knows something about computers give you a hand.
MAC addicts are truly blind, look at where Apple is going! They're releasing software so that you can run windows on your Mac! Do I need to go any further?
Dell is currently #1, so they're doing something right. Not saying they're perfect, but it's expected to have some problems especially if your at the top of the food chain. Rumor has it they're revamping their tech support to make things better. I guess we'll see what happens from that.
Oh and from being in the helpdesk/call center industry for a good portion of my career I can tell you guys a couple of things. If you're rude, don't expect the tech to go out of his way to help. Expect most of them to go out of their way to drop the call. And when you call tech support, know what to ask for pete's sake. Don't be ambiguous with your questions, be damn specific. Tell them what you want and how much time you have. You get HARDWARE tech support ONLY. Stop bitching because you can't get software issues fixed. Always get the reps extension, name, ID #, and case #. Supervisors info too if you can. I've never ever had a bad experience with tech support with any company after working tech support. You have to know how to talk to them and what you want. It's like asking a girl out on a date. Ask the damn question already instead of being a dumbass.
Another thing I like about the service is that dell upgraded my 3 year warranty for a 3 year on site for free!!!!! All because I was also buying a 20" wide screen monitor. In total I have saved $2500CND. I was going to buy the alienware m7700 for $5500USD and a widescreen monitor from dell. It just so happened that I started to browse the site and saw the m1710 and was blown away by the specs and of course the price. With all the extra stuff they through in for free is just icing on the cake. Since I have never owned a dell, I hope that this laptop will not be a lemon.
dell looks good with duo core and 7900 - wish they didn't bother with the luxary stuff and knocked a few $100 off the price.
still I just compiled all laptops with nvidia 7800 or 7900 go cards and this new dell is very competitive price wise - the cheapest (with 7900!) is the Toshiba Satelllite P105-S921 .
I priced: this dell, toshiba above, hypersonic-pc.com Aviator CX7, sagernotebook.com NP5720V, pro-star.com 5722, Gateway NX860XL, malibal.com Satori, velocitymicro.com m57, m-techlaptops.com M780 and widowpc 517M ( voodoo anf falcon were just too expensive to bother pricing).
and this new dell is very competitive. I might have to buy it.
To the Apple folks, I love Apple and the day they get a good 3d card back in their systems is the day I will go back to them. Actually they never had a good 3D card in their systems.
Smoking machine!!! But nevertheless i wouldn't want to be the tester of their gaming line. I would go with Alienware over Dell any day of the week.
Why would anyone, that is computer literate, buy from Dell when Toshiba is available? Bet they pedal AOL to go with it.
I'm writing this on an Inspiron 5150 that has had 3 MB's replaced (Power issue) a fan assembly, bad memory.......... all resolved under warranty but geez, who needs the problems in the first place. My wife's Dell Desktop worked fine after we had to replace virtually everything but the desk the computer sat on. .......... Personally I love my Macs...On my 4th and have never had a a hardware problem. My only issue with the Mac is that there are websites my wife and I need to use in our very different jobs that are not mac friendly. She's a professional reasearcher and I use web based budget software for a large school system.
dells are absolute garbage I have owned 7 dell laptops in a development environment, they all screw up in 1 -2 yrs, check on ebay gives you a good idea of the trash laptops. the guy that made a note about IMB laptops is absolutely correct even with lenovo's take over of IBM laptops they are still the only way to go if you want rock solid stability. Toshiba laptops are actually worse owed 3 of them ... ended up with failing hardware. IBM all the way... thats all I would recommend if you actually want more then 1 yr of reliable service.
I bought a top of the line Dell desk top with all the bells and whistles. Within 3 months it had multiple problems, I got a lemon!!!
I spent at least 100 hours on hold or talking, trying to talk, to someone in India. Dell refused to send a service person to the house , as they promise. I used to have hair ---- I have pulled it all out over Dells lack of service!!! Beware!!!
Well. Unless you want to use these computers for Graphic design otherwise for games better buy an Xbox 360. For 2100 dlls I get the console and more than 20 games with the most advanced graphics. Why bother with a computer?
