Whats the difference between the dell inspiron and the XPS

Hi, what is the difference between the dell inspiron 9400/e1705 and the XPS M1710? is the screen of a higher quality (not just brighter)? does it receive more care when assembling? better quality control? different material use? different packaging? different chassis? different motherboard? any other thing i should know? i want to buy a laptop and don't want to deal with screen; shimmer, sparkle, light leakage, poor viewing angle, colour distortion, and the likes. How happy are you with the screen? have u have any of these screen condition?

thanks

oh btw, is it possible to ask them for a discount if there is no coupon? if so how much (in percentage)

sorry about the long post, but i'm very excited/nervous about buying my very first laptop, i'm also considering toshiba qosmio G30 w/ geforce 7600 coz of its excellent screen, and speaker.

 

There are some similarities between the two lines, and some differences. It appears, according to threads here and on notebookforums.com, that the screens used in the M1710 are also in the E1705. Consensus is only one screen in the M1710 is worthwhile--the LG screen. The Samsungs and Sharps are not that bright, colors not great, and narrow field of views.

The M1710 and the e1705 chassis's look *very* similar. Ports all appear to be in the same place, but the M1710 motherboard has those color LED's all around, plus the M1710 has a dock port that works fine with the D/DOCK and D/PORT. I'm sure there are other differences, but as has been mentioned many times, if there were a 7900GTX available for the E1705, no one would buy the M1710!

 

There are different materials used in the Dell XPS line usually. But it really depends on the model. Take the XPS M1710, it has a metal lid, and some cool lights. The E1705 doesn't have any of that. Dells XPS line is generally built better. You also get dells XPS support. I havn't used it before, but they claim the support is better than regular dell suport. You also get your notebook in a nice black box. They throw in a couple tiny gifts. CD wallet, powersupply case. I think the chassis is different. The motherboard I'm not sure about. Dells XPS line costs a lot more usually. They are usually dells gaming laptops. They are more high end then the usual inspirons. Like the XPS M1710 you can get with a 512MB 7900GTX. The E1705 just a 7900GS. The XPS M1210 a Nvida 7400. The 710m - Intel Extreme 2 graphics.

 

here is a very detailed comparison article http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=2766

Dell may very well haggle with you on price. Get on the phone, tell them you are ready to buy "right now" if they give you a fair price and you are comparing to other brand xyz model abc, and if you push them they will "check to see what can be done"...if they don't hang up and call again...ask them to check with the supervisor...stay tenacious and keep repeating to them "I will spend $ABCD right now if you give me a deal"...don't get greedy and ask for more than you could get with coupons...

 

Yeah, I finally managed to get a deal on my Precision M90. At first, the story was that it was all approved ready to go. Next day, I got an email saying that it wasn't approved, instead they were offering me an Inspiron 9400 for around the same price. I called my Dell sales rep back and told him that I didn't want the Inspiron, I wanted the M90 because I'm an engineering student and it's better built, etc. If I couldn't get that deal, I would move on and look at something else. Two hours later he called me back and said it was approved. My M90 is expected to be here next Friday.

 

It seems the XPS is of a better build quality overall. The LCD is better also. And then there's the power-best graphics dell offers. Service is supposed to be superior as well.

And they at least tried to style the XPS it is the coolest they build.

 

Yes the XPS's also look really really good. With the excption of the M1710, that thing is just fell of the ugly tree and hit every branch ugly in my opinion. But other than that they're sweet looking. The XPS 700 is the supermodel of computers, that thing just looks fast standing still.

 

I paid about $1400 for my e1705. For my purposes, spending twice that on the xps m1710 makes no sense.

 

I could point out 10 differences off the bat if you need me to. And more with that...

Generally, all i see is whoever has a E1705, and this question comes up, usually most will say its the same thing, yada yada.

Its not...

 

I think the most common differences are:
the XPS is a high end model while inspiron is a middle end one
which is why we seldom see an XPS coupon

 

Do point out the differences, I'm considering the xps.

