-->*OFFICIAL: Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge*<--

Yea I see the light leakage, on on bootup though.., So shall I ring up and get the LG?

I will install UT3, Crysis, WoW, Bioshock, Pro Street, TimeShift and some others. The 4GB Ram is Samsung 2x2gb sticks 800mhz. I got Core 2 Extreme, Dual 8800's, 500gb HDD'S in Raid 0, 2gb ram I had 4gb alrdy, normal dvd/rw and in Smoke Gray.

 

XP can be used on the M1730 and I beleieve the driver are available for XP as well as Vista.

When it comes to RAID, once you hav ethe discs in etc as my video shows, and you press F6 during the setup, it is very easy. You basically just follow the prompts. One thing to note is that Windows XP requests the RAID drivers and automatically looks for a floppy drive, so it may throw up an error at first - Im not sure how you change it to look at a USB drive etc, but it should be pretty straight forward I should imagine.

 

I would see how you get on with it first.

You see the light leakage on the boot up screen, but after that its not noticable very much TBH. Also you cant ring Dell and request an LG screen. If you ring Dell and complain, yes they will send a techy out with a new screen to install, but you need to remember 2 points.....

1. Do you want a techy opening up your new system - you know what some of them can be like!!
2. You cant request an LG. Dell has a part number for the screen and thats it. They will just send out a new screen to replace yours but dont know which manufacturer it is by. So you could end up with the LG, or with another Samsung. Its the luck of the draw.

 

Well, It dosen't even bother me tbh, And their is nobody else I know who has a m1730, or I can see the LG screen, So therefore I cannot really complain about the screen.

I will just leave it for now, and by the this laptop rocks, and I havent even played anything on it, lol

 

I have my XPS for 4 days now. Its a great laptop, i like it very much. The only thing thats annoy me its the sound card. It's dumb to deliver a "Gamming Laptop" without a 4.1 output (at least).

PS Ohh, and its my first post, Hey all

 

Welcome to the crew Rodon

If you want better sound, this is what you need.....

http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=16642

Along with this...

http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=677&product=16779

 

Hello Rodon!

Ifti, I know the bag dimensions have to be big enough to fit a rather overweight 17" laptop in. All I want is a bag with enough room to fit my M1730 in it, then maybe 1 more pocket to fit the power brick and cords in. Thats all. Im not a fan of heaps of pockets on the bag. Will have to go for a cruise around the shops later this week...

SulZero, ignore what screen you have. Are you happy with it? If you are, don't worry about what panel type you have.

I've seen pictures with all 3 panel types next to each other. The LG was best, Samsung was second, with bad light leakage from the bottom, and Sharp was last, just plain dull and grainy. Again, thats my own opinion on what I saw, everyone is different in what they like.

The Sammy panel I had on my last machine, and the only one Australia get for some reason, was excellent in my eyes, just the light leakage annoyed me.

 

Veggie, didn't you order the XP OS pre-installed on your machine? Or did you get Vista with the intentions of re-installing XP onto it?

 

Didn't want to pay extra for XP.Plus I won't have to pay for Vista in the future now

I just don't see the point in running a 32bit Vista, May aswell run XP instead and get that slight performance boost

 

Im not a fan of Vista! Ordered XP OS for that reason, im familiar with it, it performs better, and it will run older stuff that I have!

The new GUI that Vista uses can be mimmicked onto XP, it you want that look. So yeah, good choice!

Ifti, we all expect a decent review of your Zalman cooler when you receive it, both written and Youtube video

 

Has anyone attepted to get vista 64 bit pre installed on their computer? I agree with Veggie on the performance. I had vista 64 bit on my previous laptop and I didnt have any problems with it except for a few older games having compatibility problems. But i have to note the games didnt run right on 32 bit either.
Thats why I've been trying to find out who I have to talk to at dell to get bit installed instead of 32 bit. Anyone had success with this?

 

My God, its 3am over here, hitting the sack. Machine arrives tomorrow arvo, so will do some tests, then let you all know my brief thoughts!

 

@ kermit1979

Thx for info Waiting on the results of your test, and if everything is ok, i will order it straight away

@ ifti

Great videos, was watching them on my friend's PC Never got a chance to see them before, cause for some reason I can watch only first few seconds of the youtube movies.

As for 667MHz RAM. It is Intel's Santa Rosa limitation. It is hardware limitation, so we are stuck with it However next Intel's platform (always forget its name ) will support 800MHz RAM and 1066MHz bus speed. I suggest we skeep it and wait till next intel's platform with DDR3 support and higher bus speeds

 

Just wanted to post this site
http://www.sharkacomputers.com/zancbl1.html
Its the zalman cooler looks like they have it instock. It looks like they ship world wide for anyone who was lookin.

 

Right guys, i have decided to wait for dell to get the update program out the door before sourcing the 8800 sli's.... so if someone could wake me when that happens, id appreciate it..