While Dell desktops have been a bit problematic of late (what is with those power supplies?), their notebooks have been decent even if they don't give the most bang for the buck. As far as gaming goes, not having an AMD option is not good. Also if you're a serious gamer and want the maximum amount of speed from you PC, uninstalling unwanted programs ain't going to do the trick -- you'll have to wipe the hard drive and do a clean install of Windows, any needed drivers and only the apps you want. Actually your best bet would be to resize and repartition the hard drive to allow dual-booting into either standard Windows with all your usual apps or a stripped-down tweaked version with nothing, even normal processes, running that you absolutely don't need for the game and for Windows to run.
I really like the picture at the top of this article... it says the most important thing about this laptop is that it looks great from the back! I don't think Dell is the best product on the market... but it sure isn't the worst either. Dell does remind me a lot of the old days of Packard Bell though... a lot of whiz bang for the price.. quality tends to be a little rough, but then if the product had a long life you wouldn't replace it as often....
D E L L S U C K S ! ! ! !
gosh, so many lay people on here.
look, for apple fans; apple sucks.
for Dell fans - great prices for what you get and well put together. But if you want the best you research for weeks if not months then build it yourself based on your own budget.
as for laptops? #1, nothing with an intel inside is a good build. Dell loses credence right then and there. Dude! until they pick up AMD, I ain't picking a Dell.
My bosses dell laptop fried the hard drive 3 times in the last year. I think not.
I picked up a used Dell 5150 (3.06Ghz P4), added a 100Gig 7200 RPM drive and 2 Gigs RAM. The whole package cost less than 900 bucks and outruns most laptops that cost twice as much. There is way too many reasons NOT to spend 3 grand on a laptop....
Not too long ago I was a devoted Dell evangelist. I own a copy of the first laptop Dell ever made and am keeping it as a collectable. Sadly, three of the last seven computers we have bought from dell have turned out to be lemons. Dell employees have told me that Dell as adopted a business model targeting a significant level of machine failures as "cost effective" rather than the old standard of "Do your best to get it right every time." that made them famous. I second the motion by the poster above to get a WidowPC if you want a top of the line gaming portable.
I am writing this on Dell Inspiron 8500, which I bought in summer 2003 as my universal machine. Paid almost 2 grand, but I was just obsessed with laptops. It played games fine with 1GB RAM and 64MB nVidia. I trully loved it. It worked fine for 2 years, then one of the memory slots fried. Yes, another motherboard issue. It simply overheated and fried. Of course after warranty. Thanks god, the other one is still working, so I don't give it hard time anymore, just browsing, texting, picture organizing. Very expensive texting machine though :-)
BTW mousepad doesnt work anymore either.
Instead of spending money on new MB, I built nice gaming machine for about $1300 and gave Inspiron to my wife till it dies completely. It wont get nice funeral then, I will throw it from the highest bridge in town to deeps of Caloosahatchee River. RIP you biatch then!
IBM laptop - the best machine I ever had. T23 is the one I have - little bit old but I just can't kill the thing. It is excellent for my work (SEO and web pages building) and I take it everywhere, it never quits. It doesnt crash either, because it runs Linux Suse 10! :-)
Use your common sense. Anybody can stuff up little laptop with latest and hottest technology, but how long can it work? How long these little fans can keep it cool? And they get loud BTW!
Maybe there is a reason why IBM doesnt make these "performance" laptops. They know - HEAT KILLS!
hey Mr. Not An Engineer. It seems kind or odd that you complain about the bulkiness of a 17in screen but then later make it clear you don't care about size and weight. regardless, I own the very laptop you're talking about. Yeah, I bought a flat panel for my tricked out desktop and duct-taped a car battery and transformer (not the toy, although that might help with the looks) to the back of it. I carry the tower under my right arm and the screen under my left. sometimes the other way around when I'm feeling rebelious. sure it looks like shite but I COULDN'T care less. it was hard to find a desktop keyboard with a trackpoint though.
For a powerful reliable gaming laptop:
Corporate Box Solution vs. Boutique Vendor vs. Custom Built Machine
If you are capable then a custom built machine created by you is the only way to fly. You know what you have and you know what it does. If any problems arise you have the knowledge to take care of problems yourself.
Before anyone blabs about not being able to custom build a laptop do some research before you embarrass yourself.
If you have cash and are unable to put together a machine yourself then call a boutique Boutiques stay in business against the corporations by building better products. They are not as concerned with the bottom line and shoving as many of their machines out the door as possible. They are concerned with building great products that work. When you buy from a boutique chances are the machine has past through ten times the torture tests that a corporate solution has thus insuring better chances of a great machine.
