search technology reviews, news, features, group tests
Popular Searches:   video , free , windows
Mobile Edition  | 
 |  Register
 |  Newsletters  | 
Sitemap  |  RSS
RSS
Saturday November 28, 2009 6:36 AM AEST
Skip Navigation LinksPC Authority > Reviews > PCs & Notebooks > Notebooks > Desktop Replacement > Dell XPS M1730

Dell XPS M1730

Monday January 07, 2008
Written by Jim Martin
Tags: dell | xps | m1730 | laptop
AUD
$3599
Price at time of review.
If you want a monstrously powerful laptop, look no further.
A List Labs Winner
4 out of 6

"Very good performance in general, but not great !"

by kevin_watters  (view all my reviews)
Posted Apr 8, 2008 9:53 AM
Pros:
- Fast in general terms
- Good documentation
- Good wireless signal pickup


Cons:
- Trackpad requires three full swipes to get across the screen (with settings set to MAX) ! Tires you out.
- LCD Panel quality is poor, not clear and sharp compared to past Dell systems I've owned. (FAR cheaper ones at that)
- Optical disk is NOISY
- Plastic quality is questionable around LCD panel
- Carbon Fibre look seems 'painted' on
- Video performance not what I expected from SLI (you may be disappointed, I was)

Please refer to comments from kevin_watters on article page.
  • Email a Friend
  • Print Page
  • Decrease font size
  • Increase Font Size



Copyright © 2009 Dennis Publishing
This article appeared in the December, 2007 issue of PC Authority.
Email a Friend Email this
Print Page Print this
Tweet This Tweet this
Feedback Send us your tips

Ads by Google



Comments: 6
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
kevin_watters
Apr 8, 2008 9:32 AM
 By no means would I call this monstrously powerful... its VERY GOOD but not monstrously powerful. I am VERY VERY VERY disappointed with video performance... I have the 2.4GHz T7700 with Raid 0, SLI 8700M GT and 2GB ram running Windows XP Pro and when playing F.E.A.R. in 1600x1200 the video is choppy at times and is obviously struggling greatly to keep up with the game. NOT what I expected with SLI video.

Design is nice... but the 'carbon-fibre' looks like cheap painted plastic and the LCD screen surround looks like REALLY REALLY REALLY CHEAP plastic ! Looks like its going to fall apart frankly.

Heat is not at all an issue... battery life IS... its BAD BAD BAD... simple web browsing will give you about an hour at best. Forget playing games on battery.

The unit is freaking heavy and the power pack is HUGE. You need a VERY large laptop bag to hold it.

Documentation is WONDERFUL ! Comes in a beauty black leather binder which hold books, cd's, headphones etc... VERY nice touch.

The included game LCD panel is useless as the viewing angle is non existent... you need to be looking almost straight down at it.

LCD screen clarity is VERY bad for Dell systems... My much older inspiron laptop from 5 years ago (1600x1200) is many order of magnitude sharper and clearer and easier to read. This is so unreadable that I reformatted and reinstalled in case it was a bad driver or setting but to no avail... I HAD intended to use this system for web development and graphics work but its way too bad for that. I HAVE changed the nvidia settings to QUALITY as well... but it made very little difference... I think its just a poor quality LCD panel. Real shame... as the system now just sits in its bag on the floor near my iMAC which I use in its place for graphics work.

For price... its reasonable for its specs.. but specs alone are not good enough... there are a number of deficiencies in this system that make me regret purchasing it...


Comment made about the PC Authority article:
Dell XPS M1730?
If you want a monstrously powerful laptop, look no further.

What do you think? Join the discussion.
nix
Apr 8, 2008 10:09 AM
 Interesting... I saw it at the Dell stand in Bondi Junction and immediately ruled it out as an option as I was about to purchase a laptop, it just looks large and cheap.

You should consider putting this up as a user review...
kevin_watters
Jul 2, 2008 9:20 AM
 I've owned it a few months now... only use it for games... but have noticed a SERIOUS DEFECT in it... when playing any game that uses the DirectX on the video card you get a rolling-band effect on the colour black (yes I know black is not a colour thanks). The effect is similar to when you see a computer CRT screen on television... the picture appears to have horizontal bands that roll from the top downwards.

