buy XPS m1710 now or wait for next gem

hi guys, I am in kind of a pickle here and hope you can help me out with some of your opinions.

I have been searching for a new lappie to replace my desktop comp and have found Dell XPS m1710 as the current best choice for me.
With 2 GB RAM, 2.16Ghz, 7050 GTX GPU.
It's important for me that the lappie can keep up well with todays and the
coming games for some time ahead.

The only thing holding me back is the possibility for an updated XPS coming
soon (maybe) with DX10 (possibly Go 8800?) and the new Santa Rosa chipset. I know these are rumours but it seems likely that Dell should release an updated XPS 17XX soon to keep up with their line and the market in general.

So I was wondering:

- I really want a lappie soon but do you think it's worth waiting for a possible updated XPS, is it likely to be released anytime soon?

- Any ideas of the possible price range for a new XPS 17XX with Go 8000?

- Will it be worthwhile the wait for a XPS with the Santa Rosa chipset, I have read it might make a 10-20% difference in performance but don't quote me on that pls

As an option I was thinking of maybe getting a m1710 now and upgrade the GPU later to a Go 8800, I have spoken to Dell and they say it is possible to replace the GPU but they can't confirm if the Go 8800 will fit in the m1710 because of size etc.
And of course tigether with the rest of the m1710 hardware
What do you think about this?

Just need some opinions on these questions, would hate to buy a new m1710 now and then a month after it arrives an updated 17XX which is much better is released in a not to distant price range.

I know one can wait forever and never get to buy anything but I kind of feel the timing right now is harder than ever

 

Definitely don't buy one now. Upgrading is questionable at best. They say the 8700m already outperforms the 7950 in benchmarks and is the current top card at Nvidia. If you must buy now, get the Toshiba with the 8700m inside of it.

If you absolutely want a Dell XPS, I believe they will refresh them by October, possibly by the end of summer. There should be a new version of the 1710. No point in paying mega dollars for a laptop that is already out of date compared to even the current 8600m/8700m cards and some other features.

I'd consider the Toshiba personally, but I wish they weren't stuck on HD-DVD. I don't think it has enough support by the movie industry and that wouldn't be a good investment a year or two from now even.

 

Actually it still seems like the 7950 GTX does outperform both the 8600 & 8700: http://www.notebookcheck.com/Mobile-Grafikkarten-Benchmarkliste.735.0.html

Apart from that I am also fond of Toshiba lappies but it seems that they currently do not have any model who can match the XPS m1710 unfortunelately.

Only thing is still the lack of Santa Rosa in the m1710, as well as the uncertainty about upgrading to a Go 8000 later on.

 

I’m pretty sure that DELL won’t release a compatible 8800 for the current M1710. It will be a new model.

Buying a notebook for gaming is very expensive (especially if you buy the latest and the fastest). If you already have a decent desktop, upgrade the graphics card; then get a mediocre gaming notebook (15.4 with an 8600GT or something similar). That will give you best of both worlds.

However if you have already made up your mind, then better wait till the 8800 comes out. But if you are waiting for the next XPS then I’d guess it would be around $3000+ for a good configuration.

 

Jammeista, I am in the *exact* situation as you. I really need a laptop soon, and I am very interested in the M1710 model. However, Dell has recently updated all of the Inspirons, one XPS model (M1330), and now their small business line (the Vostros). This makes me hesitant to buy the current M1710 because I can sense a refreshed Santa Rosa with nVidia 8800 card M1710 on the horizon. The question now is when...

 

Well what do you mean by match the XPS 1710 exactly? If you mean video card, I hold my position on the 8700m

http://www.tech2.com/india/news/gra...a-launches-geforce-8700m-gt-mobile-gpu/7042/0

From the article:

"The GeForce 8700M GT will be the top chip in NVIDIA’s Mobile stable replacing the existing GeForce Go 7950 GTX. NVIDIA claims 3DMark05 scores of 10,371 with the GeForce 8700M GT on default settings. In comparison the GeForce Go 7950 GTX scores 9,395 in 3DMark05. The GeForce 8700M GT is also 27-34% faster than the GeForce Go 7950 GTX in Half Life 2: Lost Coast and Far Cry."

So if you mean in terms of graphical ability, if this site is correct (and I read this on other sites because the info. is from Nvidia themselves), then the Toshiba has the 1710 beat. In addition it has all the other RAM upgrades, hard drive, etc. The only difference is Tosbhia HD-DVD to Dell's Blu Ray. If that doesn't matter to you, HD-DVD is cheaper and the 8700m is powerful, you can buy now if you like.

 

Wait for the 8800M, the 8700M imo is a hoax...

 

wait for the new release of the new model sometime at the end of this years probably

 

Yea, at the rate they're going, I'd expect the 8800m to be announced during July or August at the latest and in PCs within a month after announcement. They've been rolling out the 8 series chips lately.

 

don't forget Core2Extreme Merom for laptops x7800 and x7900 I hope they make it with nvidia 8800 go with SLi this would be the coolest lappy on earth!

 

The current 8000 series chips that I have seen are drastically slower than the 7950GTX chips, however they do support DX10. So it is a trade off. Speed for features.

I personally went for speed, since my bet is that games absolutely requiring DX10 will still be a fair ways off, and my thought is that the speed advantage of the current 7950GTX chips over the CURRENT 8000 series chips will be more valuable to the longevity of the notebook than having the DX10 features.

Once they come out with an upgraded 8000 chip that matches or beats the 7950 in speed, then I will consider upgrading if the notebook will take it. If not I will hold out until either:
A) the notebook is unable to play a game that I want to play at 1024x768 with no AA or AF, and at 60fps, OR there is more than one game that I want to play that absolutely requires DX10. At that time I will replace the notebook. If that time is more than 2 years away, then it is worth it to me.

But that is just my opinion, and for all I know I am wrong about the speed comparison. But in my case I HAD to buy now (because my other laptop died in an accident, and my insurance is replacing it) and I also HAD to buy a Dell (insurance stipulation). So the 1710 will be more than adequate.

If I had the choice I would have waited until the XPS 1720 comes out (I have confirmation from "a source" (a friend of mine works for Dell) that the model is going to be launched soon with the upgraded chipset and 8000 series high end GPU to replace the XPS 1710.)

 

pfft lol. give the 1520 some credit..

 

If nothing else, wait until the rest of the XPS line comes out. If you decide that you don't want or can't afford the latest and greatest, at least the price on the 1710 will drop like a rock and you can pimp it out for a lot less money.

 

anyone heard any news about any new XPS m17xx yet? Have waited for quite some time now and really need a new laptop, I am really considering going for todays m1710 only hoping a new m17XX does not come out just after I get it.. and if it does, hopefully it is much more expensive and/or it will be possible to change the 7950 GTX card to a new 8800 card.. wish me luck or tell me to wait another week pls