M1730 -- Engadget

Dell adds 256GB SSD option to XPS M1330 and M1730 laptops

by Paul Miller posted Jan 17th 2009 at 9:20PM

Oh, how the times change! In August of last year we were talking up a 128GB SSD drive for Dell's XPS laptops like it was some kind of hotness -- and only $450! Now that same drive is a mere $200 upgrade, while a new 256GB SSD has been introduced to Dell's XPS M1330 and M1730 laptops for "only" $400. Sure, six months from now we're gonna be chatting up a slightly cheaper 512GB SSD and laughing at our January selves, but we just can't help ourselves and this pesky linear of progression of time we're so beholden to. Dell's also now offering a 7200RPM 500GB HDD as well, and plans to introduce both of these upgrades to additional laptops in the next few weeks.

Read - Dell XPS M1330
Read - Dell XPS M1730

Twin GeForce 8800M GTX upgrade now available for Dell's XPS M1730

by Darren Murph posted Jun 25th 2008 at 10:44AM

If you pulled the trigger early on an XPS M1730, you may have gotten "stuck" with "just" a GeForce 8700M GT or similar. If you just can't be behind the times, Dell is finally offering a solution with the GeForce 8800M GTX upgrade kit. Said package includes dual SLI 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express graphics card designed specifically to boost frame rates and install all sorts of Vista-compatible bragging rights. If you're comfortable with doing the swap yourself, the upgrade price sits at a penny under $1,100. For those seeking professional help, you'll be coughing up $1,218.99. For those of you not frozen in place by sticker shock, you can peek the how-to guide for installation after the break.

[Via Laptoping, thanks Danijel]

Continue reading Twin GeForce 8800M GTX upgrade now available for Dell's XPS M1730

June 18th: Last day to buy a Dell with XP, penalty free

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 16th 2008 at 3:40AM

When the clock strikes midnight on June 18th, Dell will discontinue its sales of XP systems. The move allows Dell to meet the imposed June 30th deadline which requires the industry to cease shipment of XP machines. That is, unless you're in the market for a netbook or nettop in which case Microsoft is happy for vendors to continue shipping XP in order to ~~stifle Linux's penetration into consumer computing~~ give consumers a consistent user experience. After June 18th, certain Dell products will still be offered with a factory installed, XP Professional "downgrade" at the cost to you or your business of an unused Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate license and presumably, a small fee as we heard earlier. However, according to TGDaily, the downgrade will only be offered on XPS 630 and XPS 720 H2C desktops or the M1730 laptop -- not the 11 laptops and 10 desktops Dell currently ships with an XP option.

Update: Details are now posted at Dell.

Dell's XPS M1730 first laptop with 7,200RPM 320GB disk

by Thomas Ricker posted May 19th 2008 at 8:24AM

While Fujitsu and Hitachi may have announced first, Seagate is first to commercialize its new 7,200RPM, 320GB SATA disk with 16MB cache. The Momentus 7200.3 with G-Force free-fall protection is now available as an option on Dell's "XPS laptops" -- at the moment, it appears limited to the XPS M1730 for a $46 premium over the 320GB 5,400RPM spinner. Alienware laptop rigs should see the new HDD option soon enough.

Penryn chips finally land in Dell's XPS M1730

by Darren Murph posted Feb 14th 2008 at 6:52PM

We already saw Intel's Penryn lineup invade Dell's XPS M1330, but now folks gunning for its (much) larger sibling can finally get in on the new CPU action, too. That's right folks, effectively immediately, prospective M1730 buyers can select a 2.4GHz T8300, 2.5GHz T9300, 2.6GHz T7800 or 2.8GHz X7900 to run the show. Ready to claim one for yourself? Follow the read link below.

