Dell XPS M2010 reviewed

CNET's staff just strapped on their bionic suits and hoisted Dell's 20-pound XPS M2010 into the lab for a full, hands-on review. Calling this desktop/laptop hybrid a "striking feat of engineering" (that's a compliment, we think), the reviewer fawns over the M2010's premium components, bright 20-inch glossy display, and 8-speaker system with subwoofer which is said to deliver "rich, clear" audio and more low-end sound than any laptop he's seen. The guy's equally stoked by the magnetically held Bluetooth keyboard and gyroscopic Media Center remote which includes a small LCD screen for peeping music and video track details when not flittering the thing about to control the onscreen cursor. The M2010 also proved to be an "able gaming machine" though not the best. However, the M2010 is still "absurdly expensive" with a $3500 base config rocketing upwards to $8000 fully spec'd and the battery only lasted about 2-hours while the machine simply idled. Oh, and the pig is just too heavy to be truly portable thereby limiting its appeal. Still, if you're a smarmy sales type, LAN party trust-funder, or Ivy league media troll looking for a single all-in-one desktop / laptop / home stereo / TV(via optional USB tuner) then this hulk of Dell-icousness might be calling you home.

[Thanks, Chris]

[Stash @ Aug 28th 2006 8:12AM]

Lets face it, this thing looks as tacky as 1990's Amstrad hi-fi. It's so damn heavy that you can't call it a laptop, it's about as portable as any other all-in-one desktop computer (even an 1981 Osbourne is more portable). Then there is the rather large matter of price at $3500 it's more double that of an equivalent spec iMac. What are you paying $1800 extra for? a big battery, ugliness and total exclusivity, cos you were the only person on the planet stupid enough to buy one of these?

[David @ Dec 8th 2006 6:44PM]

20 lbs and $3.5k?!!? I would rather bulid my own desktop with AMD x4 and a GeForce 999 and it would still cost less and weigh less than the monster laptop. (The 999 means that it costs a lot...)

[Adrian @ Aug 27th 2007 12:32PM]

Dont knock it cause you cant afford 1. I have this beauty and its awesome. I love how poor gaming kids are the only people who bash this marvel. Get a job. :P

[Daniel Sharp @ Oct 7th 2007 2:32PM]

Lusso Magazine did a review of a similar gaming behemoth http://www.lussoluxury.com/content.asp/read-109092006183756/Alienware.html

[Truls B @ Jun 24th 2008 10:18AM]

If you cant afford or at least havent tried 2010 you cant say shit. I've had a lot of different computers lately and 2010 is the best hybrid on the market. Works great on the office and just as good as an laptop. Only thing is the battery-time but its worth it;) If you think its too heavy, maybe you should start training instead of complaining:))

[CorneliusB @ Aug 2nd 2008 4:40PM]

This baby rocks I've had it now for about a year and no problems she purrrs like a kitten and roars like a lion. I'm just now looking at getting larger hard drives but the orignal 250X2 drives were great. I agree if you never sat down in front of one you probably would hate it but if you have welcome to true bliss!!

Did you notice the 2010 in Iron Man

[Lance @ Apr 12th 2009 3:28AM]

I stumbled across the comments on this site while doing some research on a laptop bag big enough to carry my M2010. I normally don't take the time to comment or provide a review on high ticket items I've researched extensively and decided to purchase...until now.

I cannot say enough on how pleased I have been w/ my M2010 since I purchased it in November 2006. It meets my needs perfectly and I highly doubt any other "laptop" could do this at that time...or since then. It's all about how this machine uniquely satisfies MY needs, shown as follows:

1. Large, gorgeous screen w/ fantastic audio speakers.

2. Portable form factor- I agree it's not a "laptop", but it is definitely as portable as a laptop when compared to high-end desktop units w/ large bulky cases, separate monitors and keyboards. I attend local LAN gaming sessions about once every 8 months. It is heavy to carry from my house to the car (1 minute) and from the car to the LAN session (another minute), so overall, it isn't so burdensome...unlike my gaming friends who take considerably more time and effort to lug their desktop rigs to/from their cars.

