Im doing an in depth review comparison of the XPS m1710 and the XPS m1730 cause frankly the ones online elsewhere or anywhere just suck from what ive seen.
I'll be doing a suite of benchmarks ranging from popular DX8,9,10 games and for the sake of doing it 3Dmarks across the board but if there is a demo suite or a game I might have you want me to bench i'll try to include it in the markings so feel free to ask it wont hurt I promise. If there is any particular photo shot of either unit you would like to see then nows your chance to voice up. Im gonna collect all the responses till Jan 7th and then I'll make the magic happen I cant wait to hear what you guys want so have at it.
Requests so far
Games/Demos
Age of Empires 3 Asian Dynasties DX9 FRAPS
Crysis DX9-10 FRAPS
Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne DX8 FRAPS
WoW DX8.1 FRAPS
Planetside DX8.1 FRAPS
Hellgate London DX9-10 FRAPS
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. FRAPS
Call of Duty 4 FRAPS
Unreal Tourny 3 FRAPS
Team Fortress 2 FRAPS
BioShock FRAPS (This game runs on the UT3 engine thus is on the maybe list)
so I'm getting a replacement computer from dell and I wanted to know what I should go for assuming the Alienware m17x isn't an option. I currently have an XPS M1710 and they are shipping me a Studio XPS 16.
I don't want to try and argue for a 17 inch screen and get stuck with another m1710 or a m1730. Or do I?
1. What is the general opinion of the 8700mgt SLI?
2. how does it compare to even the 7900mGTX?
3. Being that the 7900 has a 256 bit interface where the 8700 are 128, do you see that as a bottleneck in video rendering?
4. I realize that the 8800 is out, but I wont make any decisions on that even if they are glowing. I'm primarily trying to figure out if the 8700's are on par vs a single 7900gtx, what are your thoughts on this?
5. windows xp or vista ultimate? Prefer to contrast the pro's and cons, I havent used vista yet nor have we QA'ed it, we still use MCE and winxp-pro
Input is very much appreciated, thank you in advance!
Please assume that the cpu and harddrive specs are similar, both with 4gb of ram.
Looking to get some IN-GAME benchmarks with FRAPS, and see what different people's rigs are doing. Why are the M1730 guys allowed? Simple...so we can see what the new M1730 can do, and see if it is worth slapping another $3,000 to $5,000 down on the table.
RULES: 1- To rule out as many variables as we can, we should all use FRAPS for benchmarking. F-11 is the default key to start a benchmark. 2- Tell us about your rig. Be specific about hardware, OS, clockspeeds, and drivers. Having that info in your signature is even better. 3- Cut and paste straight from the FRAPS log that is created in C:Fraps. Be sure to specify what resolution you're using because FRAPS does not document this. 4- Specify what graphical settings you are using for that game. Saying 'Full Graphical Settings' means that you have every graphic option for that game maxed out, turned on, etc. In Bioshock you could say 'Full Graphical Settings, but Dynamic Lighting is Off'. In Oblivion it would be nice if you specify outdoors or indoors. You get the point. 5- TURN V-SYNC OFF. If your scores are pegged at 30FPS or 60FPS, that's nice, but tells us nothing. If you say 'Full Graphical Settings', we are to assume that V-Sync is off. You don't need to mention it.
It is obvious to me that this is not as foolproof as an ORB link. People can edit the text file to say whatever they want it to.
Does anyone know what Dell has planned for upcoming promotions? Is there a period of time in the following 1-2 months where there are more coupons/discounts?
Just to give a little bit of background: I'm planning on working in a foreign country as early as beginning of November, as late as mid December.
I'm looking to buy a pretty beefy 15-16 inch laptop with top of the line processor but mediocre video card to keep the notebook somewhat cooler. I personally don't mind integrated as long as it's able to play full screen video (1440x900, i would prefer not to have 1900x1080 or 1900x1200) without any issues.
So here's my question to you experts:
1) Are there any upcoming releases of Dell latitude, precision or studio xps laptops that I should be keeping eyes on .....
My new Studio 15 (1535, technically) came with a manual that references a Studio 1536 model in addition to the 1535 and 1735. The Dell Support site also lists three Studio models- 1535, 1536 and 1735.
Based on Dell's model numbering, the 1536 is an AMD-based Studio 15. The manual also noted that one of the graphics options for this model is the ATI Radeon Mobilty HD 3200 which is the integrated graphics processor available with AMD's newest "Puma" processors.
So, I'm trying to figure out if we're going to see a Studio 1536 introduced in the very near future, based on the AMD Puma platform. OR is this a model sold outside of the U.S. market?
It seems logical that Dell would offer an AMD-based Studio 15 to compete against HP's dv5z and Toshiba's A305D models.
