Ive finally taken the plunge and bought an XPS M1730.

After trying to find a suitable laptop for a couple of months ive finally taken the plunge and bought an M1730 today, it should be here on wednsday.

Thanks for the advice ive previously recieved, i was debating between an M1730 and an M17X but i just couldn`t justify spending a further £600 which is roughly $1,000 extra on the M17X when the M1730 ive ordered seems to have a very good spec.

This is the spec ive ordered, i paid £1,750 which is roughly $2,930.

2.80Ghz EXTREME X9000 CPU (overclockable to 3.4GHZ)
1GB nVidia 9800 GT Graphics (2x9800 GT in SLI mode)
400GB 7200rpm FFS Hard Drive (2x200GB)
6GB DDR2 (667mhz) RAM
BLURAY BD-RE Drive Allows to read and write BLU-RAY&DVD&CD
17.0" WUXGA Truelife FULL HD Display (1920x1200)
4 YEAR WORLDWIDE Warranty
UK QWERTY Keyboard
Battery Primary 9-cell 85 Whr Lithium Ion battery.
AC ADAPTER 3 Pin UK/IRISH Type (220 watt, 100-240V

Additional Info
BLUETOOTH 355
Intel WiFi 4965WLAN MiniCard
Travel Remote Control
XPS Gaming MousePad

Vista Home Premium 64Bit SP1 DVD, Drivers&Utilities DVD, MediaDirect DVD, Webcam Manager CD, Roxio Creator CD, MS Works CD
McAfee Security Center 30 Days Trial Antivirus Software

 

I think you'll be fine no matter what happens. Even if the beastie dies an early death, you can look forward to a M17x replacement considering that by then there will be zero possibility of replacement parts for the 1730. Since you purchased the x9000, you would end up with a like extreme which at the moment is the QX9300 .


Congrats on the purchase... you'll enjoy having that x9000 and 9800 SLI combo...

 

I'm considering the M1730, but the comparatively slow RAM (DDR2 at 667mhz) over the 1640's DDR3 at 1066mhz is pulling me. The extra GFX card options are a plus, though - if one has the money.

 

Finally made a decision, Congratz!

Looks like a cool rig, but for that price, I would have went for something newer. But as BatBoy says, you can look forward to a new M17x if anything goes wrong with your M1730 in the future.

Its still a beast though, enjoy!

 

The problem we have in the UK is that we don`t get the M17X for anywhere near the price that you can get it for in the US, i would have had to spend around £600 ($1,000) more to get a fairly basic M17X, it wouldn`t have had a read and write bluray drive either.

For the money i spent i seemed to be getting a fair bit more value with the M1730 rather than being ripped off with the european prices on the M17X.

Like you say i have piece of mind that if anything serious did go wrong with my M1730 i would probably get an M17X as a replacement, i have a 4 year Dell warranty as well.

 

Yeah, for UK, it is a good price.

It's just a bloody issue, but prices are too high on this end. 1700+ quid for an M1730 will probably annoy the crap out of a typical U.S. resident. But, for us, brand new - it's a steal.

However, even I think it's probably better to save up a few more hundred for an M17x, more current and relevant. On the upside, you still got that great warranty, and that means that you do have a shot at getting an M17x in the future, if ****-forbid, your machine fails.

 

Thats how i viewed things, ive got a good spec M1730 and a 4 year warranty that must be worth around £300 on its own, i paid £1750 all in including delivery. For me to get an M17X here in the UK with a similar spec + a 4 year warranty your talking silly money, it may have a newer platform but were certainly paying for that pleasure over here and its not something i was prepared to do at the current prices.

Also their are no options at present to get a 1920 x 1200 screen on the M17X in the Uk, i certainly wouldn`t want to spend all that money and end up with a 1440 x 900 screen which is the only option.

You have to draw a line somewhere...

