Review of Dell Inspiron XPS M170
This Dell Inspiron XPS M170 notebook review will look at this device, which has just the right balance of computing power and features to suit the novice and advanced user. If you have any movies and games that you wish to view, the Dell XPS M170 will do the job - and do it with aplomb.
The first laptop we’ve seen with the GeForce Go 7800 GTX graphics card, the Inspiron XPS M170 from Dell is aimed very much at the gaming market – but it can do much more than just play games. The screen is a beauty: a 17in TFT with a maximum resolution of 1,920×1,200. UltraSharp and TrueLife technologies ensure picture quality is both sharp and resonant – the screen may be a little reflective, but the image is considerably better than your Dell Inspiron M5110 battery.
The 17-inch, Wide-UXGA True Life display supports up to 1920 x 1200 pixels, which is presently the maximum possible combination of screen size and resolution for a laptop. There is an option to add an inbuilt remote control and TV tuning system at some extra cost but it needs to be precisely informed to Dell at ordering time. Intel Microprocessor with a clock speed of 2.26 and the main board comprising of Mobile Intel 915 PM express chipset with a bus speed of 533 MHz, are the components which assure of the value for money. Among all the gaming parallel products, XPS M170 stands out as the slimmest, durable, capable and extreme performer. XPS M170 is six times less voluminous than Dell desk top.
It's rare to find a notebook that has decent speakers, but with the Dell XPS L701x 3D battery being a premium level entertainment package, Dell went out of their way to provide for some decent built-in sound. The integrated sub-woofer provides for some decent bass that's always missing from the average notebook. It also provides for extra oomph with sound volume, at top volume the sound is definitely too loud.
In keeping with gamer-chic (if that’s possible?) the silver and black chassis is fitted with LED lights on three sides, which can be changed using the software applet to any or all of 11 different colours. A transparent panel on the lid allows users to customise the system by adding their own printed images.
The Dell Inspiron XPS M170 was previously known as the XPS Gen 2 and its looks are very much similar to XPS Gen 2. The Dell Inspiron M5110 AC adapter weighs 8.6 pounds. Its exterior is available in gunmetal and black colors. It has slightly curved edges which makes it look slimmer than its original size. Six LEDs are carefully placed around the chassis which emit light in sixteen different colors. The perimeter lighting makes it fascinating. The Dell Inspiron XPS M 170 uses Nvidia's Geforce Go 7800 GTX. The 7800 has a 24-pixel pipeline, to support Direct X 9 Shader Model 3.0, and around 300 million transistors.
Of course, when I say everything else remains identical, there's little purpose in rattling off all the specifications in detail; suffice to say that Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth are also on board, along with everything you'll ever need in the wired department; DVI and S-Video out included. In fact, our review of the Dell Inspiron M5110 battery would be an excellent starting point for finding out whether this notebook is for you; just keep in mind that the graphics have been bumped up a couple of notches in comparison.
The keyboard is the same layout I’ve had on my previous two Dell laptops and its feel is excellent. My 8100 keyboard was very well broken in with a lot of the letters worn off the keys and the space bar worn smooth. One complaint I’d have about the M170 keyboard and funny enough about the Acer Ferrari keyboard is both keyboards bezels below the space bars are too high and your thumb (ok, MY thumb) bumps into it when typing. Maybe I have some genetically misshaped thumb in that it doesn’t curve down to meet the keyboard before hitting the bezel, but my Dell Inspiron M5110 adapter had a nice sloped bezel that was a millimeter or two lower than the space bar… thus avoiding contact when typing. I can live with the problem, but it makes me wonder what the two manufactures were thinking when they designed the bezel keyboard relationship. It almost feels like they thought, “Hey these are game machines… not for work… maybe we don’t even need a keyboard?… oh, maybe I guess we should put one in just incase…” But the Inspiron 9300 has the same bezel keyboard relationship as far as I can tell… I think the 9300 is meant as a work computer, could be wrong though.
The Inspiron XPS M170 is a powerhouse of a laptop that will appeal to high-end multimedia users. You can expect about 3 hours running time, depending on useage. Over you to you Alienware!
One area that the Inspiron XPS M170 could really use work is the price and software. It only comes standard with a Word Processing software. And this with one of the highest prices for a desktop replacement on the market. Also, it features the Windows XP Media Center operating system but it doesn't really have any features such as a TV tuner to take advantage of the extra features of the OS.
The CPU used in the Dell Inspiron XPS M170 is an Intel Pentium M 2.13 GHz. The built-in memory is 1 GB of DDR2 SDRAM. With these powerful specs, running the provided Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition becomes a simple task.
Equally impressive is the usability and configuration of the XPS. While the keyboard is small - occupying just 287mm of the 394mm chassis width - the keys are well built and allow for a highly comfortable typing action. The mouse buttons and touchpad are equally well made.
For its display it has a large 17” XVGA True Life display which supports 1920 x 1200 pixels. With this the Dell XPS M170 is suitable for watching DVDs and the Window Media Center software adds a plus point for managing music, photos and movies. It also offers remote control, which makes it a portable TV. This Dell Laptops notebook is a very outstanding gaming machine with its state-of-the-art graphics chip and 87.5 frames per second performance. This performance is one among the best notebooks which have gaming facilities. The Dell XPS L701X 3D battery is an exclusive notebook with gaming and multimedia facilities.
