First Look: Dell XPS M1710 with Blu-ray

[Leecher]

Just when you thought they couldn't get any better, Dell has given its XPS M1710 a big shot of botox. As of this morning, the Media Center laptops have been fitted with Blu-ray drives giving the 17-inch gaming machines a high-def kick in the ass. Alongside their newfound HD capabilities (they pack a gorgeous 1,920x1,200 widescreen display), the notebooks also flaunt Intel's top of the line mobile processor and Nvidia's hypersonic GeForce Go 7950 GTX video card. We were lucky enough to score some play time with the new laptop....

Our $4,249 came with 2GB of RAM, a 100GB hard drive, and an overclockable T7600 CPU, making it the most powerful HD notebook out there. Pound for pound, the M1710 is one giant that won't be taken down easily. The laptop is identical to previous XPS M1710s. It has Dell's LightFX technology (ambient lights that glow from the side and front of your notebook), a full-size keyboard, and Dell's MediaDirect software, which mixes work with play by letting you access media files and office files (like calendars and PowerPoint slides) without booting up the OS.
A few major nitpicks. There's no HDMI out for connecting the laptop to your HDTV and there's still no TV tuner (that's optional). The inclusion of both would have made the notebook irresistible. With a $3,699 starting price (that includes a Blu-ray drive), this XPS delivers far more features for the price than you can find in any other HD notebook. – Louis Ramirez
$3,699 (starting price w/ Blu-ray drive)
$3,974 (with T7600 CPU)
$4,249 (with overclockable T7600 CPU)
Dell [Product Page]
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