Print

Direct2Dell

Sign in
Sign in to post messages.
Chief Blogger
Joined on 06/29/2006 Posts: 2,052
Points: 192657
Gold

The Beast is Here

You've seen the details on Engadget. You might have seen the promotional video we released on YouTube. Today, our XPS M1730 gaming notebook—the machine our development team calls the beast—is available for order in most regions today. We will offer it to customers in Latin America later this year.

So, what makes it a gaming machine?

  • It supports the latest Intel processors, including the Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor overclocked to 3.2GHz (Bin+2).
  • It supports dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT graphics cards in SLI mode.
  • All models come with a bright 17" Ultrasharp 1920x1200 display with a 7ms response time.
  • It's the first notebook in the world to support AGEIA PhysX 100M mobile physics card.
  • It supports two hard drives in a RAID 0 or 1 configuration
  • It's the first notebook we've shipped that integrates Logitech's GamePanel LCD, which displays stats and in-game details for a growing list of game titles.
  • It also features a full-sized backlit keyboard that has a 10-key number pad

I've seen some stories like this one from Anandtech mentioning that there are only a few titles out there that support the PhysX card. Customers who order it will receive a copy of one of those games—Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. There's more games coming that will also support the card: Unreal Tournament 3, Warmonger, and one that I'm really looking forward to called Crysis.

Update 9-28: Direct2Dell reader Keith correctly pointed out that Crysis will not have PhysX support. My mistake for the oversite—sorry about that. I'm still looking forward to it in November though. LM

To accommodate all these hardware options, this machine is big. It's thick too, and that's because the NVIDIA 8700M GT card can be swapped out for the next-generation SLI card later this year. We begin taking orders today and expect to ship most orders within 10 days from the time the order is processed.

The XPS M1730 unveiling will be part of Dell's activities during the DigitalLife event September 27 - 30 in New York City. Dell and Alienware are sponsoring an on-site gaming tournament there, and Valve Software's Gabe Newell will also show off some content from their upcoming compilation called The Orange Box.

Update 9:30a.m.—Louis Bruno, who's a gamer and also one of the service program managers for XPS desktops and notebooks, provides an inside look at the XPS M1730.

You must Login to comment.
  |  Del.icio.us   |  Digg   |  Reddit   | 

 

 It is mostly about users :/

 My 1730 with 2x8800 does the job well ;)  

 
Juan Manuel

I got recently M1730 and I am very dissapointed about that thing. A lot of problems with performance. All games crashing or performance plunges till computer not running at all. You can find a lot of posts talking about SLI problems and I consider that DELL is selling without take care of costumers and they have lost all reputation for me. I think is junk... How can DELL sell such a product?

 
george dean

look all you people that hate i dont understand why you think its rubish and ugly.

just look at it, its so beautiful and you cant say its not fast its just amazingly fast and beautiful and just beautiful and just cool i have even bought one with every thing on it and the fastest laptop i have ever come across  its just amazing and all i can say is well done dell.  bravo :-):-):-):-)

 
Is anyone else having problems with the AC power connection into the PC?  I'm now on my second M1730 - the first one simply stopped charging.  The second one often fails to recognize that it's plugged in.  Is this the beginning of the end?
 
Mr. Bruno mentioned that the M1730 is available with 800Mhz RAM, which is entirely untrue. When I contact Dell support, they told me that the 800Mhz option was removed because it was unstable.
 
Please tell me if an upgrade from 8700m gt to 8800m gt will be possible, price and date …. I have been real patient and have spend so many hours trying to make the m1730 give me that gaming experience you promised, without any luck – medium or low performance in all the latest games (Graw2, Dirt, COD4 and Crysis).  

Gamers Gain Supremacy … that is high quality and fast performance …- http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070927/20070927005181.html?.v=1  
 

About 200 posts on SLI problems, nobody can actually claim that SLI is working - even the Nvidia Club SLI reg. application says NO SLI BUSTER!

Try if your M1730 has SLI enabled - and ps. Vista Hotfixes .. fixes nothing on this rig!
http://www.slizone.com/content/slizone/clubsli.html

4000$ Wasted - going back if DELL does not get in the game real soon.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=179479

 THAT IS THE STORY DELL?

 

 

I have an m1730 on order... Will I be able to use the 8800m cards in my 1730 someday.... sorry if this has been addressed else where... I have been searching with no luck...

 Thanks,

Steve

 

Why can't the M1730 be connected to my 52" Sony HDTV in SLI mode? I mean without SLI it is hardly a gaming laptop.

No problem in connecting with SLI disabled.


 
have had a 1730 for about 3 weeks.  basically its worthless for gaming and seems to have vista/nvidia/display issues. as far as I can tell i wasted $4k on a product that should have not been sold in good faith. games that dont work include company of heroes opposing, and crysis.  am I better off just running it in single video card mode instead of sli?
 

I received my 1730 last week and it's awesome... I am interested to know a little more about the graphics card swap out. Will this happen across the globe and if so when can we expect the new 8800M card? - I believe it's out in a couple of weeks time in the Alienware machine.

Thanks!

