Category: Systems
Manufacturer: Dell
Product: XPS M1710 Blu-ray Edition
Gallery: Click Here
Price: $4298.99

Dell has never really been synonymous with gaming in their storied computer lifetime. Over their history they have become one of the top-selling computer manufacturers, yet never really got a foothold in the enthusiast market. However, in recent years they have taken great strides in catering to gamers and trying to expand into that highly competitive, high-end market. Enter their XPS line up. The XPS moniker is used by Dell for their desktop and laptop setups built for gaming. Desktops have usually been where the “performance muscle resides” when it comes to gaming and top hardware - you didn’t see people running out to buy a laptop to frag their friends in the Quake 3 days. Stereotypically laptops were for work and portability before high-end performance. However changes have slowly been creeping through the laptop industry, with rigs packed with high-end video cards, massive displays, and loads of RAM - all for the love and enjoyment of us gamers out there.

I have never had a need for a laptop in my personal life. Nonetheless before me right now is Dell’s XPS M1710 gaming laptop. This computer is jam packed. This laptop came around at the perfect time for me, as I was just about to depart on a two week road trip out West, which was an ideal situation to test out what laptops are known for: on-the-go usefulness, work away from home, and now gaming - even without your favorite desktop PC.

First Impressions
"Wow…". That was definitely my first impression. I just sat there looking at it after I opened the package, like a child on Christmas morning. The outside reminds me of a performance race car, huge engine under the hood and stylish accents that just make it look flat out fast. I am definitely getting ahead of myself however, so let us go back and take a look at the packaging.


The laptop comes well packed in a good-sized black XPS box. The M1710 is wrapped up in a foam sleeve and packed with Styrofoam on each end. The manual and accessories are contained in one box, while the laptop comes packed in another.