If you are unable to build a machine, are on a budget, and fall for all the hype about as many bells and whistles as possible then buy the massed produced machine from a corporation. But don't come around crying when you get a lemon. Corporations want money, as much as they can get. If this means shafting a few customers, oh well there is a sucker born every minute.
Its like the 'muppet show' in here.
Just to clarify - battery life is THE most important aspect in a laptop. They're designed first and foremost to be portable. If you think otherwise you clearly don't NEED a laptop and are just after a flash toy.
Why waste power on a large screen and above all - fancy lighting? Wtf is all that about? Its like those stupid kids who fit neons lights to their cars. Does it make it go faster/last longer/perform better? Erm.. NO it doesn't. So why waste time on it? Ditch all the CR*P and sell us a proper efficient powerhouse of a machine and leave the pointless gimmicks in the bin. Tell Intel to go and stick it too, do some research oh great idiots of DELL.
No AMD... No DELL
I am on my second Alienware and they are really good - high quality computers. I don't use them for gaming - I use them for software/database developent and they are very powerfull desktops that go with me everywhere I go. Alienware solved the heat problem really well. However my next machine is Hypersonic-PC. Same as alienware, but slightly different look.
No AMD...hmmm you must not have tried one lately. I use Dell for laptops and their hardware is pretty good. The software is a joke...There is actually a program out now just to remove their crapware. Manually it will take you a couple of hours to get one in order. As far as desktops go you would have to be nuts to buy a high-end Dell when you can build a far superior machine on your own for less with a much better warranty. I did buy the high-end XPS laptop for a friend recently and it was pretty nice except for the crazy airport lights all over it (which you can disable in the BIOS). I decreased the boot time on it by half by removing their crapware and tweaking it. I think Dell is the way to go particularly if you speak Hindu...
Dell never ceases to amaze me with their inferior quality and the junk they put out. That guy who wrote that 6 out of 10 dells have a problem- is true. I fix em. They don't break from being abused, just from being Dell. Bad motherboards, displays, hard drives, even connections that just fall apart! But Gateway, HP, Lenovo (IBM) all load their machines up with crap too, at least they usually don't fall apart. A store-bought install of Windows can do wonders on increasing the reliability and security of these machines. If you want a gamer, you have one custom built by someone who cares, not a company like Dell that puts some lights on the case for an extra $1000.
Dell is full of crap! at Alienware you can get a laptop with 160gig hard drive 2 gigs RAM and better graphics technology for only $1000.00
what is all this $2600 to $3400 crap?
Ass of last week, the next computer I am going to buy is a mac. Those machines are sexy.
AlienWare builds crap too. Then it's very difficult to get them to honor the warranty. Ten phone calls to support about a 3200 dollar laptop that arrived with a dead graphics card and they back ordered a replacement.
It's been 2 months since the laptop was "tested" by their quality control department, 6 weeks since it was delivered and it still doesn't work.
All you have to say is dell optiplex the worst computer motherboard ever made. And they did nothing to fix the problem except make you go through hours on the phone followed up by not sending a driver disk. Thanks Dell, Won't do it again when 6 out of 6 die in a year.
people with working dells don't waste time writting messages about how much dell sucks.
Can you think of a worse motherboard than the optiplex
High end gaming laptops are bought by people who are looking to play fear ,half life2 , doom 3,ect.. When they can not play on thier high end desktop. This is the reason I bought this dell laptop. With the money I saved I was able to buy other parts for my desktop. Don't complain If your not interested in a gaming laptop. Whats the point? Dell is a very big company and as such seem like they have more problematic parts than others when in fact ( I just did a research last night) Dell has one of the best ratio ( broken vs not broke) out there. Heres an example: Dell 1million comps 100 needs repair. Company A 100 comps 10 needs repair. It just seems like has Dell has more broken comps but the ratio says other wise.
You could save even more by NOT buying Dell :-)
It's a pretty amazing machine, can play Oblivion (or any other new game) with full resolution 1920x1200. When Morrowind came out there was no laptop which could play it at full resolution (max back then was 1600x1200). And game tech has gone significantly forward since then.
Nothing short of amazing.
The way I see it.
Alienware is obviously not for the casual PC user or non-gamer. Alienware tends to be high priced for a reason, the components theyoffer plus support.
Dell offers more budget hardware and started to dabble in the high price market which offers so- so support albeit good deals.