Technical Specs:
The first laptop we’ve seen with the GeForce Go 7800 GTX graphics card, the Inspiron XPS M170 from Dell is aimed very much at the gaming market – but it can do much more than just play games. The screen is a beauty: a 17in TFT with a maximum resolution of 1,920×1,200. UltraSharp and TrueLife technologies ensure picture quality is both sharp and resonant – the screen may be a little reflective, but the image is considerably better than your Dell Inspiron M5110 battery.
The 17-inch, Wide-UXGA True Life display supports up to 1920 x 1200 pixels, which is presently the maximum possible combination of screen size and resolution for a laptop. There is an option to add an inbuilt remote control and TV tuning system at some extra cost but it needs to be precisely informed to Dell at ordering time. Intel Microprocessor with a clock speed of 2.26 and the main board comprising of Mobile Intel 915 PM express chipset with a bus speed of 533 MHz, are the components which assure of the value for money. Among all the gaming parallel products, XPS M170 stands out as the slimmest, durable, capable and extreme performer. XPS M170 is six times less voluminous than Dell desk top.
It's rare to find a notebook that has decent speakers, but with the Dell XPS L701x 3D battery being a premium level entertainment package, Dell went out of their way to provide for some decent built-in sound. The integrated sub-woofer provides for some decent bass that's always missing from the average notebook. It also provides for extra oomph with sound volume, at top volume the sound is definitely too loud.
In keeping with gamer-chic (if that’s possible?) the silver and black chassis is fitted with LED lights on three sides, which can be changed using the software applet to any or all of 11 different colours. A transparent panel on the lid allows users to customise the system by adding their own printed images.
The Dell Inspiron XPS M170 was previously known as the XPS Gen 2 and its looks are very much similar to XPS Gen 2. The Dell Inspiron M5110 AC adapter weighs 8.6 pounds. Its exterior is available in gunmetal and black colors. It has slightly curved edges which makes it look slimmer than its original size. Six LEDs are carefully placed around the chassis which emit light in sixteen different colors. The perimeter lighting makes it fascinating. The Dell Inspiron XPS M 170 uses Nvidia's Geforce Go 7800 GTX. The 7800 has a 24-pixel pipeline, to support Direct X 9 Shader Model 3.0, and around 300 million transistors.
Of course, when I say everything else remains identical, there's little purpose in rattling off all the specifications in detail; suffice to say that Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth are also on board, along with everything you'll ever need in the wired department; DVI and S-Video out included. In fact, our review of the Dell Inspiron M5110 battery would be an excellent starting point for finding out whether this notebook is for you; just keep in mind that the graphics have been bumped up a couple of notches in comparison.
The keyboard is the same layout I’ve had on my previous two Dell laptops and its feel is excellent. My 8100 keyboard was very well broken in with a lot of the letters worn off the keys and the space bar worn smooth. One complaint I’d have about the M170 keyboard and funny enough about the Acer Ferrari keyboard is both keyboards bezels below the space bars are too high and your thumb (ok, MY thumb) bumps into it when typing. Maybe I have some genetically misshaped thumb in that it doesn’t curve down to meet the keyboard before hitting the bezel, but my Dell Inspiron M5110 adapter had a nice sloped bezel that was a millimeter or two lower than the space bar… thus avoiding contact when typing. I can live with the problem, but it makes me wonder what the two manufactures were thinking when they designed the bezel keyboard relationship. It almost feels like they thought, “Hey these are game machines… not for work… maybe we don’t even need a keyboard?… oh, maybe I guess we should put one in just incase…” But the Inspiron 9300 has the same bezel keyboard relationship as far as I can tell… I think the 9300 is meant as a work computer, could be wrong though.
The Inspiron XPS M170 is a powerhouse of a laptop that will appeal to high-end multimedia users. You can expect about 3 hours running time, depending on useage. Over you to you Alienware!
One area that the Inspiron XPS M170 could really use work is the price and software. It only comes standard with a Word Processing software. And this with one of the highest prices for a desktop replacement on the market. Also, it features the Windows XP Media Center operating system but it doesn't really have any features such as a TV tuner to take advantage of the extra features of the OS.
The CPU used in the Dell Inspiron XPS M170 is an Intel Pentium M 2.13 GHz. The built-in memory is 1 GB of DDR2 SDRAM. With these powerful specs, running the provided Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition becomes a simple task.
Equally impressive is the usability and configuration of the XPS. While the keyboard is small - occupying just 287mm of the 394mm chassis width - the keys are well built and allow for a highly comfortable typing action. The mouse buttons and touchpad are equally well made.
For its display it has a large 17” XVGA True Life display which supports 1920 x 1200 pixels. With this the Dell XPS M170 is suitable for watching DVDs and the Window Media Center software adds a plus point for managing music, photos and movies. It also offers remote control, which makes it a portable TV. This Dell Laptops notebook is a very outstanding gaming machine with its state-of-the-art graphics chip and 87.5 frames per second performance. This performance is one among the best notebooks which have gaming facilities. The Dell XPS L701X 3D battery is an exclusive notebook with gaming and multimedia facilities.
Technical Specs:
- 2.13GHz Intel Pentium M 770 processor
- Windows XP Home
- 1GB DDR RAM
- 100GB hard drive
- 17in 1,920×1,200 TFT display
- 256MB GeForce Go 7800 GTX graphics card
- 24x/24x/20x (CD-ROM/-R/-RW) 8x/8x/8x/4x/4x/4x (DVD-ROM/-R/+R/+R DL/-RW/+RW) drive
- 802.11b/g facilities
- Bluetooth
- Microsoft Works 7.0
- Windows Media Center
- Norton Internet Security 2006
- 1-year collect-and-return warranty
- 399x294x45mm
- 3.9kg
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