3. Powerhouse computing for multimedia, videos, and PC games. It does everything effortlessly.

4. Convenience form factor- the keyboard undocks and I type on it on my lap...no HOT/heavy laptop on my lap making me sweat and uncomfortable. And because the screen is SO large, I can view it at a comfortable distance away from me. The keyboard has the quality of a desktop keyboard...no flimsy tactile-less feedback from most portable laptop keyboards here. Also, this machine is incredibly QUIET...I can barely hear the fans running.

5. Quality & Support- XPS line from Dell...enough said.

Without a doubt, the M2010 has met my needs and expectations brilliantly. I've had no complaints or issues since I've owned it. And now that this very unique model is no longer available, and no other manufacturer offers anything similar to it, I can be rest assured my M2010 will continue to receive compliments and head-turns from other tech-savvy enthusiasts for a long time to come.

[Cameron @ May 22nd 2009 5:38PM]

My XPS M2010 was great until having it 1.5 yrs then it decides to not boot. Dell can't speak English and doesn't get a hoot about Service. Geek Squad should be called Geek Squat, because that's all they've done for the money paid to get it fixed.

Beauty of having a robust desktop 'like' laptop is worthless when it won't turn on .
85% of folks with this same problem think its the video card.
15% think its the mother board.
Deal is you won't know until you get one or both of those to work so ou can see how to fix it!

$2000 fix for a $3500 machine? Not me.

[Jon F @ Jun 19th 2009 6:06AM]

Mine did that last month. Found out it was the Radeon Mobility X1800 card that died and the BIOS halted upon detection of no video. Some of the lights came on but no hard drive activity (like in a half-on state). Warranty covered shipping and repair. There might be a overheating issue with the card so when my warranty dies I will look into beefing up cooling.

[Jon F @ Jun 19th 2009 6:33AM]

Cameron, How many people I wonder are having this same issue? My video card died in the evening of Monday, May 18th.... Just noticed you posted the above comment around the same time. Hmmm..

I just hope the replacement video card is better. It took me a long time to find the "right" support number, but once I did they sent me a large empty box and FedEx took it to some repair depot in Memphis for the week it took them to fix it. I too agree it would cost alot of money to troubleshoot such an issue by themselves. Who has an extra motherboard or specific video card modules handy?

Earlier that day I was connecting to a WiFi spot using XP (I have Vista as well on mine) when the screen froze and the keyboard and mouse where dead. I had to hold the power button down to shut down. When I got home it wouldn't boot or show the Dell logo and that's when I knew that there was a serious issue. I have been employed as a full-time computer tech before, and an issue like this was *really* difficult/impossible even for me being familliar with the system. I really want to know how many people have had/or have this issue and when did it start for them. This may indicate one of two things. One, the hardware (card) has or had a short life-expectancy (MTBF), or, two, the system does not cool the system or VPU well enough... thus a short lifespan for temperature critical parts like processor chips. In either case, I want to be able to keep using this computer for the next 2 years. That's not much is it? A computer should not die that early, especially one being this pricey.

I will at least take mine apart one more time. I took the two hard drives out before shipping mine as it was optional. All I need is a good thermocouple (thermometer) and take it's temperature. If it is blistering in there, I might have to make some extra heatsinks out of aluminum foil (as not to void warranty and as not to short anything out)... until the warranty expires and I can modify away on the insides.

Other than this one problem, I really had no major complaints with the system.

Is there a M2010 forum out there? If not we should all form one or join the couple of other sites and pick the best thread(s).

[Renata @ Jul 3rd 2009 12:54PM]

Mine starting giving me an ATI blue screen error starting last October. I purchased it in November of 2006. Although I was able to use it sporadically, I ended up having a computer tech take it for a few days. He said the ATI card was defective and had to be replaced. We replaced it and it worked for a few weeks and then the computer just died. This time it was the motherboard. We replaced the board and that turned out to be defective as well. I finally got the computer back after 6 months of back and forth. The tech basically said that the there may be a overheating problem and to elevate the computer however he recommended to just sell it for parts and start all over. This has been very frustrating and difficult on my business. Fortunately, I have a extra laptop with my other business. DELL was not helpfull at all and although I loved my M2010. I will never purchase another product from DELL. And regardless, buy the extended warrenty from them if you do purchase the M2010, you will need it!