What about 1720? i see so many threads on 1520

i haven't seen much on the 1720. why are people buying the 1520 over the 1720 when the 1720 is ~50 dollars cheaper?

is there something fundamentally wrong with the 1720?

is the resolution 1920x1600 too high for games on the geforce 8600M GT?

Below is a computer i built and plan on buyign unless yoou all tell me it is a bad idea.

Code:

Inspiron 1720  	Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Operating System 	Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Edition
System Color 	Espresso Brown
MEMORY 	FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
LCD Panel 	High Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1920 x 1200)
Video Card 	256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8600M GT
Hard Drive 	FREE! 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
Network Card 	Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Optical Drive 	CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Sound Card 	High Definition Audio 2.0
Wireless Networking Cards 	Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
Camera 	Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
Misc Productivity Software 	Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
Anti-Virus/ Security suite (pre-install) 	McAfee Security Center with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months
Battery Options 	56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 	1 Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor - Next Business Day
Dial-Up Internet Access 	6 Months of America Online Membership Included
Bluetooth Options 	Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Dell Digital Entertainment 	Yahoo! Music Jukebox - Music Player
Datasafe 	Free 3 GB Online Backup for 1Yr
DOMS Camera Mod 	Premium Dark Chocolate with Soft Touch LCD back color w/ 2.0M pixel Camera
Processor Branding 	Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor
Labels 	Windows Vista™ Premium

 

I guarantee you that with any of the newer games 8600 GT will probably choke if you turn up the settings (AA, textures, etc.) if you're running at a 1920x1600 resolution...but otherwise it looks nice. Most people are posting about 1520 because it's a good balance between portability and high performance...whereas the 1420 has bad graphics and the 1720 is just a pure desktop replacement too big to carry around (so not many people buy it).

 

Plus the 1720 has the same video card as the 1520

 

Dell 1720 $1,322 shipped
Jet Black
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Edition
Anti-glare, widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440 x 900)
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8600M GT
FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
FREE! 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD Software Edition

 

If I was going for a full out desktop replacement I'm not sure the 1720 would be my first option. I would figure "most" people who buy laptops need some sort of portability and 17" inches is pretty beefy.

 

If I was going for a 17," I would have waited for the new XPS 17" with a faster 8 series or buy the current one when it goes on sale. But if you don't want to wait, the 1720 isn't a bad way to go.

 

i want to play games like bf2142/C&C3/SCommander would the 1520 be better with the 1680x1050 be a better choice for games.
i mean i love the 17inch but i as a gamer know that not running native res on a lcd kinda destroy it quality of the image. do you think that the driver scaling will work fine or should i just go with the 15inch?

 

I don't see why the hate for the 17" screen? Why would you pay extra for a smaller 15.4" screen?

The XPS is like 2x the price, lol apples to oranges.

 

really, a pound more of weight and everyone acts like theyre impossible to carry, geez go to the gym sometime.
Im getting the 1720 because I like a larger screen, the numbpad, and there is plenty of space on the keyboard

 

yea im not looking to spend 2500 i was looking for ~1500 i was originally looking to get a hp dv9500 but found out that the 8600gs is ****...too bad cause the HP comps look so much better than dell's

 

Me too man, I was told HP arn't reliable though so I went with this:

DELL 1720
Jet Black
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Edition
Anti-glare, widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440 x 900)
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8600M GT
FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
FREE! 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD Software Edition

$1,322 shipped

 

the one i picked was 1538 and it has less options, what codes are you using?

 

TSD1$NG00WFD4N

Thats it...

Its like $1533ish before the $350 and $1322ish with tax and free ship.

 

Honestly i dont understand the concept of "desktop replacement" if your going to buy a 17" screen dont expect to move it alot. If your going to keep it in one place most of the time (which you probably are) you might as well get a DESKTOP.