[Via Laptoping]

Dell XPS M1730 with 8800M GTX SLI reviewed -- that sucker is fast

by Paul Miller posted Feb 14th 2008 at 9:02AM

As is usually the case when you slap the latest and greatest silicon in a laptop, it's going to best whatever came before. What's surprising here is how thoroughly the Dell XPS M1730 with a Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor and dual GeForce 8800M GTX cards in SLI trounces the last generation of tech. The folks at ExtremeTech pitted the laptop against a hapless m9750 from Alienware, sporting the last generation of tech, and it handily bested it in every competition. CPU tests were heavily in the M1730's favor, and GPU tests even more so. The only holdup is that new X9000 processor, and according to Dell a release is "imminent" -- and if you're shelling out $4480 for a laptop, it might as well be what ExtremeTech calls "the fastest notebook yet."

Dell adds dual NVIDIA 8800M GTX graphics to M1730: the be(a)st, now better

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 30th 2008 at 5:36AM

They may not be the first, but Dell's 17-inch XPM M1730 "Beast" deserves a warm welcome to the NVIDIA 8800M GTX club regardless. The dual-card update represents a 49% performance gain (3Dmark06) over Dell's previous top-end, dual 8700M GT card configuration. That puts the laptop on par with the DX10 performance of many new desktop rigs. Available now-ish in the US for $700 more than the dual 8700M GT option. However, orders placed today are estimated to arrive on February 20th with a cautionary footnote of possible delay. Ready for EMEA and AsiaPac regions sometime "soon." Now, if only Alienware would update us on their M17x availability we'd have our 17-inch, 8800M GTX gaming options sorted.

Dell XPS M1730 review roundup

by Darren Murph posted Dec 11th 2007 at 10:02AM

If you're down with your "laptop" weighing some 10.6-pounds, and you don't mind shelling out copious quantities of cash in order to see those frame rates hold steady in the triple digits, the XPS M1730 has your name written all over it. At least, that's what we've gathered from reading the first batch of reviews to hit the 'net. Generally speaking, the adoration for this so-called Beast was universal, as just about everyone came away thoroughly impressed with its gaming performance, mesmerizing LEDs and cutting edge hardware found all over. Truth be told, the only real digs revolved around its unwieldy size, ho hum port selection, paltry battery life and the humongous power supply. 'Course, anyone remotely interested in this thing is probably willing to deal with the aforementioned negatives in order to posses such an incredibly powerful mobile gaming rig, and if you've been holding that trigger finger waiting for the critics to give you the all clear, feel free to fire at will.

Read - HotHardware ("...a mobile gaming dream system...")
Read - CNET (8.4 out of 10; Editors' Choice)
Read - LAPTOP (4.5 out of 5 stars; Editors' Choice)
Read - PCMag (4.5 out of 5 stars; Editors' Choice)

Dell XPS M1530 and A2010 get nods and winks

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Oct 7th 2007 at 12:30PM

One rumor ends, and another one begins: now that the M1730 (pictured) is all out in the wild, rumors abound of a mid-range 15-inch M1530 to fit between the M1330 and its bigger brother. The evidence? An error message on a Creative webcam, and a potentially mistyped AC adapter listing on a cheap battery retailer's site. Not very compelling, but we've seen reality borne out of less. Also on the radar is an A2010, probably to replace the M2010, that 20-inch behemoth of a gaming ~~laptop~~. Keep your eyes peeled.

Hands-on with Dell's M1730 "Beast"

by Paul Miller posted Sep 27th 2007 at 4:45PM

Beast is right, this thing is just a monster. We're fairly certain we've held laptop before that are lighter than the Dell M1730's LCD alone. That said, it can certainly pump out the graphics, and the amBX-esque lighting functions are kind of growing on us. An extra perk to the AGEIA PhysX systems is an exclusive Unreal Tournament 3 level with extra explosion fodder, which is possibly one of the best selling points we've heard for the physics card.