 

Thanks alot Ifti, i know the solution, but... for a really stupid reason i cant find in any store from Romania http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=677&product=16779. The sound card can be found everywhere but not the adapter, seems they are mindless sellers. Well i need to buy from UK or Germany.

 

WOOHOO!! gave Dell the sob story about how my orders had gotten messed up b/c of them, just got the same price on the laptop but with 8800's thrown in instead of the 8700's!! now im pumped!

 

sweet what was your story or did it really get messes up. Id like free 8800's thrown in with mine

I just spoke with a Dell representative in th US and she told me an unoffical date for the X9000 processor is may 15. Just incase anyone was wondering. It is unofficial and just want to make sure its out by then any they may release it before but im just going to go ahead with the X7900 and let the zalman cooler take care of the heat

 

whats so good about vista 64bit compared to vista 32bit?

 

anyone please?

 

64 bit Vista is safer against hacker attacks. It's gonna take me ages to explain why, so just google it. Also 64 bit vista suppose to be faster, than 32 bit.

But 64 bit vista won't run 8 bit applications and has some issues with drivers.

Edit: http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5709#toc3 This article priety much covers it all.

 

I just like 64 bit because it will use the 64 bit capabilities of your system like all 4 gigs ram + other ram from GPUs and things like that instead of the 4 gig ram cap for your total system.
Some people say its pointless since you can use only 4 gigs total in the laptop (2x 2 gig) and the 64 bit uses a little more ram itself. But Ive used 64 bit and i havent had a problem with it and i know programs will start to take advantage of the 64 bit capabilities.

 

what type/sort of 8 bit apllications

 

Most of those are either very old or written by individuals. You probably will never even use them. For example use only one, which is written by a friend of mine

 

Hello again everyone.. I noticed talk about XP.. My machine shipped with Vista ultimate.. I used it for about a day or 2.. An i couldnt handle it.. Its terrible.. Some of you like it.. An i have no idea why.. The networking was terrible.. Data transfer seems like half of XP.. I tried.. i really did!! However, if you have a raid setup.. Your going to have to use a Program an burn a custom intall disc with the raid controller.. SO it loads automatically.. Worked perfect for me.. I have Windows XP Pro SP2.. Use http://www.nliteos.com/download.html NLITE 1.4 to add the drivers.. Works great burns the disc and all.. No messing with the floppy or USB crap.. However.. I recomend everyone UPGRADE to XP.. It feels twice as fast as Vista.. An unzipping, compressing, Adobe software, GAMES.. All run about 20% FASTER... Extensive tests were done at tomshardware.com Also, Vista SP1 actually showed a decrease in performance.. An XP SP3 is showing yet another INCREASE in performance.. But if you must use vista.. Disable UAC.. Its useless.. Also if you have your own Anti Virus.. Disable Windows Defender.. THose 2 alone.. SHow big increases. Frees up ALOT of memory.. Also if your a speed freak an dont mind the losing the AERO.. You can save 100-200mb of memory.. Just use Vista Basic theme.. I tweaked Vista as hard as i could.. But i couldnt get the feel ot of it that i wanted, nor the speed... Maybe when Vista SP2 comes along.. I'll give vista another shot.. But not for a while..

Also... Tests done at tomshardware.com On Vista 64bit.. Shows NO performance increase.. You guys should check it out.. There was something like .5% increase in a few areas.. Not worth it IMO.. Plus you lose compatability an all that..

 

Maybe we should listen to him! He sounds like he means business!

On a more on topic subject matter, does anyone have this Targus backpack?

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=TXL617

I'm curious as to if it comfortably fits the 1730 (the internal specs seem to indicate that it will) as well as the massive power brick? And maybe some books/CD cases/accessories?

 

Can we keep this on topic please
I want to learn stuff about the M1730 without having to skip half a dozen unrelated replys

 

i have a targus backpack from my previous laptop which was quite wide. I havent gotten my m1730 yet but from what i seen if its a 17 inch targus backpack it should fit. Also it is a verry good bag, i put mine through hell and its still holdin together without any rips.
I am getting the 1730 backpack with my laptop when i order it just incase it dosnt fit though

 

I also have a Targus bag i was using with my previous M1710.. Everything fits great.. However, I am not very mobile with my M1730 (nor was i with my M1710) But the bag works great.. Its a little bit tight with the New power adapter but its ok... Since i dont prefer the backpack type bags.. The handle's are very sturdy.. Which was my main concern considering the weight of everything.. My previous bags handle's ripped off... It was actually quite humorous to me haha but here is my bag now.. An i liek it... I went into Fry's Electronics an picked out my bag... Usually the best way to do it... http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=TCG200

 

If anyone Lives in Los Angeles.. I am Selling my M1730.. I am going to build a Desktop.. I done 100% with Dell.. Machine is Maybe 2 Weeks old. You all See the Specs in my sig.. Please send me a private message with your offer.. An we can talk.. Will give cooler, an everything i have along with it.. Dont bother sending Low Ball offers please... Thanks all...