Figure it this way:

Nvidea 8800GTS is about $300.
Monetor is like $170-$200
Case is $50
Motherboard is $50
C2D is $250 for a realy good one.
Keyboard + Mouse bundle $110
Memory is $75 for a 1 gig stick, - $150 for 2 gigs which is plenty for games,
Vista Premium - $150
Harddrive - $75
it ends up coming down to $1300 for a REALY good pc. and you can probably find deals and such to get one for $1000. in the end you dont get that great of a deal as you lack portability AND power.

 

We're not complaining cuz the 1720 is a pound more and we're too weak to move it around (well maybe some of us are)...we're complaining because it's too HUGE of a behemoth for practical purposes to carry around comfortably, not to mention the probably poor battery life that such a machine would deliver. Second, the graphics card isn't powerful enough to do higher end work/games...the 8600GT is just not meant for those resolutions on the 1720, it's a 1520 CARD! Understand that...and you'll see why the 1720 is a bad pick unless you love carrying around huge machines with poor battery life and don't care about much graphics performance, or if you just do regular tasks such as surfing, movies, very light gaming, and let it sit on your desk and you don't have enough space for a full desktop.

 

If you look at the polls, most people that ordered the 1520 got the 1400x900 resolution. This is the standard resolution on the 1720.

 

Why does the 1720 only have a 5400rpm hard drive option while the 1520 has a 7200rpm option?

 

That's the biggest thing holding me back too. I need to do audio editing on my laptop, and 54ooRPM just doesn't cut for streaming audio.

 

I didnt know that 15x11x1.5 was considered huge these days, it's not a whole lot different fromt the 1520....and how do you know anything about battery life, no one has reviewed or said anything yet. If it's anything similar to the hp 9500 17 inch it might have amazing battery life.
I don't think people buy inspirons for gaming, which is why dell offers only the 8600GT....if they had a nicer video card, then no one would want the XPS.
I got it because I like a larger screen for movies and games, and numpads rock. Everyone acts terrified at some epic size machine that crushes everything in it path with its huge 17 inch widescreen so they avoid it like the plague....

 

Okay that's just too hilarious...I'm going to have to remember this

 

lol everyone always goes right to being too weak to carry the notebook when someone doesn't want a 17". I just find it too bulky to carry around and set up all the time, the 15" is already too big.

If you agree that the majority of people buying notebooks need some degree of portability, then it would make sense that naturally more people would select a smaller 15" over 17". Its no hate for the 1720, its just the 1520 is the perfect size for a lot more people.

 

Bigger isnt always better. Both are good. I like the 1520 better. The 1720 is 15-20% heavier, and just looks kinda bulky. The 1420 looks cool, but the screen is just a tad too small.


Its like goldilocks and the three bears. One is too big, one is too small, and one is just right.

 

I am guessing that Dell will put some high-end cards into 1720 in the future. Its predecessor E1705 has GF 7900GS. So its plausible that they will put something better than 8600m GT, once NVIDIA release the 8800 series at the end of summer.

 

I would say an 8700m is almost a definitite. I hear it is the exact same hardware, just overclocked. If that's true, it would easily fit into the 1720 as well, and it shouldn't cost too much more to put in there. I'd expect it by the end of summer probably.

 

well i think most people would point out that you ca't carry a desktop around very well, whereas you can withthe 17 inch

 

I wanted the 17" for the screen resolution, but they are a bit too large to carry every day and they don't offer a 7,200 RPM drive. I went with a 15.4".

 

See, I disagree. I bought the 1720 precisely because it's a desktop replacement. I don't want/need a desktop. I go to university far away from my hometown, and I don't want to have to carry around a desktop every time I flew to and from home. At the same time, I don't need THAT much portability (I carry my laptop with me onto campus maybe once a week), so this is the ideal computer. Plus I don't have a TV, so the bigger the laptop screen, the better.

Just because it doesn't make sense to you, doesn't make it a bad idea.

 

Please guys, write review about 1720 !!!!
I need more info about 1720.