Gallery: Hands-on with Dell's M1730 "Beast"

Dell's M1730 "Beast" officially gets official

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 27th 2007 at 8:51AM

Well kids, it's official... the Beast is loose. Dell's M1730, which had been extensively leaked over the past few months, has been made public on the Dell blog (they even go as far as naming us in the notice). As expected, the gaming laptop is crammed full of over-spec'd gear, like the Core 2 Extreme X7900 (which they say is now overclocked to 3.2GHz), dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT GPUs, and a slew of other lap-burning components sure to make even the toughest dude start crying immediately. The whole fugly package is available for purchase on the Dell website right now, but approach it with extreme caution. Look, all we're saying is this: when the Beast crushes and dismembers everything you hold dear, don't say we didn't warn you.

Dell's XPS M1730 sneaks onto Dell's site: a beast indeed

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 25th 2007 at 6:40AM

Hiddy Ho Mr. XPS M1730, nice to see you up and dancing on Dell's own website for a change. While it's not exactly official, reader Evgeni noticed that a little E-Value code tomfoolery will pull up pictures, specs, and prices easy enough. $4,192 will take home a crimson red, 17-inch WUXGA beast with a Vista Ultimate pre-load and the following specs:

2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor (800MHz FSB and 4MB cache)
2GB 667MHz DDR2 memory (4GB for an additional $375)
2 x 200GB 7200RPM disks
DVD burner (upgradeable for Blu-ray playback for an additional $550)
512MB Dual (!) NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT with nVIDIA SLI Te
802.11a/g/n WiFi
9-cell primary and 9-cell secondary batteries

That's only the start.

Continue reading Dell's XPS M1730 sneaks onto Dell's site: a beast indeed

Dell XPS M1730: shots galore, inside and out

by Ryan Block posted Sep 6th 2007 at 10:23PM

Wow, the Dell XPS M1730 isn't even out yet and already we've got even more pictures of the laptop all splayed open. We're a little worried about that drive-on-drive configuration they've got going on, but if you were curious to check out more of the intricacies of the M1730's chassis, both internal and external, here's your shot. Of course, there's nothing more we can tell you in terms of the specs this laptop's going to have, every single detail is already out there. All we can do is wonder what it's going to cost and whether they'll keep that September 21st launch date.

Gallery: Dell XPS M1730: shots galore, inside and out

Dell XPS M1730 slips, now launching September 21st

by Ryan Block posted Aug 31st 2007 at 11:21AM

We can't ever guarantee launch dates on an unannounced product, but it looks like Dell's internal shipment date for the new XPS M1730 just slipped, and has been pushed back to September 21st for the US, Europe, and Asia. Here's the latest specs list (sorry, not much there has changed since before):

Intel Core 2 Duo up to 2.6GHz (X7800, 4MB cache)
Up to 4GB DDR2 667 RAM, Intel PM965 chipset
17-inch WUXGA TrueLife (1920x1200)
Single or SLI 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT
Regular and SSD drive options
Blu-ray drive
(6) USB 2.0, 1394, DVI out, S-Video, gigabit Ethernet, IR
54mm ExpressCard (with travel remote)
802.11a/b/g/n, 3G WWAN, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
10.6 pound starting weight, 2-inch thick chassis

Dell XPS M1730 shows its colors in the wild

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 28th 2007 at 1:22PM

Just in case you haven't seen enough of Dell's, um, eye-catching XPS M1730 gaming laptop, the folks at LaptopSpirit have kindly let loose a slew of new pics of it in the wild, with the laptop's various color options on full display. In addition to the stylish red option above, you'll also be able to get the laptop in your choice of Sapphire Blue, Bone White or Smoke Grey, each of which should attract varying degrees of askance glances from passers-by. Thankfully, the laptop's innards are a good deal more attractive than its exterior, including your choice of top-end Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT graphics, up to 4GB of RAM, and an optional Blu-ray drive among other desirable options. Those still undecided about a purchase can get a better look at the laptop by hitting up the read link below.

[Thanks, Matthias]