 

y dont you just return it if its only 2 weeks old?

 

I like Vista for some reason. I wouldnt ever use it at work for networking though, not just yet, but it seems to do everything I want it to do, and runs games perfectly fine for me. I guess its really down to personal preference. It took me time to get used to it though. I installed it, then removed it, then gave it another chance and stuck to it for a while, and I do like it better then XP now - for a standalone machine - not for networking!

I'll try and throw a video together of the cooler etc, and the best positioning for optimum cooling once I receive it, which should hopefully be in the next few days.....

Its a real shame about the RAM. I feel its the only thing holding the entire system back a little.

Sleep tight
lol

Congrats! Another success story! Well done!

I agree. If its just 2 weeks old retrn it and get a full refund, rather then selling it for a reduced price.....
Im sure your cooler would be whipped out of your hands pretty quick as well

 

I been searching to see if i can find any other discounts or deals before i order my laptop (sofar no luck)
but i came across one that brought me to the dell site for the m1730 with some limited time offer thing not sure if its really anyting yet but i had to post the offer they had
Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme X7900 (2.8GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache) [subtract $12]
Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme X7900 (2.8GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache) [Included in Price]
i can get the x7900 for 12 buck less but i really wanted the x7900 what to choose lol

 

Thats a tough choice. Think it over carefully!

 

i have the wenger/swissgear pegasus, it is 100% perfect

 

Pommie, have a look at this one:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Targ...sem/rpsm/oid/148857/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Dell USA had it in October with M1730 on its web site for $80 but now it is for much less at other places. I got it because it was the lightest carrying case with enough all around padding IMO.
Before M1730 I had a 17" Toshiba Qosmio and a similar Targus bag. Qosmio was a bit lighter but the bag was some 2 lbs heavier. So I thought it would be a good idea to get a lighter bag for M1730 to get more or less the same weight to carry around. It works fine for me, even with the weight of the power brick factored in.

 

It's a replacement system from Dell for his M1710.

 

What is the difference between them

 

Nothing, he's pointing out the ridiculous pricing strategy

 

I think its an old messed up dell page that i had the link to because there seems to be no difference between them besides the price thing. I just thought it was funny that Dell offers 2 items that are identical and one is 12 dollars cheaper.

 

Pchm, thanks for that info mate. I'll look into that bag, although was thinking of something even more "minimal"

Problem is I've broken my ankle, so at the moment im a little "immoblile". Will try heading out tonight though on the trusty crutches to find a bag.

 

which page is this

 

Has anyone used this product? I'd like to know if it really achieves a much better result or not. Also, how would you rate the stock sound of the m1730 anyway? Is it that bad?

 

Not a big fan of the backpacks. I'm a 28 year old engineer, the backpack look is a little too "young" for my liking. I prefer more professional.

I went with:

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=TLE400

Sleek leather design, tons of padding. Has a few extra compartments to store documents, power brick, +few games. the main compartment fits the XPS M1730 like a glove. I spent 5 hours shopping for the perfect bag (future shop, best buy, several malls), this is the one I came up with ...lol

 

I've never used one of those cards, but they do look good. Might have to look into one.

I was quite impressed with the sound on my old XPS M1730. Although I was coming from a Asus W3J.

 

Hey Kermit, I like your bag!! I think we both feel the same in the style department!

 

Does it have (or will it have) the 8800s? I might be willing to buy it for the right price (i.e. if I can sell the one I have without too much of a loss)

 

Day 2 of my reinstall. I have vista working 100% but Media Direct is a piece of crap.

I called the XPS tech support today and aparently, if you modify the partitions dell media direct simply won't work. It was sending me into an infinite reboot cycle into a failing media direct (if I pushed the media direct button). I reinstalled 3 times, then the 4th time was able to recover vista with varios recovery console commands.

I set up my partitions as follows:

Hidden utility partition0 (can't control) ~70kb (I can't remember the exact value, but it's very small) - holds raid drivers
partition1 2GB - Media Direct
Partition2 20GB - Vista
Partition3 2G - Pagefile (set pagefile to this parition with a size of 1536mb)
Partition4 100GB - Programs
Partition5 ~250BG- Storage

I've found that this partition layout provides the optimal drive performance. It really irks me how the dell configures the factory default partitions.

If anyone has a work around to getting media direct to work with modified paritions please let me know.

 

Hehe, thanks. Yeah i'm really liking this bag. It has a very executive look to it. Very sheek with the full leather construction.

 

Hey guys, here is a great site for laptop bags.

http://rushfaster.com.au/category.php?pCategory=LAPTOP_BAG

I know its Australian, but it has a "Does your laptop fit in this bag" feature which is handy and most of the brands are international.