The comparisons of the two, is akin to comparing a corvette with a lamborghini. Sure a corvettte can be supped up, but only so much and at the end of the day, a lamborghini is a lamborghini hands down.
I see too many people complaining about price, if you need to spend less than $3,000.00 your obvious bet would be to look away from Alienware, cause no matter where you go, state of the art hardware is expensive.
I would never buy a Dell. Nor would i ever buy an Alienware computer, even before they were bought by Dell.
It is cheaper and better to build your own system.
You know, what really cracks me up about this entire debate, the dweebs on here crying like little girls... If Dell sucks sooo bad why don?t you start your own company?? Hmm, ever thought of that one? I mean you are so lame taking your time for knocking a company that is actually trying to improve there products, bring affordable, portable, and competitive machine to the market and provide quality customer support (even thought I hate the outsourcing of call centers, learn English Dur de Dur).
How about offering suggestions and recommendations to the company.. Ever thought of that one? I can just picture the geeks writing these negative comments. Some are in high school with there foots up there A** because they don?t have the slightest clue as to what they are talking about, and others are has been, deadbeat, wana-be network admins/engineers that have nothing better to do.
When will you clowns finally get a clue??
I will never buy a dell. I have used an inspiron 3700 and a lattitude 850c and in both cases I had to replace the keyboard 3 times; yes, three times. For the lattitude I had to replace the LCD screen once. Now I am out of warranty and the keyboard is falling apart. Moreover, I found both these laptops to be extremely loud (fan) compared to my ibm thinkpad t42.
Overall, I find dell to be of inferior quality and *ugly*. I don't care what they put in it or how shiny they make it look; I am done with dell.
This is a big improvement for Dell. I am very impressed that they are finally putting some R&D into gaming. It is ironic though, that they do this recently after the aquisition of Alienware. Why don't they just let Alienware take this part of the market?
When I first became interested in getting a more portable computer, Dell was the only company offering one with the 9700. Since they were the only one, I bought it. Other then the fact that it burns if you play it too long (which I knew in advance), I had no problems with the machine. I did manage to crush the adapter. A quick phone call to dell got me a new one and a box to return my old one (at the same time mind you). I didnt bother to return it, so they charged me $20 (where I am, I'd rather pay $20). I then melted some stuff inside...(my fault, again) out of warentee... A LOT of time on the phone, (XPS and other laptops do not have the same support people). They mailed me a self addressed box, I sent it in, they fixed it and returned it. Cost me some money, but out of warentee... I would buy from them again, and advise people who come to me for advice to do the same.
I'd say wait a couple months until they have some of the major issues smoothed out. What I would really like is a 15 inch with good performance that doesnt have integrated graphics. Maybe dell could upgrade their xps m140 to be like the m170 just a smaller 15 inch screen. A friend of mine has a m170 and it works excellent, I just can't see myself lugging around a 17 incher through all my classes. BTW, how are the graphics on the m140? I've considered buying one multiple times. Mainly I just want it for cs:source on high rez.
I am interested in buying a new laptop, I am a gamer (obv) but I been outta the loop for a while now since I sold my "Custom Built" rig last year, It was 2ghz with 256mb ram, GeForce 2 MX440 and not much else, 80gb HDD, This will obviously be a SIGNIFICANT upgrade for me, and I will see a lot of improvements, is it worth going for the XPS? I have a Budget around ?2700 ( Thankyou dead aunt i never met ) after giving my gf the ?200 I owed her for around 9months now. It's around $6k anyway, should I go Extreme and spend it all or settle for some smaller less grande piece of equipment. I am a heavy user and will be playing demanding online games. I would apprechiate some advice from the people. I don't wanna buy hypersonic or falcon etc cause' they are too expensive. It must be a laptop since I'm going in the army soon. so as far as "bang for buck" is conserned where do I stand? I have been checking out Evesham Laptops aswell but I don't think they have wireless cards in them. they come with a free vodaphone 3g card but who needs one of them? anyways I would apprechiate some responses from people who know what they are talking about.
Thankyou Will
I say go for the xps m1710. I just bought one and is arriving may4. I was in the market for the best gaming laptop and was willing to spend $6000 CND. After Looking at Voodoo and Alienware I stumbled on this laptop because I was also buying a new widescreen LCD for my desktop. There is no gaming laptop from alienware or voodoo that came close to this system and it was also cheaper. I highly recommend dell to anyone. This was the best buying experience I have had.
