Dell XPS M1710 (Core 2 Duo)
- cnet editors' rating 8.2/10 Excellent Editorial policies >>
- average user rating from 13 users 7.8/10 Very good Read user opinions >>
The good: Great gaming performance; top-shelf processor and graphics engine; attractive illuminated case; solid multimedia features; full assortment of ports and connections.
The bad: Expensive; display is not remarkably bright.
The bottom line: The Core 2 Duo-based XPS M1710 provides fast application performance, lengthy battery life, and the best gaming performance you'll get from a laptop with a single graphics card.
Specs: Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 (2.33 GHz); RAM installed: 2 GB DDR II SDRAM; Display: 17 in See full specs >>
See all products in the Dell XPS M1710 Home serieshide (x)CNET editors' review
Editors' note: Since CNET reviewed the Dell XPS M1710 on April 18, 2006, Dell has incorporated Intel's new Core 2 Duo processor into the system. This review includes updated performance and pricing information for the Core 2 Duo-based XPS M1710; details regarding design and features can be found in the original XPS M1710 review. (8/27/06)
With the newest configurations of the XPS M1710, Dell adds Intel's Core 2 Duo processor to its market-leading and CNET Editors' Choice-winning gaming machine. (Also new with this iteration is a built-in Draft 802.11n wireless adapter; some versions of the XPS M1710 will ship with a compatible 802.11n router.) The new processor brings remarkable application speed to the already-powerful XPS M1710 and extends its battery life--both good things. But with the same graphics card as its predecessor, this new version of the XPS M1710 doesn't realize any gains in gaming performance.
At $3,659, our Dell XPS M1710 test unit costs less than its predecessor, though its components (with the exception of the 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T7600 processor) are identical. The configuration includes 2GB of fast 666MHz DDR2 SDRAM; a big, fast 100GB hard drive spinning at 7,200rpm; and Nvidia's top-shelf GeForce Go 7900 GTX GPU with 512MB of dedicated memory. On CNET Labs' application tests, the XPS M1710 quickly dispensed with processor-intensive tasks such as encoding MP3 files and multitasking, completing the tests significantly faster than the Alienware Aurora mALX gaming laptop. On our mobile performance benchmarks, the XPS M1710 showed small improvements over its Core Duo predecessor.
When it comes to 3D games, though, the XPS M1710's new processor alone couldn't provide a performance bump; because it has the same graphics card, its frame rates were almost identical to those of the Core Duo-based system we tested earlier this year. With 110.7 frames per second on Doom 3 and 71fps on F.E.A.R., the XPS M1710's scores weren't bad, but they were also no match for the Aurora mALX's respective 133.6fps and 86fps. If you're looking to play the newest games at the highest settings (and you're willing to stretch your definition of laptop to include a 15-pound beast), the dual-SLI graphics and slightly faster processor speed of the Aurora mALX will provide a superior gaming experience. Otherwise, the Dell XPS M1710 continues to deliver extremely strong game performance in a more reasonably sized package.
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Multitasking Suite (in seconds) | |
iTunes 6.0.4.2 AAC to MP3 conversion (in seconds) | |
Photoshop CS2 performance (seconds) |
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BAPCo MobileMark 2005 battery life in minutes |
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BAPCo MobileMark 2005 performance |
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Id Software/Activision's Doom 3 |
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Monolith's/VU Games' F.E.A.R. |
Find out more about how we test Windows laptops.
System configurations:
Alienware Aurora mALX
Windows XP Pro; 2.6GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-44; 2GB PC 3200 DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 512MB; Seagate Momentus 7200.1 100GB 7,200rpm (2)
Dell XPS M1710
Windows XP Media Center Edition; 2.16GHz Core Duo-T2600; 2GB PC 5300 DDR2 SDRAM 666MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB; Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 100GB 7,200rpm
Dell XPS M1710 Core 2 Duo
Windows XP Media Center; 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM PC5300 666MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB; Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 100GB 7,200rpm
Toshiba Satellite P105-S921
Windows XP Pro; 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo T2400; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM PC5300 666MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS 256MB; Fujitsu MHV2160BT 160GB 4,200rpm
hide (x)User opinions
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7.8/10
Average user rating from 13 users
Very good - Write your own review How would you rate this product?
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5/10
Average
September 9, 2006
"Incomplete as a computer." Read more >>
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9/10
Spectacular
August 31, 2006
"Man, What a Gaming Machine!" Read more >>
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8/10
Excellent
August 31, 2006
"High-end gaming laptop that pwns cometition!" Read more >>
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9/10
Spectacular
September 6, 2006
"Merom/Core2 has the Same Performance as the Dual Core??" Read more >>
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9/10
Spectacular
December 24, 2006
"Best laptop I've used yet" Read more >>
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1/10
Abysmal
November 25, 2006
"nice idea, bad execution for the price" Read more >>
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9/10
Spectacular
November 23, 2006
"Fantastic Computer!" Read more >>
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7/10
Very good
October 22, 2006
"Missing PCMCIA ports!" Read more >>
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9/10
Spectacular
September 26, 2006
"works better then anything else i've tried" Read more >>
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9/10
Spectacular
September 19, 2006
"A- freakin'-Mazing" Read more >>
- Write your own review See all 13 user opinions >>
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