 

I purchased one almost as soon as it came out.  I owned it for about five days - long enough to install my software.  It played almost everything at full res and it was amazing.  World in Conflict, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Company of Heroes...  They all looked brilliant, and ran without flawlessly. 

 Then, on Saturday, the machine experienced a catastrophic failure.  It simply stopped charging.  Once the battery ran out, the notebook was about as useful as a brick.  After some discussions with tech support, the preliminary conclusion was a failure of the mobo.  Fortunately, Dell is sending out a replacement.  I asked them to keep me informed as to the cause of the failure, and will post again once I get an answer.   

 

..and again, a machine which will draw so much power even when idle that most users will not want to use it while traveling.

While there is certainly a price to pay for the performance, why does DELL again and again fail to equip their XPS machines with a docking connector? Just because it is a consumer machine? Just because you fear to cannibalize your Latitude-series?

Come on, not seriously!

 

I for one like the looks of the XPS 1730.  I think it's one of the nicest looking notebooks I've seen, and I'm glad they don't compromise the system's performance or reliability by trying to make it thinner.

However...the second GPU on this thing is worthless.  Nvidia's reference drivers won't support SLI on an Intel chipset, and without those reference drivers, you won't be able to play new games as they come out.  Dell has not and almost certainly will not release up to date drivers on a timely fashion (and for the years that this system will be useable).  *NO* company has ever done this, and it's extremely unlikely Dell is going to start now.

 I hope that Dell offers a *single* 8800 series card in it when that's available, as I don't want to have to pay for a second card that's basically worthless.  I also hope they allow you to ditch the physics card, which is also basically worthless.  Hopefully that will shave SOME cost off the system.
 

 
Well, Dell solved the issue of providing a mid-range option between the "Good" and "Best" versions without the Blu-Ray player.  But, now they've done something even more puzzling.  The "Better" option with Windows XP has 4 GB of memory included and you can't option out of it.  It's my understanding that you need the 64-bit version of Vista to use 4 GB of memory and that XP does not even recognize 4 GB of memory.  Am I mistaken or is this just a money grab by Dell?
 
Where is the Inspiron 1720 Back-Lit keyboard!!!!!!!??????
 

I have been waiting for the M1730 but am disappointed with the lack of options in the configurations.  The $2,999 "Good" version only allows you to change the software, warranty, accessory, etc. options.  You can't make any changes as near as I can tell to the actual component set-up of the system.  For example, I would like to get the Intel  4965 a/g/n Wireless card and Bluetooth 2.0 optionsbut apparently to get either I have to  spend an additional $600 for a Blu-Ray player that I don't really want or need to move up to the $3,599 "Better" Model, which of course does not provide for selecting the DVD/CD Player-Burner "downgrade" from the Blue-Ray player.  I'd like to get a M1730 but just don't think I can justify the additional expense for the two relatively cheap components I want and an expensive component I don't need.

 

 

Just wait until you start seeing everyone complain about the Sigmatel audio problems. Same problems as in the M1330. M1710, the 1720's and so on. Yet another new model with the same audio problem. Way to go....

 

 

Aside from the looks, it's good to hear that the GPU's will be user-upgradeable (right?).

Is the PCI-E bridge for the GPU's 16x or 8x?

 
Cryptic's City of Heroes/City of Villains supports the PhysX processor, too... and quite nicely, I might add. Should be fun on this laptop. :)
 
Bill Anderson

Lionel:

Until Dell Canada wakes up and aligns its prices to reflect reality, I will NOT be buying from Dell. I have purchased nothing but Dell computers for the last 10 years - 4 computers and a Dell Jukebox

As of Saturday the Canadian dollar was slightly higher than the US dollar. For all practical purposes they are at par with the US dollar still predicted to drop. However the same XPS 1730 with 4 year in home service was

Dell.com US = 3,298 

Dell.ca CND = 3,749 

There is absolutely no reason for the price to be HIGHER in Canada than the US. Plus, I cannot buy from Dell.com because they will not ship to Canada.

Comparing prices of XPS 720 is even worse at over a 1,000 difference between exactly configured machines 

So, Mr. Dell - until you do something, I will not be buying from Dell.ca and I cannot buy from Dell.com

Take a look at HP.com  and their newly released Blackbird -- where the price is the same is CND and US dollars. That reflects reality. When Dell.ca starts to reflect reality I may consider Dell again, but until that time.... sorry you have lost a customer.

 

I´m doing a research about corporate blogs, and this one is one of the best i´ve seen around the blogosphere.

Very good iniciative!

 

Well I ordered mine and I cant wait till it arrives.  Those that are buying laptops for looks go buy a Mac you hipsters. 

I cant wait until I can start fragging in the Airport or next to the Pool.

 
Ninjahedge - The slow zoom isn't the camera's fault it is the camera person doing the slow zoom.  I've posted previously on www.ideastorm.com that Dell needs to improve the videos and perhaps use multiple shots to avoid this problem.  Here is a link to it which includes a response from Dell on the issue.  http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/71277/Dell_needs_to_produce_better_marketing_videos
 

What I don't see in the specs is Battery Life. ;-) . What sort of battery life does this thing has when doing normal computing and playing a game? 30 minutes? Inquiring minds what to know, since being able to run your laptop while on a plane and on the road is one reason people get the systems. ^_^

 

One thing, on a demo like this, it would be much better if a few things happened.