What kills me is that if Dell sucks as much as the people on these posts say then why do most of these posts contain people who have owned 2, 3 or even 7 Dells? Duh!!!
Dell rocks, I just converted my 15 year mac loving girlfriend to one of the dell core duo's at $1000 less than a comparable equipped mac. she loves it. sorry apple you just lost a long time customer - hahahahahaha!!!
What a read. There's seems to be a lot of people complaining in here but I bet you go to any forum about a specific Alienware laptop (or any other company) and you will see just as many compaints.
I find most complaints are based on preference. Things like ... why complain that the laptop has a 17" screen? If you want a laptop iwth a smaller screen buy a different laptop but don't complain about this one ... or ... why complain that the system is too expensive when it just came out. I can put together a decent desktop PC for under $100CAD but you can spend more than that on just the CPU if you want to go for the latest.
The company that I work for has had about 20 Dell laptops come and go. Almost everyone has an XPS Gen 2 or XPS M170 now. We've had problems with some hear and there but nothing to complain about. When you spend that much for a system you are daft to not spend the extra $300 for complete care.
A company I used to work with decided one day that they didn't like Dell anymore so they switched to IBM. They had 16 laptops come in and they had to change the motherboard on all 16 and some twice. I'm 100% serious here. I'm sure it was something like a bad run of boards or something but it still hapens with any company. Finally the IT guy got fed up and got IBM to take back all the systems and refund their money. They switched to HP/Compaq laptops now. They haven't had many problems with them but they can't get anything as high end as what we are ordering from Dell. I think he would switch back if it didn't mean he would look bad for suggesting to switch in the first place.
I ordered the XPS 1710 a little over a week ago. Haven't received it yet :( It's the first system that I found that offers core duo, a high end graphics card, 17" screen (my pref) and at a good price. I paid $3700CAD before tax for mine and it has Core Duo 2.16MHz, 2GB RAM, 100GB 7200 HDD, 512MB NVIDIA 7900 GTX, wireless, bluetooth, Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy Advanced, and 3 year next day onsite complete care. Basically I got all the options except for the 4GB of RAM. I think $3700CAD is pretty good for a system like this.
I'm a sofware developer for a company that develops a high end 3D app so we always order "gaming" systems as they always have the latest and greatest components. I admit the XPS is a bit flashy. I disable the lights from the BIOS as soon as each new system comes in. I would order something less flashy but then you don't get the same performace. I looked at the Inspiron 9400 first as it had the Core Duo before the XPS but you get a lower end video card. Can't compare price and performance of systems that don't have equivalent parts ... like many people have done in previous posts.
Anyhow ... I will put myself on the pro-Dell side of the fence ... when it comes to laptops anyway.
Dell users: if you really want to get a perspective on how Dells so called flagsship laptop compares in price and performance check out the following article - read it and you'll wonder what you have wasted your money on
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/9366/
Dell used to be my absolute vendor of choice when it came to any leased computer solution for personal or small/medium sized business solutions - however their customer service, and lack of willingness to stand behind their products has been something that over the last few years has forced me to seek other venues for my own and my clients computer system requirements....
The link below outlines some of the similar problems that a number of individuals have also experienced.... and is just one example of the way that Dell has dropped the ball in recent years... or you can do your own search for dell defects, recalls or the now infamous dell 5150 notebook model...
http://mtaulty.com/blog/(brpeq555er3np5bld13skaim)/archive/2004/11/01/847.aspx
http://mtaulty.com/blog/(brpeq555er3np5bld13skaim)/archive/2004/11/01/847.aspx
Build my own desktop? Yeah good idea, might just do that - but then how the **** am I gonna get it to Japan when I move there in 3 months? No one's stupid enough to get the most expensive laptop out there when they can build a desktop, except the people who actually need the bloody things. We're here coz we need laptops dammit!
Get an Apple, Acer, Sager etc...? Not if I want to play Oblivion with decent graphics and FPS (or at all). Not if I want to play Unreal 2k7 whenever they release the damn thing. Not if I want to run Vista etc... Shut up with your n00b advice and do some research!
Look, I'm no techie, but I know that the M1710 is THE best laptop out there, by miles. Whoever said that about the Maserati is right. This laptop is gonna break me, but if I don't get it I'm gonna sulk so am willing to fork out.