 

hmm, in my opinion the M1710 actually looks better than the past xps, DEFINETLY better looking than the first generation. still a bit ugly for $4000+ computer, cant they just at least diferentiate the design more
, and fire their current designer AND GET A GOOD ONE! for god sake! stop cutting cost on premium product!

hey i just found out something about the xps screen, i read somewhere that; the samsung, lg and sharp lcd panel is not the major contributor of the light leakage! the major contributor is the backlight. dell uses a backlight panel that is easy and quick to install. According to them the sony VAIO uses the samsung screen but does not have light leakage!

Is the light leakage that bad?

 

hey check this out:

http://youtube.com/profile?user=DellVlog
dell subscribing to youtube to do some advertising

if you want to check out the precision M90 light leakage check this out
http://youtube.com/watch?v=N729ifEPoNk
I mean that is ONE HUGE LIGHT LEAKAGE!!!
is the XPS light leakage like that??

 

I really didn't think the light leakage was bad at all. I'm pretty sure that was just a little light leakage, but the taskbar was brighter than the background and it looked like bad light leakage. I highly doubt Dell would put something that looked really bad on an advertisement video. I think everyone complains way too much about light leakage.

 

The biggest differences between the XPS and Inspiron is mainly related to the fact that they are two different lines.

XPS is marketed more towards gamers, so think of the typical gamer. Probably a teenager about 15 yrs old, likes to eat/drink/live on their computer, tries to show off their laptop etc (No offense to gamers - just stating the obvious). When you think of a gamer, you think of LAN parties, taking the laptop to a friends house to play against each other, etc. The XPS is built for that. It has the better materials, better quality, more durable/long lasting, lights built in the speakers/fans/lid - things to satisfy a gamer. All of that, comes a price - so the laptops are expensive, and you'll rarely see a coupon.

The Inspirons are more for users that interested in a nice system for a low price. Typically, these users use their laptop more for internet, listening to music, watching DVDs, creating documents, etc. Things that don't require all of the flashing lights and stuff in order to get their work done. With the Inspirons, you won't get the best quality of material, but it will last a couple of years, maybe more. The tech support is outsourced to India, so you'll have that issue. The good part is that you get the coupons, and get a good system with high specs for a low price.

 

Dang, and here I am a 48 year old gamer who bought an M1710 ! Then again, my wife would likely tell you I am a 15 year old gamer at heart. The obvious question to me is how a 15 year old would afford an M1710?

All kidding aside, I think anyone can find good and bad in whatever they look at, and the owner of something is going to like what they bought...or why did they buy it? An example would be when people ask me how I like my Mustang (car)? I usually say "It sucks! That's why I bought it!" and think to myself...here's your sign!

The M1710 I bought I love. It is my second Dell laptop...other one about 4 years old, gave to my daughter and no idea what model it was. Could I have bought something cheaper? Probably. Did I buy what "I" wanted? Absolutely!! Differences are in the eye of the beholder. Buy what you want and be happy. It shouldn't really matter what other people think...YOU are the one who has to live with what you bought!!

 

Show off?!?!? showing off a DELL?!?! you gotta be kidding me lol (no offense to XPS owner), but they just not as good looking as the VAIOs. anyway, what do you mean by better material, better quality? do they do more quality check than the inspiron line? dont the inspiron uses the same; dual fan, magnesium chassis, strikezone, etc.? perhaps the major difference in material is the alumunium lid. but still, the only thing keeping me from buying the xps is perhaps the screen, and the bad... so-so design (but i can live with that, its not THAT bad).

 

LOL, some people are proud to own dells. Dell is like any other manufacturer. It has its good side and bad side, plus the haters/lovers.

As for the quality, it has always been known that the material used for the Inspirons is not as good as what the XPS or the Latitudes get. It has to do with cost, and what the laptop line is marketed towards. I'm not sure about how the new Inspirons and XPS would line up. They look almost the same to me, but Dell generally makes the XPS & Latitude more durable. These are the laptops that can travel everyday, and won't get damaged as easily.