It does this on MOSTLY high-end(ish) games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., FEAR, Battle for Middle Earth 2, and the new Command & Conquer 3 games (both of them). This has been proven NOT to be software related as I have dont reformats several times, used Dell drivers and NVidia drivers as well as 'game' supplied version of Direct X as well as MSoft versions of DirectX. It appears as though the problem is either the video cards or the LCD panel... which is what I suspect as the quality of it is very poor.
tonyi
Jul 5, 2008 4:46 AM
 Totally resonate your comments re the Dell laptop...servicable but won't set the world on fire if you really want that grunt with video/games...
kevin_watters
Jul 11, 2008 10:58 AM
 Dell are replacing the video card, LCD panel and wireless network card on my system today... lets wait and see if its fixed after that... oh... and BTW its a Samsung panel in my unit (1920x1200 ultra sharp true colour)
kevin_watters
Jul 14, 2008 8:45 AM
 Replacement of the video card, LCD panel did NOT fix the flicker problem... BUT replacing the 'updated' video drivers with the oldest, original DELL drivers DID fix it. The 'recommended' laptop-2-go drivers stopped the SLI configuration cold in its tracks. For others that have this model... DO NOT upgrade your video drivers... the original drivers WORK. Don't mess with them.
Login or register to submit a comment.


The A-List

Asus G60J, an A-List laptop that runs the most demanding games at native resolution

Desktop Replacement

Asus G60J, an A-List laptop that runs the most demanding games at native resolution
Power, strong build and an added splash of style make the Asus G60J a gaming laptop worth paying top dollar for.

Buyer's Guides

 
Intel
 
PC Authority Featured Retailers
hot bargains from the mwave store
City Software, Australia's online computer store with up to 80% off RRP
special offers from dell
Special promotions from the Apple store - Redeem here
PC Authority Featured Retailers
Apple Black Friday sale - one day only
 
 
LogMeIn
 
 
Amazing Dell Coupons now available
 

Find more like...

Search

Plan Finder

Powered by WhistleOut

1) Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB35 plans 3%
2) Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB35 plans 6%
3) Blackberry Bold 900014 plans 1%
4) Nokia N9742 plans 6%
5) Blackberry Curve 85206 plans 10%
Three Virgin Mobile Vodafone
« 1 of »
1) iiNet32 plans 7%
2) Netspace33 plans 4%
3) Optus47 plans 1%
4) Telstra BigPond41 plans 5%
5) Internode34 plans 5%

Compare: Mobiles | Broadband

PC Authority
PC Authority Rated
User Rated
HP EliteBook 6930p offers perfection with incredible 24 hour battery life

HP EliteBook 6930p offers perfection with incredible 24 hour battery life

Review Score 6 out of 6

Its longlife 24-hour battery makes it significantly less portable, but this laptop is classy in every sense of the word.

Asus G60J, an A-List laptop that runs the most demanding games at native resolution

Asus G60J, an A-List laptop that runs the most demanding games at native resolution

Review Score 5 out of 6

Power, strong build and an added splash of style make the Asus G60J a gaming laptop worth paying top dollar for.

Alienware's M17x notebook is so good, it's almost out of this world in quality and performance

Alienware's M17x notebook is so good, it's almost out of this world in quality and performance

Review Score 5 out of 6

Superb performance in one of the sturdiest and best-looking gaming laptops we’ve seen – the Alienware M17x is worth the expense.


Kogan's Agora netbook lacks real innovation - but at least there's Linux

Kogan's Agora netbook lacks real innovation - but at least there's Linux

Average User Rating 6

As one of Australia's few locally designed netbooks, the Kogan Agora lives up to some lofty netbook ideals, but it’s sadly ho-hum in too many aspects to be seen as a real netbook contender.

Gigabyte's Booktop M1022M can't decide if it's a nettop or a laptop

Gigabyte's Booktop M1022M can't decide if it's a nettop or a laptop

Average User Rating 5

Part laptop and part nettop, the Gigabyte Booktop M1022M is the first netbook we’ve seen that overcomes the ‘3 USB problem'.

Toshiba Satellite A350, a standout mid-price laptop for both student work and play

Toshiba Satellite A350, a standout mid-price laptop for both student work and play

Average User Rating 5

It’s not the most powerful, but its games performance and features help the Toshiba A350 stand out in the price bracket for mid-price laptops