And I'm sorry some people have a hard time with Dell, but no PC company's perfect, and Dell is way better than most - ask anyone who knows what they're talking about. I want to know about this laptop, not hear sob stories.
I came on here to see what people thought about waiting for a price drop on the M1710/to get info on hardware issues, but I've had to wade through so much whining crap I've given up and had a rant. I've pretty much decided to wait and see what happens to the price/what Alienware do anyway.
If anyone has any idea what is gonna happen to the market now Dell have set the benchmark with the M1710, sensible advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm not interested in relics, I wanna know about the future.
But tnx to the people who had sensible comments btw.
anybody know how to get the best deal on one of these 1710s... Coupons, alternate vendors, ect.???
RE: Jason:
Apparently coupons are exclusive of the M1710, though some poeple seem to have found a loophole according to one notebook forum (I forget which). Your best bet is probably ebay to be honest.
I don't get it. I have had two dells and they've been great! They have truly impressed me in games and apps alike, and I never had any serious problems.
I've ordered the xps M1710 (from a VERY helpful and friendly salesperson) and can't wait to take it for a spin. Although most of you seem to judge this laptop without even trying it, a quick googlesearch show that both reviewers and users praise this machine for it's extreme gaming performance. The lowest score I've seen was 8.2, and it usally scores between 9 and 10 in reviews. This from people who undergo extensive testing in all kinds of benchmarks and stresstests.
Are you all psycic, thirteen or do you just plain hate dell?
Do you really want to see a powerfull laptop?
Dual GeForce Go 7900 GTX
Expansive 19? Wide Display
AMD 64-bit Processors
Probably worth separating the discussion into Inspiron versus Latitude. I've had very good luck with all my Latitudes. I still use a 450 MHz cpi for websurfing and text editing around the home. Just ordered a D820 - hoping for the same bulletproof reliability.
I just bought a dell xps m1710 it hasn't arrived at my doorstep yet however, I have been very pleased with the costomer service. I look forward to killin bad guys on my new machine. : )
ps Mac sux!
I just wanted to post and ask how much do half the people commenting know about computers. Take a minute to look at technical specs before you spout off that dell is crap. I always badmouthed dell in the past, because they were the bargain bin of computers, they were for people who just wanted to surf the web. But that being said, with the introduction of XPS, everyone now calls Dell overpriced, wtf? I though dells were cheap shitty computers, not overpriced? You pay for what you get, i have researched laptops from all sides of the planet and this IS the fastest notebook out right now in its price range. The only thing that compares to it is the Alienware M9700, however, even with SLI the Dell laptop still trounces it in many benchmarks and comes close in the rest. The notebook is very quite, exceptionally cool, and has a very reasonable battery life for its purpose. Lets not forget this is a DESKTOP REPLACEMENT, everyone who is looking for a 4 pound system that can run games like FEAR are in for a rude awakening, they do not exist. The computer world is praising the hell out of this notebook, owners are praising the hell out of this notebook, but all the gamers who don;t know c r a p about computers just come here and talk c r a p. Yes, in the gaming world, you will get a lot more attention if u own alienware, falcon or some other system, but an alienware system of this calibre cost a bit more, u cannot get a falcon system of this calibre without a price tag thousands higher, and all the small boutique/internet vendors are just swindling you to believe this is a bad laptop.
My best advice to people is this, learn about what your buying yourself, if you know the tech that goes into your computer, thats all that matters. It could say, alienware or falcon, but it doesn't mean its good, same as it could say dell and still be crap. But the fact is no one else has the 7900 GTX with 512, and dell is able to offer upgrades like this for free. If you buy this laptop at the right moment, you can get a dream laptop for your needs, for hundreds less, i saved 1000 on mine. Its just like how all the linux fans will always say windows sucks, and all the Mac fans will say Mac is the best, once you get past all the cult mentality and look at the specs and numbers, Dell sells like hotcakes for a reason, Windows sells like hotcakes for a reason, why? because they both demolish the competition at what they do, and they both have enough money to make deals and sell really high end products for less then any boutique vendor. Dell didn't have to buy Alienware, this laptop would have killed Alienware anyway, but they probably couldn't fit all their money in the bank so they had to spend it on something.