I don't think they do more testing on the XPS or anything like that. If they were the same material, you would think that the XPS/Latitude would have a lower cost, or the Inspirons would have a higher cost.

Another difference is with the support. As I stated in my previous post, Inspiron tech support is outsourced to India. I'm not sure about XPS. I know they have some kind of special deal where you enter your XPS information in, and you are suppose to get quicker tech service. If that is the case, then i would think it is probably based out of India - but XPS gets the better tech support.

Personally, I'm like you. I really don't like the XPS design, nor do I like the Inspiron design. The XPS 1210 is really nice though, but that is about the only one that I would probably even consider getting in the XPS line. As The Shirt stated, you are the one that has to live with the system so get something that you like or you'll end up regretting it.

 

Not to be gratuitously argumentative...I know i've posted in a thread about this once already, and ended up leaving it alone instead of really stating the facts (as I see them), but the speculation of the XPS being different and better built makes me laugh.

Recently I got my hands on a friends E1705 and got to look it over real well. Here are my findings, for those so inclined to listen:

The lid on the Inspiron, like the XPS, is indeed metal, not plastic. The chassis is EXACTLY the same with the exception of the dock port, LED's and obvious difference in lid design. The Inspiron was just as solid, the overall feel exactly the same, probably because it's the exact same chassis, as already stated. All of the hardware is exactly the same, with the exception of the graphics card, assuming you have a 1710 with the 7900GTX. Saying the motherboard is different is insane, it's not different, it just has connections for the LED's...that doesn't constitute a "different" motherboard IMHO. The XPS comes in a nifty black box with the XPS logo cutout in stealth fashion, probably worth about a dollar. The XPS also comes with a cheap vinyl CD booklet, worth probably 50 cents, and also a very very thin, almost paper sack which I assume is for the power cord, probably at a value of about 25 cents. All of the real differences are just cosmetic. All Dell notebooks are "Road Ready", they all go through the same testing process. If you truely believe that the XPS is a better machine, you're lying to yourself, which is what Dell hopes that you'll do.

The only real benefit of an XPS over the Inspiron is the tech support/customer service (which is really worth a lot actually), availability of the 7900GTX, and nicer cosmetic appearance, which is of course subjective.

And guess what...all of this from an XPS M1710 owner. And I love it! Easily the best computer i've owned so far. Go figure!

 

Your saying the mobo on the M1710 is the same as a E1705?

So in other words, they are the exact same base? Why can't the E1705 support the 7900GTX without the modding? The 7900GTX is somewhat of a big increase from the 7900GS.

Other things

Better screen (post a pic of the 2 side by side if you need to)
4GB Ram support
The possibility of upgrading to DX 10 and the new nVidia 8 series video cards (it it has been the same for the last XPS's, there is a good chance, or no chance at all)

The M1710 is better built than the E1705, and anywhere you go you will likely here this. Its even stated in one of those movies that Dell put out on YouTube. The XPS's are better built...

Im glad i also get a American Tech, with 24/7 support

It's your opinion i know, but im glad i got my M1710.

Seems to be a thread on this topic every day somewhere...

 

Hey nick i did see your laptop picture on notebookforum; it is very nice; you're very lucky; the screen got soo little light leakage; which i think that is somewhat acceptable; is all m1710 screen like that?

 

If you are talking about light leakage, any laptop screen has a chance of having light leakage. It just depends on how much. Dell is usually about average - some laptops have severe light leakage, some don't. It's a hit or miss type of thing.

 

i've recently become a fan of sony vaios, but in all honesty, if someone offered me to choose between the most powerful sony AR and the premium xps m1710, i would choose the dell. (and have my guy friends carry it around for me...)

and an earlier post gave the most poetic image of a gamer, haha. though i'm 22, i know the experience of LAN games and having a system you can be proud of =p

 

Why thanks Wobble

This one?

 

Hey Nick...I do stand corrected on the upgradability to 4GB of RAM vs. 2. You're right.

