Also onboard are an ExpressCard slot and a 5-in-1 media card reader, but no PCMCIA card slot. Networking connections include a 56Kbps modem, 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, and integrated 802.11a/b/g wireless. The system includes headphone and microphone jacks, VGA and DVI outputs, S-Video-out, four-pin FireWire, and six USB 2.0 ports. You shouldn't have much trouble connecting your peripherals. The advantage is that you can use MediaDirect without booting up the PC's operating system, saving time and battery life. MediaDirect is Dell's homegrown version of Media Center it plays CDs and DVDs and lets you access photos and other media files stored on your hard drive. There's also a button for launching Dell's MediaDirect software, but that's located near the display, far from the other media control buttons. On the front panel of the system, below the touch pad and accessible while the lid is closed, sits a row of media control buttons, including volume controls, fast-forward and rewind buttons. When activated by a compatible application (or when the M1710 is angry with you), the backlit XPS logo on the touch pad glows red. The XPS M1710 includes a full-size keyboard and a touch pad with horizontal and vertical scroll zones.
Our test unit weighed 8.7 pounds (10.4 pounds with the AC adapter)-a few ounces more than the Gateway NX850XL, but nearly 1.5 pounds more than a smaller desktop replacement such as the Toshiba Satellite P105. The interior and exterior surfaces are covered with a magnesium alloy, and the system measures 15.5 inches wide, 11.3 inches deep, and 1.7 inches thick. If you're willing to sacrifice a little gaming performance for cash, the Gateway NX860XL is worth a look.ĭell calls the reflective red pattern on the back cover Special Edition Formula Red, but it's also available in the more subdued Metallic Black. The $3,498 system is a budget-buster to be sure, but one that's hard to top if you're looking for a top-of-the-line desktop replacement for gaming. Let's not forget the multicolored lights built into the speaker grilles, air vents, and lid, which play along with music apps and select games (Dell calls it XPS LightFX technology).
Also of note: Dell, in an unusual move for a mainstream PC maker, practically encourages buyers to overclock the 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T7600G processor. The system earns gaming props for being the first laptop to carry Nvidia's latest mobile GPU, the GeForce Go 7950 GTX.
(12/11/06)ĭell's latest update to its monster XPS M1710 desktop replacement may not warrant an entirely new model number, but the changes are deep enough to deserve a fresh look. The XPS M1710 does not have an HDMI output, so to send that HD signal to a big-screen plasma or LCD, you'll have to use the DVI output, which should work fine, as long as your display is HDCP compliant. With Roxio Creator Plus, you can create Blu-ray data discs, for storing massive amounts of data, or Blu-ray video discs, which you can play back on set-top Blu-ray players.
The choice of Blu-ray as Dell's next-gen optical drive is an obvious one, as Dell is a founding member of the Blu-ray Disc Association.ĬyberLink's PowerDVD 6.6 is included for playing back Blu-ray movies, while Nvidia's PureVideo HD is behind the Blu-ray decoding, and Roxio Creator Plus handles burning chores.
When running the driver package from Dell it aborts as it can't find any bluetooth device.Editor's note: A Blu-ray optical drive is available as an option on the Dell XPS M1710 laptop, as of December 11, 2006.
The BT light is not lit up and I can't get it to light up either which I'm guessing indicates the bluetooth device isn't active in Windows for some reason. I've popped the cover off and it is definitely there, unplugging it and popping it back in hasn't helped. I've checked the bios which shows the bluetooth device as installed and I've checked the option for it which is set to enabled. I thought it might be that FN+F2 had disabled it but tapping it twice shows the wi-fi and BT icons disabled and re-enabled but no sign of bluetooth. It's not in device manager at all nor are there any unknown devices showing. I have an XPS M1710 (running Vista Ultimate) which was rebuilt a few weeks ago, I've gone to use the bluetooth function and there's no sign of it. Hey folks, I could be doing something very stupid here so even if you have an obvious option I'd like to hear it.