One of the
fastest portable gaming rigs on the planet is about to get even faster. Along with the
two LCD TVs and
20-inch LCD monitor we already brought you, Dell will also be introducing a new version of the 17.1-inch
XPS M1710 laptop at DigitalLife later today, its first tweak to this lineup since
swallowing up VoodooPC. Whereas the first generation M1710 featured a Core Duo processor and GeForce Go 7900 graphics, the new model will sport your choice of Core 2 Duo T7600G or T7200 CPUs and 512MB GeForce Go 7950 GTX or 256MB GeForce Go 7900 GS cards from nVIDIA. If you go with the higher-end, $3,498 configuration, Dell is also throwing in the ability to overclock the dual-core processor on your own -- just as it did with the
XPS 700 desktop. Both the pricier and $2,299 "budget" configs will also rock a brand new feature that will be sure to delight modding and disco enthusiasts alike: XPS LightFX technology that lets you sync up the systems' 16-color lights to whatever game you're playing or music you're listening to. With a blazing processor, powerful graphics chipset, WUXGA resolution, and a bunch of blinking LEDs, the new M1710 sounds like it could very well consume every last minute of your free time -- say goodbye to sunlight and fresh air for good.
posted October 12th 2006 11:34AM
I'm confused. Voodoo PC? Dell? The link doesn't even back that up. Maybe I read it wrong, but I'm sure Dell wouldn't be happy to be mixed up with HP right now.
No dude, you got it right, Engadget messed up big time here. You can even click on teh link "swallowing up VoodooPC"
i thought it was HP that bought VooDoo?
yup.
dell swallowed alienware.
hp swalloweed voodoo pc.
c'mon engadgeteers, you're slacking on us..
i
It's Alienware that Dell bought, not Voodoo.
Alright, we get it.. It was Alienware that Dell bought, not Voodoo. I'm sure they will fix it. 4 comments telling them that they were wrong is enough.
Bah, who needs "sunshine" and "fresh air" anyway? What have they done for ME recently? That's right, nothing. Dell, here I come.
A couple of things bother me at this point. One, and most importantly, is Vista. All of these Vista ready machines coming out keep saying that even though the software will more than likely have a last minute delay like XP did due to some "security related" or cosmetic makeover required to make it stand out more than OSX.
That said, I also think that a down payment on a car is a lot of money to be throwing away on a machine that could ultimately be a paperweight when Vista comes around due to system requirements. I understand that the machine is blazingly fast, now. Yes, I am sure that it will run the new beta without a hitch and look amazing while doing it. But it's still a beta, and I am sure they are holding back some of the features for the full release, mainly the kind that will tear system resources a new ass.
Plus, with Intel and AMD both pushing Quad-core tech in the very near future, why upgrade to a measely dual-core?
Forgive me, but I have to think reasonably here for a minute. I would like to upgrade, believe, I could use it. But I am also working an entry-level career here, and the moneys isn't exactly falling off that tree. Does spending $2.5K+ on a laptop seem reasonable at ths point in time? Does upgrading at this point at all seem reasonable? Not for me. Things need to settle a bit.
It's bright, and fast, and sexy as hell, I'll give it that. But right now, that's all it is. I see no longevity with this machine.
disciple83, if you can afford to wait until directX10-enabled laptops hit the shelves (which should be circa when Vista drops, which should be circa january), you might want to: DX10 is Vista's native rendering api, and presumably, would be much happier with a dx10-supporting-chipset.
this of course is *not* to say that you *need* a dx10 chipset to run vista with aero, but if you can wait, i would (if for no other reason than to have vista preinstalled *for* you, with fully supported drivers.
Of course, if you *need* a laptop, buy it now: but bear in mind, if you are a gamer, that DX10 will eventually start creeping its way into games, and this dell won't run DX10 apis.
Aren't those geForce cards DX9 only? What happens when some user upgrades to Vista and expects to see some glorius DX10 action?
whatever... you'll need a Hummvee just to carry this monster around. At 10+lbs and a battery life of 45 minutes (so a total of 15+ minutes after XP boots up), this is sure to please.... WTF! Laptops are meant to be mobile. No one, and I do mean no one can convince me that there is a point behind this machine other then the perenial "I can." For that money, get a desktop, at least you're legs don't get burned.
two words: lan party. You build a very accptible gaming system that can be loaded into a backpack, and is by and large, mobile. setup and tear down is essentially negligible. nobody is confusing a 17" notebook with something you want to haul to starbucks and run on battery, but is sure beats hauling around a tower (even a SFF cube) + monitor + speakers + keyboard/mouse when all you want to do is go to your buddy's house and get your frag on.