For $1700 delivered I just got a Dell Inspiron E1705 with a 5400RPM drive, but I have 2 GIG of 667FSB RAM, upgraded 256Meg video card and an upgraded 17" screen. The CPU is the slowest core duo they had but, with the 2 GIG of DDR2 RAM, the system is pin-compatible with the Core Duo2 due out in August.
So a new CPU and a faster hard drive should keep me in business for a couple of years.
I was very excited to learn about alienware. a powerhouse of a laptop that can handle anything....well, i just learned that DELL bought alienware, so now....im not gonna buy one. I f'n hate dell...so much, i have a laptop that desides to stop typing when it pleases and a desktop with nothing on it and the fans are louder than my cd player... fu mike dell for becoming rich of this piece of shit outsourced company..why dont you try employing the people in this country rather that saving a couple bucks you cheap fuck.
Hello everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your all NOT probably gonna like this but hey life?s a bitch ......
My experience with Dell :- I feel for all u guys who are getting shafted where the sun doesnt shine, u gotta look at it in perspective Dell are a multi billion ? organisation >>>> use the system now I will tell you the secret of getting a M1710 laptop ?2300 system for ?1337 not inc VAT
1st I called Dell and ordered my beautiful sexy M1710 MAXED OUT inc backcover etc .... and also a 924 printer,scanner,copier..NOTE>>> Never accept first offer or EVER BUY ONLINE >>> ALWAYS BARTER THEY WANT YOUR MONEY and the sales gimps want their bonus.... So I managed to get the rep after going to her "manager" ye right lol .... down to ?1900 >> SPEC > 2.16 dual 2048MB MEM 100GB 7,200RPM,Bluetooth, Wireless, 512MB 7900 Graphics, XP Pro, Backcover, Printer 924, 1 years warranty MAXED OUT M1710 u get the idea I can email u the product list with codes to prove.....THE GAME BEGINS.....
On the Dell site it clearly says 5-7 days delivery from order this is where they shoot themselves in the foot.. My delivery date was some 14 days I think on the phone straight away to customer services complaining against there advertised delivery time making some excuse like I needed it in that time for a presentation or something and now I?m f*%>" so how are you going to compensate me?>> ?40 cheque in the post for late delivery >>>> Now not all of you know this but the screen on the new Dell M1710 leaks light in the bottom left and right corners 1st point of complaint but not the main one >> Listen carefully now ..
NOTE > Sales and technical never talk and Sales people are NOOBS they dont know F*&% ALL. The scam starts you need to tell them you have a problem with the screen it leaks alot of light so they will send a techi to replace screen or fix, make sure your not at home and someone else is to let them in and change the screen. When u get home it will be the same so get straight onto Dell complaining its worse> well what happened to me was he replaced it but as a result when it goes onto stand by the screen went completely white and when u close it the screen stayed on :-S lol so they collected it to get sent for repair straight onto technical complaining so good will gesture was a ?80 camera sold on ebay for ?60 so sofar ?100 to me I got fed up and asked for a complete replacement system which they did...Now this is what u do to get them to send u a nice a cheap system I called them for a laugh just to see what price they?d give me? lol the money shot lol call sales go through ie M1710 spec MAX IT OUT they give you a price then say no too expensive ie they quoted me (3rd system 2nd quote) around ?1900 I said no too expensive then they ask (Indian) how much are you looking to spend? I say ?1500 they say no cant do that ... So say ok well never mind goodbye..
They log your call and ofcorse the sales rep remembers you because your a potential buyer and bonus for her ...She cold called me a week later saying she can offer me this system for that price so ofcorse I wanted to send my replacement system for the original order back so this is how I did it you have to have a 30" dell monitor say you have a 30" dell monitor that goes to a resolution of 2460x1600 call Technical and tell them you were told when speaking to a sales rep that they said " The M1710 will be compatible with the 30" screen at a resolution of 2460x1600. Now this system will only go to the resolution of 1280x800 COMPLAIN > they log down your complaint and add that you were sold a system badly informed and that makes you eligible for a complete refund remember Sales and technical never talk and Sales people are NOOBS. So i got a complete refund well ?190 because I went for the old scheme buy now pay in 2007 which is discontinued now so I got my money back the new order was placed on 12-07-06 and delivery is estimated 31-07-06 so here we go again lol more complaints and goodwill coming my way lmfao..
