5punk

Assuming cash isn't a major issue, is there any reason why I shouldn't get a Dell XPS M1730

I wouldn't like to pay for a javascript popup link thingy.

Edited for the compulsive F5 monkey

friznit wrote:is there any reason why I shouldn't get a Dell XPS M1730

Well, let's see.
- it's rather expensive
- it's most likely quite heavy
- battery life probably isn't great
- it'll be built like a Dell, with parts and service to match
- pffft

If you absolutely must game on the move then I suppose it's fine. If you want a proper laptop or a semi-portable gaming machine then I reckon there are better options.

Fair points. Things I like are big screen, competent graphics card, lots of RAM. The CPU/HDD/Other gubbins are pretty standard stuff.

What better options did you have in mind?

I think the best place to start is what do you want the machine to do?

The specs you'd want for a browsing machine are very different to a gaming machine.

friznit wrote:Fair points. Things I like are big screen, competent graphics card, lots of RAM. The CPU/HDD/Other gubbins are pretty standard stuff.

What better options did you have in mind?

As I was just remarking to Berk, a big (well, high resolution) screen and a competent graphics card are what I miss the most in my current laptop. I personally favour ThinkPads, and a T-series is what I'd recommend for you if money is not a concern. It probably won't have such a fancy graphics card (although it might), but it will most likely be less heavy, more durable, and have better battery life than the Dell - all things I value highly in a portable machine.

Knowing what you want the machine for is obviously key, as Berk said. If you want a machine to lug travel with and do work on, then something like mine (high-spec ThinkPad X61 with extended battery) is more appropriate than a 17" monster; if you want a machine to play recent games and watch movies with friends on, then the one you chose is probably preferable (not to say there aren't better options though).

As the owner of an 1710 I'll say that it's a competent laptop, a great screen and a good desktop replacement if you're willing to spend the cash. I like mine.
It is heavy, for a laptop, but light compared to a full rig.
The battery life is good enough 2.5 hours+ with fair use. I'm not sure under gaming conditions(why would you?)
it was good when setting up and removing at ProfLAN 3
Recommend you get the 3 year warranty, to protect against Dellness.
You can get base memory/hdd from Delland upgrade them yourself, it's cheaper, keep old parts in case of warranty needs or part problems.

It is a desktop replacement though, if it's just for Word/IE (like mine, lol!) you're burning your money.

cheeseandham wrote:The battery life is good enough 2.5 hours+ with fair use.

Given that I can stretch eight hours from my (T7300-powered) laptop, and six with extra screen brightness, wireless usage et cetera, that's pretty poor.

I have had three laptops so far, and each one has been significantly lighter than the one before it; I moved from desktop replacement to middleweight to lightweight. Heavy is a good thing for paperweights, but not so much for laptops if you have to lug the thing around.

It's not that poor for a prospective gaming laptop. A lot of the super large heavy bastards with 8800's etc only last 30-45 mins on a full battery after all the extra stuff to run the thing in sexy pikchars mode has finished eating the power.

Yeah I appreciate what you're saying eion, but it's a simple fact that high power laptops and high power applications are going to drain a laptops batteries more than that.

If you're after a lightweight laptop for running around with on the move then you can get up to 9 hours out some laptops these days. However I doubt these things will play any game from the last 3 years.
However if you're wanting a more of a desktop replacement laptop with bigger (and maybe brighter?) screen and heavy weight parts (a modern GPU is a hefty beast) you can't seriously expect the same battery life unless you stick car battery up it's bum.

For my laptop, as it's a desktop replacement and mostly based at home, I don't care about battery life as the thing is plugged in almost permanently - however I have the advantage of being able to sit it on my lap or wherever I am in the house. If I do take it on the occasional trip, it's a simpler job than a desktop but almost as powerful - I still plug it in at the other end.

That said, if battery life is important to you, then get a different laptop.

For a box for gaming on, while plugged in, but with the convenience of being able to transport it to another location - possibly doing a bit of general non-gaming stuff on the way - then plugging it in again, it seems a decent choice.

I don't know anything about the 8700GT series, but the fact there's an SLi version available is something I never anticipated seeing in a laptop.

Normally if I'm displaced from the home or office I tend to forget about any chance of gaming beyond web-based efforts, but offerings like this may make me rethink my next request for a work laptop - I was toying with the idea of a VAIO AR51, admittedly primarily because of the semi-rude name.

A shiny expensive metal arse from sony!

Aye. I guess I'm slightly hooked on portable gaming machine because for the last 7 years I've been constantly on the move - I bought my last laptop whilst on ops in Northern Ireland (tax free I might add, BFPO on an Op Tour even though it was still in the UK ftw!) But I hope to be a little more static now, so maybe something more convenient. Hell, I need to find a job first.

Thanks for the tips chaps.