 

aye, 4 year warranty with 2.4ghz processor, 4gb ram, GTX 280 M17x was coming up at £2800 for me... and thats without the hi res screen as they arent stocking them!!

Sounds like a great spec for the cost Stig!

 

Stig! You finally did it! WoOT! Supa Dupa Wo0T! Grat's on your purchase!
Wow..this was a very long time coming for you!

So, when you get it, you gonna keep McAfee? Or, upgrade yourself to some serious AV protection? (kidding ~ lulz)

Cin...

 

Thanks

I think with anything in life you have to weigh up what is value for money, by the time you have added a 1920 x 1200 screen to the M17X (when they eventually become available again) would it be worth paying not far off twice the money for an M17X over a top spec M1730 that cost not far off half the price ?

I decided it wasn`t as the i`m not a big gamer and the times i do play the odd game my M1730 will run most games and probably all current games without a problem, its all about value and what your needs are, ive got piece of mind now for 4 years with the warranty i got.

 

Honestly mate, you will LOVE the M1730. Got mine as a replacement for the M1710, and the quality is great! rear panel is brilliant, tho my red is looking a tad pink! Sound isnt as good as the M1710 sadly on the speakers.. no seperate sub. But still good! Screen is stunning, backlit keyboard is revelation! And the sli gaming is sweeeeet!

Ignore alienware for now. Enjoy the beast! Its brilliant!

 

I`m just hoping ive done the right thing really to get the M1730 over the newer M17X, for a decent spec M17X it would have cost just over £3,000, i only paid just over half that price for a high spec M1730 + 4 years warranty. You can`t get a 1920 x 1200 screen at the min in the UK for an M17X.

I`m not a big gamer, i occasionally play the odd game, my laptop will mainly be used for every day stuff plus i do a bit of video editing from time to time.

 

Don't worry Stig. As long as you aren't plagued by GPU issues as some of us here, you'll do fine. When the unit starts to go south, Dell will deal with it. If it comes to a point of replacing the system, then you'll be moved to a M17x.

Just enjoy the beast as much as you can - its a solid lappie and you will have a lot of fun with it. Not too mention the 'look factor' is there. Once in a blue moon I would pop into my local coffee shop and take out the beast while enjoying my coffee. The unit draws quite a bit of attention.

 

Honestly, dont worry. its such an impressive machine! And as batboy said, if it breaks, they will repair or replace with M17x!

If you want the 9800's to last longer, whack the fans onto always on. This seems to be what is protecting the cards in the xtreme systems.. Cant be bothered myself. loving that its not hitting over 80C in games! the 7950 GTX used to hit 95 regularly! and yet that card STILL lasted 2 1/2 years!

 

Oh you just enjoy that sweet lappy' that you will have arriving very soon!

Like I said, you have waited long enough! Now, it's *your* time! And, yes you do have a good warranty to back you up!

Cin...

 

Will do , thinking about it and based on what we have to pay for an M17X in the UK it was a no brainer really given the spec i managed to get for the money.

I could have afforded the M17X but the issue for me was whether the M17X was worth virtually twice what i paid for an Xtreme M1730.

If i`d been in the US i wouldn`t have hesitated in getting an M17X given the prices your paying compared to what were paying in europe, the M1730 is a massive step up for me anyway from my current Vaio.

 

Is it a refurb or is it just a ridiculously good price lol?

 

Its from the Dell Outlet, they are usually customer returns for various reasons that are unmarked and repackaged. Its just legally they can`t re-advertise them as brand new once the packaging has been opened even though in most cases they are brand new machines where a customer has had a change of heart or their finances have changed etc. Ive got a 4 year worldwide warranty so thats great piece of mind, thats one of the reasons that drew me to that particlar M1730.

 

I think generally someone who has never had a desktop replacement, or doesnt use weights on their biceps, will see the thing, weigh the thing, and think "no chance!".

So tips for all you out there. Crack out the weights, get a desk ready, and enjoy!