?2300 system for ?1337.87 Exc. VAT MAXED OUT M1710 with printer Remember > camera on ebay ?60 and ?40 delivery good will gesture + more to come hahahahahhahaha
Take note > and not taken 4 a ride REMEMBER they want your money and they want bonus lol
Bye for now email me and I can send u proof of everything hahahah
To be continued?????..
My husband recently purchased the XPS M1710 and he is IN LOVE! He has been recently deployed and is en route to Iraq in a few months. I would really like to find a laptop case that fits this lovely machine, but I am having a hard time. Is there a case built specifically for the XPS? If so, how can I get my hands on one. If not, what would be a good suggestion...durabiloity first, price hanks!
How stupid are you? Buy an e-machine or Hp then you retards... those are GREAT systems.. Dell is the best period, you can't even argue the fact
After much online research and reading of only a handful of hands-on reviews available on laptops of this range of price and performance, I decided on the the Dell XPS 1710. I bought this laptop as a desktop replacement for gaming, with the option of portability if necessary. (I live in New Orleans and want to be able to evacuate with my computer if we are hit by another big hurricane). I hope to offset the price by selling my gaming desktop which should fetch a grand or so. I own a computer repair business and most of my work is laptop repair, and I will tell you that my repairs have been for ALL brands of laptops, including Acer Ferraris, Alienwares, Dells, Toshibas, and Thinkpads. So to knock one particular brand across the board without taking into this into account is unjustified. I have had the opportunity to strip down a high-end Alienware and was not impressed with the build quality or thermal solution, so I decided to go with the Dell. The boutique laptops were a bit more than I wished to spend. Here's my experience so far with the order:
I placed and paid for the order on 7/13.
The order was shipped on 7/17.
The order is out for delivery on 7/19.
So far I am impressed by the speed in which the order has progressed.
Upon receipt of the laptop I will fire it up to assess how much crud Dell put on it, and will probably do a clean install of the OS to my liking. Then I will let you know how it performs. I won't be doing extensive benchmarking, because I don't feel like it, but I will definitely be doing some gaming.
Hello everyone, I am a high school senior who actually just got a mailing from the top college on my application list declaring my acceptance! =) I've been aspiring to get a high-end gaming laptop for some years now, and I've been researching dell/toshiba/alienware/mac/sony/hp/acer/widow gaming configs. Now after reading this I know of your obviously negative reviews on these companies, but if you're trying to aid other potential laptop buyers, why don't you point out some DO's, not DON'Ts? YES I AM AWARE OF THE CLICHE: 'BUY HIM A MACBOOK.' However that's out of my $ range, and after hearing all of your MUMBOJUMBO on the poor quality and tech support from all of these companies, I AM APPALLED that the lot of you can't agree on just *1* lousy laptop that's truly worth the $. For 'CIVILIZED ADULTS' you sure do like to talk to your fellow human being like (s)he's the scum of the earth. I ll pass on the laptop for now and donate $ to starving kids in Africa. Get the focus off yourselves.
1) All you guys with macs, GET LOST, I don't care if a mac will give me a blow job. I don't want one.
2) DELL just assembles parts made from various manufacturers. If Intel made a crappy board, that was Intel's fault. I can't fault DELL because like ATI and NVidia, Intel and AMD are the only ones really in the game, both have a religious following.
Sorry,Gateways NX860XL, is best value & I can prove it.
Recently (May 07) I compare the NX860XL, to Toshiba?s & Dell?s equivalent. Prices are from the their web sites and configured to match the NX860XL
Gateway NX860XL (Mine)
2.16 CPU, 2GB Mem, 100GB 7200 HD, 17.1" WUXGA (1920x1200), nVidia 7900GS, Double Layer DVD w/4yr Onsite Warranty
DELL, XPS-M1710 (Same config)
But Dell offers CPU or Graphics Card upgrade for big $$
TOSHIBA -P100, $ value difference
2.0 CPU -$170, 17? SXGA 1680x1050 -$25, nVidia 7900GTX +$300, 1-Yr basic warranty -$325 (Crazy to get less than 2 year on laptops)
BOTTOM LINE
Gateway=$2,451.81
Toshiba=$3,345.13
Dell=$3,270.22
Net diff. Toshiba-$893
Net diff. Dell-$818
Bottom line, you pay $800 more for a cool looking Dell or $900 more for a Toshiba with better video card. No way I?m paying $1,200 to $900 more JUST for the better video card.
PS: Gateway has a Loyalty discount for return customers. I paid only $2,200 for mine, Beat that!