Gee, thanks for the commercial.
"this of course is *not* to say that you *need* a dx10 chipset to run vista with aero"
Considering Aero has been designed with DX9 in mind (for the time being), I should hope not...
"Maximum Bling" ?!? That is so from the Win2000 era... I thought Dell were inovators! They could have come up with a beter slogan.
This is my first time posting here, so excuse me while I get comfy up here on my high horse. Here goes...
I am perpetualy confounded by the number of people that actually care about Vista. I can understand if the uniformed user gets blinded by high-tech gibberish, but I expect more from those who will be advising their collegues or companies about computer purchases (read: those who frequent engadget).
So, to the techies of the world that are here reading this post now, I pose this question: How can you accept Vista after all it is doing wrong? Specifically, haven't you been reading how microsoft is essentially robbing people of their inalienable right to do with their own property what they wish
blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=156
How they are far-overstepping reasonable boundaries with their idea of drm
www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=25124
How they are giving themselves blatent backdoors to violate user privacy
www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2031647,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03079TX1K0000584
How they are attempting to end video game compatibility with linux/mac by killing OpenGL performance
www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=25215
How they are unfairly locking anti-virus companies out of vista
it.slashdot.org/it/06/10/02/163246.shtml
and how they continue to use their OS monopoly for a never-ending onslaught of anti-competitive practices
digg.com/tech_news/Microsoft_trying_to_address_Vista_antitrust_concerns_before_release
how... how... and the list goes on and on.
It's not a boycott I'm calling for, but rather a call to awareness, a steadfastness of the it community, if you wil. A reluctance to bend to the unruly will of our unwelcome technological overlords. What I propose is this: when making decisions or being asked your opinion on the next computer to buy, or the next hardware upgrade to get, present three options: Mac, WinXP, and Web 2.0 (once that becomes a viable and permanent "internet, e-mail, and productivity" replacement for the modern computer). Renounce even the slightest consideration for Vista compatibility, and with any luck, Windows won't be around much longer anyways ;-)
www.nytimes.com/2006/10/14/technology/14interview.html
Now then, can somebody help me down?
I smell a mac fanboy!!!!!
XD
But really
It's called capitalism.
Tear down our competitor and keep all the money. Screw the consumer. people have been doing it for years. American software company's just made it an art.
Well, I'm thinking about buying this machine. Why?
1: I don't have much space for a desktop (screen, keyboard, speakers, mouse, case, etc)
2: It's expensive, but I will have a laptop (it's still a laptop although it weights around 10lbs) that performs as a top of the range desktop.
3: It's a very good gaming machine. Of course it's just dx9 compatible, but games for dx10 will only start to be released next year and these will still run very well on dx9 compatibility with the GeForce 7950GTX. But go ahead and buy a nice Geforce 8800. It's worth it.
4: It's a cool laptop. Some say it's a very geek laptop with all those lights, but I think it's cool.
All I want to say is that it depends of what you want the laptop for and if you can afford it. Regarding Vista, I hope this laptop runs Vista at top speeds, because if not Microsoft will have big problems. If a computer with this amount of power can't run an operating system that will be bad news for marketing guys. Lots of people will continue running XP and will not bother spending the money upgrading to Vista. If you want nice windows effects and cool transparency in your desktop download Kororaa Linux LiveCD (http://kororaa.org/) which includes XGL so you can play around with nice effects without having to install a thing in your PC. I'm not an Anti-Microsoft guy. I use XP, and probably will get Vista. I could be wrong but I think this laptop will run Vista with Aero enabled at very good perfomance. If not? Oh well, bad luck.
If you are looking for a nice laptop to buy just read all the M1710's specifications and if that is what you are looking for and if you have the money, just buy it. If you just want to browse the internet and write some word documents, you have much cheaper laptops that will perform as nice as this one. If you are an hardcore gamer but have space for a desktop pc with all the bits and if you don't plan going to lan parties (or to take it somewhere else) I advise you to build your own machine. You'll have a better gaming computer for less money.
DX10? Vista? I just got one of these for a real OS, Linux, not a pseudo operating system. Yeah, I'll run Windows on it now and then...in a virtual machine.
Can someone please explain to me how to work the XPS LightFX technology after one has downloaded the "EffectBuilder"
Thanks