The biggest I found is the 16" from F Series. However, I know that HP has the new 18.4" screen. I am wondering if Sony will get bigger screen than 16" since I'm a blu ray
Any reviews, user pictures, experiences with the E4200 out there by now? Still waiting for feedback before I pull the trigger on one..
Any real world weight figures? 2.2lbs with standard prismatic battery sounds amazing, but I wonder if this is truth. That's the weight of the Asus EEE 8.9" 900 series NETBOOK!
I am thinking about picking up a Vostro 1220 to replace a faulty HP laptop, however, there are not many reviews about Vostro 1220 on the web, certainly not from any established review site like this one or Cnet.
As far back as XPS antiquity will allow, an XPS PC offered bright coloured lights, above-average build quality, sharp high definition displays, graphical prowess and a notable CPU selection, all of which separated them from the mainstream Inspiron heap. And while the Studio XPS M1340 offers many of these features, its graphical prowess is rather limp. If you’re looking for a gaming machine you may need to look at a larger model with a beefier graphics card.
Quote:
Originally Posted by APC
While it will play some games in lower settings, it’s going to be a bitter disappointment for desktop gamers looking for a notebook alternative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by APC
The sound, on the other hand, is pretty poor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by APC
misleading graphics hardware...
Quote:
Originally Posted by APC
our 3DMark 2006 score of 3586 isn’t particularly impressive
Quote:
Originally Posted by APC
its graphical prowess is rather limp
[url]
all in all, APC seems to think it's a competent 13" notebook in general. however being an XPS i think people expect more from it. without a good GPU, beyond a slight difference in size and superficial cosmetic differences, what's the point if thats achievable in something slightly larger and cheaper within the Dell family or even better in the same size, out of it? never mind the initial bugs that seem to be cropping out from it.
eta: it's also funny that APC picked up on the deceptive naming of the 9500M GE. whether it's Dell's, nVidia's or a collusion of the two, most likely the latter, it was a cheap transparent gimmick. the 9500M GE in an XPS 13 is no where near the level of an actual 9500M GS card.
I am finding the Inspiron 15 at reasonable pricing (from 429.99 to 489.99) so am thinking of buying an early Christmas present.
I need information on its reliability. Will I need to purchase an extended warranty or should the owner be able to operate trouble free for at least three years?
However measurements conducted using a professional grade meter severe issues:Yes the colors do pop but green is widly oversaturatedMost colors have incorrect hueYes maximum luminance is very high but black levels are very poor, so the contrast remains below 580:1Color temperature is too high (greyscale suffers from a greenish tint)
Those issues cannot be solved:Calibrating the greyscale to a different color temperature (65K standard) reduces the contrast significantly. Adding some red will fix color temperature but also increase black luminance and hence reduce the contrast.The color saturation and color hue controls do not alter the green color in any significant way.
While the display may be ok for gamers who like nuclearly inaccurate colors, the display is very poor for what it is supposed to do: displaying Bluray films and other video content (after all this is a 16/9 HD media laptop)The poor black levels mean the picture looks flat and 2 dimensionalThe color inaccuracies lead to radiating grass and foliage as well as incorrect skin tones.
I am including the details of my measurements below, as well as examples of ow the color settings of the ATI Catalyst Control panel affect the readings.
Contrast Black Level: 0,48cd/m² White Point (maximal luminance): 270cd/m² Contrast: 560:1
Unfortunately, this is merely average, as most competing non LED panels have contrasts of 600:1 or higher. Also any good screen should have black levels below 0,3cd/m² .....
I read a lot of bad reviews about the F series got broken down too soon after it's being used. Actually, I got the reviews from the sony website.. I'd rather hear from you guys with true experience ....
I am trying to decide between a Macbook pro 13" or a Sony VGN-Z610Y/B. What bothers me is I am having a horrible time finding reviews on the VGN-Z610Y/B. What's up with that?
I'm looking for some reviews of the Sony Vaio VGN-Z51WG/B laptop. Dunno if the reference is specific to my location (Belgium) but in doubt, here's a link to it: [url]
Im stuck between getting an acer 1810tz or the DM1, the DM1 is actually a bit better with its DDR3 and bluetooth, its possible i can get it for cheaper as well.
However the inspiron 11z looks great too but the reviews say that sucks with its horrible touchpad and only 1 ram slot etc, i cant find any reviews of the DM1 anywhere, is it a good laptop? Better than the 1810tz?
Espresso Black Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-330M Dual Core processor (2.13GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) FREE Upgrade to 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection 50% OFF! 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4550 Graphics 14.1" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800) SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support Webcam Only Wireless-N Card No TV Tuner w/remote control HP Color Matching Keyboard 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery.............