1. If the product was picked up so certain things could be seen.

2. You have a decent camera, not one with such an awkward, slow, motorized zoom.

 That is about it. All the guys on here calling it ugly don't remember the "good old days" of the backbreaking "portables". This thing looks like a chunky monkey, but is still relatively simple in its layout.

It looks, however, that a machine this big MIGHT be better served by making it a SMIDGE bigger to incorporate things like small corner bumpers and the like. I do not want a 12 pound (just a guess) porcelin vase to carry around. The bumpers would not make it a Toughbook, but it might keep it pretty a bit longer.

That's about it I guess. Take it for what you will.

 

"We begin taking orders today and expect to ship most orders within 10 days from the time the order is processed."

 

Uh huh. 

 

Nice... but an Ugly "Beast"

      * I knew I should have made a trademark of the name "Beast"  ;)))

 However, the True Beast is the XPS7xx, in my case the XPS720H2C.

 So; Ugly Beast and True (Beautiful) Beast.

Congratz Dell on a few new innovations here.

Peace

 

When will we see the models with full customizing? The current levels are locked in such awkward ways. The base level is so fixed that there's no flexibility. The second level is reasonable but you're paying $500 for Blu Ray which not everyone wants. The third level has better flexibility than the first but is locked down in particular places like no single HDD option and the Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition.

I can understand the locks on Processor and Operating System for the third level. I could even understand locking say the processor of the second level but the Blu Ray drive isn't really helpful to a gamer.

 

 
Nice but man.....where is the Latitude XT...... don't get me wrong but this is a nice notebook but where is our tablet? Why spend the money on a high priced notebook, for gaming. Want the serious profits from consumers, business customers AND corporations...?... introduce the tablet!
 
Great to know that is ready for ordering - that video is good btw.
 
man it looks bad. the 1710 was way better
 
Not as ugly as the fact that we're still waiting on Latitude XT information!!!
 
Let's hope the onboard physx chip encourages more developers to start using the Ageia api in their games because right now there are very very few games which make use of their physx engine.  Unfortunately the AAA title Crysis you mention does not use physx either and UT3 is rumoured to only have 1 level which makes substantial use of it.  GRAW2's physx also look unimpressive to most.
 

Keith: Thanks for the clarfication on Crysis. I updated the post to correct my mistake. Thanks again.

 
Man, that is ugly...
 

why does this guy think he knows what gamers want?!?  sounds more like what he wants.  why would anyone care if it the thing flashes 50 different colors, as long as it works well? 

 
Well, admittedly, we know most of the specs for the Latitude XT from other sources, but a picture would be nice of the system if a release date can't be given yet.  Just something really..., it's been two months since any mention of information on the Latitude XT.
 
I'm so happy hearing that one more potential failure of reliability from dell is coming out. I hope there won't be one more dell with vertical line issue. Like my Gen2 that now counts dozen of them. And after months of communication lines keep adding up without hope I will get replacement for FREE. BTW. I'm typing from my new sony. Must sound akward choosing sony over a dell but after having two dells with same failures... jeez..
Good luck with the new wallet washer.
Everyone intending on buyin it, please purchase extra warranty, you'll need one..
 

Can you please just tell us if/when you plan on releasing the Latitude XT? We're coming close to five months since you first announced it. 

Without so much as a public hint of a release date, features, or pricing, I'm getting close to the point of going with a competitor's product based on respect and principle.  Sawing other tablets in half doesn't make yours worth the wait by itself.

 
wonder if this will overheat and destroy the video card and motherboard like it has in my xps gen 2 several times (After about $1000 in repairs you can see i am not to happy with my dell notebook)
 
that thing is ugly.  good job dell.
 
I like the M1710 design much better. I wish it had a backlit keyboard and customizable touchpad LEDs, but the M1730 is just too big and heavy. The colors kind of clash. And, the addition of the number pad kind of makes you type off-center.
 
This machine is rad! I've got to start saving up!!!!
 

Its a beast alright, a heavy ugly beast. 

I do appreciate the specs though and I guess you can only do so much to make it pretty when its that big.  Louis Bruno is very well spoken and that is one of the best product intro videos I've seen in a while(except the excessive camera movement). 

 Louis - stop into IdeaStorm, we have some ideas for you and would love to chat.

 
jervis961: Thanks for stopping by. Question for you: are there some specific idea thrads you want Louis to look at? E-mail me here, and I'll contact him.

 
Where is your tablet pc already?
 
I just wanna now what went through the mind of the design team. That thing is hideous. You had a Awesome design in the M1330. Why didn't you start from that.
 
Fara: It's a performance/ design tradeoff. Take a look at the size of the dual graphics card in the video—no way something like that would fit in a thin and light like the XPS M1330. Dual hard drives take up more space also and the faster processor options generate more heat and require more power.