Regarding the 7900GTX being usable because of a motherboard difference...From what i've read, there are quite a few people who have put the 7900GTX in their 1705 with a slight modification to some brackets. So I'm not so sure that there is a significant difference in Mobo for that reason. Technically, yes, I guess if you want to get down to tin tacks, there is a difference, but I guess i'm not seeing how it's substantial enough to mention.

As far as the 7900GTX being a big increase from the GS...again..I dunno, people who have OCed their 7900GS's (myself included) are getting scores in 3D Mark that are actually higher than the stock GTX score. I realize 3D Mark isn't the absolute final word on card performance, but it's a good reference point. There's no doubt the GTX is a better card, but I wouldn't use the phrase "big increase".

From observation, the LCD in the 1705 appeared to be of the exact same quality as that in my 1710. I'll give you that I don't have the facts to support it, but I would put a weeks pay on the statement that the LCD's are indeed the same. If not, then I eat my words.

As far as justifying the idea that the XPS is better built because Dell told you this in a promo video they are pushing on YouTube, and people around the forums said so...I think you're allowing yourself to be misled.

I've spent a lot of time on the phone with tech support, and not once did I get an American tech. Maybe i was calling the wrong number? I will say that the tech support and all around customer service experience was much better than some of the stuff i've read about Inspiron tech support. And the Indian reps are far nicer than a lot of reps i've dealt with in this country with various organizations.

I really do admire and appreciate your moxie when it comes to defending the 1710. I love it too, it's a fantastic machine. It wasn't my intent to put you in your place, or one-up you. And I'll say no more about it, I promise.

 

no not that one; the one with only black background and a little light from the bottom; that has a title; "little light leakage, what's there should go away soon", well something like that anyway... is that what its looks like after a ...(insert # of week/s here) weeks. i mean WOW, that doesn't have ANY light leakage, it is perfect, how is the screen compared to say, sony notebook? any shimmer?

 

hey just remember, some people said that dell motherboard (incl the m1710) is built on a limited budget (meaning not the best one) and that the alienware uses the best motherboard. is this true? what does motherboard has to do with performance (i know that there is some effect but why? by how much)?

 

haha kgbeezr

Your post is very valid indeed.

Something that people miss, is that the CPU has a big effect on the M1710. For example: I have a T2400. My 3dmark05 score with default drivers was 8000. With a T2500, the average is 8300. And with a T2600, its about 8600.
When overclocking it, it has a slightly bigger effect, the faster your GPU is. With a T2400, you can over clock it to over 9000. A T2600 overclocked at the same clocks will be round 500 - 700 more. People have hit 10,000 3dmark's with the T2600 only. So keep that in mind. What CPU do you have?

Also remember the docking part on the M1710

 

I've got the T2500. So far i'm at 8108 in 3Dmark05 and that's OC'ed @ 525/1100 1.24v. Agreed that's definitely not 10k, but i'm alright with it for now. I can run that and hit a peak GPU temp of around 65c (corrected)...that's with both fans forced on high.

Agreed about the docking port, I have yet to take advantage of it, but i'm thinking I just might.

I guess I got worked up over the XPS vs. Inspiron thing because I hate to see big cooperations taking advantage of the consumer. And I think Dell (a company with whom I have absolutely nothing against) has done this, trying to create the illusion that there's a monumental difference between the two to justify the considerable price difference (after coupons on the Inpiron). And I realize it's marketing, and how a business has to work, they are there to make money. It really is ultimately up to the consumer to do the research before laying out thousands of dollars on anything, to state the obvious.

I have no problem admitting I spent the extra cash to go XPS because I liked the LED's, overall appearance, and the improved tech support and customer service. Also, at the time that I bought, the Inspiron was only available with the 7800GO which I definitely didn't want. Those are the things that sold me. And again, i'm very happy, no complaints.

 

Oh, you have a 7900GS?

 

Right.......

 

What price and config did they give you ? How did you haggle with them the first time around ? The M90 looks hot!